Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: John Mayer's Latest -- Too Compressed! (Read 8352 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

John Mayer's Latest -- Too Compressed!

I've been listening to John Mayer's latest CD, "Heavier Things", and cannot believe how compressed it sounds. Does anyone else share this opinion? Listen near the end of the first track, Clarity.. when the trumpets start in with the guitars. Or a great example is on "Something's Missing", from about the 3:20 mark and onward. Terrible distortion of the bass/high end, from what sounds to be heavy compression.

Is it just me/my equipment, or what?

John Mayer's Latest -- Too Compressed!

Reply #1 –
Quote from: delusion_ on
I've been listening to John Mayer's latest CD, "Heavier Things", and cannot believe how compressed it sounds. Does anyone else share this opinion? Listen near the end of the first track, Clarity.. when the trumpets start in with the guitars. Or a great example is on "Something's Missing", from about the 3:20 mark and onward. Terrible distortion of the bass/high end, from what sounds to be heavy compression.

Is it just me/my equipment, or what?


I agree.

I just found this thread in google because I wanted to find out if anyone shared my views.
Yes, sounds like that to me too. Something is definitely missing on something's missing.

Also, the drums and trumpets do not feel as "poppy".

John Mayer's Latest -- Too Compressed!

Reply #2 –
I couldn't agree more. "Daughters" sounds absolutely horrendous - the acoustic guitar is loud, flat and lifeless - and his voice is always at or past the border of breaking up!

Even worse - I bought the DualDisc version to see if I could get a better copy, especially since the cover claims it contains a 5.1 surround mix of the album.

Well, from the sound of things, they took the same horrible CD stereo master, bled a little into the center and surround speakers, samplerate converted to 48 khz, and encoded as 448kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 !!!!

In fact, I have never seen a popular music DualDisc where this WASN'T the case. I bought 4 or 5 before deciding to boycott DualDisc completely.

John Mayer's Latest -- Too Compressed!

Reply #3 –
Which 5? I own the dualdisc of With Teeth (Nine Inch Nails) which, in my opinion, sounds fantastic and was mixed very very well. I've also heard the dualdisc of Downward Spiral which was fantastic as well.
 

John Mayer's Latest -- Too Compressed!

Reply #4 –
I just purchased this CD and I was starting to think my listening system is having problems. I hear not too subtle distortion on a lot of tracks, especially on Clarity (example 1:21 - 1:50). Is it my listening system or the music?

I've been hearing distortion on his album Battle Studies (2009) as well, although not as much. It makes me sweat.