Comments on: Pearl Jam Backspacer Bootleg Is Here And It Looks & Sounds Fantastic http://www.meydad.com/2009/10/22/pearl-jam-backspacer-bootleg-is-here-and-it-looks-sounds-fantastic/ Thoughts on social applications, usability, search, mobile, music and sports Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:32:58 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Adam http://www.meydad.com/2009/10/22/pearl-jam-backspacer-bootleg-is-here-and-it-looks-sounds-fantastic/comment-page-1/#comment-21006 Adam Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:44:28 +0000 http://www.meydad.com/?p=1288#comment-21006 I wish I could share your enthusiasm for the "sound quality" of the recent PJ bootlegs. I have a few bootlegs from the 2000 tour, when they started releasing official bootlegs. I thought the sound quality on these was great. The recordings had a warm, natural sound to them and really seemed to capture the sparkle and magic of the concerts. The MP3s I have of one of the 2006 Gorge shows sound amazing, too.<br><br>I recently downloaded the official bootleg of the 2009 San Diego show in FLAC format. I converted it to Apple Lossless Format to listen to on my Mac, and I am quite disappointed by the sound quality. Something about it sounds very digital, flat, thin, and sterile to my ears -- not at all what I remembered from being in the audience at that concert. I just don't think they are paying much attention to properly mixing this latest installment of bootlegs before releasing them. That may explain how they are able to release them so rapidly after the concerts. It almost sounds like every channel has been put through a compressor to suppress the dynamic range. Also, it sounds like there is almost no reverb on the vocals. You can't hear the audience response that well, either. It was an amazing concert -- one of my best PJ experiences ever -- but that recording sure didn't capture what I remembered. I wish I could share your enthusiasm for the “sound quality” of the recent PJ bootlegs. I have a few bootlegs from the 2000 tour, when they started releasing official bootlegs. I thought the sound quality on these was great. The recordings had a warm, natural sound to them and really seemed to capture the sparkle and magic of the concerts. The MP3s I have of one of the 2006 Gorge shows sound amazing, too.

I recently downloaded the official bootleg of the 2009 San Diego show in FLAC format. I converted it to Apple Lossless Format to listen to on my Mac, and I am quite disappointed by the sound quality. Something about it sounds very digital, flat, thin, and sterile to my ears — not at all what I remembered from being in the audience at that concert. I just don't think they are paying much attention to properly mixing this latest installment of bootlegs before releasing them. That may explain how they are able to release them so rapidly after the concerts. It almost sounds like every channel has been put through a compressor to suppress the dynamic range. Also, it sounds like there is almost no reverb on the vocals. You can't hear the audience response that well, either. It was an amazing concert — one of my best PJ experiences ever — but that recording sure didn't capture what I remembered.

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