Most under-appreciated album?

[symphonica7]

I can assure you, its probably just a bad recording, or bad mixing....all the studio recordings are supreme.

Hi ya Symphonica

When you worked with Libera in Atlanta were you helping with the audio mixing then? I bet that concert went well.

Do you know if Libera has a sound crew that travels with them or do they rely on outside help at each venue?

I agree that the studio stuff sounds better than the live, probably because of the perfect acoustics of the sound studio and time to record again and again until they get the track sounding just right.

I do love Fiona Pear's violin playing though. I hope her and Ian Tilley have many happy years together

Hey Bright Eyes!!

LOL, the concert did go very well, there were no sound issues that's for sure!!

To answer your question I'm really not sure....As it is with most "bands" it all depends, as there are many variables that are taken into account....such as....

1)Where are they touring? Many times the "bands" engineers can't make the trip. Therefore local crews are hired to set and engineer the show..


2) What is the budget?? Would it be cheaper to travel with your crew or hire local crew??

It all really comes down to logistics and cost....

I will tell you this......every show is different and unique and there are always new people working on every show...it takes all the "inside" guys as well as "outside" help to pull off a show.....I can't tell you specifically what Libera does on each show because I was only a part of one.

Anyways, hope I made sense.

And yeah....I can only imagine what Libera would sound like in a studio........Live..........in the studio.........haha....

and yes Fiona is BRILLIANT!!!!

[BrightEyes]

I can assure you, its probably just a bad recording, or bad mixing....all the studio recordings are supreme.

Hi ya Symphonica

When you worked with Libera in Atlanta were you helping with the audio mixing then? I bet that concert went well.

Do you know if Libera has a sound crew that travels with them or do they rely on outside help at each venue?

I agree that the studio stuff sounds better than the live, probably because of the perfect acoustics of the sound studio and time to record again and again until they get the track sounding just right.

I do love Fiona Pear's violin playing though. I hope her and Ian Tilley have many happy years together

Hey Bright Eyes!!

LOL, the concert did go very well, there were no sound issues that's for sure!!

To answer your question I'm really not sure....As it is with most "bands" it all depends, as there are many variables that are taken into account....such as....

1)Where are they touring? Many times the "bands" engineers can't make the trip. Therefore local crews are hired to set and engineer the show..


2) What is the budget?? Would it be cheaper to travel with your crew or hire local crew??

It all really comes down to logistics and cost....

I will tell you this......every show is different and unique and there are always new people working on every show...it takes all the "inside" guys as well as "outside" help to pull off a show.....I can't tell you specifically what Libera does on each show because I was only a part of one.

Anyways, hope I made sense.

And yeah....I can only imagine what Libera would sound like in a studio........Live..........in the studio.........haha....

and yes Fiona is BRILLIANT!!!!

Well I still think your double-blessed getting to see them in concert *and* work behind the scenes.

I know the boys in interviews have said that they never all sing together when recording the tracks. They each record their own individual parts of the song, then it is all blended together to make the final track. However they do it, I'm glad it all works so well.

Well I think Ian and Fiona should get along famously. They know they have some wonderful music in common. I agree that she plays the violin most excellently

[paul]

I'm glad to hear that from you, Paul. I think if anyone on the forums has a sense of the present state of Libera it would be you since you see some of the boys at the services. I am not so familiar with the current members as I am the older boys like Liam O'Kane, Michael Horncastle and of course Tom C. and Josh M.

Just to be clear, I based this opinion only on Libera, past and present. Not on anything I see or hear at St Philips.

[Murkskis]

And speaking of New Dawn....I think it'd be cool to see "Air" performed live at a concert. The quartet could be made up of Stefan, Ralph, Daniel and Jakob or something.

Oh, that would be a treat for sure

[LiberAeterna]

Good idea for a topic plumpuff6 I was thinking of this as well. I agree with the posts so far about Luminosa and it is probably my second favorite album. Actually, my favorite album is Free. I love all the Angel Voices albums as well.

Also, I think the return of more live instruments in future albums would be great but on a more subdued scale so it doesn't overpower the boys' voices. Along with Fiona's violin I would like to hear more of Steven G.'s clarinet playing. Maybe Libera could even use a string quartet on an album like they did at their concerts in the U.S. last year.

Hey symphonica7! Wish I could have met you at the Atlanta concert as I was there Nice job helping out on the sound mix! I would like to know which album you feel is the best mixed/recorded so far in Libera's catalog? Also, do you think Libera will ever record an album in a church?

[maartendas]

I have been listening to Luminosa tonight, not in the background but really attentively and I must say it really is an outstanding album. It really feels like a whole - more than any other album. Not just because all the song titles are in Latin (which is probably why they renamed Where'er you walk to Semele) but because of the overall sound and feel of the album.

And totally out of the blue (well, not entirely as it is one of my personal favourites) Semele totally got to me and I was in tears by the end of it...

The only thing I don't like about Luminosa is Sanctus II at the end - it seems like such a break from the rest, with the sudden beats. On one hand it's a fitting ending song, after so much intensity (esp. with Luminosa, Stabat and Veni Sancte in a row), but still. It seems like an awkward song on the album - I love Sanctus as a song, but on that particular album it seems out of place.

On the topic of live instruments over synthesizer, I fully agree. I know my friend who went with me to the concert in Dublin would like Libera more if they used more actual instruments and less synthesizer. For myself I would love to hear more wind instruments - like flutes, and a trumpet (like on Eternal Light) - and a harp. Piano is also always good
-- edit: or are those horns on Eternal Light..?

[symphonica7]

Hi ya Symphonica

When you worked with Libera in Atlanta were you helping with the audio mixing then? I bet that concert went well.

Do you know if Libera has a sound crew that travels with them or do they rely on outside help at each venue?

I agree that the studio stuff sounds better than the live, probably because of the perfect acoustics of the sound studio and time to record again and again until they get the track sounding just right.

I do love Fiona Pear's violin playing though. I hope her and Ian Tilley have many happy years together

Hey Bright Eyes!!

LOL, the concert did go very well, there were no sound issues that's for sure!!

To answer your question I'm really not sure....As it is with most "bands" it all depends, as there are many variables that are taken into account....such as....

1)Where are they touring? Many times the "bands" engineers can't make the trip. Therefore local crews are hired to set and engineer the show..


2) What is the budget?? Would it be cheaper to travel with your crew or hire local crew??

It all really comes down to logistics and cost....

I will tell you this......every show is different and unique and there are always new people working on every show...it takes all the "inside" guys as well as "outside" help to pull off a show.....I can't tell you specifically what Libera does on each show because I was only a part of one.

Anyways, hope I made sense.

And yeah....I can only imagine what Libera would sound like in a studio........Live..........in the studio.........haha....

and yes Fiona is BRILLIANT!!!!

Well I still think your double-blessed getting to see them in concert *and* work behind the scenes.

I know the boys in interviews have said that they never all sing together when recording the tracks. They each record their own individual parts of the song, then it is all blended together to make the final track. However they do it, I'm glad it all works so well.

Well I think Ian and Fiona should get along famously. They know they have some wonderful music in common. I agree that she plays the violin most excellently

LOL, Me too!!!!!!! I didn't realize it then....

Yep, I would so love to record a choir!!!! Oh I could spend hours, days, mixing!!! And yeah there are 101 ways of recording choirs!!!

[symphonica7]

Good idea for a topic plumpuff6 I was thinking of this as well. I agree with the posts so far about Luminosa and it is probably my second favorite album. Actually, my favorite album is Free. I love all the Angel Voices albums as well.

Also, I think the return of more live instruments in future albums would be great but on a more subdued scale so it doesn't overpower the boys' voices. Along with Fiona's violin I would like to hear more of Steven G.'s clarinet playing. Maybe Libera could even use a string quartet on an album like they did at their concerts in the U.S. last year.

Hey symphonica7! Wish I could have met you at the Atlanta concert as I was there Nice job helping out on the sound mix! I would like to know which album you feel is the best mixed/recorded so far in Libera's catalog? Also, do you think Libera will ever record an album in a church?

Wow!!! Awesome!!! Wish I could've met you too!!!!

I think every album has it's own unique quality to it, I can't really judge Libera's albums from an engineering stand point because I only own 2 right now...however I will say "Peace" is supremely pristine, more of the lows could have been brought up...because those are actually the tones that make you feel...but all in all some of the best recordings around.

I'd have to say, unless they are doing a live album, they aren't going to record in a church, due to the acoustics and reverberation....which is awesome in the live setting, but not for recording...I could get into all the nooks and crannies about just recording vocals...but not going to....

[Rebecca (:]

I'd say that the newer albums get a lot more attention than the older one's such as Luminosa, Free, and Visions. I'm getting these three for my birthday on the 27th, but I really haven't listened to the whole album thru for any of them. They seem to be a little more over looked, but I think they are just as wonderful, in terms of quality, soloists, and song selection. The newer albums such as Peace, new Dawn, Eternal, etc. probably get more notice for the one fact that they are newer.

[paul]

The older albums, are the one's I listen to mostly.

Free has to be one of my best at the moment, I think do not stand.. Ave Verum and Lament are excellent tracks to name a couple.

But just lately, all Libera's music is growing on me. even tracks that I would always skip.

And Yorkie! if your reading this thread.

The Lamb has grown on me. Just love it!

[maartendas]

But just lately, all Libera's music is growing on me. even tracks that I would always skip.

Yep, it does that Wonderful feeling. I've had a similar experience and now I never want to go back - in the words of Liam "I wanny carry on for ages now"

[Yorkie]

And Yorkie! if your reading this thread.

The Lamb has grown on me. Just love it!

I'm everywhere my friend And what's not to like?

Luminosa was the album I fist thought of as my favourite with Free second and Libera way back in third.

Libera is probably still my third favourite but it has really grown on me and has really closed the gap on the other two. But which to like more out of Luminosa or Free? If I'm honest I'd probably just give it to Free at the moment.

For some reason I split the albums in to two groups - old style and new style. I veer towards the old style more in truth.

Leaving out Eternal (which I actually like as a starting point for getting people in to the group) and the concert album I would rank them in the order of Peace first, then Angel Voices and Finally 'False Dawn'.

So where does that leave Visions? I'm going to have to think about that.

[maartendas]

For some reason I split the albums in to two groups - old style and new style. I veer towards the old style more in truth.

Leaving out Eternal (which I actually like as a starting point for getting people in to the group) and the concert album I would rank them in the order of Peace first, then Angel Voices and Finally 'False Dawn'.

So where does that leave Visions? I'm going to have to think about that.

"False Dawn"? Are you saying you don't like the album - or are you implying that despite the title it didn't offer a new approach?

And how would you define the old and the new style?

The Libera album was really progressive in the sense that you can hear them trying different combinations of styles, really trying to adjust to sounds that were fashionable at the time (I am reminded of when Enigma suddenly broke huge with their new age gregorian-meets-beats sound, and the early success of Enya) and then Luminosa shows a much more mature, subdued, confident sound. In fact the Libera album sounds like a break from the traditional repertoire on the Angel Voices albums, and Luminosa is like a new reaction to that. I think I feel the difference between old and new but I wouldn't know how to describe it... Maybe it's just the production methods that have developed..?

[JimmyRiddle]

We were all (or the ones that are still around from that time) quite positive and excited when New Dawn was released in 2008. The initial impressions from what I can recall were very favourable. I don't know if time and the subsequent release of Peace has overshadowed it somewhat, but it will still rank in my top 3 of 'best' libera albums. Angel Voices (2006) was a gap-filler in many ways as most of the songs were remakes from their previous albums.

ND is a four star album according to this site http://mog.com/artists/discography/mn93076/libera" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Yorkie]

"False Dawn"? Are you saying you don't like the album - or are you implying that despite the title it didn't offer a new approach?

No, just trying to be provocative and get a reaction

And how would you define the old and the new style?

I'm not musical enough to analyse the styles. being a simple soul it is easier to reflect on the content. The gravity and originality of the songs changed. Quite deep, and mysterious and yes, new age in the first two. Free perhaps a little less so and then by new Dawn it is......lighter, less serious somehow.

I think the New Age tag can only really be attached to the old stuff, the newer releases are much more mainstream if not exactly traditional.