[News] Winter diary ~A7 Classical~ - release 23rd December 2015 (Thread #2)

[Zeke.]

The mixing is just terrible on this album. The arrangement themselves are mixed nicely, but it's like the tracks didn't go through a final mastering process with the vocals on top of the arrangement. Ayu's voice sounds so far away and almost like the arrangements themselves were completely different, stand-alone tracks and some fan went and through her vocal tracks over top them.

Finally listened to Winter diary and I'm not impressed. To me, I don't find it all THAT Christmasey/wintery. It's hard to get into the song. It reminds me of Sky High. The entire song is carried by that stupid "midi" sounding synth that has been cheapening so many of her tracks as of late. You know the sound - it could be a stringed instrument, but it's so artificial and generally used in a LOT of Japanese songs, but it's usually in the background with real instruments built around it. Nowadays, it's pushed so much into the foreground the songs sound like something a bedroom producer threw together.

I wish she would bring guitars back into her work. Take No way to say for example. The entire track is carried along by this amazing guitar running the bassline that just adds so much presence and power to the overall product. All of her tracks used to utilize the guitar in that way. Now, it's very rare.

[BlackSilence]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

I wish she would bring guitars back into her work. Take No way to say for example. The entire track is carried along by this amazing guitar running the bassline that just adds so much presence and power to the overall product. All of her tracks used to utilize the guitar in that way. Now, it's very rare.

It's funny how you say that. People nowadays are so obsessed with that electronic and dance sound that they forget that instruments exist. I guess computers made things cheaper but damn i mis raw guitars on her stuff too. even her rock influenced tracks now have that too-clean guitar sound. I miss the sound of guitars ala HEARTPLACE. And drums too.. In general when they record stuff with actual people playing the parts it always sounds better. And you can tell, where it is actual orchestra, real strings, drums or guitars, because there's much more depth in the sound. This gives to emotional stuff like Ayu's even more emotion. It breathes life into the music.

[Delicious n Bold]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

The mixing is just terrible on this album. The arrangement themselves are mixed nicely, but it's like the tracks didn't go through a final mastering process with the vocals on top of the arrangement. Ayu's voice sounds so far away and almost like the arrangements themselves were completely different, stand-alone tracks and some fan went and through her vocal tracks over top them.

Finally listened to Winter diary and I'm not impressed. To me, I don't find it all THAT Christmasey/wintery. It's hard to get into the song. It reminds me of Sky High. The entire song is carried by that stupid "midi" sounding synth that has been cheapening so many of her tracks as of late. You know the sound - it could be a stringed instrument, but it's so artificial and generally used in a LOT of Japanese songs, but it's usually in the background with real instruments built around it. Nowadays, it's pushed so much into the foreground the songs sound like something a bedroom producer threw together.

Welp, you've spoken.
Is the mixing better, worse, or on par with the recent releases?


Oh and I agree about bringing back instruments.
Her last good ballad was sweet scar, and that had a really good piano and even an oboe!

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold

Welp, you've spoken.
Is the mixing better, worse, or on par with the recent releases?


Oh and I agree about bringing back instruments.
Her last good ballad was sweet scar, and that had a really good piano and even an oboe!

Idk cause this album's mixing suffers in a different way. The mixing of the arrangement is good - it sounds lively and not so flat like her other releases. But, like I said, her voice doesn't sound properly mixed into the piece. It's like the did everything without the vocal, then just threw the vocal in.

Anyways, the song Winter diary itself... I can't really say it's a mixing problem. I just think it needs more instruments, and the composition is very out-of-left-field. I love how Ayu's older tracks, really built up to the chorus, and it's like somehow, instinctively, you knew where it was going, and each piece of progression just made sense. It made you beg for the chorus, and in your mind, you were mapping it out, and when it hit, it wasn't as much of a surprise as it was how perfectly it made good on the expectation it had built for you. I feel her most recent tracks don't do that at all. In a way, they aren't as "predictable," but predictability is somewhat satisfying. I wrote a research paper on how the brain reacts to music, and what makes one enjoy a specific piece of work. Turns out, your brain stores templates of stuff it reacted positively to over the years, and draws comparisons. If the song escalates in a way that mirrors your expectations for the most part, yet only slightly deviates from them, the brain releases more dopamine, and you enjoy it more than had it strayed too far. The brain naturally makes predictions, and it wants to know to some degree where things are heading.

The research I did really granted answers to some of the greatest questions and curiosities I have always pondered on. I received a full 350/350 points on it from my teacher, so if anyone is interested in the details, I'll post in spoiler below.

Spoiler:

Music Is More Than Amusement

“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours” – Elton John (qtd. in The Observer). By engaging areas that exceed those of mere auditory perception, music establishes highly unique and deeply personal relationships with a variety of individuals. It touches the heart, and reaches even the most guarded depths of the mind and soul; this grants music the power to heal anxieties. With a capacity to saturate lives and captivate listeners in ways that are unparalleled by other types of amusement and media, music’s value in society surely extends beyond the realm of entertainment. Music is much more than that.

In a recent experiment involving a sample size of 19 volunteers, Dr. Valorie Salimpoor and fellow researchers set out to further examine reactions that take place within the brain when being exposed to new music (Hughes). They were particularly interested in studying the ways in which different areas of the human brain communicated with each other throughout this process. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they monitored participants’ brain activity as they listened to the first 30 seconds of 60 unfamiliar songs (Hughes). Subjects were given $10 and the opportunity to place bids, ranging in increments between $0-$2, for the purchase of full-length versions (Ferris, “Obsessing”). A direct correlation was observed between how much a person was willing to pay for a certain song and the level to which the fMRI responded (Jha, “Brain’s”). This data demonstrates that varying degrees of pleasure and brain activity are derived from listening to new music, as subjects were willing to sacrifice more in order to secure the privilege of listening to particularly enjoyable pieces again in the future. A heavy response may have warranted a heavier bid, but when compared individually, listeners did not react in the same way to the same set of songs. This is of particular interest because it then goes to say that people’s preferences are characteristically shaped and molded. "The way that we like music is 100% unique to who we are and what we've heard in the past” (Jha, “Brain’s”).

So what needs to happen in order for us to derive pleasure from a given piece of music and come to the conscious conclusion that we enjoy the piece in which we are listening to? More so, where does that sense of pleasure even come from? As it turns out, it is a matter of confirming or exceeding predictions based off of pattern recognition. “’We're constantly making predictions, even if we don't know the music,’ Salimpoor says. ‘We're still predicting how it should unfold’" (qtd. in Science NOW). The inferior frontal cortex compares newly processing sounds against those of the past, which have been stored within the superior temporal gyrus as musical templates (Ferris, “What”). “What we think of as our ‘taste’ in music depends on all of these old patterns we have filed away” (qtd. in Ferris, “What”). The superior temporal gyrus then works in concert with another part of the brain, known as the nucleus accumbens, which holds the responsibility for setting expectations and anticipating rewards. “If the music we hear meets or surpasses our expectations, the nucleus accumbens will release dopamine, a feel-good chemical that's generally associated with rewards like the feelings we get from good food, great sex, or drugs” (Ferris, “What”). Inherently, processing music involves much more than the activation of auditory senses – music is an exercise for the mind that engages multiple regions of the brain and promotes communication between them. “Whenever people liked a really liked a [sic] new song both regions buzzed with activity and formed connections with each other so robust the scientists were startled by the result” (Ferris, “Obsessing”). This data also supports the notion that listeners form long-lasting relationships with their music, which trigger innate responses to new sounds that reflect past experiences. This reflective process plays an integral role on the pathway to self-discovery, not only lending itself toward shaping one’s identity, but also in reminding the individual of who they were and who they have become. Music is an extension of self.

Music’s catalytic role in the release of dopamine, and the extent to which it evokes such a reaction, is nothing to laugh about. In Salimpoor’s 2011 study, where she and her team monitored participant reactions to patient-proclaimed goosebump-inducing instrumental pieces (hand chosen by the individuals themselves), one person was shown to have experienced a 21% increase in dopamine levels (Jha, “Favourite”). “That demonstrates that, for some people, it can be really intensely pleasurable” (qtd. in Jha, “Favourite”). For comparison, cocaine’s effects include relative dopamine increases above 22%, where as consuming meals of enjoyment demonstrate a relative dopamine increase of 6% (Jha, “Favourite”). This striking example certifies that music can, and does, have extremely powerful effects on the mind. It would be a mistake to ignore such immense capabilities; surely there lies great potential within the clinical realm for achieving this type of positive effect through natural elicitation.

It is also important to note that in addition to previously mentioned regions of the brain, the amygdala, which handles emotional response; the hippocampus, which plays an integral role in memory and learning; the medial prefrontal cortex, which aids in asserting “value to abstract things like art and music” (Ferris, “What”); and the ventromedial prefrontal coretex, “involved in decision-making,” are also actively communicating while listening to and interpreting music (Hughes). With this information, an even stronger case can be made regarding the impending role music plays in overcoming barriers of mind and emotion. Through the activation of multiple inner sensory and reflective channels of the brain, a better understanding of self and logic can be achieved. This in-turn can relieve feelings of anxiety and hopelessness. “Music influences our emotions because it takes the place of and extends our languages” (Trappe).

Music has also been proven to enhance cognitive performance. For example, according to a recent study performed by clinical psychologist Emma Gray, under the guise of popular internet-streaming service Spotify, listening to music of 50-80 beats per minute while studying can be beneficial for students by aiding in memory retention (Lopez). More specifically, students are able to focus for greater lengths of time while listening to classical music of 60-70 beats per minute. This is due largely in part to the melody and tone range that is common of such pieces. Surprisingly, students who practiced this scored on average “12 per cent [sic] more in their Maths exams – the equivalent of climbing a whole grade” (Griffiths). It is interesting to note that unlike other studies, personal attachment – or rather, a subject’s relationship with the music – was not of significant importance or a major determining factor within this experiment’s observations; positive outcomes were contingent on type and/or genre. “Music has a positive effect on the mind and listening to the right type of music can actually improve studying and learning. […] indeed, students who listen to music can actually do better than those who don’t” (qtd. in Griffiths). The science behind classical music’s influence on memory retention has also been explained.
Mozart's music and baroque music, with a 60 beats per minute beat pattern, activate the left and right brain. The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information. The information being studied activates the left brain while the music activates the right brain. (Trappe)
However, cognitive neuroscientist Jessica Grahn affirms that greater importance should be placed on how music makes a person feel and cognitive performance is not necessarily reliant on genres or mathematics. It is these feelings that evoke an increase in performance capabilities.
She describes several studies where both adults and children listened to classical music or enjoyable familiar songs and then completed tasks. Their performance was improved after listening to music — classical or not — that made them more aroused and made them feel better, based on personal preferences. (Bushak)
True power relies within the emotional response that music enables. This distinction is also in line with Salimpoor’s 2011 study, which compared dopamine relative increase levels “with a control condition in which participants listened to each other’s choices of music” (Jha, “Favourite”). As the results declared, dopamine levels were more likely to increase during the listening of favorite musical passages than those chosen by others. This ensures that it is a person’s relationship with music, and how music relates to such pallets from their past, that hold the most potential for nurturing positive responses and harvesting better outcomes. Furthermore, listening to personally enjoyable music can fuel improvements over endurance in exercise; help reduce pain, as well as encourage recovery, from injuries such as stroke; and improve symptoms of dementia as numerous studies have shown (Bushak). The beneficiary evidence of how music improves quality of life is staggering and seemingly never-ending. Music then, undoubtedly can be used as a form of treatment – and if not exclusively, then certainly as a key supplement in addition to other forms of care and healing methods.

Recent studies have pursued such hypotheses, exhibiting results that are overwhelmingly positive. In one study involving 23 Taiwanese female cancer survivors between the ages of 30 and 67, patients received two hours of music therapy, which included performing, singing, listening, and learning (Chuang). “The aim of this study was to determine whether or not music therapy affects the sensations of fatigue, comfort, and relaxation in cancer survivors” (Chuang). Tests were performed before and after therapy and included taking heart rate variability measurements via electrocardiogram signal, as well as administering patient questionnaires. “The questionnaires for subjective sensations employed visual analog mood scales (VAMS), and assessed whether or not the participants were fatigued, comfortable, and relaxed. Scores on each scale was [sic] ranged from 0 (lack of endorsement) to 100 (complete endorsement)” (Chuang). Results confirmed the initial hypothesis that music therapy can have significant effects on sensations and nervous systems. “The VAMS mean value for the fatigue level was significant [sic] lower after music therapy” as well as the “VAMS mean value for relaxation” being “significantly higher after music therapy” (Chuang). Music therapy also had favorable results on heart rate variability, showing that “parasympathetic nervous system activity increased and sympathetic nervous system activity decreased” (Chuang). Music can have a calming and stabilizing effect on the mind, which then carries over to the body. Tension will dissipate as a direct result of these effects. A case example such as this one suggests that music therapy can be of great use within the clinical environment.

Another study, published in a 2012 edition of the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research entitled “The effects of listening to preferred music on pain intensity after open heart surgery,” took 60 patients and divided them into two groups (Jafari). One group of 30 served as the intervention and listened to self-chosen music for half an hour via headphones, where as the remaining 30 served as the control and did not listen to music at all. It is interesting to note that although the control did not listen to any music at all, they still wore a set of headphones. Pain intensity measurements were taken before and exactly one hour and 30 minutes after the experiment. “It was discovered that music significantly decreased postoperative pain in patients after open heart surgery” (Jafari). It is important to note that in previously performed studies where patients did not have a choice in their selection of music, results on decreasing postoperative pain were negligible (Jafari). Pain management is of severe concern when addressing cardiac surgery patients because neglect can lead to many severe complications. In situations such as these, music therapy is an easy and cost-effective solution. Music’s power to elicit transcendence of the physical, to overcome pain and captivate the mind, has a definite place within hospitals as this data’s results have proven. Also, when compared to traditional treatment methods, music therapy is also a much safer option.

Systemic medications can lead to complications such as insufficient treatment, respiratory depression and excessive sedation. Epidural anesthesia may also result in hypotension, itching, nausea, vomiting and urinary retention. Furthermore, medications cannot be used in all patients and impose expenses to the health care system. (Jafari)
Music therapy not only removes the possibility of encountering such side effects, but it gives the patient a sense of pleasure, happiness, and overall enjoyment. In other words, it does not just take something away from the patient, but it gives them something positive in return.

In a separate case study, listening to music relieved patients of anxiety to a greater extent than traditionally medicated methods.
Music significantly decreases the level of anxiety for patients in a preoperative setting […] to a greater extent even than orally administered midazolam. In addition, the score was better after surgery in the music group compared to midazolam. Higher effectiveness and absence of apparent adverse effects make relaxing, preoperative music a useful alternative to midazolam. (Trappe)

Music is a much more personal way to medicate patients and should be used more often. Instead of resorting to drugs, which aim to numb the symptoms, music can be used to remove feelings of anxiousness and stress entirely.
“If you pour some music on whatever's wrong, it'll sure help out” – Levon Helm (qtd. in Hotchkiss). The potential for music to generate medicinal healing properties and its power to facilitate the transcendence of mental and physical barriers is undeniably strong. For many, music is not entertainment; it is sustainment. It provides strength to overcome difficult situations, support during times of need, clarity in times of question, and relief in situations that initially feel unbearable. Now that we know the ways that music can truly affect its listeners, it will be interesting to see how we as humans continue to take advantage of its pull on people, and evolve they ways in which we use music as a form of treatment and medicine outside of the realm of entertainment and amusement.

[primavera♥]

I weirdly like Winter Diary in full. It was just so easy and relaxing to listen to without making want to switch to something. Not as pretty as Close to you but I guess that's kind of how I approach that song as well and still love it.

[Refix]

Holy crap, she looks so plastic. Definitely doesn't like this PV.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Refix

Holy crap, she looks so plastic. Definitely doesn't like this PV.

It looks like she is supposed to be dead and frozen on that scene...

[aliceshields]

Lovers-robbing-gun shots-escaping-died........ Hmmmmmm~ hopefully full PV will give a different feeling...

[Refix]

This theme had been use in the L trilogy. Virgin Road, Last angel and Love song... only this one is the low budget edition lol

[MessiahofSilence]

Originally Posted by Refix

This theme had been use in the L trilogy. Virgin Road, Last angel and Love song... only this one is the low budget edition lol

I'm just happy that she's shooting outside of a set again. The scenery of the city is the tits and the reason why I didn't bother with the A ONE PVs was because they were basically Ayu in a room singing.

[kinix]

the album is relisted on mu-mo but without the freebies

[BlackSilence]

i actually think if thata video is actually going to be like what it is. then kudos to Ayu, because, i mean how many christmasy song videos have blood and robberies in them? lol She's definitely taking a whole other level to the idea of christmas video

speaking of the songs. Is it just me or a lot of them have instrumentals too loud?

anyways.

WARNING - awesome except for those lalalas they are so bloody out of place there.
Step by step - i love it.
Sorrows - that intro! the whole piece is just beautiful. And that outro!
Last minute - BREATHTAKING. It killed me.
Summer diary - was lovely!
Sky high - i actually love this. I did think the original was ok but this is so so so so much better. Gives so much more life to it. I really adore this one.
Out of control - wonderfully done. It's so soft at one point yet has a lot of power. LOVE IT~
NO FUTURE - This is great! It has so many colours in it. Very rich. It does sound very baroque-sque at some points.
The show must go on - this is so much better than the original. the yeahyeahyeah parts are a bit out of place though. But this sounds so much better.
Winter diary - i just love that intro it works so nice here. And i really like the song. It's wonderfully done. The outro is great too!Not the best track she ever did, but it's just, LOVELY. <3 Though i really have no idea how this is going to blend into the music video lol There's a huge contrast in the mood of those two.

On some songs it did feel like the vocals were a bit less prominent than the instrumental. But the rest was fine.
The string solos are incredible in this and very much reminds me of what GACKT has is some of his tracks.
In general the whole album is a masterpiece in terms of wonderfully done arranging. I have been dying to hear stuff like that from her and she finally has done this. I kind of wish she had a concert tour with orchestra only. Just Ayu and orchestra with all of these tracks. It would be a majestic tour. These arrangements are some of the best i've ever heard from her.

[xLuna&1LOVE]

wtf to the teaser. I am curious to know how they are going to link this to Summer Diary. Perhaps it is not, which makes it even more interesting. Yeah sure, it looks like Virgin Road all over again, but I like it. I did not expect it at all and that is why I liked it. This is stuff I cannot wait for. Bring it on, Ayu.

As for the classical album, not my thing. I am gonna enjoy the new song, but that's it.

[cosmicfirefly]

I'm surprised I enjoyed this album as much as I did, normally I'm not a huge fan of her classic mixes but these were all great. Winter Diary sounds awesome and it's already stuck in my head. Since the song sounds happy I expected the video to go in that direction too, but I guess not lol I can't wait to read the lyrics.

[errikkutrancex]

Strange feeling about that album : I just would say a "too much" sensation.... too much instruments (My Story classical was better or should I say perfect : a good balance voice/instrumental), too noisy, too much lyrics...

Concerning the new PV, what a waste to use it for winter diary ;( it seems such promising and original ! Looking forward to see the whole PV, and listen to it with "Last Angel" song instead

[love in music]

The PV actually looks interesting.
I'm okay with the verses to Winter Diary but the chorus is just bad and annoying. I'm kind of disappointed in this, especially since the PV looks good but this lame song will go with it :/

All of the Orchestra versions are fucking amazing though.. like wow. There's not one that's bad. Sky High is no doubt better than the original song, it takes something generic and boring and makes it interesting and grand. I think that one might be my favorite just because of the amazing transformation it went through. But I love every single orchestra version on here. This will be getting much more plays than her last few albums from me.

[あーちゃん]

Hello!
could someone share the album from here: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Winter-diary...s=winter+diary ?

The leaked version has a weak vocal in the background and the music sounds loud than the vocals? I think Chinese fans share albums in cheap versions these days, then edit it with a software to to make it sound like that. Hope that make sense...
Thanks in advance.

[YukiUsagi]

Originally Posted by あーちゃん

Hello!
could someone share the album from here: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Winter-diary...s=winter+diary ?

The leaked version has a weak vocal in the background and the music sounds loud than the vocals? I think Chinese fans share albums in cheap versions these days, then edit it with a software to to make it sound like that. Hope that make sense...
Thanks in advance.

No. I bought the Itunes version. It's same as the rip.

[Montebello]

I had kinda hated the preview from Winter Diary but now that I'm hearing the full version, I actually enjoy it.

The english intro is very cringeworthy to me and the verses are so-so but overall I actually like it.

And the video looks like it'll be amazing.

[Gustavopc]

I am listening to the album, and so far only WARNING got my attention, amazing job

Regarding the teaser... I don't know how to feel about it o__o Given the song aura and Summer diary I was NOT expecting this kind of Love song meets No way to say PV. Gonna wait for the full thing