New LTE - LTE 3 2021!!

[Weymolith]

Change title thread? Maybe?

Done.

[Schurftkut]

tnx

[The Letter M]

Change title thread? Maybe?

Done.

Cool! Maybe add in that LTE3 will be released in Spring 2021, because I'm sure someone will ask in this thread without bothering to read through it to find the initial press release info.

I listened to the teaser again in my car and it got even better. I didn't think I'd have too many albums to be excited about for next year but they keep adding up! Steven Wilson, Transatlantic, Big Big Train, Dream Theater, Frost*, and now LTE. At this rate, 2021 might top the already spectacular 2020 slate of new albums I got.

-Marc.

[Stadler]

When is this coming out?

[v_clortho]

Sometime between March 20 and June 19.

[IgnotusPerIgnotium]

I bet they recorded it at DTHQ and Jimmy T engineered the album.

They did lol. Well, at least Jimmy T said on an Instagram story he engineered the album.

Understandable as it is, due to the pandemic, I would like to maybe not having rushed it or anything and recorded at a different studio. Not only the vibe would be different by I'm afraid it would sound close to a DT jam than a LTE kinda organic sound. Either way I'm still very excited!

[Learning2Live]

I know it's only a 30-second sample and who knows how indicative that will be of the entire album, but I still can't get over the fact that Levin is playing that kind of material at 74 YEARS OLD and still able to pull it off. Amazing to me.

Cannot wait for this album, and to hear MP+JP+JR make new music together again.

[emtee]

Samples were intense!

If JP's arms get any bigger, he'll need hoists to hold them up.

[Dream Team]

I know it's only a 30-second sample and who knows how indicative that will be of the entire album, but I still can't get over the fact that Levin is playing that kind of material at 74 YEARS OLD and still able to pull it off. Amazing to me.

Cannot wait for this album, and to hear MP+JP+JR make new music together again.

Fair, but he might not be playing 32nd notes the whole time like the other guys are.

[Kotowboy]

I've noticed that a lot of times when JP and MP / MM / Rudess are doing the 32nd note legato runs then Myung often just plays 8th notes.

It makes the bass stand out too.

[kirksnosehair]

The drums sound like REAL drums! I'm sold!

THAT

[Kotowboy]

Thought the drums sounded fine on Astonishing & Distance Over Time, personally.

[Max Kuehnau]

Thought the drums sounded fine on Astonishing & Distance Over Time, personally.

They did.

[Adami]

Thought the drums sounded fine on Astonishing & Distance Over Time, personally.

That's exactly how they sounded.

[hunnus2000]

Again, when people are making subtle swipes at MM, all they are saying is that they prefer MP over MM.   

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

It seems you can no longer talk about MP without taking swift jabs against MM. Oh well.

[Ben_Jamin]

That teaser could be any part of a song. Could be the middle section, the ending, and even the intro. It's like if they released the intro to Paradigm Shift as a teaser  . It would be awesome to start off the album with this teaser, it would fit with Paradigm Shift, and Acid Rain. It'd be even cooler because each first track would then increase in intensity if the teaser was the first song intro, and it went into something more  .

The reason I am excited for this album is how much more Musical Ideas will be included, now that the guys have grew more as musicians and added more styles, tones, and different playing aspects to their playing styles. JP, JR, MP, and even Tony have certain things they have learned since the last meet-up with the Jams on the live shows that were released.

I also wonder if the music of those jams will also make the album?

[Kotowboy]

Again, when people are making subtle swipes at MM, all they are saying is that they prefer MP over MM.   

No. There are things which irritate me about both of them - but MM at least at least seems like a decent human being.

If I could combine MPs playing and drum sound with MMs personality and technique - that'd be great.

[deggs37]

Again, when people are making subtle swipes at MM, all they are saying is that they prefer MP over MM.   

If you were referring to my "The drums sounds like REAL drums" comment. That is not a swipe at all at MM. To be honest, I prefer MM in Dream Theater these days.

It is, however, a direct swipe at the poor production choices they (Petrucci?) have been making these last 10 years. And even though the sounds have improved with The Astonishing and DOT - it's still not as good as they sounded from 1997 - 2009.

I've watched Mike Mangini videos he does on his own YouTube channel and the drums sound fine. I saw DT live with MM and the drums sound fine. I watched videos of MM touring with Steve Vai and the drums sound fine. But on the albums and live releases they sound over-produced to the point of almost sounding fake. It's just not a sound I am into at all, and really seems out of place for a band of DT's caliber.

[MoraWintersoul]

Again, when people are making subtle swipes at MM, all they are saying is that they prefer MP over MM.   

No. There are things which irritate me about both of them - but MM at least at least seems like a decent human being.

If I could combine MPs playing and drum sound with MMs personality and technique - that'd be great.

I mean, talk about swinging in the exact opposite direction.

[darkshade]

How are any current or former DT members not decent human beings?? 

[ytserush]

Unexpected but most welcome.

What label is this out on?

It's not going to top the live box set but I see no reason why it couldn't slot right behind it.

[HOF]

Unexpected but most welcome.

What label is this out on?

It's not going to top the live box set but I see no reason why it couldn't slot right behind it.

It's being released by Inside Out.

[Kotowboy]

How are any current or former DT members not decent human beings?? 

Google " Del Fuvio Bros "

[kirksnosehair]

Again, when people are making subtle swipes at MM, all they are saying is that they prefer MP over MM.   

If you were referring to my "The drums sounds like REAL drums" comment. That is not a swipe at all at MM. To be honest, I prefer MM in Dream Theater these days.

It is, however, a direct swipe at the poor production choices they (Petrucci?) have been making these last 10 years. And even though the sounds have improved with The Astonishing and DOT - it's still not as good as they sounded from 1997 - 2009.

I've watched Mike Mangini videos he does on his own YouTube channel and the drums sound fine. I saw DT live with MM and the drums sound fine. I watched videos of MM touring with Steve Vai and the drums sound fine. But on the albums and live releases they sound over-produced to the point of almost sounding fake. It's just not a sound I am into at all, and really seems out of place for a band of DT's caliber.

Well, personally, I have nothing against Mangini at all.  But I'll be the first to admit that I have not been a fan of the inorganic sound and robotic style of his playing, especially on the self-titled album.  The Astonishing is not an album I listen to at all so I can't really comment on how the drums sound there and I think there has been an incremental improvement on Distance Over Time, but I am 100% in agreement that the albums recorded over the last 10 years could have sounded a lot more organic when it comes to percussion. 


If anyone interprets that as a swipe at Mangini, then I think you have a reading comprehension problem.  No offence.

[Ben_Jamin]

Again, when people are making subtle swipes at MM, all they are saying is that they prefer MP over MM.   

If you were referring to my "The drums sounds like REAL drums" comment. That is not a swipe at all at MM. To be honest, I prefer MM in Dream Theater these days.

It is, however, a direct swipe at the poor production choices they (Petrucci?) have been making these last 10 years. And even though the sounds have improved with The Astonishing and DOT - it's still not as good as they sounded from 1997 - 2009.

I've watched Mike Mangini videos he does on his own YouTube channel and the drums sound fine. I saw DT live with MM and the drums sound fine. I watched videos of MM touring with Steve Vai and the drums sound fine. But on the albums and live releases they sound over-produced to the point of almost sounding fake. It's just not a sound I am into at all, and really seems out of place for a band of DT's caliber.

Well, personally, I have nothing against Mangini at all.  But I'll be the first to admit that I have not been a fan of the inorganic sound and robotic style of his playing, especially on the self-titled album.  The Astonishing is not an album I listen to at all so I can't really comment on how the drums sound there and I think there has been an incremental improvement on Distance Over Time, but I am 100% in agreement that the albums recorded over the last 10 years could have sounded a lot more organic when it comes to percussion. 


If anyone interprets that as a swipe at Mangini, then I think you have a reading comprehension problem.  No offence.

I don't get how the sound is Robotic? How would you describe robotic? To me, it's more so the Mix than his tone. Dream Theater was produced in an interesting way. JP likes to try new things. And I do wonder if he lets the engineers and others like that determine certain sounds and let's them experiment with sounds. Could be why the Snare in the Self-Titled was decided to be tuned that low, to experiment with it.

Mangini didn't like it, but he's not the producer. JR, JM, and LaBrie may not like JP decisions, but they're not the producer.

Also, how could the drums have sounded more organic? And what does Organic mean, in this context of drums?

Because to me, These drums sound organic. It's the tone and production choices that make it sound less organic and also the mix, as certain things aren't mixed high as they interfere with certain sounds the producer might want higher in the mix.

Also, I find it very fascinating how Mangini learned to hit the drums with the right velocity, even going so far as to learn about human anatomy. Which he uses to describe his playing style, he uses certain muscles when playing. Now that is something uniquely Mangini.



Now, the LTE 3 teaser, sounds like JPs solo album but with Keyboards. Drums and Guitars sound nice, and the bass does as well. The producer(s) on this album are likely all 4 of the guys again, like the past albums. That alone affects the end product and is a reason why the teaser sounds so good.

Also, Dream Theater likely has more Label involvement than either of these 2 projects (JP solo and LTE).  So that also plays into how an album will sound. And these things are not talked about at all, these decisions are the "Man behind the curtain" made decisions.

[darkshade]

How are any current or former DT members not decent human beings?? 

Google " Del Fuvio Bros "

The Del Fuvio Brothers are musicians Derek Sherinan (ex-Dream Theater) and current member of Black Country Communion and Sons Of Apollo and Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater) and current member of Sons Of Apollo

What am I not seeing?

[darkshade]

I don't get how the sound is Robotic?

"Mangini/the new drummer sounds robotic" is an opinion I've heard and read for the last 10 years everywhere, not just DT related forums. I happen to agree, as do many other DT fans. I would say you don't hear it perhaps due to your musical tastes or what you've been exposed to, but it could be anything. Art is subjective. I think it's annoying when I hear anyone make a comment on Jazz that clearly isn't well educated on the subject, or look at Jazz as some kind of antique music, as most people don't know anything about it outside of pop culture tropes or parodies, if that, or call everything that sounds jazzy "smooth jazz" so majority opinion is not always the 'right' opinion.

[KevShmev]

Mangini is awesome, but his playing is almost too good in the sense that it sometimes feels like every single hit he makes is one he thought out in advance rather than just sitting down to play the song with no preconceived ideas of what to play and then getting a feel for the song and just playing.  Not saying that that is what happens, just what it feels like.  In other words, there often seems to be no jam vibe to his playing.  Not saying that is wrong, but it demonstrates the fundamental difference in their approaches when discussing the playing of both Mike Mangini and Mike Portnoy. 

And I will reiterate that the band has done Mangini no favors in regards to the perception, as the drum sound on A Dramatic Turn of Events was a noticeable drop-off compared to every DT album prior to that one. I told this story before, but a friend who is a fan of the band but doesn't follow them as religiously as I do grabbed ADTOE after its release and one day out of the blue asked me, "I like the new album, but why do the drums sound like shit?"  He had zero idea that the band had changed drummers.  I did not have a good answer for him.  We can debate till the cows come home about whose approach is better, but to me there is little doubt that Portnoy almost always gets an awesome drum sound in the studio. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Mangini is awesome, but his playing is almost too good in the sense that it sometimes feels like every single hit he makes is one he thought out in advance rather than just sitting down to play the song with no preconceived ideas of what to play and then getting a feel for the song and just playing.  Not saying that that is what happens, just what it feels like.  In other words, there often seems to be no jam vibe to his playing.  Not saying that is wrong, but it demonstrates the fundamental difference in their approaches when discussing the playing of both Mike Mangini and Mike Portnoy. 

And I will reiterate that the band has done Mangini no favors in regards to the perception, as the drum sound on A Dramatic Turn of Events was a noticeable drop-off compared to every DT album prior to that one. I told this story before, but a friend who is a fan of the band but doesn't follow them as religiously as I do grabbed ADTOE after its release and one day out of the blue asked me, "I like the new album, but why do the drums sound like shit?"  He had zero idea that the band had changed drummers.  I did not have a good answer for him.  We can debate till the cows come home about whose approach is better, but to me there is little doubt that Portnoy almost always gets an awesome drum sound in the studio.

Changing Drummers, can affect the mix because that drummer might have more or less drums to mic, and mix. Also, the position of the drums affect the mix as well, as you get bleed from the drums and cymbals into the mics that are not meant to pick up those drum/cymbal sounds. Also, Producers affect the mix, and certain tones and sounds they want the album to sound like, and the Record Label could get involved and want to push this certain product style (that is determined by the contract the bands sign).

The reason MP gets a good drum sound is because he himself produces his own Drum Sound, and knows what Drum Sounds he wants on his work. Mangini is not a producer, and doesn't get to say how his drums can sound. JP is the one who determines that, and the many other producers Mangini has worked with. He can be disappointed but in the end the producer has the final say.

I don't get how the sound is Robotic?

"Mangini/the new drummer sounds robotic" is an opinion I've heard and read for the last 10 years everywhere, not just DT related forums. I happen to agree, as do many other DT fans. I would say you don't hear it perhaps due to your musical tastes or what you've been exposed to, but it could be anything. Art is subjective. I think it's annoying when I hear anyone make a comment on Jazz that clearly isn't well educated on the subject, or look at Jazz as some kind of antique music, as most people don't know anything about it outside of pop culture tropes or parodies, if that, or call everything that sounds jazzy "smooth jazz" so majority opinion is not always the 'right' opinion.

I am just interested in knowing why Mangini's playing sounds robotic. Like what is it that makes him "Robotic". I don't hear that at all. Mangini's drumming isn't really that up front either. He plays to the music, he plays along with the guitar, bass, and keys, even vocals. He utilizes his limbs and many arms to incorporate certain drums/cymbals to play along with the other instruments.


And Kev, I understand what you mean, but MP was the one who likes to jam, and it shows with his many projects and how he works with bands, especially the projects he started on his own.

What I think it is, is Dream Theater as a business has changed the way it does business. Since MP left, things were not the same as MP was majorly involved in all aspects of Dream Theater as a business. It's why I was upset he decided to just quit, instead of giving up some control of the Business as it was obviously wearing him thin. The other guys likely saw that too and just said, "You know what, there's the door" and MP said "Fine I'll just quit" (all speculation on my end here).

I am glad MP is playing with JP, or more making albums with JP again. The timing seemed right, and we are fortunate to get both a new JP solo album and a new LTE album, both with JP and MP recording music together.

What I am happy about is Jimmy T being the go to engineer/mixer for things JP is involved in. If he is the studio engineer, and mixer, than JP really found a great guy to work with. And we are going to be looking at some great sounding albums in the future.

[MinistroRaven]

Seriously, I don't understand why MM sound is brought to LTE thread.

[Architeuthis]

And I will reiterate that the band has done Mangini no favors in regards to the perception, as the drum sound on A Dramatic Turn of Events was a noticeable drop-off compared to every DT album prior to that one.

So the electronic drums on Images and Words sound better than the drums on ADTOE?   

[gzarruk]

And I will reiterate that the band has done Mangini no favors in regards to the perception, as the drum sound on A Dramatic Turn of Events was a noticeable drop-off compared to every DT album prior to that one.

So the electronic drums on Images and Words sound better than the drums on ADTOE?   

No, but they were played by MP and he clearly knows how to make triggered drums sound better.

[gazinwales]

I doubt if MP had anything to do with the drum sounds on Images, it would have been the producer.

[Stadler]

How are any current or former DT members not decent human beings?? 

Google " Del Fuvio Bros "

The Del Fuvio Brothers are musicians Derek Sherinan (ex-Dream Theater) and current member of Black Country Communion and Sons Of Apollo and Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater) and current member of Sons Of Apollo

What am I not seeing?

I'm with you on this.  There's a point here, I suppose, but I'm not seeing it even remotely.   

Last I checked "decent" didn't mean "perfect in every possible way".  If a couple of snippy tweets - of uncertain intent (were they jokes? a fit of momentary anger?), I might add - is all it takes to no longer be a "decent human being" then we're fucked.