LOVEBITES - Shadowmaker | Awake Again Live From Abyss - British SOUND ENGINEER REACTS
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- čas přidán 26. 01. 2021
- In this video we take a look at this excellent live session by the Japanese band LOVEBITES. I share my thoughts on the performance from a sound engineer's perspective, look at the technical aspects like the recording, production and mixing.
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On this channel I make react videos reviewing the song production, recording and mixing of both songs suggested by YOU and famous song productions or ones that I think I can offer an interesting perspective on. I also do vlogs offering insight into music production, recording, mixing and live sound, based on my experience during my career as a live and studio sound engineer. Regular studio equipment and plugin reviews as well as studio tutorials are also part of this channel.
![Reaction - Lovebites - Liar [Awake Again - Live From Abyss] | Angie & Rollen Green](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tW0PGenFEsM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Toxic Gnome Reacts - LOVEBITES - Glory To The World [MUSIC VIDEO]](/img/n.gif)
You do talk some shite
IKR, the slider was my friend.
Greetings. Awake Again Live from Abyss is LOVEBITES continuous live performance of their first album, a celebration of it's third anniversary of release, performed for Pay-per-view on October 25, 2020. A limited release of the 'made to order' Blu-ray shortly after, shipped on Christmas day. In concert they all wear individually unique white dresses, it has been said it is to be more visible as they are petite women, the keyboardist/guitarist Miyako being 5'2 and the other under 5' with drummer Haruna 4'9". Asami is vocalist, Midori guitarist and Miho is bassist-leader and co-founder with Haruna. The had been together in "Destrose" all female Metal previously. Miho's interest was in a band emulating '80s Metal, particularly Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. Ballet trained Asami had spent 2 years in USA after highschool studying Jazz Dance and speaks English quite well which fit the Euro Metal of Miho's interests. All are multi-instrumentalists.
Thanks for the info! :)
@@TheBunkhouseStudios The dark haired guitarist, Miyako, plays keys including a harmony duet on Burden of Time wherein she hammers the chords on guitar with her left hand while playing the harmony to Midori's guitar on the keys with her right hand.
@@dregeye very cool!
LOVEBITES - Shadowmaker lyrics:
Caught in the noise, my thoughts are destroyed
Trapped in the silence, it's so hard to breathe
But still I go on, my hunger is strong
Hoping that someone will grab my hand
Stranded by moonlight I realize the cold of this world
Maybe it's too late？
No one can save me
From all of the darkness and solitude
Cry, like shadows of the night
I carry all the pain inside to justify why I'm alive
Despite going through this hell
Cause still my heart has hope
No matter if I'm torn apart, I'll play my part
Before I drown with secret thoughts of my heart
Reckless and fast, how long will I last？
Dancing like puppets, I'm empty inside
Fighting the fear, and grieving the dear
Hoping that someday I'll be repaid
Only my echoing heartbeats can prove that I'm here
Am I all alone？
Even a faint light is too bright for me, I can't see a
thing
Hide, in shadows I reside
I tremble like a heartless soul, no place to go
In desolated land knowing no escape
But still I wish to live
Just waiting for a somebody to notice me
Before I fall down to depths of the abyss
Caught in the noise, my thoughts are destroyed
Trapped in the silence, it's so hard to breathe
But still I go on, my hunger is strong
Hoping that someone will grab my hand
Stranded by moonlight I realize the cold of this world
Maybe it's too late？
No one can save me from solitude
Cry, like shadows of the night
I tremble like a heartless soul, no place to go
In desolated land knowing no escape
But still I wish to live
Just waiting for a somebody to notice me
Before I fall down to depths of the abyss
Like shadows of the night
I carry all the pain inside to justify why I'm alive
Despite going through this hell
Cause still my heart has hope
No matter if I'm torn apart, I'll play my part
Before I drown with secret thoughts of my heart
Awakening from the Abyss was the name of the album this song came from
CZcams would not let me post this in reply, but here is the song with Miyako playing keys and guitar simultaneously.
"Burden Of Time": czcams.com/video/4OBf_Gn8efs/video.html
Thanks!
I agree with you on one point, and only one point; music is a universal language.
The vocal delivery of the lyrics is more important than the words themselves.
Exactly!
I would like to point out that the sounds are most likely modified by uploader of the video. It has twice the bass than their normal versions, music video and live Bluray concert. That is factor that also might actually make lead and rhytm sound "less powerful", when they are faded in the background and not in original mix setting. go ahead and check their actual music video and you will notice the difference.
Good point, although nothing was done to the audio in post making this video. It's the same as the original video upload on CZcams, albeit quiter in comparison to my voice. I was listening at regular listening volume so my reactions were based on what I was hearing. Hope that helps!
Very interesting hearing how you view the sounds. I actually wish the band would sound much heavier, in which they do in their live shows. Lovebites are not just power metal, they actually play thrash, ballads, 80's style metal, practically many styles. It all comes from the bands they've all listened to (Iron Maiden, Metallica, and many others). Cheers to you!
Awesome, I'll have to go check out some of their other stuff. Any tracks you'd recommend?
@@TheBunkhouseStudios Here is a link to their live show opener "Thunder Vengeance": czcams.com/video/yWE7PqCpGi4/video.html
@@alfredtorres2188 Thats a more generic one but cool. I recommend Swan Song. Edge of the world to show more the diversity
@@Ratovx And you feel you know more about what should be heard first?
that is interesting- i hadn’t thought about it, but in these particular videos they do sound a bit softer don’t they
Thanks for reacting to amazing Lovebites. I understand that you, as a sound engineer, analyze this song from that perspective. By the way, I just checked the audio of this video vs the audio from the “Shadow star” channel, and the audio of the latter is better, at least for me.
It's probably just a case of 'perceived' loudness at play, where because the music is playing quieter in comparison to my voice it might not sound quite as 'full' as listening to the original at listening volume. Also, I've taken footage from a compressed youtube video, which has then been compressed again in this video when uploaded to youtube. This mainly has an impact on video quality, but it will have a minimal impact on audio also. Other than that the audio is exactly the same as the original source from youtube. Hope that helps!
This band plays many different types of music, Ballads, Thrash, Power, Hard Rock and even classical piano (Miyako in back with the Dean guitar) is classical trained from age 3 and only took up the guitar at 18. Asami's has a R & B background and a great vocal range. They wanted a more European sound than the usual J/Metal when they formed in 2016. The guitar duo of Midori/ESP and Miyako/Dean are wicked good and harmonize amazing especially LIVE. They are insanely talented and all play multiple instruments, the singing in English is as you pointed out so they could have more appeal with that European (80's golden metal sounds) bent. Empty Daydream LIVE (czcams.com/video/lXh_uMM94jU/video.html) shows off that piano intro by Miyako before she switches to the guitar and her and Midori go for the power surge.
Thanks for the info! :)
The song is Shadowmaker, Awake Again:Live From Abyss is the name of the DVD this is from(it's a live in studio recording of their debut album, Awakening From Abyss which is where the name comes from)
That makes much more sense! Thanks for clarifying!
It isn't from the recording sessions of Awakening From the Abyss.
It is a live concert to commemorate the 3rd Anniversary of Awakening From the Abyss.
They would've recorded it at a live venue but due to the Pandemic they decided to go into the studio; which they were using to record their new EP to film the concert in the studio. They played their debut album in it's entirety for that concert. They also recorded a bonus song "Eagle Fly Free" a Helloween cover for the Blu-ray release.
@@HALberdier17 Yes, that's a much longer version of what I said.
Shadowmaker was their second music video and as such produced for maximum impact as a recording. Miyako told in an interview that she mixed about 5 guitar tracks and 2 or 3 bass track for the heaviness in addition of a synth track. So I guess it is hard to transfer that into a live setting. In all live versions of the song that i know of, they play it with a little different backing track, so it seems they still search for a perfect transfer. The songs on later albums seem much more to be composed with a live setting in mind.
Lovebites as a band cannot be judged from one song, since their style is much broader than the term Power Metal suggests. I would recommend to listen to any track of their Five of a Kind live DVD, since it has the best sound of all their live recordings and the whole band is on top of their game. The first two tracks "Thunder Vengeance" and "Holy War" are available on their official channel. "Edge of the World" and "Swan Song" from the same concert showcase more of their musical variety.
There's a lot of work that goes in to perfecting sounds in the studio, and it's often then difficult to recreate that live. They do a good job!
As a musician and a fan of the band, i like your technical approach on this. Its reasonable true and fair, plus i learned alot with recordings and mics, set ups, EQ's.. i love it
Glad you enjoyed it! I appreciate my approach isn't for everyone!
Thanks Friends , great reaction , great analysis , Lovebites my favorite Japanese female classic , power , speed , metal band , greetings from Chile 🇨🇱 , God bless you .
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Midori and Miyako's favorite song to play! The audio engineers of Lovebites are the Finnish Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila they are one of the best in the world.
The vocalist Asami has stated that she is now used to writing songs in English.
A new category guys ! We already had: Vocal coach, vocalist, band vocalist, metal vocalist, guitarist, metal guitarist, singer, metal singer, guitar coach, drum teacher, jazz bassist... And now Sound Engineer !
Fortunately, as yet, the 'like and subscribe' gang have not discovered Lovebites. It used to be the same with Band Maid. Now since the release of Conqueror, Band Maid reactions are being carried out by people who have absolutely no interest in the band but are going for viewing numbers. It will be a sad day when this happens with Lovebites but at least they will be known worldwide and have greater success in Japan. As with Band Maid, I am waiting for the 'My pet hamster reacts to Lovebites" video. Believe me, a hamsters reaction will be of greater interest than many of the reaction channels out there 😀
What next haha!
@@Glynthepin I want to see some hamster reacts
@@TheBunkhouseStudios Just keep an eye out at all the Band Maid, reactions. It will only be a matter of time. 😀
@@Glynthepin lol. I've heard reactors say - my dog is here sitting beside me and they like the song. Forgot what song, what band, or which reactor though. If they kept the camera on the dog, I wouldn't have forgotten XD
Hey, thanks for checking them out. As you realized they keys are there for other songs, the dark hair guitarist is a classically trained concert pianist from age 4, she only picked up the guitar at 18.
I agree with you, having this DVD and 2 other Live DVD's, the guitars in this one aren't my favorite, i much prefer how they sound in the Live ones, they sound much heavier. It doesn't make a huge difference for me because i love their songs anyway, but for sure i'd say the Live DVD's are better mixed.
They are not strictly a power metal band but they also do thrash, heavy rock and some (power) ballads too! They have been together for 5 years only and already have an amazing portfolio.
I hope you check them out some more, they are fantastic! Stay safe.
I agree. It seems to me that the band was aware beforehand that the sound will not be at par with their other releases, and underlined with the more private attire that this concert is not 'official canon' rather than a special gift to their fans.
Miho Miho Miho! not sure why so many dislikes, liked what you had to say, I did not see this Live stream so I don't know for sure but the Guitars sounded Weird to me
Dave, I think the phenomenon with the dislikes may be that this performance was uploaded by someone that probably didn't own the rights to it. I have seen others frown upon such things. Or his audience isn't used to Asami's vocals. I think she has got better over time.
Btw, the engineers for their albums are mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila usually. The same sound engineers who work with Nightwish
Yep, a little strange. A japanese band who sings in english and the studio work is done by finnish
Anyway, Lovebites is an exception, almost all the japanese bands use japanese with only some themes in english or put some english words inside their themes
their song writing skills/lyrics are very good and we can understand the lyrics without having to translate it again. For me Lovebites, Loudness and X Japan are the top tier when it comes to songwriting skills.
@@funnyrailroadcrossing2767 Well, Yoshiki, Miyako, Kanami and others have a very solid classic background and formal studies. Not sure in Kanami´s case but i´m pretty sure.
Yoshiki even write the songs on a score, including all the drum beats
I agree with other commenters that the sound is compromised. I can hear low bit rate artifacts and the balance sounds off from what I have heard from other live recordings (more midrange?). Anyways interesting commentary from a different perspective on one of my favorite bands.
The audio is the same as on the original CZcams video, just at a lower volume. Thanks for checking out the video! :)
You have a different view of good sound than most Lovebites fans. That happens. But one more question for you: Is it possible that you were the Sound ENGINEER
at the Bloodstock Festival in 2018? The main stage ? I am only asking for interest.
Haha no I wasn't! The only major festival I've worked at is Glastonbury. Normally how festivals work is there will be the 'house' engineers looking after the stage for the festival, and the band will bring their own engineer with them to do sound for their set, with the house engineer just being there to facilitate and ensure everything is set up correctly etc.
Nice question dude
Bloodstock sound setup s**ks!
@@MrRizal-ec5kz Though to be fair they were a last minute replacement on the main stage for another band that didn't show so the sound crew weren't really prepared for a different band playing with different settings.
@@HALberdier17 hoo so sorry thanks for the info
I hope you check out Lovebites - Holy War from Zepp Tokyo
for ballad songs you can check out Edge Of The World or Epilogue
Thrash metal : Thunder Vengeance
thanks and I'm still like your video.. I hope more Lovebites in the next videos
Thanks for the recommendations, I hope to do some more videos on them soon!
Cool analysis...like it ! as sound engineer, definitely 'sound' is a important thing for you...
Hopefully you would like to listen another lovebites' song...
Yes, I'll definitely be checking out some more of their songs, they're a very cool band! Thanks for watching!
Very interesting overview. I agree for this performance the guitars did sound a tad off then their usual sound. This particular session was from one of their Live Streams, so I presume there was quite a bit of production going on. Not an expert in that, so don't come at me :)
As someone who has listened to them for past two years and know their capabilities and compositions, they are, to me at least, the best band out there.
This one and couple of others like When Destinies Align and Rising are intentionally made more to reflect more familiar sound of power or trash metal with showcasing their skill set and they have MV's for them.
Like someone mentioned, they keyboards are used in some songs, with obvious distinction when Miyako uses both guitar and keys in harmony. In some of their live performances Miyako uses Roland piano and she's darn good at it.
I am rather curious to see review of some other songs, that are less power/trash, like their magnificent ballad Epilogue, Swan Song, Edge of the World, Empty Daydream to some headbangers such as Holy War, Thunder vengeance, Raise Some Hell, Break The Wall, We United and dual guitar overhand tapping piece Signs of Deliverance.
You can also check their live stream cover of Helloween - Eagle Fly Free, very well done.
Thanks for the info! Yep I definitely need to get round to checking out some of their other tracks - good to get some recommendations from yourself and others, thanks!
I agree the bluray/dvd sound better than this, I think the uploader compress the quality to make the file size smaller. Just check from their Official channel, I recommended song called Holy War live at Zepp Tokyo for the next review.. better visual and audio.
Or if you want to hear her vocal ability and piano, check out their song : Edge Of The World, Epilogue, Empty Daydream. Miyako (black haired guitarist) also play piano.
Thanks
Nothing was done to the audio but audio on a bluray will be in an uncompressed format. Video and audio on CZcams is highly compressed, so in this video you have a already compressed video playback within another compressed video. So naturally the bluray will sound better. Hope that helps!
Also thanks for the other recommendations! :)
You must see asterism, power trio from japan.
Cool I will look into it, thanks!
Bro, react to them live at Zepp DiverCity Tokyo 2020, songs Raise Some Hell, Holy War...
Will look in to it, thanks!
Hi, ooo you like maximum the hormone, we are 2 now ha ha, great work your reaction, for me is very important people that work with sound, and you can listen details that others youtubers cant, i have a question for you, what types of videos you prefer to analyze? Live? Official video? Only song?
Greetings from Argentina, and see in this next video
Thanks! I like doing both live videos (professionally recorded) and studio recordings. As I come from both live and studio sound backgrounds. A video is always nice for the studio recording but not that important as I'm really just focusing on the audio.
I don't think LOVEBITES needs an analysis. They're just SUPER 🙂
hi , can u react Deadsquad - the curse of the black plaque ?
Thank you very much for the opinion of the difference sound engineer who lacks knowledge. Occasionally get out of the studio and take a look at the world? There are lots of great sounds, music and culture for you who only know English. The days when the center of the music industry was in England and America were long gone.
By the way, it's just a rehearsal studio. Still, that kind of sound can be recorded in Japan.
I think you misunderstood me slightly. That was the point I was getting at, that there's lots of great music outside of the UK and US, and it's unfortunate in that respect that they've been so dominant as music exports, because of the English language.
Don't worry, Lovebites doesn't feel forced to sing in English. They do so out of respect for their musical influences which are primarily European and American.
This is SPEED metal... Expert men
This songs is Power Metal classic, When Destinies Aling and Rising is Speed Metal.
Why all the dislikes? '-' WTF!
Lovebites has a really dumb fanbase. kinda like nightwish/floor fansabe. if you say anything that isn't ''omg they're perfect'' they dislike the video
Yes, as LostLeaf says...maybe even worse with Band-Maid fans. I am a Lovebites fanatic, but I dont see anything to dislike here. The sound is a bit weird to me too, compared to the real live recordings. Havent opened my bluray from this show yet. Will be interesting to play it on big loudspeakers...
sometimes dislike also comes from the subscribers
I think it comes from the source choice, particularly this kind of technical critique.
They heard him say he didn't like the guitar tone, they just disliked and moved on. Didn't bother watching the rest of the reaction. Happens a lot.
Mmmmm I mean no disrespect here because clearly you know your craft but 'A geeks guide from a sound engineer' would of been a better title. 😀 Thank you for your reaction and info'. Maybe one day, you could give a technical explanation with what an earth went wrong with the audio when Lovebites played at the Bloodstock Festival? The whole set is on CZcams and you will only need one song to hear why many people comment on new reactors to Lovebites, never to use material from the Bloodstock show. I know it is to do with the ladies being switched to the main stage at the last minute and the set up was for an entirely different band but your technical knowledge, would be interesting.
That actually sounds like a really interesting topic to cover! There's lots of reasons things go wrong at festivals, besides obvious technical issues. It's very hard to get right and is often a very stressful experience for both the band and crew.
The problem at Bloodstock was that the main stage was scheduled for Suicidal Tendencies, who could not show up in time, so Lovebites was bumped from a smaller stage up to the main stage at last minute without a proper sound set up.
@@daniel1138 Thanks Daniel. I had read something similar before but you have clarified it.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I enjoyed your reaction there, you told it like you saw it. I don't think you deserve all those thumbs down though. Great job!
Thank you! Appreciate it :)
The official mv for Shadowmaker is much better.
Learn how to speak a second language fluently then you'll really appreciate how much more work it is aside from being amazing musicians and performers. You should only do reaction videos to music you like that way you're not bias towards sound production.
The whole point of the channel and these videos is sound production. Thanks for watching though!
mired in your technical considerations you do not listen with the ears of the soul.
I listen to music for enjoyment rather than technical analysis, but that's not the aim of these videos. Appreciate the comment and you watching though!