[MrIks from Finland]

I thought this topic needs it's own thread cause the mixing of this album is so bad. For last 10 years we've used to get material from Bon Jovi which sounds much better on album than live... But this time it's the opposite. All the songs from the new album which they've already played live, sounds actually much better live than on album.... The mixing is just so horrible. That's what the water made me sounds so bad and not natural. The same is with I'm with you... I was just listening to them i didn't believe what i was hearing... And Jon is so autotuned on the records that it sounds terrible. Like there was some teenage girl singing... And yeah btw the album sucks.

Anyone share the same thoughts about mixing?

[sammy645]

Its not all bad to be fair. I think the slower songs have a pretty good sound, its just the heavier rock tracks sound clustered.

[bonjovi90]

Originally Posted by sammy645

Its not all bad to be fair. I think the slower songs have a pretty good sound, its just the heavier rock tracks sound clustered.

Heavier rock tracks? I guess I bought the wrong CD...

But yeah, Water and I'm With You sound really awful in terms of production!

[hackster73]

Its a mixed bag. Some tracks are too polished/over produced whilst overs are more stripped.

It is what it is, not a rock album but it is pop/rock and that is where Bon Jovi found that breakthrough back in 86.

I don't have much of an issue with the sound to be honest. After hearing BWC as a single the album is better than I expected.

[felipe-fontoura]

Originally Posted by bonjovi90

But yeah, Water and I'm With You sound really awful in terms of production!

In "Water" the voices of the chorus are over Jon's voice and sounds that doens't match. It would make more sense with that Jon's voice from Crush album, more dirty and powerfull.

In "I'm with you" the voices of the "uuuuuuuuussss" are over too, but these voices are doing a third note, so it's really wrong.

The live versions are perfect in these points.

[TheseDaysEra]

can we get technical ?? yayy !! - Ok then, from what I heard (I've heard the record twice!) I like the mixing of the album, generally speaking. solid bottom end ! However, I HATE kick on What About Now (the song) - WAYYY too upper-mid range-y, wayyy too clicky, feels kinda out of place.

What ruins this and 90% of the all records out there (minus Blunderbuss by Jack White!) is the mastering.

The Loudness war (look it up if you don't know what it is) is indeed ruining music. There are no dynamics whatsoever, it's WAY too crushed and compressed.

I would like to put it through an analyzer but I'm pretty sure most songs are as loud as -6 dB RMS, which, for those who don't know, is PRETTY loud. This means that the quite parts are almost as 'loud' as the louder passages. in the long run, this makes the record fatiguing to the ear. But that's another story.

[TheseDaysEra]

Originally Posted by MrIks from Finland

And Jon is so autotuned on the records that it sounds terrible. Like there was some teenage girl singing... And yeah btw the album sucks.

I definitely hear a lot of pitch correction on Amen !

[Bounce7800]

Knowing nothing of this, but I would agree its pretty damn loud, I have to turn the sound down on my earphones few notches to what I usually have it. Not sure if that means anything.

[StoneDeaf]

Originally Posted by TheseDaysEra

The Loudness war (look it up if you don't know what it is) is indeed ruining music. There are no dynamics whatsoever, it's WAY too crushed and compressed.

Amen to that. Pick just about any album from anyone from the 80's and it does sound better than anything from today. Such a shame, actually.

[bounce442]

True.. it is loud and too compressed (as is most pop music these days).

But every album since crushed has been mixed and mastered poorly, with the exception of maybe Lost Highway. Though I don't have much love for LH and I haven't analyzed the dynamics, it sounds pretty clean. Nothing jumps out at me.

The first time I remember thinking any Bon Jovi song was mixed poorly (or possibly recorded poorly) was Hook Me Up and Right Side of Wrong for totally different reasons. HAND on the other was their first album to sound overly compressed.