Dennis Ward is tutor at HOFA-College, the online academy for audio engineering & music production || hofa-college.com Song: "Empire" by Queensrÿche • Queensryche - Empire (...
@@gordonmccracken1209 I was going to say Digital Noise Alliance is the first Queensryche album I've bought in *years,* and it's great. They definitely went back to some of their previous production techniques, and the new vocalist Todd LaTorre - while not Geoff Tate - has a great range and is solid live.
DeGarmo one of my faves of all time in heavy music. So friggin underrated. Amazing guitar, vocals, songwriting, and production. Hope he's happy and healthy...
But my man says, "There were no digital effects or DAWs back then..." Then, proceeds to use a DAW and digital effects to recreate the sound of the snare drum. I get he is trying to replicate the physical in digital, but most people have no idea of that connection. Maybe, this isn't for the normie, but weird he wouldn't actually show that process in a comprehensive way if he was gonna go down that road.
Over 30 years later, I still think it's the best sounding album ever recorded and you said why repeatedly. EVERYTHING is there and audible and NOTHING is stepping on anything else and it's incredible how much space is needed for that to be true on THIS record. I love that YOU actually throw your arms a couple of times in amazement at what they created. I have said since I first bought this album within days of it being released that I couldn't imagine any record ever sounding better. Truly an engineering wonder! ... Though, one of the many remaster editions of 'Dark Side of the Moon' comes close in sound quality.
This was no mere reaction video! No, you analyzed it and explained why and how they did the different things in the song. Excellent, probably the most interesting video I've watched on YT in quite a while.
But that's the thing. It's not a reaction video 'cause he's heard the song before. It's an analysis video showing us the tricks of the trade. A completely different beast in my opinion.
I bought it on cassette at age 15 in mid-1992 mainly due to this song. The album was a great soundtrack to that particularly rainy New Orleans summer, especially since I had just gotten my driver's license. I could tell the album sounded different (more "3-D") than others I was into, but couldn't pinpoint why. Skid Row's Slave To The Grind, RHCP's Mother's 🍼, and Metallica's Ride The ⛈ were the only albums I listened to more that summer. Played in a 🏈 game against Peyton Manning that fall. Those were intense but fun days.
gonçalo Baia There was a local Seattle music paper in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s named The Rocket that did an interview and profile on the band during the recording of either Empire or Promised Land (can’t recall which) that took place whilst Rockenfield was laying down his tracks playing in an aeroplane hangar.
Joe Rico It was so long ago and doubt that a detail such as that would’ve been included. Maybe a Google search will turn up an online archive? I’ve never bothered to find out.
YES! THAT SNARE! The snare on Mindcrime and Empire is the best snare sound I’ve ever heard. It’s perfect. Ive always wanted to know exactly how they got it but I also love that it’s a mystery that may never be revealed!
Scott Rockenfield one of most underrated drummers of all time. Nicko McBrain of Maiden once listed this record as drumming he listens to for inspiration. Rockenfield heavily influenced by Peart.
@@johannjensson6190 I love Scott! His creativity is something else especially on this album. I remember learning the instrumental section in Della Brown & realized that it wasn't complex, just amazingly neat & so inventive. His fills on Jet City Woman too, simple but so perfectly placed. As for Mindcrime, everything he did was golden although I never digged that kind of snare sound!
Hey all, Dennis Ward isn't just a world class engineer. He's selling himself way short. Bassist for the mighty PC69 (and other projects), lead singer of the last three Khymera discs, etc. He's, simply, one of the best musicians in the last few decades. I LOVED this breakdown. Well done, sir.
Yup! Il love every single song, too. Resistance and One and Only just kick ass, and Hand on Heart is a slower burner. Their “non hits” on Empire would be the best tracks on most other great rock albums. But for me Empire and Best I Can just knock me on my ass. The first time I heard Best I Can, I just lost it.
They are indeed underrated ! just compare Tate as a singer to an Axl Rose . No question who is more talented . Yet bands like GNR or Bon Jovi are far more popular .
everything from "Queensryche EP" to "Promised Land" had genius production...... early Ryche was known for their brilliant production...... in combination with such phenomenal songwriting, it was just MAGIC
itkojecockot actually the band hates the production of The Warning. It was done by a producer that had no idea of what they should sound like. I’ve gotten used to it over the years but I’ve always wished they’d remix it.
Absolutely right. Even in my youth when I knew nothing I knew they were something very special. Operation Mindcrime was my first taste of Queensryche and I've been a huge fan ever since.
@@masonb9788 well yes, the mixing is kinda "dull", but the sound of the record in general is still pretty good, considering the fact it came out back in early 80's when most metal bands were still using production from 70's.... "The Warning" aleardy had that modern 80's production which sounded much cleaner and heavier...... if it had better mixing as you mentioned, it would sound amazing for a record from '84
@@kwantoon yeah, "Mindcrime" will always be their monolith and it is also probably the best metal record of that particular year, which says a lot..... but all those classic records are very close after Mindcrime..... no matter how many times you hear "Warning", "Rage" or even "Empire", they can never get old with all those progressive nuances written all over them...... plus vocals and lyrics were also top-notch
How did you guys not lose your minds having to do all those steps back then? Thanks for showing all of this with one of my fav bands & singers still to this day. They've great songs on every album.
One of the break away bands that brought the huge room sound with incredible talent to push it- "Silent Lucidity" stands out as one of the most heartfelt productions of all time- thank you !
This is the best reaction video ive ever seen!!the fact you actually showed the production techniques in a daw is super helpful!Also love your work with Gus Gs new album.
Wasn't Queensryche something truly special in their day... I still listen to this stuff daily, in the car, at home in the headphones... still get chills over and again. Special music, a special time, it will NEVER be that good again for me. The kicker, they sounded as good live as any band I ever heard. Nice breakdown of the sound. I'm not a professional sound guy but was a vocalist in a metal band and I can hear every detail you mention. Do the song "Speak" off of Mindcrime. Also I thought Promised Land had some impressive sounds as well... while a very melancholy feeling record, the mix I always felt captured the 'feel' very well... LOVE Queensryche.
Steven M. I’ve got part of Promised Land as a tattoo. Absolutely brilliant band. Unfortunately with most bands,egos start to get in the way. Once Chris left, the band lost its sense of direction.
@@billykelly1013 Agreed, Chris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate were the driving writing force behind Queensryches most brilliant stuff and they quit being Queensryche when Chris left. After seeing the Mindcrime show in 40,000 seat arenas, it was painful to watch what was left of the band in a small hall back in 2011. Geoff Tates fall from grace was epic in its totality. I would love to see your tat, Promised Land got me through a very specific time in my life and I go right back there everytime I listen to it. An underrated record for sure.
Steven M. It’s just the head piece of the totem pole. Tattoo guy tried to get me to do the whole thing. Sometimes wish I did. I saw them twice. Outdoor was good, but the place has had sound issues since it opened 30 years ago. Small indoor was insane. Mindcrime start to finish Unfortunately they followed the pattern of so many bands. Lots of hard work, amazing collaboration, then one member feels more powerful.
@@billykelly1013 Yeah, the "tri-ryche" they call that, very cool. Saw like an 18yr old kid working in a gas station wearing a necklace with a cool, detailed, silver tri-ryche medallion on it... I asked the kid "do you know the significance of that?" he said "no idea, my grandma bought it for me in Hawaii." I offered him $50 for it and he declined, bummer, I had never seen anything like it. When I told him it was a Queensryche emblem, and showed him a cd case he was like "eh?" No idea. You or I should have that as we would appreciate the rarity. Guess he loves his grandma alot and that's cool. Anyway, interesting little antidote. Rock on man!
Mr Dennis Ward !!! I met him in 2004 when he was touring with one of my favorite bands, Pink Cream 69. I've waited 15 years to see them and it was a great day. Dennis was beyond cool. 15 years later, I'm still a fan. Rock on, Dennis !!! Cheers from France !!
Very cool reaction! Actually, in 1988, Crimson Glory on their album "Transcendence" mixed drum sounds they sampled into a Synclavier, which were then triggered by the acoustic drums and the two mixed sounds is what appears on the album. And the cymbals were actually recorded separately from the drums also.
I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into clicking this. At first, I have to say, his on-camera presence didn't make much of an impression, but he really got straight into business real fast. And he got DEEP. I didn't know reaction videos could be like this. Simply looove this. People who really know what they're talking about. So rare these days. So educational, so interesting. Ah, yes please. Give me more!
The drums are so carved out and present. Everything revolves around the drums. Great. That snare hits me in the soul with every beat. Great production!!
Man, I love Queensryche especially Mindcrime but now I’m writing/mixing/producing music myself I love how you show how the most brilliant stuff was made on analog tape machines and consoles! It forced the producers/engineers to really think outside the box because like you said nowadays you got a plug-in for almost anything. I loved this video because it cage me ideas for my own music. Great stuff!
the sound of "Empire" was so mind blowing when it came out, if you listen to it with headphones there is a 3D effect which allways I asked to my self "how the hell was it done" in those times. The sound came from up above or rear back, it is really amazing. Operation Mindcrime without a doubt was "The conceptual album" of the entire band history, but -at least for me- Empire was by far, the best produced sound of this amazing band. Thank you for the react video and your "how to's" at these days.
And I just attributed the perennially awesome Queensryche drum sound to Scott's skill - which was a large part. Thanks for explaining how it most likely became so eargasmic.
I add my compliments. This was more of a history of mixing lesson than a reaction video and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the insight into the past, I hope to use it in the future..! Well played..!
They deliberately had a slightly harsh production on Mindcrime, considering the topic of the songs. There's a few interviews I've read with Wilton and DeGarmo where they say that
I believe that Mindcrime was recorded on one of the first multitrack digital machines, the Sony 3324 or 3348. I read somewhere that the record execs were nervous about the medium, but loved the outcome. Cool machines at the time, but definitely lacked the analog "tape compression" sound. Ones and zeros have a tendency to be too exact, especially on digital tape. They did a fantastic job on an otherwise sterile sounding process.
Great analysis video, not a reaction one. Very educational and enjoyed the breakdown, but not a first timer reaction. I would title it differently, but will watch others from you.
What's interesting is that even according to Geoff Tate (d-bag that he is now), Mindcrime was a failure that only became successful BECAUSE of Empire. I totally disagree....I actually think Mindcrime was a much better written album than Empire. Don't get me wrong, there's some great songs on Empire, but most of them got overshadowed by Silent Lucidity.
@@technewsfortechnoobs Whatever you think of Geoff Tate you can't deny how fucking amazing he was/is as a vocalist & performer. Plus, all we hear is second hand info so who knows how he is as a dude really. Everyone acts in ways that would make them look like a D-bag if thats all that you knew of them.
Very interesting to see how something that sounds so simple is painfully put together. That is always the difference maker for great production for a great song.
Empire was mixing in Lake Geneva WI, on a very large SSL 4000e console. He is correct on the snare being part sample and real snare. The sample was fed into the playback speakers in the main recording room, and recorded back onto the tape, capturing the ambience of the main room.
METAL HEAD spoken like someone who not only doesn’t know about the production that went into that album, but their 12 million records sold of that album and their RRHoF induction shuts up your opinion. They have the results; you have nothing.
I agree but unfortunately those types of reaction channels are what the internet zombies like. Just look at their subs' numbers and the subs channels like this one have. : (
wow!!! i'm by no means an audio engineer, just a huge music fan and LOVE Queensryche...some of your talk was a little over my head but you summed everything up perfectly!! i've always said to people i thought this album was the best produced rock album for the time, like you said you can 'walk through it', i can hear every instrument crystal clear and man when i first heard the title track for the first time i was just blown away, the snare, the cymbols, the bass guitar and guitars so crisp clean and heavy it's a masterpiece of an album!!!!!!!!! What sucks imo is that today's rock and metal bands albums all sound the same, all bass and treble it's like the mid's dissappeared....i so love the rock albums of the 80's as they all sounded slightly different in terms of the production, now if you heard one Breaking Benjamin album you've heard them all...same guitar tone, same snare sound etc.......but thanks for the breakdown and sharing your point of view!!!!!! On a side note, Operation Mindcrime could be the polor opposit of Empire, it's one of my all-time favorite albums but i always wished the production was a little clearer/cleaner or closer to Empire, though i guess that's what gives an album it's unique sound. thanks again!!!!
Hello Ryan, thanks for sharing your opinion - some true points here! Also very happy to hear you enjoyed the video. Stay tuned for more 🙂 Best wishes from Karlsdorf, Germany
Wow, thanks SO MUCH for this! It's well thought out, expertly explained, and really increased my appreciation for the production value of the time. Add to that the fact that they probably recorded a good chunk of the song live off the floor ... Please do more like this!!
This reaction earned my subscription. I love how you talk about the importance of the effects on the song, and actually show how to do it, as well as giving us the history lesson of how it was done on analog. Can’t wait to see more videos like this.
I loved the sound mixing of Empire, all the little noises within the songs made it sound interesting. Best I Can Walk the Thin Line Della Brown Another Rainy Night Anybody Listening Jet City Woman and Silent Lucidity I am just trying to imagine all the nuances they did with Michael Kamen, doing Silent Lucidity
This is one of the most amazing videos I have EVER seen simply for the "black man trapped again" vocal effect explanation. Seriously, yloh tihs! Subscribed!!!
Great song pic! You can never go wrong with anything produced/engineered by the Peter Collins/Jimbo Barton team! They did RUSH Power Windows and Hold Your Fire ( 2 of my favorites ) which to me are immaculate sounding studio albums to the point that they were ahead of the times! I'd love to hear this guy talk about songs from those records.
Awesome video! You are excellent at explaining the nuances and your personality is easy going and unpretentious. I bet bands love to have you as their engineer. 👍🏻
Reaction? This was taking us to school! An in depth analysis of one of the best engineered songs of its time. Reminded me a bit of the Rick Beato What Makes This Song Great series. Very well done, and very educational. While it may not appeal to everyone, this is a fantastic resource for music nerds! You mentioned with Cubase you can’t loop a group back into itself, can you not do that with rewire? Also, love the guitar solo work here, every note you can hear, not a mashed up distorted mess. Again, great analysis of a great song, thanks!
That was awesomely insightful! Thank you. This was one of my favorite albums growing up and probably the reason why my own engineering will never measure up in my own mind. LOL
That was possibly the most interesting and totally random recommendation I have ever seen pop up for me to watch...and I am glad for it now. I'd love to see you doa breakdown like this for other bands, especially Savatage. They had a few songs on their "Wake of Magellan" album that literally had like 4-6 vocal tracks going over each other at the same time that sounded just absolutely incredible! "The Hourglass", and the "Wake of Magellan" title track.
I think The Wake of Magellan is SAVATAGE’s greatest engineered album! When they became Trans Siberian Orchestra, the engineering began sounding like awake of Magellan big time! SAVATAGE are probably the greatest band most people never heard of - a more metal QUEEN.
@@Charlie_Alpha_Echo totally NOT wrong there amigo. I think I broke 2 cassettes of WoM listening to it before I managed to track down a CD for it. And I always thought that it was an album with songs that had so many multiple vocal lines and harmonies that there was no way they would be played live (Wake of Magellan and The Hourglass) and was amazed when I saw they actually DID play them live.
@@hellsunicorn But other bass players from the rest of the rock/metal bands are staying in the shadow. Bands like Iron Maiden, Manowar, Primus, RHCP are taking only tiny part of the whole rock scene where bass player is appreciated, the rest of bass players (from another 99,99% of rock bands) are not interested to the audience. I myself is a professional bass guitarist , I have played with many pop/jazz/rock performers and I know what Im talking about. When you are nailing the whole show, grooving like no tomorrow all the time - people don't give ship about that , but when cripple guitar or saxophone player plays one lame solo in a whole show and after it people are shaking his hand - it's unfair.
I've played in a few bands and they are basically all the same. You have a singer who thinks the entire universe revolves around them, all other band members are there merely to support what he is doing. You have a guitarist who for some unfathomable reason believes that he needs to be twice as loud as everybody else. He thinks that if he can play 375 notes where 26 would do that is amazing; what he doesn't realise is that nobody apart from other guitarists give a flying fig about how fast he can play. Then you have the drummer, undoubtedly the most hard working member of the band physically if nothing else and you have a bass player who generally stands at the back and together with the drummer hold the whole thing together. The drummer and the bass player just sit back doing their thing whilst thinking, OK, let the singer and the guitarist battle it out between them as to who is the most important, we'll just carry on in the certain knowledge that without us both of you would die.
Why do many of the music today prefer weak drum sound/production? The drums of today mostly sounds like they're hitting cardboard boxes in a garage. The only drums that still sound heavy are like metal bands etc.
It might be because so many artists program using, say for example, Superior Drums and since they've had success with it the mass just lines up to follow.
It's called "Force Fed Music" . It can NOT make you think, believe in yourself, inspire educational pursuits, discuss politics in a way that reveals the truth and drops the veil, unifies people globally, etc.. They want to push music to dumb you down and get you hating and shooting people or totally focused on being a victim, worrying about what others think of you, or just trying to get you focused on look pretty and get laid alot because that means your liked.. Mock it all you want.. I should rewrite it but I'm listening to Pavarotti at the gas station and while I'm just killing time here, atleast four cars pulled in throwing bass hard enough to rattle my car while repeatedly saying the n word , talking about cappin da punk or in da club wit da bub ... or one just kept saying uh huh yeah yeah uh huhu uhuhhu yeah yeah .. with the same boom boom boomboom boom boom boomboom.. Just the same as 20 years ago.. Oh then there was something that sounded like insane circus music.. While I'm listening to Pavarotti, Iron Maiden When the Wild Wind Blows (Live), Queensryche Roads to Madness, Nevermore Insignificant and The Lotus Eaters , now this video.. I'm gonna stop now.. I'm gonna enjoy myself... Hah! Damn , This is Soooo BaddAss !
most production people I’ve hung out with (around 30 years of age) have no experience recording a real kit or haven’t in years! mixing & recording drums is truly a difficult skill & takes a concerted effort & most studios don’t have the time or money when you can build a sample in like half an hour that frankly is “good enough” & it is till you heard the real deal. Sadly it’s not just in pop music all genres of music production have gone this route of the path of least resistance & time saving cost saving
Dennis, this is a killer ! There is zillions of videos on mixing out there but not too much on/about all of those Rock/Metal masterpieces, so i hope ull do more and more of these !!! Thank ya !!!
Great Video! I have been following you (Dennis Ward) for years. I love most of the albums you have done for Frontiers Records and many AOR artists. Of all your projects my favorite is the debut of Place Vendome. Basically if I see a hard rock or AOR album where you are listed as a producer or mixing, I know what to expect. I love how you dissected the mix on this video. * A note for you: James "Jimbo" Barton and Peter Collins also worked with Rush. The drum sound on the Queensryche - Empire album is reminiscent of Neal Peart's (Rush) sound.
So nice to see that Dennis, one of the better producers and rocker with PC69 roots one of the best metal/rock bands like queensryche has analyzed. Super pro's...keep on rockin' guys
Great breakdown of the process! I remember recording on the old tascam 1/2” reel (trs8) and bouncing to 1/4” and back again. Learned a lot but was a pain in the ass. Loved every minute of it 😄
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Heartbroken this original lineup are no longer. Ridiculously talented group of fellas!
They weren't the same when DeGarmo left. That was the end of them.
Digital Noise Alliance album released this year is impressive definitely give it a listen.
@@gordonmccracken1209 I was going to say Digital Noise Alliance is the first Queensryche album I've bought in *years,* and it's great. They definitely went back to some of their previous production techniques, and the new vocalist Todd LaTorre - while not Geoff Tate - has a great range and is solid live.
DeGarmo one of my faves of all time in heavy music. So friggin underrated. Amazing guitar, vocals, songwriting, and production. Hope he's happy and healthy...
“You can walk through the sound” is a brilliant analogy
Spot on!
My fav sonic sounding disc ever.....even better to me than Toto "The Seventh One", Pink Floyd DSOTM or Van Halen "1984."
But my man says, "There were no digital effects or DAWs back then..." Then, proceeds to use a DAW and digital effects to recreate the sound of the snare drum. I get he is trying to replicate the physical in digital, but most people have no idea of that connection. Maybe, this isn't for the normie, but weird he wouldn't actually show that process in a comprehensive way if he was gonna go down that road.
Over 30 years later, I still think it's the best sounding album ever recorded and you said why repeatedly. EVERYTHING is there and audible and NOTHING is stepping on anything else and it's incredible how much space is needed for that to be true on THIS record. I love that YOU actually throw your arms a couple of times in amazement at what they created. I have said since I first bought this album within days of it being released that I couldn't imagine any record ever sounding better. Truly an engineering wonder!
... Though, one of the many remaster editions of 'Dark Side of the Moon' comes close in sound quality.
This was no mere reaction video! No, you analyzed it and explained why and how they did the different things in the song. Excellent, probably the most interesting video I've watched on YT in quite a while.
The way reaction videos should be.
But that's the thing. It's not a reaction video 'cause he's heard the song before. It's an analysis video showing us the tricks of the trade. A completely different beast in my opinion.
Thanks for the warning. I want to see reaction videos, not analyzations :)
@@alexojeda9048 I would bet that most of those reaction video guys have watched the stuff before they made the video anyway...
I'm really liking this engineer's videos!
I had that in CD and played until it wouldn't play anymore. Love Queensryche and I am 62 yrs old.
Keep rockin, man!
I bought it on cassette at age 15 in mid-1992 mainly due to this song. The album was a great soundtrack to that particularly rainy New Orleans summer, especially since I had just gotten my driver's license. I could tell the album sounded different (more "3-D") than others I was into, but couldn't pinpoint why. Skid Row's Slave To The Grind, RHCP's Mother's 🍼, and Metallica's Ride The ⛈ were the only albums I listened to more that summer. Played in a 🏈 game against Peyton Manning that fall. Those were intense but fun days.
So did my father:)
....CD’s where supposedly supposed to last forever if treated well....mine always ended up with tons of scratches
Bless you
When I read "engineer" "reacts" and "queensryche" i knew immediatelly the snare was gonna be talked about
Seriously these guys were the shit
gonçalo Baia Same! I knew it and sure enough. Amazing work.
Gotta luv that snare :)
gonçalo Baia
There was a local Seattle music paper in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s named The Rocket that did an interview and profile on the band during the recording of either Empire or Promised Land (can’t recall which) that took place whilst Rockenfield was laying down his tracks playing in an aeroplane hangar.
Fakename70 Any mention if he used the Tama Bell Brass snare?
Joe Rico
It was so long ago and doubt that a detail such as that would’ve been included. Maybe a Google search will turn up an online archive? I’ve never bothered to find out.
YES! THAT SNARE! The snare on Mindcrime and Empire is the best snare sound I’ve ever heard. It’s perfect. Ive always wanted to know exactly how they got it but I also love that it’s a mystery that may never be revealed!
Scott Rockenfield one of most underrated drummers of all time. Nicko McBrain of Maiden once listed this record as drumming he listens to for inspiration. Rockenfield heavily influenced by Peart.
Wow, Rockenfield is one of my favorite drummers. I never heard anyone beside myself praise him, so kudos to you, brother! :)
@@johannjensson6190 I love Scott! His creativity is something else especially on this album. I remember learning the instrumental section in Della Brown & realized that it wasn't complex, just amazingly neat & so inventive. His fills on Jet City Woman too, simple but so perfectly placed. As for Mindcrime, everything he did was golden although I never digged that kind of snare sound!
The tightest drummer I've heard, or at least top three, not many sound like this
The best drummer in the room that day was the engineer lol. Scott is awesome no doubt, but he didn’t make it sound like that.
Anybody is a heavenly influenced by Peart!
Hey all,
Dennis Ward isn't just a world class engineer. He's selling himself way short. Bassist for the mighty PC69 (and other projects), lead singer of the last three Khymera discs, etc. He's, simply, one of the best musicians in the last few decades. I LOVED this breakdown.
Well done, sir.
Great pick Dennis. Empire is a masterclass in songwriting, musicianship and production skills.
Yes. For me Empire is the Queensryche crowning jewel. One of few albums where I LOVE every song.
Yup! Il love every single song, too. Resistance and One and Only just kick ass, and Hand on Heart is a slower burner. Their “non hits” on Empire would be the best tracks on most other great rock albums.
But for me Empire and Best I Can just knock me on my ass. The first time I heard Best I Can, I just lost it.
Queensryche is a seriously underrated band.
No they aren't. They are highly successful and influential band...
the word "underrated" is overrated, overused & actually inappropriate in this case.
They are indeed underrated ! just compare Tate as a singer to an Axl Rose . No question who is more talented . Yet bands like GNR or Bon Jovi are far more popular .
MVia glad I’m not the only one that hates that song not even the best ballad on the empire album
@Fangalatic Just what i said
Definitely preferring this type of "reaction" video. Very educational. Also, Dennis rules.
If you like this check out Rick Beato's channel.
(blushing) :)
Right, compared to all the "cutesy", ego based "look at me" ones by guy randoms, really who cares. I always click not interested when I get AI'd those
The bass tone is unreal.
But yet he didn't even bother to say a single word about it...
Definitely. The track Della Brown truly highlights it.
I clicked on this video because of the remarkable bass tone. Shame it's not covered here...
@@dagoelius One of my favorite songs. I always love Eddie's bass and the way it sits in the mix!
@@dagoelius although the best thing about it, IMO, is the writing.
everything from "Queensryche EP" to "Promised Land" had genius production...... early Ryche was known for their brilliant production...... in combination with such phenomenal songwriting, it was just MAGIC
itkojecockot actually the band hates the production of The Warning. It was done by a producer that had no idea of what they should sound like. I’ve gotten used to it over the years but I’ve always wished they’d remix it.
Absolutely right. Even in my youth when I knew nothing I knew they were something very special. Operation Mindcrime was my first taste of Queensryche and I've been a huge fan ever since.
@@masonb9788 well yes, the mixing is kinda "dull", but the sound of the record in general is still pretty good, considering the fact it came out back in early 80's when most metal bands were still using production from 70's.... "The Warning" aleardy had that modern 80's production which sounded much cleaner and heavier...... if it had better mixing as you mentioned, it would sound amazing for a record from '84
@@kwantoon yeah, "Mindcrime" will always be their monolith and it is also probably the best metal record of that particular year, which says a lot..... but all those classic records are very close after Mindcrime..... no matter how many times you hear "Warning", "Rage" or even "Empire", they can never get old with all those progressive nuances written all over them...... plus vocals and lyrics were also top-notch
itkojecockot First album sounds completely outdated
How did you guys not lose your minds having to do all those steps back then? Thanks for showing all of this with one of my fav bands & singers still to this day. They've great songs on every album.
Metal chicks are awesome
@@sz5876 Back at ya!
One of the break away bands that brought the huge room sound with incredible talent to push it- "Silent Lucidity" stands out as one of the most heartfelt productions of all time- thank you !
Rage For Order is my favorite Queensryche album. I've got it on vinyl actually as well as CD as well as down load on Amazon & iTunes.
Yeahh- rage for order -and- warning
adam brown with or without the “blue ring”?
Such an underrated album.
@@jasonpresti2501 Their best at their best imo.
Rage is my all time QR album, saw them supporting Bon Jovi in 87 in London doing the Rage and warning stuff, hated jovi we only went for Queensryche 😂
Great album start to finish.
Probably in my top 10 favs.
Good analysis man A+
Dude! This video has way more hits than any other video you guys have put out. Do more queensryche reactions.
This was great! Always loved this song and the production but never knew just how much genius and work has been put into it.
This has rekindled my amazement at this band. Huge moment in the early 90s when this album came out. Most cohesive and solid album they ever made.
The snare drum sound on this album is perfect
Scott always had a great snare sound. Top 5 easily. He's like the anti-Lars. lol
@@stevej.1428 The pop they achieved on Empire and Tommy Lee's snare on Dr Feelgood I think are the two best ever
@@stevej.1428 I'm not a drummer but I've always respected Scott's work
@@reecelujan5911 uhh dudes. listen to the black album. produced by bob rock, same guy who produced feelgood.
SSL compression. Fantastic on drums.
This is the best reaction video ive ever seen!!the fact you actually showed the production techniques in a daw is super helpful!Also love your work with Gus Gs new album.
Wasn't Queensryche something truly special in their day... I still listen to this stuff daily, in the car, at home in the headphones... still get chills over and again. Special music, a special time, it will NEVER be that good again for me. The kicker, they sounded as good live as any band I ever heard. Nice breakdown of the sound. I'm not a professional sound guy but was a vocalist in a metal band and I can hear every detail you mention. Do the song "Speak" off of Mindcrime. Also I thought Promised Land had some impressive sounds as well... while a very melancholy feeling record, the mix I always felt captured the 'feel' very well... LOVE Queensryche.
Steven M. I’ve got part of Promised Land as a tattoo. Absolutely brilliant band. Unfortunately with most bands,egos start to get in the way. Once Chris left, the band lost its sense of direction.
@@billykelly1013 Agreed, Chris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate were the driving writing force behind Queensryches most brilliant stuff and they quit being Queensryche when Chris left. After seeing the Mindcrime show in 40,000 seat arenas, it was painful to watch what was left of the band in a small hall back in 2011. Geoff Tates fall from grace was epic in its totality. I would love to see your tat, Promised Land got me through a very specific time in my life and I go right back there everytime I listen to it. An underrated record for sure.
Steven M. It’s just the head piece of the totem pole. Tattoo guy tried to get me to do the whole thing. Sometimes wish I did.
I saw them twice. Outdoor was good, but the place has had sound issues since it opened 30 years ago. Small indoor was insane. Mindcrime start to finish
Unfortunately they followed the pattern of so many bands. Lots of hard work, amazing collaboration, then one member feels more powerful.
@@billykelly1013 Yeah, the "tri-ryche" they call that, very cool. Saw like an 18yr old kid working in a gas station wearing a necklace with a cool, detailed, silver tri-ryche medallion on it... I asked the kid "do you know the significance of that?" he said "no idea, my grandma bought it for me in Hawaii." I offered him $50 for it and he declined, bummer, I had never seen anything like it. When I told him it was a Queensryche emblem, and showed him a cd case he was like "eh?" No idea. You or I should have that as we would appreciate the rarity. Guess he loves his grandma alot and that's cool. Anyway, interesting little antidote. Rock on man!
"Speak" is more than a mere song, it's a living thing my man
I love the drum sound about this record.
One of my favorite albums engineering-wise. I listen through it at least once a month.
I am not a technical person but I have always been a Queensryche fan. This was a fascinating video....great stuff! Please do more!
Finally a person that talks about vocal effects!
Not only the snare sound is exceptional. Listen to that bass drum, man.
get that hair off of my screen damn it :)
right , real sound and one take things
Great breakdown. I was just listening to Mindcrime today and Eyes of a Stranger has one of the coolest and most dramatic outros I’ve ever heard.
That's great! Thanks for your feedback!
Best wishes from Karlsdorf, Germany
Mr Dennis Ward !!! I met him in 2004 when he was touring with one of my favorite bands, Pink Cream 69. I've waited 15 years to see them and it was a great day. Dennis was beyond cool. 15 years later, I'm still a fan. Rock on, Dennis !!! Cheers from France !!
Thank you!
The Clean Guitar is what always stood out for me!!
WOW! It’s always interesting to hear the ”real fans” explain the greatness of Queensryche...
No idea what this guy is talking about, but a pleasure to try an and comprehend.
Coz you and I are not audio engineer.
Very cool reaction!
Actually, in 1988, Crimson Glory on their album "Transcendence" mixed drum sounds they sampled into a Synclavier, which were then triggered by the acoustic drums and the two mixed sounds is what appears on the album.
And the cymbals were actually recorded separately from the drums also.
Incredible video! Thank you Dennis!
Classic Queensryche rules. And the band was just "THE BAND" when they had Chris De Garmo with them. He's very missed by the heavy metal community.
I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into clicking this. At first, I have to say, his on-camera presence didn't make much of an impression, but he really got straight into business real fast. And he got DEEP. I didn't know reaction videos could be like this. Simply looove this. People who really know what they're talking about. So rare these days. So educational, so interesting. Ah, yes please. Give me more!
I already always loved this song and now appreciates it even more after watching your indepth analysis. Very educational. Thank you. Awesome!
The drums are so carved out and present. Everything revolves around the drums. Great. That snare hits me in the soul with every beat. Great production!!
You opened up my mind with your thoughts and this will carry through with all my favorite music, thank you!
Thank you. This helped me so much with a track I'm working on. Awesome.
Hello Michael,
thanks a lot! Very happy to hear that!
Have fun with whatever you're working on 😉
Best wishes from Karlsdorf, Germany
Talking about snares, my ultimate favorite snare sound is that first snare hit in Pink Floyd's 'On the Turning Away'.
Great vid ! I subscribed
That reverse vocal reverb thing was awesome!
Man, I love Queensryche especially Mindcrime but now I’m writing/mixing/producing music myself I love how you show how the most brilliant stuff was made on analog tape machines and consoles!
It forced the producers/engineers to really think outside the box because like you said nowadays you got a plug-in for almost anything.
I loved this video because it cage me ideas for my own music.
Great stuff!
Like the album and never knew it takes so much effort to produce these effects. Appreciate the educational part from you!
Operation Mindcrime with this level of production would be amazing.
AJD OLD CHANNEL ARCHIVE not just amazing....which it is,but with this production....WOW!!
Not just a reaction video! Your explanation and how to on techniques is really interesting to watch and listen to, thank you!
Truly interesting to hear you describe the production.
Been a fan of Queensryche since the beginning!
Thanks.
Cheers!
the sound of "Empire" was so mind blowing when it came out, if you listen to it with headphones there is a 3D effect which allways I asked to my self "how the hell was it done" in those times. The sound came from up above or rear back, it is really amazing. Operation Mindcrime without a doubt was "The conceptual album" of the entire band history, but -at least for me- Empire was by far, the best produced sound of this amazing band. Thank you for the react video and your "how to's" at these days.
And I just attributed the perennially awesome Queensryche drum sound to Scott's skill - which was a large part. Thanks for explaining how it most likely became so eargasmic.
I add my compliments. This was more of a history of mixing lesson than a reaction video and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the insight into the past, I hope to use it in the future..! Well played..!
I really wish that Mindcrime was musically produced with the rich-sounding quality that Empire was. It would sound much more amazing.
i like the production on Mindcrime and The Warning better actually
They deliberately had a slightly harsh production on Mindcrime, considering the topic of the songs.
There's a few interviews I've read with Wilton and DeGarmo where they say that
I believe that Mindcrime was recorded on one of the first multitrack digital machines, the Sony 3324 or 3348. I read somewhere that the record execs were nervous about the medium, but loved the outcome. Cool machines at the time, but definitely lacked the analog "tape compression" sound. Ones and zeros have a tendency to be too exact, especially on digital tape. They did a fantastic job on an otherwise sterile sounding process.
Loved your breakdown and explination of the old way vs new daw approach... i grew up around stretched out reel tape and stands too! Awesome stuff!
Great analysis video, not a reaction one. Very educational and enjoyed the breakdown, but not a first timer reaction. I would title it differently, but will watch others from you.
I`ve almost fall of my chair when You started demonstration! Thanks for such quality content and Happy NEW YEAR!! :)
Hello Ivan,
thanks for the feedback & happy new year! 🙂
Best wishes
Talkin snare drum, Scott knows his shit🤟🏻
I remember hearing the crisp and tightness that album has, That's what got me into recording production..
Good album, but to me Queensryche will always be about Mindcrime
Mindcrime great record but I prefer the Warning that album is the sound that I love from Queensryche
What's interesting is that even according to Geoff Tate (d-bag that he is now), Mindcrime was a failure that only became successful BECAUSE of Empire.
I totally disagree....I actually think Mindcrime was a much better written album than Empire. Don't get me wrong, there's some great songs on Empire, but most of them got overshadowed by Silent Lucidity.
Empire was their last good album ...
I 100& percent agree with you @lifesabeach but really interesting to see other peoples opinions in reply on your comment.
@@technewsfortechnoobs Whatever you think of Geoff Tate you can't deny how fucking amazing he was/is as a vocalist & performer. Plus, all we hear is second hand info so who knows how he is as a dude really. Everyone acts in ways that would make them look like a D-bag if thats all that you knew of them.
Very interesting to see how something that sounds so simple is painfully put together. That is always the difference maker for great production for a great song.
Empire was mixing in Lake Geneva WI, on a very large SSL 4000e console. He is correct on the snare being part sample and real snare. The sample was fed into the playback speakers in the main recording room, and recorded back onto the tape, capturing the ambience of the main room.
Thanks for the info!
Holy crap, this is some good stuff!! I'd love to see how you'd react and analyze Rocket and Gods of War from Def Leppard!
Those are 2 great songs from Hysteria.
Women
Def Leppard lol they suk bad
METAL HEAD spoken like someone who not only doesn’t know about the production that went into that album, but their 12 million records sold of that album and their RRHoF induction shuts up your opinion. They have the results; you have nothing.
Well, I love the bass! 🎸
Wow! One of my favorite albums and listened to it through new ears!!!
more professional reaction video like this, less hip-hop first metal reaction!! great video
I agree but unfortunately those types of reaction channels are what the internet zombies like. Just look at their subs' numbers and the subs channels like this one have. : (
@@Module79L sad but true...
Agreed
One of the greatest heavy metal producers of our time analyzes one of the greatest heavy metal albums of our time. Great stuff!
Wonderful video! Lots of great engineering know-how applied to the understanding of a classic track... thank you and well done!
wow!!! i'm by no means an audio engineer, just a huge music fan and LOVE Queensryche...some of your talk was a little over my head but you summed everything up perfectly!! i've always said to people i thought this album was the best produced rock album for the time, like you said you can 'walk through it', i can hear every instrument crystal clear and man when i first heard the title track for the first time i was just blown away, the snare, the cymbols, the bass guitar and guitars so crisp clean and heavy it's a masterpiece of an album!!!!!!!!! What sucks imo is that today's rock and metal bands albums all sound the same, all bass and treble it's like the mid's dissappeared....i so love the rock albums of the 80's as they all sounded slightly different in terms of the production, now if you heard one Breaking Benjamin album you've heard them all...same guitar tone, same snare sound etc.......but thanks for the breakdown and sharing your point of view!!!!!! On a side note, Operation Mindcrime could be the polor opposit of Empire, it's one of my all-time favorite albums but i always wished the production was a little clearer/cleaner or closer to Empire, though i guess that's what gives an album it's unique sound. thanks again!!!!
Hello Ryan,
thanks for sharing your opinion - some true points here!
Also very happy to hear you enjoyed the video. Stay tuned for more 🙂
Best wishes from Karlsdorf, Germany
Dennis, your work on the Krokus album "Hellraiser" is amazing. Love it!
Thanks!
Wow, thanks SO MUCH for this! It's well thought out, expertly explained, and really increased my appreciation for the production value of the time. Add to that the fact that they probably recorded a good chunk of the song live off the floor ... Please do more like this!!
Really interested to hear you analyze Boston. That album is legendary for its engineering- especially for the decade and its minimal tech
The walk-throughs using cubase is something i didnt expect! So much more than just a reaction vid. Subbed!
Great informative video Dennis! Good job! Please make more :)
Love these engineer reactions!
Hello Edward,
thanks a lot for the feedback, really appreciate it!
Stay tuned on this channel for more 🙂
Best wishes from Karlsdorf, Germany
Do more of these! Awesome video. I would love to hear you break down something from Place Vendome (or another of your productions).
This reaction earned my subscription. I love how you talk about the importance of the effects on the song, and actually show how to do it, as well as giving us the history lesson of how it was done on analog. Can’t wait to see more videos like this.
I loved the sound mixing of Empire, all the little noises within the songs made it sound interesting.
Best I Can
Walk the Thin Line
Della Brown
Another Rainy Night
Anybody Listening
Jet City Woman
and Silent Lucidity
I am just trying to imagine all the nuances they did with Michael Kamen, doing Silent Lucidity
This is one of the most amazing videos I have EVER seen simply for the "black man trapped again" vocal effect explanation. Seriously, yloh tihs! Subscribed!!!
Great song pic! You can never go wrong with anything produced/engineered by the Peter Collins/Jimbo Barton team! They did RUSH Power Windows and Hold Your Fire ( 2 of my favorites ) which to me are immaculate sounding studio albums to the point that they were ahead of the times! I'd love to hear this guy talk about songs from those records.
Awesome video! You are excellent at explaining the nuances and your personality is easy going and unpretentious. I bet bands love to have you as their engineer. 👍🏻
Thanks!
Reaction? This was taking us to school! An in depth analysis of one of the best engineered songs of its time. Reminded me a bit of the Rick Beato What Makes This Song Great series. Very well done, and very educational. While it may not appeal to everyone, this is a fantastic resource for music nerds! You mentioned with Cubase you can’t loop a group back into itself, can you not do that with rewire? Also, love the guitar solo work here, every note you can hear, not a mashed up distorted mess. Again, great analysis of a great song, thanks!
Hi, I have no idea if I can do this with Rewire. I've never had an interest to try :) Until making this video I've always had an alternative solution.
That was awesomely insightful! Thank you. This was one of my favorite albums growing up and probably the reason why my own engineering will never measure up in my own mind. LOL
That was possibly the most interesting and totally random recommendation I have ever seen pop up for me to watch...and I am glad for it now.
I'd love to see you doa breakdown like this for other bands, especially Savatage. They had a few songs on their "Wake of Magellan" album that literally had like 4-6 vocal tracks going over each other at the same time that sounded just absolutely incredible! "The Hourglass", and the "Wake of Magellan" title track.
Thanks for the kind words and suggestions! I will consider them :)
I think The Wake of Magellan is SAVATAGE’s greatest engineered album! When they became Trans Siberian Orchestra, the engineering began sounding like awake of Magellan big time! SAVATAGE are probably the greatest band most people never heard of - a more metal QUEEN.
@@Charlie_Alpha_Echo totally NOT wrong there amigo. I think I broke 2 cassettes of WoM listening to it before I managed to track down a CD for it.
And I always thought that it was an album with songs that had so many multiple vocal lines and harmonies that there was no way they would be played live (Wake of Magellan and The Hourglass) and was amazed when I saw they actually DID play them live.
This was excellent. I have subbed. Just those pointers on the reverse chorus alone was worth it.
Very interesting! No mention of Eddie Jackson's bass tone???
I'll tell you a big secret: nobody gives a damn about bass players.
Nort Yakim Apparently you haven’t met many Iron Maiden or Manowar fans, or Primus fans for that matter.
@@AleksP1987 Here's another secret: All your favorite bands would sound like shit without bass players.
@@hellsunicorn But other bass players from the rest of the rock/metal bands are staying in the shadow. Bands like Iron Maiden, Manowar, Primus, RHCP are taking only tiny part of the whole rock scene where bass player is appreciated, the rest of bass players (from another 99,99% of rock bands) are not interested to the audience. I myself is a professional bass guitarist , I have played with many pop/jazz/rock performers and I know what Im talking about. When you are nailing the whole show, grooving like no tomorrow all the time - people don't give ship about that , but when cripple guitar or saxophone player plays one lame solo in a whole show and after it people are shaking his hand - it's unfair.
I've played in a few bands and they are basically all the same.
You have a singer who thinks the entire universe revolves around them, all other band members are there merely to support what he is doing.
You have a guitarist who for some unfathomable reason believes that he needs to be twice as loud as everybody else. He thinks that if he can play 375 notes where 26 would do that is amazing; what he doesn't realise is that nobody apart from other guitarists give a flying fig about how fast he can play.
Then you have the drummer, undoubtedly the most hard working member of the band physically if nothing else and you have a bass player who generally stands at the back and together with the drummer hold the whole thing together. The drummer and the bass player just sit back doing their thing whilst thinking, OK, let the singer and the guitarist battle it out between them as to who is the most important, we'll just carry on in the certain knowledge that without us both of you would die.
This is one of the best in depth reactions I've ever heard
Why do many of the music today prefer weak drum sound/production? The drums of today mostly sounds like they're hitting cardboard boxes in a garage. The only drums that still sound heavy are like metal bands etc.
It might be because so many artists program using, say for example, Superior Drums and since they've had success with it the mass just lines up to follow.
@ Yes, I understand. The best way to do this is to simply be well prepared before entering the studio.
It's called "Force Fed Music" . It can NOT make you think, believe in yourself, inspire educational pursuits, discuss politics in a way that reveals the truth and drops the veil, unifies people globally, etc..
They want to push music to dumb you down and get you hating and shooting people or totally focused on being a victim, worrying about what others think of you, or just trying to get you focused on look pretty and get laid alot because that means your liked..
Mock it all you want.. I should rewrite it but I'm listening to Pavarotti at the gas station and while I'm just killing time here, atleast four cars pulled in throwing bass hard enough to rattle my car while repeatedly saying the n word , talking about cappin da punk or in da club wit da bub ... or one just kept saying uh huh yeah yeah uh huhu uhuhhu yeah yeah .. with the same boom boom boomboom boom boom boomboom.. Just the same as 20 years ago..
Oh then there was something that sounded like insane circus music..
While I'm listening to Pavarotti, Iron Maiden When the Wild Wind Blows (Live), Queensryche Roads to Madness, Nevermore Insignificant and The Lotus Eaters , now this video..
I'm gonna stop now.. I'm gonna enjoy myself... Hah!
Damn , This is Soooo BaddAss !
Oh dude! Muse's drums sound amAZing.
most production people I’ve hung out with (around 30 years of age) have no experience recording a real kit or haven’t in years! mixing & recording drums is truly a difficult skill & takes a concerted effort & most studios don’t have the time or money when you can build a sample in like half an hour that frankly is “good enough” & it is till you heard the real deal. Sadly it’s not just in pop music all genres of music production have gone this route of the path of least resistance & time saving cost saving
Dennis, this is a killer ! There is zillions of videos on mixing out there but not too much on/about all of those Rock/Metal masterpieces, so i hope ull do more and more of these !!! Thank ya !!!
I will try my best :) Cheers!
YOU sir are a FREAKIN GENIUS!!!
Great Video! I have been following you (Dennis Ward) for years. I love most of the albums you have done for Frontiers Records and many AOR artists. Of all your projects my favorite is the debut of Place Vendome. Basically if I see a hard rock or AOR album where you are listed as a producer or mixing, I know what to expect.
I love how you dissected the mix on this video.
* A note for you: James "Jimbo" Barton and Peter Collins also worked with Rush. The drum sound on the Queensryche - Empire album is reminiscent of Neal Peart's (Rush) sound.
Great explanation of a complex recording!
So nice to see that Dennis, one of the better producers and rocker with PC69 roots one of the best metal/rock bands like queensryche has analyzed. Super pro's...keep on rockin' guys
Amazing stuff man. You deserve more subs.
Great breakdown of the process!
I remember recording on the old tascam 1/2” reel (trs8) and bouncing to 1/4” and back again. Learned a lot but was a pain in the ass. Loved every minute of it 😄
My God this is interesting. So much information given here.
This video is great. I have no idea what Dennis is saying for 99% of it, but what a cool video! I love Queensryche's music. I am I!
I don't know anything about music production but I love this band and I feel like I just took a master class.
The vocal reverb bit had me go "wow!"