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Old 2016.02.24, 03:48 AM   #31
Scribble R
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Watching Togatta Teguchi. The audio is really bad and everything sounds so weak. I really hope it is more of a mix thing and not a band thing (so there's hope for the blu-ray) because I like how each songs up until now are arranged differently to the originals =(
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Old 2016.02.24, 03:55 AM   #32
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I went to the オリンパスホール八王子 concert. It was my first full-length Ringo concert.

I suppose in hindsight that she changes track listing often during a tour, but at the concert I saw the final encore song was 青春の瞬き. I was quite looking forward to hearing that song again as the live performance totally changed my opinion of that song, so I'm disappointed to see it's not in this performance.

Anyway I quite hope that it's released as DVD or obtainable in some format, even if it mightn't be the best concert, it was memorable for me!
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Old 2016.02.24, 05:43 AM   #33
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Originally Posted by Scribble R View Post
Watching Togatta Teguchi. The audio is really bad and everything sounds so weak. I really hope it is more of a mix thing and not a band thing (so there's hope for the blu-ray) because I like how each songs up until now are arranged differently to the originals =(
the mixing has been sucked since Expo 14, and I'm starting to know grandma's feel...That nice performance with a CRAPPY audio mix is unacceptable for me...
edit: tried some remastering works but it couldn't fixed the audio, because it is from the mixing side which inserted real echoes into main vocal (but not the other tracks, like the guitar) which made it weak and will give you tinnitus after listening, at least for me.

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Old 2016.02.24, 01:13 PM   #34
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Unfortunately I got interrupted, so I was not able to complete the whole concert last night. But here's the continuation. I'm not sure if anyone really cares what I think about it, but if nothing else it helps to organize my own thoughts.

I also re-included the earlier tracks as I wanted to provide a numerical rating and some additional comments as well.

1. Bonsai Hada - 7/10. Vocally, this is one of those performances that is just so inimitably Ringo - that almost-but-not quite broken voice that is so amazing and yet so disquieting at the same time. But I feel like she could have taken a bit more time with it; it almost sounds a bit rushed, and some of the impact is lost as a result. The way the audio is recorded also seems to take a lot of the depth out of the performance in general.

2. Yasashii Tetsugaku - 6/10. It's nice, and Ringo sounds nice, but it's not an incredibly exciting performance. Then again, this was never the most exciting song (Ringo didn't write it, which might have something to do with it). There's nothing really wrong with her performance here, but it just really feels like she's holding back.

ETA: Or maybe it's the way this whole thing is recorded. The sound seems really flat to me.

3. Irohanihoheto - 7/10. Ringo's voice is nice and warm here. Definitely digging it. However, while I will concede that I am absolutely not qualified to judge guitar-playing, something seems really...off...about it here.

ETA: Seriously, was that guy even playing the same song?

4. Togatta Teguchi - 7/10. Also quite good. Were there always English lyrics to this?

ETA: There were some vocal effects used on this one as well - but the effect was used as an accent, and did not dominate over Ringo's delivery. I still have to deduct a point for this though.

5. Roudousha - 8/10. Ah, there it is. That's the good stuff. Somehow she just makes singing this song feel so effortless...she's having a good time, the band is having a good time, everyone is feeling great. Really liking the brass here too.

ETA: I will say that there were a couple of points where she did let the backing vocals carry her a bit. But exerting herself just wouldn't be in keeping with the feel-good vibe, so it works.

6. Hashire wa Number - 8/10. She's really hitting her groove now. I think I may actually prefer this to the version on Expo 14.

7. Kamisama, Hotokesama - 9/10. Loved it. I know, I'm not supposed to - it's one of the new songs, and moreover it's the B side to the Coke song - but somehow it suddenly just clicked. And Ringo freaking tore it up. Tore. It. Up.

8. Genjitsu ni Oite/Genjitsu o Warau - 8/10. This was also an excellent performance with lots of terrific detail in her voice. It wasn't quite Dynamite Out, but it was definitely right up there. Mixing this to make her voice a bit more prominent would have been helpful.

Also, it sounds to me like she's been practicing her English - with an American. Listen to the way she pronounces "maybe not, not" and compare to her earlier performances (e.g. DO). I applaud her for making the effort, but it's kind of a shame - I always liked her ever-so-slightly British accent.

9. SG - Superficial Gossip - 8/10. Really loved this, and it's probably my favorite recording of this song now. It's understated, and yes, even restrained - but in a very purposeful, almost coy way. ETA: This performance also really boosted my general opinion of the song in general.

10. Netsuai Hakkakuchuu - 4/10. I just can't get behind the auto-tune (or whatever effect it is) here. It obliterates too much of the juicy part of her voice.

ETA: That being said - I did enjoy her dancing. Maybe the way to look at this is to start from the premise that Ringo wants to do a dance number. The effect then allows her some forgiveness in terms of vocals, so that she can concentrate on her moves. I'm still not a huge supporter of this, but I guess I can understand it.

What really confuses me about this is the nurse's outfit she wore. I mean, for me, nurse's outfit = Honnou. We've all discussed before what that song was about, and how it was misinterpreted. But her use of it here seems like pure fanservice. I'm not really sure how to interpret this.

11. Torikoshi Kurou - 9/10. Now, this was awesome. Ringo sounds, IMO, as good as ever, and the acoustic guitar is pure gold. It almost comes as a shock after Netsuai Hakkakuchuu - I wonder if putting that beforehand was done just to create this effect. If I have a complaint about this - if - it's that I really would have loved to see Ringo do the whole thing with just the acoustic guitar. ETA: For me, I think this would be the highlight of the whole concert - unless she works some real magic in the last few of songs I haven't watched yet.

12. Shijou no Jinsei - 6/10. She performed it well, and I enjoyed it, but this song still really just doesn't do it for me. I was hoping that it would suddenly just click for me, like some of her other live performances of songs I was previously ambivalent about have, but ultimately even a solid live performance didn't quite sell it.

13. Blackout - 8/10. Always loved this song, and Ringo did not disappoint, delivering another great vocal performance. The way the song was arranged with the band worked very well.

14. Meisai - 7/10. I hate to say it, but I feel like this song is actually getting a little bit overplayed. Nor was this Ringo's best performance of it. It wasn't bad, per se, but previous performances have had a certain raw jazz energy to them, whereas this mostly just sounded rushed.

15. Tsumi to Batsu - 8.5/10. For me, the most controversial number. This is the song where it is, by far, the most obvious that her voice is not what it was during her peak years. This is the song where, when she sang it in Expo 08, I began to despair that she was losing her voice. I wish I knew more of the correct terms to describe these things, but originally, the song was full of a certain powerful, rasping, growling vocal technique that, I am sad to say, it's pretty clear Ringo just can't execute anymore. Her performance here was also pretty rough, although not nearly as much so as some other recent ones have been.

Yet, at the same time - I LOVED IT. Ringo has always been a master at using what she's got to the absolute fullest effect. Tsumi to Batsu is a rough song, and Ringo found a way to make her voice play right into that. I would make the argument that re-tooling Tsumi to Batsu to work with her current vocals is an experiment she's been working on since at least Fuji Rock, and it seems that with each subsequent performance, she's been able to refine it. No, it's not Electric Mole - but I think she has succeeded wonderfully.

16. Sigma - 8/10. One of my favorite performances of this song, but sadly, this is one track that would have really benefited from better audio. Ringo's voice just sounds too thin here, and it's not her delivery. It's really a shame, because she projected a lot of attitude during the more rap-influenced parts. The more traditionally-sung parts also seemed a bit more...melodic?...than in the past, which again I quite enjoyed.

17. Keikoku - 8/10. I'm glad she performed this; if anything, it's a bit of an underplayed classic. It's really tempting to compare this performance of it to, for example, the one from GX. Clearly her voice has changed a bit since then, and she just can't belt it out quite the same as she used to. But unlike Tsumi to Batsu, it didn't really feel any different. Ringo's performance was quite faithful to the original, and she really did the song justice.

18. Mayakashi Yasaotoko - 8/10. This song works really well with the band; I think she must have designed the band with this in mind. Ringo herself sounded as good as ever.

19. Naute no Dorobouneko - 8.5/10. This was quite a pleasant surprise. I know this is one of the songs she wrote for Ishikawa Sayuri, but has Ringo ever performed it before? The original Ishikawa version was good, but there's a lot of Ringo's signature sound in this song, and hearing her actually sing it, it just seems to "pop."

And that's as far as I got. I'll add the rest as soon as I get a chance to watch it!
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Old 2016.02.24, 02:03 PM   #35
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Could it be the mixing problems also have to do with the way its been recorded and encoded? Remember its not a pro doing it afterall...

Nah. I doubt it.

It's Shiina Ringo related so bad mixing is the way it is...
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Old 2016.02.24, 02:19 PM   #36
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Originally Posted by deadgrandma View Post
Could it be the mixing problems also have to do with the way its been recorded and encoded? Remember its not a pro doing it afterall...

Nah. I doubt it.

It's Shiina Ringo related so bad mixing is the way it is...
I doubt it has much to do with the end user level recording/encoding. The version I saw is an MPEG transport stream that appears to be exactly as originally broadcast.
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Old 2016.02.24, 02:22 PM   #37
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And WOWOW is a premium/pay service right too???

Fucking jipped.
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Old 2016.02.24, 02:44 PM   #38
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Yeah. I'm kind of surprised that they didn't broadcast it in surround sound. It appears to have just been stereo.
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Old 2016.02.24, 06:08 PM   #39
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That Sayuri song was really excellent performed live, I have to say.
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Old 2016.02.24, 07:07 PM   #40
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Originally Posted by zeroryouko View Post
Yeah. I'm kind of surprised that they didn't broadcast it in surround sound. It appears to have just been stereo.
it was mixed by the same engineer of Ringo's catalog, so no surprise. But his recent style on live mixing is unbearable to ears...

Originally Posted by deadgrandma View Post
Could it be the mixing problems also have to do with the way its been recorded and encoded? Remember its not a pro doing it afterall...

Nah. I doubt it.

It's Shiina Ringo related so bad mixing is the way it is...
Nope, most of the japan television channels adopt AAC encoding which is much less aggressive than MP3 (and also do nothing to the audio except cutting high frequencies in order to match the bitrate), and ttk/bon voyage/electric mole have better mixing than expo14/this shit.

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