2006.12.10 - Paris, France @ Le Zenith
Source A: DAT ---- Soundman OKMII-"Studio" > Sony TCD-D8 / 32 kHz
Location: Front of Stack - Right
Taper: Bazille (FBZ)
Gen: DAT-0 > DAT-1 from Master
Notes: As I type this, I realize that there are few musical-things in life that are as enjoyable to listen to as a high quality recording from Tool via a DAT tape. Man, this recording is going to go down in the history-books as a definitive recording from this leg, this tour & possibly in regards to the lifespan of the band. If EQ'd properly and/or mixed with a soundboard feed (from Tool of course) this could be mistaken for a commercial release. The crowd is virtually non-existent. I heard, at least once or twice, a slight digital noise but perhaps that is not on the master but is something that tells me I need to clean the heads on my DA-20. Precise, in your face & is as-good-a capture as you are going to hear, I tell ya. Highly recommended and definitely the best sounding source from this performance - included being stacked against some meaty competition.
Maynardism: "Good evening. We got some good news, we got some bad news. The good news is, there is no bad news."
DAT
Time: 85:00
<bass drone>
Stinkfist
(Dave Chappelle "'lil Jon" impression @ scream)
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Lost Keys
Rosetta Stoned
Swamp Song
Wings For Marie
10,000 Days
Lateralus
Vicarious
Ænema
Source B: DAT ---- Core Sound HEB (DPA 4061) > Sony TCD-D8
Lineage: DAT > Sony POC-DA 12P > Terratec EWX 24/96 > Soundforge 7.0 > CD Wave Editor 1.95 > CUE Splitter > FLAC Fontend
Taper: J.R.
Gen: 0 from Master
Notes - via taper: Really tired band... They played really slowly and did a "lot" of mistakes, but overall MJK's singing was really less powerful than on the spring tour. But still it was a great night. Their music is really exceptionnal. It makes think about the perfect fusion between a man and a woman : massive balls + the softness of a woman's arm, alternatively, lol... That maybe explainsthe apparent "equity" in the audience :o)The recording in itself is quite good, way better than the 2 others sources previously seeded. I was positionned just in front of right stacks, that's to say on Justin's side. So I got a bit more crowd noise that's for sure, but it's really bearable. On Rosetta Stoned (precisely at the bass + drum solo) the bass started to do some weird comings and goings, and I think it's hearable on the recording.The only thing that makes me doubt about the sound, is that when I came home and checked the tape, the recording volume setting was switched on "Auto - Speech" and it shouldbe "Manual"...So did I record like that? or did I just push the button accidentally while I was turning it off and putting it back in its carrying case...? I can't really say that, it's not overpowered at all and the result is really enjoyable. Thanks to Franck for keeping me from some dumbass drunk sons of bitches, and to Remi for providing me a roof this night :o) Now enjoy! PS: I didn't record any of the opening acts PLEASE DO NOT SELL THIS RECORDING, DON'T RE-ENCODE IT TO LOSSY FORMATS (MP3, Wma,...) THANK YOU
Notes - via Galen: Ah this source comes a very close 2nd to the OKM-Studio>D8 source. Clean as a whistle with some crystal clear vocals. There definitely are some quality-control issues with the bass at parts. Funny that the taper mentions the switch being moved as that kind of sounds like what happened (although not at the end). There are a couple bursts of bass that make you go "whoah". That is not found on the oter sources thus seems to be a source-specific issue. All in all though, great recording.
Time: 85:00
Source C: Hi-Mini Disc ---- Core Sound Cardioids > Sony MZ-RH10
Location: In the crowd, Front from the stage, 35 m from the stage
Transfer: MD > USB > Sonicstage 4.0 > PC >.oma > .wav > WinOnCd (Cuts - Fade in/out - Equalizer - Vol 80%) > .wav > WaveStudio (split in 2x.wav)
Taper: teething
Gen: 0 from Master
Notes: For the source information used to capture this performance this source should not sound as good as it does. Really nice Cardioid recording. The fools in the crowd are quiet pretty much throughout the performance actually. This source brings up an interesting element in multiple sources of a given performance of Tool; quantity. If this source were the only source for a show that did not have other higher quality, although this is really good, then I believe more people would be in awe of the quality. But since there are really, really good sources commonly available then unfortunately recordings like this are somewhat overlooked. That is a shame as the taper did a fine, fine job.
CD 1
Time: 58:37
CD 2
Time: 55:53
Source D: Hi-Mini Disc ---- Sony ECM-719 > Sony Hi-MD RH10 (PCM mode)
Location: 20 meters in front of stage, center
Transfer: Master > USB / Sonic Stage > WAV > Adobe Audition 2.0 (track splitting, hard limiting) > shntool (fix SBE) > FLAC
Taper: XWayne
Gen: 0 from Master
Notes - via taper: There is a small silence cut on track 5, between the intro and the actual song as my Mini Disc has issues with the transfer. I have switched discs during the interlude, most of it is at the end of track 8. I had to edit and remove a lot of clapping, especially on tracks 10 and 11, as the guy behind me was rather noisy. I could not remove his singing and screaming, so you can hear on some sections of the show.
Notes - via Galen: It is clear that of the sources available as of 01/2007 that this source, D, is the weakest link at this point. If this were, say, 1996 then the overall quality-rating, per se, would be much higher. However, the fact is this is 2006/2007 & there is never a good excuse to use Sony ECM microphones. Uh, oh fighting words? Not trying to talk shit but the limitations of the microphones are clear (in general and) on this recording. All in all, passing Whatever, a tape is a tape. A source, is a source.
Time: 1:53:04
Source E: Mini Disc --- Sony ECM-717 > Sony MZ-R30
Lineage: PC > Soundforge > Normalize > WAV > FLAC Frontend (Level 8, Sector Boundary Align) > FLAC
Taper: Nicolas
Gen: 0 from Master
Notes: This source is most likely going to be the lowest quality, per se, of the sources known to be floating around in trade-space, cyber-space & sound-space. This is compressed MD ATRAC-audio with microphones that have clear limitations. That said, this is not all that bad of a recording. Guitar is pretty clear, bass sounds ok & the vocals are actually pretty up-front in the mix. The thing about it is though that as "not-bad" as this is to listen to, I think that this will simply end up being passed-over in lieu of the other high-quality recordings that circulate.
Time: 1:54:03
Source F: Video --- Unknown JVC Recorder (model # unknown)Image from
Notes: Filmed from center-seating (mezzanine), this is a very good video capture of Tool - perhaps this source is the best video from this leg of the tour? Time will tell but thus far the competition has not been too steep. The filmer does not simply focus on MJK + his gas mask but instead attempts to cover Danny's drums, Adam stoically laying the foundation & Justin thundering away on the bass. Unlike many videos this is a mixture of clear close-ups & a good capture of the stage (and light show). Although the audio could be a little bit clearer it is actually rather clear, clean & is actually better than some ECM>MD sources floating around in the first place. Interestingly, there is a red laser-dot that is pervasively off-center throughout the performance - it must be from the camera - at least I cannot think of another rationale. There are some 'back of the head' close-ups, some quick movements & there are sporadic video/audio cuts on this source. That said, this is still definitely a pleasant video & is one of the better captures from this leg out at this stage.
Setlist:
<bass drone>
Stinkfist
(Dave Chappelle "'lil Jon" impression @ scream)
Forty Six & 2
Jambi
Schism
Lost Keys
Rosetta Stoned
Swamp Song
Wings For Marie
10,000 Days
Lateralus
Vicarious
Ænema