Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High 2xLP with bonus tracks Hot Topic exclusive

[psus2h]

Canceled. Oh well.

[RelentlessSlayer]

Got mine in the mail today, looks amazing and sounds amazing

[SirNarwhal]

Listening to mine and it's yet another direct from CD press. Kind of disappointed and I think I may have to give up on Hot Topic releases as I'm really incredibly sick of this happening time and time again. At least it doesn't sound like the pile of crap that was that From Under The Cork Tree re-release... That said though, I have bootlegs that were mastered for vinyl better than this...

[DecayToDeath]

Listening to mine and it's yet another direct from CD press. Kind of disappointed and I think I may have to give up on Hot Topic releases as I'm really incredibly sick of this happening time and time again. At least it doesn't sound like the pile of crap that was that From Under The Cork Tree re-release... That said though, I have bootlegs that were mastered for vinyl better than this...

Man, can't you just take it as it is? It sounds great. Personally, I'm just happy this had a proper non-picture disc pressing. 

[SirNarwhal]

Man, can't you just take it as it is? It sounds great. Personally, I'm just happy this had a proper non-picture disc pressing. 

 

In all honesty, no. It's so incredibly simple to even have a CD source sound good on a record and they can't even do that. Me & You was heavily just wall to wall noise for large sections and my copy was also full of pops. There is no definition. There is no low or high end, it's just wall to wall blasted, which is fine on a CD where that detail only gets lost minimally, but putting that straight onto wax is just asking for problems without at least bumping down the volume it's pressed at, which Hot Topic never seems to do. It's pure distortion and noise instead and it just doesn't sound pretty. I mean, yes, I'm happy to finally have a vinyl release of one of my favorite albums, but it really bugs me when the version I've had for years is better than whatever they decided to crap out for a quick buck.

 

Edit: It's every track that's smacked in the middle of the record and the last on its side that suffers from the issue Me & You did; it sounds like I'm listening to AM radio, which is incredibly disappointing to me since that effects two of my favorite songs on the record, Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? and It's Hard To Say "I Do," When I Don't. Thankfully I already have the latter on a 45RPM single that sounds way better than anything Hot Topic will ever produce...

[agua]

Blaming Hot Topic for the quality if a record pressed by the record label.

[SirNarwhal]

Blaming Hot Topic for the quality if a record pressed by the record label.

 

These were pressed by Hot Topic with the license from the record label. That's how like 90% of Hot Topic's releases are. It also would make no sense as every instance of a Hot Topic release coming out that isn't directly at the same time as a major label release results in this exact scenario of it being from a CD source and sounding worse than the original pressings.

 

Some quick examples: Original press of From Under the Cork Tree vs Hot Topic release, OG vs repress of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, outside of Fueled By Ramen/Universal releases it's happened with both of Linkin Park's represses verses the originals, and that's just a few in recent memory. The only one I have that is relatively good quality is the recent Panic at the Disco Too Weird To Live, Too Young To Die release, which was very clearly done by the original record label at the same time the original was pressed and on the same presses (I've compared the two, they're identical).

[Moopakalypse]

Randomly stopped by the HT at Barton Creek Square in Austin and saw a couple and picked one up. 

[SirNarwhal]

Wow, what the hell? Got to the single worst problem with this press: the intro riff to G.I.N.A.S.F.S. is cut off. Also, the, "Now press repeat," goes at the end of the album if the bonus tracks are there, not before them...

[mindovermatter]

^ this is wrong. Hot Topic is a retailer, not a label. They simply buy them from the record label and resell them. Of course, these are major labels and since they just get to cash the check of 2500 units sold, they don't care much about the details.

The difference here is that the label has no interest in selling them on their own, so they are available exclusively through HT.

EDIT: I typed too slowly on my phone. This is in response to the person blaming HT for audio quality control.

[SirNarwhal]

^ this is wrong. Hot Topic is a retailer, not a label. They simply buy them from the record label and resell them. Of course, these are major labels and since they just get to cash the check of 2500 units sold, they don't care much about the details.

The difference here is that the label has no interest in selling them on their own, so they are available exclusively through HT.

EDIT: I typed too slowly on my phone. This is in response to the person blaming HT for audio quality control.

 

My mistake then. That being said, it doesn't explain why it only seems to happen with releases distributed by Hot Topic.

 

Last complaint with the album now that I'm done listening to it, the, "Now press repeat," is said twice.

[himynameisShane]

My mistake then. That being said, it doesn't explain why it only seems to happen with releases distributed by Hot Topic.

 

Last complaint with the album now that I'm done listening to it, the, "Now press repeat," is said twice.

 

I agree with your Now press repeat complaint, but I got over it pretty quick. Intro to GINASFS is fine on mine..

[SirNarwhal]

I agree with your Now press repeat complaint, but I got over it pretty quick. Intro to GINASFS is fine on mine..

 

The first like 5 notes are missing.

[DecayToDeath]

The first like 5 notes are missing.

It's okay on mine too. The sound quality overall is actually better than I expected for every song, too. Sounds to me like you got a bad copy.

[dantheriver]

My mistake then. That being said, it doesn't explain why it only seems to happen with releases distributed by Hot Topic.

Last complaint with the album now that I'm done listening to it, the, "Now press repeat," is said twice.

He actually did explain why it seems everything hot topic sells exclusively sounds bad. They are typically major label releases, the label knows hot topic is going to buy/resell them all. The money is already in the bank so they don't give a shit how it sounds. Now if HT could somehow arrange approval of test pressings before they pay for these things, then you could blame HT.

[SirNarwhal]

It's okay on mine too. The sound quality overall is actually better than I expected for every song, too. Sounds to me like you got a bad copy.

 

Just listened to it again. The first 6 notes of the 9 note solo guitar riff at the beginning are 100% missing.

[SirNarwhal]

He actually did explain why it seems everything hot topic sells exclusively sounds bad. They are typically major label releases, the label knows hot topic is going to buy/resell them all. The money is already in the bank so they don't give a shit how it sounds. Now if HT could somehow arrange approval of test pressings before they pay for these things, then you could blame HT.

 

I meant even for things that were recently pressed by other labels such as the recent Blink 182 releases of Enema of the State and the self-titled. Both were pressed by other parties than the labels themselves and then had Hot Topic re-releases shortly after. The Hot Topic releases never come from the same source as those recent releases, which just baffles me. I mean, I understand why it happens, but I wish that Hot Topic cared more about quality with these re-releases.

[dantheriver]

I meant even for things that were recently pressed by other labels such as the recent Blink 182 releases of Enema of the State and the self-titled. Both were pressed by other parties than the labels themselves and then had Hot Topic re-releases shortly after. The Hot Topic releases never come from the same source as those recent releases, which just baffles me. I mean, I understand why it happens, but I wish that Hot Topic cared more about quality with these re-releases.

The smaller labels reissuing major label releases have more invested than when a major presses something themselves. They are putting in a lot of money for licensing fees and then their reputation is on the line. And if word gets out it's a shitty pressing they have a chance of not recouping their costs/turning a profit. As has already been said the majors involved in pressing their own stuff have nothing on the line. The full pressing is already paid for. Hot Topic has nothing on the line because 1. They have so many better sources of profit than vinyl and 2. They didn't actually press it so you can't actually blame them. Like I just said, it would be cool if HT got some sort of QC put into their buying arrangements for stuff like this, but it's super unlikely anything like that would be worked out since neither party really cares. It's all about $$$.

[agua]

Yea, Hot Topic has no say in the quality of the sound unfortunately.
Plenty of the records I have purchased from there have sounded fine.

[dantheriver]

Yea, Hot Topic has no say in the quality of the sound unfortunately.

Plenty of the records I have purchased from there have sounded fine.

No way dood, once the vinulz hits the HT rack they sound like POOPS!

[SirNarwhal]

No way dood, once the vinulz hits the HT rack they sound like POOPS!

 

You literally just contradicted yourself with this statement as just before that you were reinforcing the fact that most major labels that do re-presses specifically for Hot Topic DO suffer from poor QC. I'm not saying everything from Hot Topic sounds awful as I've gotten a few releases from them that are perfectly fine, I'm talking specifically about many of their represses or first releases of albums from a few years ago that are quite problematic and from this release things seem to only be getting worse.

[dantheriver]

You literally just contradicted yourself with this statement as just before that you were reinforcing the fact that most major labels that do re-presses specifically for Hot Topic DO suffer from poor QC. I'm not saying everything from Hot Topic sounds awful as I've gotten a few releases from them that are perfectly fine, I'm talking specifically about many of their represses or first releases of albums from a few years ago that are quite problematic and from this release things seem to only be getting worse.

Haha, you are the worst man.  I don't know how i could've possibly typed that out to make it sound more like a joke than I did...

[SirNarwhal]

Haha, you are the worst man.  I don't know how i could've possibly typed that out to make it sound more like a joke than I did...

 

I know you were joking, but in your joke you were poking fun at what I was saying when even you agree that there's some truth to it...

 

Back to the topic at hand though, I'd really like to at least see Universal address the issues with this release, but I don't expect that at all.

[dantheriver]

I know you were joking, but in your joke you were poking fun at what I was saying when even you agree that there's some truth to it...

 

Back to the topic at hand though, I'd really like to at least see Universal address the issues with this release, but I don't expect that at all.

I wasn't poking fun at you, just goofing around.  Now I am poking fun at you... you stink.

[soundboard]

I know you were joking, but in your joke you were poking fun at what I was saying when even you agree that there's some truth to it...

 

Back to the topic at hand though, I'd really like to at least see Universal address the issues with this release, but I don't expect that at all.

The stuff you are talking about is brought up a lot in tons of Hot Topic related threads. It just is what it is. It's discussed a lot and nothing seems to change. Quality control isn't Hot Topic's strong point most of the time. Some of their exclusives sound great others don't. It really just depends on the label pressing it.

 

The Wonder Years purple exclusive they currently have sounds bad. Not because of Hot Topic because of Hopeless Records. The Bled exclusives Hot Topic recently had sounded pretty darn good (IMO) that is because of Staple Records. Hot Topic might be at fault for not checking quality, but I guess that's just not how it works with the way the do business.