Tool

[profane]

Listened to the IEM and got somewhat depressed by Maynard's singing (raping). I get he doesn't want to ruin his voice but it felt like the songs I love so dearly were being murdered even though the band itself plays great. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't suck but it was hugely off putting to me. I can't really get my feelings and thoughts to words at the moment, I just felt the need to put this out here.

[Hazekiah]

I'm not on Dime-a-Dozen yet so all I've heard is the IEM sample (damnit), but it's important to note that it obviously suffers from the same problem soundboard recordings do...an incomplete acoustical "soundspace," if you will, which makes everything kind of flat, albeit clear. And being IEMs there's the added issue of not being a finished mix, for that matter.

But, yeah, I've noticed him seeming to hold back a LOT in recent, normal bootlegs and stuff. Not bad, mind you, just different.

Just thought someone should mention that.

:-\

[ScreamingSlave]

And him holding back is exactly why I skipped this charade on the last tool tour I attended he basically held back on every good part in each song that was when I went fuck this hes lost it. I have since come to realize he obviously has no love for tool anymore its all a money grab now if you want the good maynard go see a puscifer show or APC he definitely belted out the vocals on those tours without hesitation.

[profane]

His performance just doesn't fit the lyrical content anymore. If it's just the case of him not being able to do it anymore, ok. And changing things up isn't a bad thing. Only when it's done like this, no way. I also got the notion that there's a huge thing lacking in his performance: passion. The band itself still gets my deepest respect.

[Harry Seaward]

I don't know, I think he sounds pretty good here.

[Mr. Blaileen]

Wow, Maynard on that version of Pushit was much better than on the other one I listened to, from the Reno show I think. For the post part, he can't really hit the high notes he used to be able to hit, which makes sense, as he's aging. But in other parts of the song where the vocals require a little..aggression..or balls, if you will, he either cops out or just plain can't do it anymore. In either case, it sucks, because the rest of the band sounds fucking fantastic. It's not that Maynard even sounds that terrible, but we're used to such a high standard with his vocals..that any decline seems really shitty.

[Ryan]

[theruiner]

That picture makes him look like an alien.

That's also incredibly true.

[botley]

It's so shitty that the Reno bootleg — night one of a tour, ALWAYS the worst night for bum notes and sound problems — seems to be the standard by which fans are judging Maynard's performances on the whole tour.

[MAD]

I don't know, I think he sounds pretty good here.

Charlotte IEM Recording

I just slept three hours while listening to this show on repeat. I feel so good right now.

[BenAkenobi]

i really don't mind his voice on these recordings. well he might not had a proper practice with his Puscifer shows, which may be the cause of nis new accent.
may be short-sighted of me but i appreciated a different tone, it's what makes live acts unique. maybe i should be up in arms and blame MJ for not sounding so versatile,
i just thought it's more or less a given condition to a rock concert - don't expect the singer to sound as on record, there would always be hiccups - technical, personal, whatever.

[Rdm]

It's so shitty that the Reno bootleg — night one of a tour, ALWAYS the worst night for bum notes and sound problems — seems to be the standard by which fans are judging Maynard's performances on the whole tour.

Nah I judge him on the last 4 shitty Tool/APC shows. Those Boots of Third Eye from the last tour looked pretty cool though.

[Harry Seaward]

Here is a gallery of all the 2012 tour posters, minus the Charlotte one.


Most all of them are direct from Adam's Facebook, so they're nice and hi-res.


http://imgur.com/a/lc4XM#0

[gerbil]

I'm guessing that IEM is from Maynard's feed. The drums are really low in the mix, the guitar and bass is pretty standard. Plus, Maynard's vocals are completely dry (no reverb/delay, etc.). I took it into Audition, spread out the tones a little bit, added some ambient reverb and it sounds amazing.

[Frozen Beach]

Knowing some of the hardcore fans, they'd probably literally fuck themselves.

[theimage13]

There isn't really any guessing to it - it's Maynard's feed. Danny's would have a click (shocking, I know), Adam's would have a much more pronounced guitar, and Justin's...well, the bassists I've mixed for don't always want a bass-in-your-face mix. But given Maynard's prominence in that video, it's definitely his mix.

Enjoy them while you can, folks - monitor engineers are wireless companies aren't oblivious; encrypted systems are on the horizon. That's not speculation.

[Harry Seaward]

There isn't really any guessing to it - it's Maynard's feed. Danny's would have a click (shocking, I know), Adam's would have a much more pronounced guitar, and Justin's...well, the bassists I've mixed for don't always want a bass-in-your-face mix. But given Maynard's prominence in that video, it's definitely his mix.

I still find it strange that Maynard would want to hear his own voice so loudly. Then again, I know absolutely nothing about live performances and making music in general. It just seems like hearing yourself sing would be distracting.

Also, I refuse to believe that Danny plays with a click track.

[theimage13]

It just seems like hearing yourself sing would be distracting.

I can see that, and I'm sure there are a lot of musicians who are thrown by it at first. But thanks to science, you sound extremely different to yourself than you do to the rest of the world. And if you can't hear what you really sound like, it's damn near impossible to make sure you sound "right" to thousands of paying concertgoers.

[cahernandez]

Also, I refuse to believe that Danny plays with a click track.

I remember reading somewhere (I think it was Junior who mentioned this, in the Revolver Special Edition) that Danny does indeed play live, without a click track.

[theimage13]

Could be. Danny is among the best in the business, and probably doesn't need anything throughout the set. But in my world, a track doesn't necessarily mean a beat that plays through - it may be nothing more than a count to set the tempo at the beginning of a song, or a lead-in if the song begins with something pre-recorded.

[Harry Seaward]

Well you're probably right, because according to this thread, Maynard is the only one who uses an IEM.

[theimage13]

Interesting. A couple things worth noting - the article in question is 10 years old; a lot can change in that time. And it's not unheard of for artists to use both IEMs and wedges at the same time. Heck, the Black Eyed Peas had literally dozens of wedges at their last show, but everyone was also on ears. But then again, there are some acts who still use only wedges (Paul McCartney comes to mind). And someone mentioned that "no one has anything in their ears". No offense, but even from the front row, that's not always easy to tell.

But now I'm curious - it's plausible that the other three guys are on wedges only. It'd certainly put them among a dying breed, but it's not out of the question. Guess I'll have to get in touch with a few people and see what I can come up with.

[think i'm a fire engine]

Not only does Danny not play to a click live, he doesn't play to a click on record.

[Reznor2112]

For those of you looking for badass IEM soundboard Tool boots in FLAC and mp3 (including the new 2012 Charlotte show) but cant get into Dime...

here ya go (Some pretty cool semi rare stuff as well)

http://www.guitars101.com/forums/tags.php?tag=tool

[NotoriousTIMP]

So I've been listening to a lot of tool as of late and I must say that 10,000 Days has suddenly become my favorite album. I remember hating it when it first came out but goddamn its really good. It's funny how your musical tastes can change over a few years.

Sent from my RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk.

[Harry Seaward]

So I've been listening to a lot of tool as of late and I must say that 10,000 Days has suddenly become my favorite album. I remember hating it when it first came out but goddamn its really good. It's funny how your musical tastes can change over a few years.

I agree that it's great, but it and Aenima have always been my favorite albums. I don't understand why it gets so much hate. Listen to the technical brilliance on Jambi, Wings, and Rosetta Stoned. Definitely some of the best Tool has ever done. I also love the production on the album. So much going on, but it doesn't sound muddled or compressed.

[Reznor2112]

All this setlist talk got me thinkin...

"DREAM TOOL SETLIST" (will NEVER happen)

(intro)
Opiate
H.
Parabol
Parabola
Eulogy
Sober
Eon Blue Apocalypse
Rosetta Stoned

(Encore Break)

AEnima
Stinkfist
Right in Two
Prison Sex



Wishful thinking

[Harry Seaward]

I got to talking about Rosetta Stoned on some other forums. I think it's vastly underappreciated, so I decided to write up my feelings on why it's one of Tool's best songs. Half of this was written while drunk, and I'm not the most eloquent person to begin with, so if I sound like a moron (who just went on the most important trip of his life), bear with me.

"A lot of people think it's just a song about a bad trip.

Rosetta Stoned is much more than that. It's a song about communication. It's a song about misunderstanding of obvious signs that are massively important to change and improvement. It's a song about 'not getting it', even if it's right in your fucking face. It's a song about trying with all your might, with every fiber of your being, to understand the most important message you've ever encountered. It's a song about failure to decipher that message and the chaotic terror that comes with that territory. This message was the most important thing in your existence. This message is the only thing you've ever lived for. It was presented to you, and you just didn't fucking understand. You just couldn't grasp it, and now it's gone forever. What else do you have to live for? You had ONE reason to be here and you couldn't accomplish your given task. You are now worthless. You're no longer 'The Chosen One'. You are just as useless and meaningless as everyone else. You've lost all hope and self-worth.

I do agree that the lyrics stand out, but I think there is a reason. Maynard has proven himself to be an amazing writer, so I think the lyrics are written in this manner on purpose. He consciously chose not to write in deep, esoteric lyrics. I also think the juxtaposition of the seemingly simple lyrics against the backdrop of the chaotic, monstrous background noise is awesome. It's a great example of so many important things happening, yet only being able to understand and describe them in such 'simple' terms. The narrator has gone on such a ride, yet he's unable to clearly explain what happened, so he sounds like a bumbling idiot while trying to spit it out.

And I think the title jives with my interpretation fully. The Rosetta Stone is one of the most important historical items we have. The Egyptian Hieroglyph portion would have given us the ability to translate a dead language and discover so much more about the ancient world, yet... It's lost forever, just like the narrator's message."

[Reznor2112]

[bobbie solo]

what's funny about that?