Reviewing the new Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft Vinyl - What did they do to this thing ??
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
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The MUSIC is not sub par crap. The quality of the vinyl may be. But musically? The album is one of her best. Finneas absolutely killed it with the production on this.
This is the best review I've ever seen on an album I never had any intention of buying.
im so glad i found this video. the B side sounds better than side A for some reason for me, as when i put on my solution i started hearing the static. thank you for making me not feel alone in the record sounding like shit!
Digitally it’s excellent. Sounds amazing
A conspiracy theorist might posit it was done on purpose. A normal wouldn’t give that a follow up question, they’d just successful not buy the vinyl, …systematically
Someone's comment was rather beautiful, they said more attention was given toward the digital release. And, the physical vinyl (in reality) is a novelty the executives could give a heartless shit about perfecting for the consumers who really care for the music...
It’s also possible that it sounds just fine on normal priced stereo and 40 year old audiophiles listening on $100,000 stereos aren’t the target demographic.
Sure it does, for the demographic used to listening to distortion and noise through earbuds.
I have the French Vinyl Pressing on Black Vinyl and it sounds good :)
You could always listen to it on CD or through Tidal. That's the best sound possible.
Mike I was gonna buy this eventually, but you just made me get my shoes on to hit my local and grab a copy. See how it sounds on my dainty speakers. Maybe your Wilson’s are just way too big
@mazzysmusic please report back! 😂
When the Album sounds better on CZcams, than on vinyl...i have to confess: Mike is right here. What a bummer, i also loved the sound of "Happier than ever"...but "Hit me hard and soft" is really bad on my vinyl version (GZ media from Czech Republic).
Unfortunately recycled vinyls are bad in general, they need to improve the production unfortunately it’s something still so new and they need to improve
I got a vinyl copy direct from her store (the dark bluish vinyl one) made in the Czech Republic and it sounds great to me, and I am not using a cheap turntable, I have a Michell and very decent arm and cartridge and Chord electronics. I’ve heard better recordings but this is not a bad pressing or mastering. Perhaps the US stuff is not the same.
I've played my copy with 3 different styli and I have to say that playing it with a conical gave the best results. It cut down on a lot of the noise and I didn't hear any IGD even on the inner groove of side A because it's such a quiet cut. I still agree that whoever cut the master was incompetent. It should have been much louder to account for the higher noise floor of the recycled vinyl.
Mike, this was hilarious! In humor, there is truth. You made a great point about how making a product that will last damn near a century actually *is* eco-friendly. As for new 'eco-friendly' records, have you listened to any records pressed by Green Vinyl in the Netherlands? They use PEC (?) rather than PVC and the labels are printed directly on the record rather than using paper. The new Shellac record - R.I.P. Steve Albini - To All Trains, due out today, is pressed by Green Vinyl. Hope all is well!
Cheers, Tom
Mike doesn’t like Shellac, he’s listening to Lana Del Ray or admiring his Nora Jones LPs….
Sooo much surface noise on mine. I loved the music it despite the flaws in my record so I had a great time streaming it today. I don’t think I’ve ever had to turn the volume up that high to be able to hear anything at all with a record before.
Surely with your vinyl community clout and business acumen, you can convince the Billie Eilish management or even get ahold of Billie herself and convince her you want to release an InGroove x QRP exclusive audiophile variation of this, without using eco vinyl.
Mike, ABC! Always Be Closing! Best video ending on youtube!
You're a natural born closer lol.
I go the black MPO pressing today. The record looks like it has been dragged around on a table or something. After cleaning there is much surface noise and low volume. It shoudn't be that hard to fit 44 minutes on one disc but they put almost 25 minutes on side A and only 19 minutes on side B. There is a locked groove at the end of side A which is a nice touch but that's the only positive thing I can say about that pressing. I also ordered the red GZ pressing and hope it's better but I doubt it.
And of course 7 different colors is ridiculous but at least there isn't a different bonus track for each color.
The French pressing is the best
I'm glad that I can now confirm it's not my turntable but the record itself. But at the same time I'm sad because I love this album and I never had a record sound this bad
Dude, this is the first video of yours I have watched but I love and appreciate you already. I am a Billie fan with variants of each of her releases in my collection. When the third album was announced, I decided to pre-order another variant to continue this pattern. I chose her store's online exclusive, which was advertised as dark blue/teal however I received a electric, nearly neon blue record. You may be able to find photos online of other's experiences, but her customer service is blaming the "eco-friendly" mass production for this drastically different color range. The record I got could be listed as an entirely new variant it's so different. When I tried to voice my frustrations to a Eilish community page, everyone made me feel like a Karen because "they said they'd use scraps so we were never promised what was photographed." I think they are all to far up her ass, to say the least. I'm really frustrated by it and how everyone is overlooking the complete bullshit of the situation. I'm totally on your side - maybe there would've been better quality control all around if they had limited releases to a standard black, an online exclusive, and an in store exclusive.
Crazy to say in 2024 , when vinyl has made such a strong surge, that the preferred version is the Dolby Atmos…but for this release it’s true. The quiet nature for how this was cut and high amount of surface noise did detract from the listening experience for me on my Black “eco” vinyl copy. Musically this album is fantastic and should sell well.
I was lucky enough to attended a listening event at a Atmos Theatre and was very happy with the results.
I would be very interested to see what Ryan K Smith would have been able to achieve on this release but I guess we will have to wait 15-20 years for an audiophile reissue…..
Is anyone else's Amazon record a solid red No black marbling?
Most of the reviews I've read describe that version as bright red looking nothing like the product listing photo. The companies selling them are getting away with it by adding an asterisk to the product description that states every vinyl will look different because it's being made with "recycled/eco" pieces but from other pressings. Basically you got what everyone else received.
Spat my lunch out in laugher from 8.01 onwards .. must make it into a best-of compilation. Thanks for the laughs - off to clean the lunch from my keyboard..
I almost did the same thing.🤪
Ha! Me too.. hilarious! Brightened my day!
The sigh and pause he gives before absolutely destroying this record is hilarious 😂😂😂
Made my day - thanks Mike 😅
I was not that familiar with this artist but did some digital comparison and can see the sonics diffrrent between first album and her latest. That along with a not optimal vinyl material and maybe mastering issues ....
If you want to hear a unique new release from a female vocalist who is very much not the status quo, please listen to Beth Gibbons new album. Absolutely beautiful. My favorite record of the year so far.
Yes, got that together with this one. Quality wise it's miles ahead and was the same price...
Yup. Her new album is fantastic
It's a toss up between Beth Gibbons and Pallbearer for album of the year so far for me.. musical opposites almost but both sublime. Good vinyl pressings too.
I’m one of those 40-something men that discovered Billie after her first album 😂. I have to say the first EP and that live RSD release are my favorites. Thanks for the heads up about the vinyl. I guess I’ll have to wait for the day when this album gets a remaster.
Digital Amazon music hi rez version sounds good to my ears. Basic 2 channel bi-amp system with decent polks and denon sub and played through a sonos connect sent through $100 basic Ess Sabre dac. The vocals have a lot of reverb and sound flat at times. Stereo imaging is typical of modern records. Bit bass heavy. Have not listened to the Atmos version. Songwriting is pretty solid and the songs do very a bit in style. Much better than her 2nd album.
I received seafoam green/blue earlier today, like you say, it's recorded at a somewhat lower level, but what's unacceptable imo is the number of pops / crackles, will give it a wash and see what happens, but QC from this pp in France ain't up too much on the face of its
Is the pressing really so bad ? Yes it is. I struggled to get through side A after cleaning it didn't help much in all the crackling and pops and I had to turn up the volume a lot which didn't help the audio quality. There's hardly any high end to it. It sounds like an old mono cassette tape. Then side B... I put it on and the surface noise was overwhelming so I turned the record off. This is an album you need to listen to on CD to enjoy the sonic beauty of it as it all drowns in the vinyl edition.
mike billie is underwater on the cover it was meant to sound that way 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
That's funny!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’m glad it’s not just me. I have to turn the volume up SO high, but it never really gets loud. What a shame.
Damn, that was some funny shit! Too bad about the quality, but what a review. Thanks for the belly laugh, Mike! 😂
It's such a weird time for modern pop music and vinyl. Every modern produced record (with a decent production budget) should sound incredible on vinyl if done properly. Labels seem to pick and choose which albums to make sound great and which to squash, cut quiet, etc. in order to track better on cheaper suitcase turntables. I got my girlfriend the Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor's Version) as a gift. 4 LPs cut at 45RPM and it sounds incredible. I later bought her Midnights which sounded awful - even though it was cut by Ryan Smith!
I was wondering what other people’s experience with Swift on vinyl had been. I have Red also and wish they’d used the same format for her other stuff. I was disappointed with the sonics of TTPD on vinyl.
@@andrewmacdonald3667 I think the Taylor Swift rerecordings and her new albums from the last years sound very good compared to other "mainstream pop" albums. Almost all of them were mastered by Ryan K Smith, some by JNH. I've read in other place that people don't like the sound of the Tortured Poets vinyl. I don't understand. My pressing (Clear, Optimal, RKS) sounds very good and has an average DR level of DR11-DR12. Which is a lot compared to other pop artists. The digital version is less dynamic.
Really enjoyed this album digitally so I was looking into buying it on vinyl. Glad I found this video, don’t want to get the vinyl if it sounds so bad. Will probably get a CD instead too. Thanks for informing me on this.
This was hilarious Mike, made my day, thanks 😂
I was very apprehensive about buying the vinyl version when I read that they were using “Eco” vinyl. Sounds like I was correct in being so.
I wanted to buy the vinyl but after doing some research yeah it has issues unfortunately. The digital version sounds better, but they did mix the vocals pretty deep in the mix on some of the tracks.
Thanks for saving us the disappointment and being able to direct the money directly at better produced vinyl. 😊
Good morning, Mike 🫡☕️
Thank you for being honest. Anytime a product mentions eco anything I move on.
Your honest opinion is so refreshing. Thanks for the review.
I held my pre-order when I saw that was an "eco" vinyl again, she can have her eco choice but I can also prefer to pick a better quality vinyl if I wanna add that into my collection
At the 8:00 minute mark the fun begins, and by the 10:00 minute mark I'm wiping tears outta my eyes - and I don't have the flu! I've never seen Mike this animated. The sonics of the record may suck d!ck, but the review sounded fantastic!!! Well done, Michael!!
Brilliant, right down to the last few seconds.
As soon as I watched this, I tried to cancel the vinyl order - but it had already been despatched. When it arrived (a French pressing as am in the UK), it was exactly as you said: pressed at such a low vol that you need to crank it up, highlighting the surface noise. Easily one of the worst new records I’ve ever heard. The CD vers. is fine, so the vinyl is being sent back. Not sure what happens to returned vinyl - but unless it’s resold in some way, it feels like this is adding to the carbon footprint rather than reducing it..
omg, informative and HILARIOUS!!! i would give it two thumbs up if i had the option
I have come to trust The "In" Groove's" opinion and suggestions on great music and great sound. I really enjoy Billie's first 2 albums and was looking forward to her 3rd. Unfortunately, I will not be buying based on this review. Billie, get the message please!
It reminds me „High Fidelity” movie! That’s the style! Great role Michael👌
Billie didn’t talk about Taylor, but against the industry and labels and other fanbases (Ariana, Beyoncé, Olivia Etc every fanbase) hating Taylor used Billie name to shade her 😂😂 Taylor also put BONUS tracks in her different vinyls to force ppl to buy more to listen to the entire album, Billie no and they have the same songs, just different colors and you can choose 1 of them bc it’s your fav. About the sound I agree, and idk what happened bc on Spotify is obviously perfect with the headphones. it’s her mastering team is not that good this time 😅 recycled stuff is also bad sonically
100% on point about the sonic capabilities. Simply atrocious. I tried to give it some chance hoping that the next track will improve. Ran it thru my record cleaner. Made sure my needle was aligned. NOTHING!!! helped. Yikes. I boxed it up sent it back for a full refund. So unfortunate. I ended up listening on digital.
Now you tell me. I just picked up my copy at the store.
I had listened to one of the cuts digitally and it sounded awesome. I'm afraid to put it on my turntable now.🙂
My favorite review ever!
Forget the MoFi fiasco. This is your best video ever.
lol. Bibian said you picked it up while I was in the back. I said really, didn’t he watch my review this morning?
I missed it. Next time I'll wait for it 😂
I thought Mike was gonna brake the record in half 😅😅😅😅😅
Apple Music ATMOS mix sounds fine, although I’m not a Billie Eyelash fan. The “Where do go” ATMOS is bass heavy as well.
I remeber buying Led Zeplin 3 back in the day I buy one of the records in the store go home play the first track then back to the store. Did that a twwo or three tmes then got into the details of exactly what was wrong with the record the clerk played the copy on the store turn table and prononced that there was no problem with the record. I went home brought my turn table in then went through 10 ablums till we found one that was pressed properly. Turns out that I wasn't the only one that got stung when production can't keep up with demand.
i really don’t think the young people that buy this record care about or even really know want good sound quality is.
You can probably extend that to about 90% of buyers. I’m 50 years old and IRL I’ve never heard anyone mention mastering or engineers or sound quality ever. CZcams audiophile channels obviously a different demographic 😂
@@shakinghell1318 1000%! i know very few folks that listen to vinyl and the ones that do have extremely modest systems.
I’m not sure what the venn diagram looks like for audiophiles and billie eilish vinyl seekers.
Well damn......I happened to love her second album but that's a matter of personal taste, of course.
I listened to this one on streaming a few times and loved it. So I stopped at a record store yesterday to pick a copy up. I haven't spun it yet, but I might not even bother now.
Such a bummer that such a high profile release would sound so bad. At least I was happy with how it sounded on Spotify and Tidal.
I love this review because it is so honest, funny and you can tell Mike is totally bummed as he wants it to sound great for his own use. Also his points about 'eco-friendly' and trying to make something that should be built to last 20-50 years+ recyclable are great and should be include in every silly news article about her comments on the topic.
Mike, my thought is buy the cd and tell me if that sounds better than the vinyl. Stephen Colbert interviewed Billie. Both of your inputs interest to me. Listen to the cd. Iminterested in your assessment.
Would love to hear how you feel about the Kevin Reeves mastered Verve By Request titles of late. They have to be cranked really high to get any volume out of them
I listened to this last night on Spotify, and I agree with you that this is a great album. Disappointed to hear about the sonics of the record. I could feel your blood pressure rise as you described it! Thanks for the review.
Recycled vinyls are bad unfortunately we are in 2024 but they still need to improve
Just listened to the 24/44.1 files. The album sounds good, right to a near 7.5/10 but the dynamics are crushed. Yeah, once they said Eco-vinyl, I thought- Gee, use the flash waste in the bucket? That will make everything sounds like shit. And save someone a buck per copy. The girl is drowning in processing on some tracks. Wonder what this sounded like pre-mastered. It likely sounded great. I agree - the mastering engineer killed it, once again. If CB mastered and cut this, it would be dynamite to listen to.
DR8 -0.02 dB -11.61 dB 3:40 01-SKINNY
DR7 0.00 dB -8.76 dB 3:00 02-LUNCH
DR5 0.00 dB -6.87 dB 5:03 03-CHIHIRO
DR6 0.00 dB -7.30 dB 3:30 04-BIRDS OF A FEATHER
DR7 0.00 dB -11.38 dB 4:21 05-WILDFLOWER
DR5 0.00 dB -10.49 dB 4:54 06-THE GREATEST
DR6 0.00 dB -8.34 dB 5:34 07-L’AMOUR DE MA VIE
DR6 0.00 dB -8.59 dB 3:06 08-THE DINER
DR5 0.00 dB -8.51 dB 4:58 09-BITTERSUITE
DR5 0.00 dB -8.58 dB 5:43 10-BLUE
Try one of the versions that isn't ecomix?
is there a version that isn't ecomix?
This new album is one of her best as far as I’m concerned. Now Happier Than Ever. Billie and Finneas said that album is one they made when they were riding the huge success of the previous album. They pretty much said the album was not the most favorite they’ve made because they said they were really full of themselves and figured anything they put out would be good. This new one? The MUSIC is good.
The vinyl sound may not be up to par for you, but the music itself is good. And everyone is saying it.
Where is this newfound hate for Happier Than Ever coming from?! I thought it was a reasonable liked album upon release. I love(d) it, and I really dug it when it came out.
Mike, I wish you had time to make much more videos like this one. Wall Of Sound by The Smile could be one of many other potential candidates
I’ve listened to both the digital 24bit and the vinyl and I think Mike is right on this one. The digital master sounds great and it is what you would expect from Billie. Vocals are great, spacious with heavy but crystal clear bass. The black vinyl I got is truly awful. Is beyond bad and compared to the digital version Is day and night. I don’t think Billie approved this master. There is no way this could go out with her and Finneas’ approval.
👀👀👀 nice hand painted live EP ya got there Mike
😬
Maybe this is how Billie wanted the record to sound, don't blame Dale, I'm sure Billie gets the final say
Yes, the artists original intent
Watch out Mike…. I hear Dale Becker is making a diss video of The In Groove. 🤪
Who else bought David Gilmour tickets? I picked up mine for MSG in November, whoever is on the fence do yourself a favor and buy them, DG is absolutely fantastic live, probably the last time he will tour
It’s going to be a bunch of his dad rock that’s boring and lyrics his partner came up. Not worth a trip to NY or LA.
@jacob6908 obviously you have never seen him live before with that statement
Yeah, I went through 3 copies. The album is phenomenal but the vinyl is scratchy for each one I got...
good man, your best so far.
Well, Just bid for a signed vinyl, now I need to cancel🫣
I'll pile on a crappy pressing plant with the hope that they'll improve (like MRP, though they're apparently not incapable of pressing a proper record - I have three decent ones in my collection) the way that GZ seems to have done, but in my limited experience with MPO, their pressing have been well above average. I have the clear variant of the new Justice album (HYPERDRAMA - pressing sounds absolutely incredible!) as well as the 2015 pressing of the Orb's MOONBUILDING 2703 AD (also sounds excellent). Keep it up, MPO!
I sort of doubt the problem with this record is the pressing plant, but I guess even an occasional UHQR (e.g. Miles' KOB-33) needs to be replaced. You never know.
GZ was especially rough during the pandemic. They seem to have improved some over the last two years. MRP, in my experience, is even worse. I think I have one record with MRP in the deadwax that is actually listenable. The most recent problematic pressing from MRP was The Smile's Wall Of Eyes. Non-fill central. Went through 3 copies before importing the Optimal pressing which was a night and day improvement.
@@tubinonyou Most recent GZ pressings I have are Tool’s FEAR INOCULUM (2022), Chelsea Wolfe’s HISS SPUN (2017), and Gojira’s MAGMA (2016). GZ pressed a lot of my harder music. Honestly, while maybe imperfect, they’ll almost all excellent pressings. MRP is one of the worst plants. I’ve actually returned vinyl pressed there for refund.
@@austinhunt4260 Yeah, 2020 - 2022 was especially rough for GZ in my experience. Many, many issues with many, many records I purchased during that time. It seemed like everything I bought at the time was pressed there and it was nearly impossible to get a clean copy. Good news is that all my records pressed at GZ in the past two years have been pretty great. Seems they're stepping it up.
I thought it was only my Target copy, I ultrasound cleaned it TWICE it is horrible. I bought it at the same time as Dua Lipa and that album is recorded superbly. It is like someone didn't have any idea what they were doing. I guess I'm stuck with a stinker.
I checked the digital version on a wave file editor. It appears to be not compressed like modern recordings. Must have thrown off the vinyl mastering because it is actually quite to start with and they probably mastered it like they would an overly processed recording.
I feel that the digital master has a lot of the same issues definitely quiet not a lot of dynamic range
Landed here after researching why my red vinyl version sounded so terrible. I was hoping it was a fluke. Contemplating returning it.
This is funnier than your review of the MOFI Alan Parrsons Project reissue!!!😂
Great review. The digital version isn’t much better. It also needs to be cranked up! It’s a shame. The album is actually pretty good.
The atmos verison is fantastic. Clearly, this is where all their attention went 😂
😂😂😂
Mike, if it’s that bad on vinyl, you should a gave the digital a listen, and make a comparison.
I’m so with you regarding ecovinyl. What’s the point? Saving the environment with a throwaway product? 🤦
Mike, you’re younger than I, we’re no boomers lol. I only have her first, that cam out in the interações subscription earlier this year, it’s great. I’m not interested in this one but here’s the only thing I liked about it. Kudos to her for being on NPR today and giving an interview. No one does this nowadays. Just “drop” and social media statements, only showing positive “reviews”
Girlfriend purchased billie eilish hit me hard and soft indie sea blue pressing from her local independent music store
Girlfriend went to billie ellish concert happier than ever tour in 2022 2 years ago she loved it lots of laser lights and purchased some merch
Mike when is the next live stream, I feel like its been a while
Yeah, maybe they should've put a hype sticker on it reading "Play at your own risk!"
Hello! Always fun to see your video clips and reviews but I have the sea green of Billie and in my stereo it sounds fantastic and I have a very good one and am an audio geek 😉 Wondering if you got a so-called Monday ex. Am very satisfied. with kind regards, Hasse✌🏼😉🌞
He’s way off on this one. Even on the Hoffman boards, a whole forum of audiophiles and almost all the comments are positive and very few mention the mastering as a detriment and the ones that do not nearly as hyperbolically as this.
Mike, Great review. Hilirious !!!!
Hey Mike where was it pressed ? I was reading om line that the french pressing was better ? listen to on line as a digtial recording it was nice , but some part are very soft sounding.
Yes I have the Black French Press and its good!
i have the sea green french pressing.. sounds just as bad. the surface noise is unavoidable.
@@lydia4938maybe the black French press is the only good-ish one?!
Yikes, i have one of these on order and not kind of scared for when it arrives in lmao
I’m sure it’s fine. Mikes prone to hyperbole. On a normal stereo at a normal volume I’m sure a regular non audiophile listener won’t discern a huge difference.
My copy arrived today from The 'In" Groove and to my ears and with a Rega P8 it sounds pretty good, as my expectations were in the gutter 😀 Pearl Jam's Dark Matter RSD release sounds far worse, like listening to a compressed brick! 😂
Who is Billie Eilish and why does he (or she) not know who Van Halen is?
Haha, comedy gold! Love your honesty 😂
You mentioned in your May 17th new arrival video that you’ve listened to this 3 times so far, and now 4 times in this video. Why 4 times if the sound quality is $@%#&*! atrocious sounding on the eco-vinyl? The 8 minute mark to the 11 minute mark in this video is classic! 😂
Hey Mike, could not agree with you more, got the red vinyl and the surface noise is HORRIBLE !! I returned it and I am going to try the one from the Czech Republic as I have read some good reviews on that version. The digital streaming version from Qobuz sounds really good at 44.1HZ 24 bit but I think I will try the other vinyl copy.
I've never heard one of her songs and probably never will, especially after watching this review. Thanks for being honest with us Mike
Maybe is not the the vinyl or the quality of the sound .
Ok Boomer - Hello from DK, also boomer and i got it on black vinyl - i hear what you are saying but i also got spotify where it sounds much better on my setup wich is full rega. I mean if we support the artist by bying the record then we can get the sonics done by stream no big deal, i mean she is young we are living in 2024, maybe its the way we are going :D
This review decides if you stay in my feed. (Gets my business)
Totally agree. I may not be a fan of Billie Eilish, but I want the people who enjoy her music and buy it on vinyl to get their money's worth. Not some half-ass pressing or mastering.
Steer clear of eco vinyl if you want a good sounding vinyl pressing!
Get the French Black Vinyl pressing
Haha!! I too spit my coffee out this morning on the East Coast. I went to a listening party at AMC Theater & heard this in Dolby which sounded fantastic. It sucks that the vinyl edition isn't high quality. It might be a long time before it gets the pressing it deserves. I'll also be getting the CD.
sounds like a remaster is coming Mike
Recycle Your ECOVinyl?