Contrast clause: Navigator has kindly uploaded his recording and mastering of this gig as well (#601556). http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=601556. As the TV commercial says, "Por que no dos?" ;)


Dream Theater - Live at Hordern Pavillion in Sydney, Australia
September 19, 2017


Source/Lineage: Core Sounds Cardioids (pointed towards stage to minimise crowd noise) -> Sony PCM-M10 (mic-in, 48kHz 24 bit) -> Soundforge 11.0 w/Izotope RX Advanced 5 (for dialling out excessive clapping at close proximity) and Izotope Ozone 5 Mastering Plugin -> FLAC Level 8

Recorded, mastered and processed by: Yours truly ... Starclassic.

Location: Front row (seated for half the show), stage left, about 3m away from near field PA, looking at John Petrucci's balls ... uh, I mean ... guitar, straight ahead.

Notes:
After missing out on a decent vantage point at their show three years prior, when I bought my ticket this time, I wasn't even thinking about the recording process. What an idiot I was. Front row is great for being close to the band but absolutely shite for sound! What I really wanted was the front row of seats nearest to the soundboard at the back of the venue but hey, that's just the way it goes sometimes. Hopefully next time, they'll get a better venue and one where we have a bit more choice over the seating when buying tickets. Anyway, that put me at a disadvantage, which I'll explain in the usual technical section.

The band themselves were all on point, naturally. Well to be totally honest, James was having a bad night but that's what happens when your instrument is purely biological. It was actually good to see Mangini's playing up close because I got a better understanding of how he works out his timing. Drumming is forever a learning process and this (along with catching JP's guitar pick) are the only things that actually made being in the front row worthwhile.

The mix, well, from the front, the sound guy can only hear what's going on down the back. So, all in all, there was a lot left to be desired. Mangini's drums were overpowering, pretty much killing everyone else's presence, particularly Myung and Petrucci. I did all that I could to salvage that in Act One.

However, everything turned to shit during Pull Me Under at the head of Act Two. James didn't think much of everyone being seated and encouraged everyone to stand up after the second chorus. Well, I couldn't just remain seated, since everyone else would jump in front. So, I made my one step to the barricade and naturally, my positioning messed with the whole sound. Granted, I got the additional presence I needed out of Petrucci but the difference it created in the sound was simply not salvageable. I did my best with the EQ matching but there are so many variables at play here that there's just no way of getting a closer match. Needless to say, I'm hugely disappointed that I was not able to tame this beast as much as I hoped. It's taken me five days to get through all the nuances, trying to make this a C-grade recording but the best I could muster up was a D, in my opinion. That's probably the curse of the Hordern Pavilion at play. Who knows?

Lastly, the quiet passages in these pieces, some of them needed to be less dynamic for the purpose of the recording. It's all well and good when you're pumping thousands of watts in a large venue but on a recording, the differences are far too great. Some, I could boost without making the adjustments obvious. Some others, on the other hand, just sounded far too disjointed to be blended in, so I've had to leave them as they are. Sorry to all my avid listeners out there. Hopefully the next gig will have all the stars and planets aligning for once. As always, all feedback appreciated. Enjoy!


...and please, don't sell this bootleg, otherwise you're just plain old scum. Like James LaBrie once said, I'm going to set you on fire. I have a flamethrower.