[Official Message] Countdown Live 2013-2014 DVD&Blu-Ray on 30.04.2014

[tiffanytgs]

someone shared the full concert on googledrive here too

https://googledrive.com/host/0Bw1jQu.../cdl13-14.html

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

^I can't figure out which remix of fairyland that DJ Hello Kitty was playing. Pretty sure that it hasn't been released? Which sucks because I love it. They played it at A BEST LIVE also.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Pieces_of_SEVEN

^I can't figure out which remix of fairyland that DJ Hello Kitty was playing. Pretty sure that it hasn't been released? Which sucks because I love it. They played it at A BEST LIVE also.

OMG, DAT MIX!!!!

Sum1 tweet ayubot and get the deets on title and release, plz!

[DevilHunter_04]

I really loved this concert. I haven't liked a CDL this much since her 2010-2011~do it again~CDL.

Reading comments and then seeing the performance of Feel the Love disappointed me hearing how much it was edited but it really picked up for me when WE WISH started.

I really liked the new stage and the new arrangement for Bold & Delicious (I would like to see that version performed again).

Though it seemed like the concert jumped around and was cut weird. Especially after Curtain Call. Did they cut out the MC there? It just felt like something was missing.

[primavera♥]

Okay, so now that I watched the whole thing, I'm in love with this cdl. I think it's very well done and I love the way ayu is the whole time ♡ Sometimes, I wish there were less dancers but whatever, that's never stopping. This actually is one of her better ones in a while and everything sounds lovely. I love the bold and delicious arrangement.

[Zeke.]

Agreed about feeling a sigh of relief during Love song when it actually sounded like ayu! Could feel the sound coming deep from her voice box. It's 4am and I just woke up with those "lalas" haunting me at the end if love song. Totally loved those and that melody. Not the one where she was like speaking something, but the la la LA la la LA la LA la LA parts.

[rikku1994]

Her voice was always edited when it comes to concert DVD's/Blu-ray's... IDK why people act as if it's a big deal, I'm pretty she ain't the only singer who has done this... Heck, some singers just lip-sync.

And honestly, do you really want to hear her "raw" voice for Feel the Love performance? There's a reason why they processed her voice THAT much~

This is one of her best CDL. I don't care whether her voice is edited or not.

[Chris85]

Originally Posted by rikku1994

And honestly, do you really want to hear her "raw" voice for Feel the Love performance? There's a reason why they processed her voice THAT much~

I uploaded that "raw" version long time ago, it's in downloads section.
The thing is it was already processed (pitch-corrected), but just not to the crazy point of this DVD release. It was not sung live, but still the editing was not excessive. Both 30 and 31 it was the same lip sync version. She sung it live only on 29th (at least these vocals were not edited). When I uploaded the version from 31th, I wanted to believe it was live myself, but after I compared the sound from all 3 dates, I know it wasn't live ufortunately.

[Loulines]

^IIRC, there was an audio/video with "raw" performance of FTL and it wasn't that bad. I think that's the point why most people are mad about editing.

[miki_beland]

The point is not the voice being edited, but it being edited THAT much. Since the release of the A BEST LIVE audio CD and the DVD, her voice has always been extremely edited, far more noticeable than before.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by miki_beland

The point is not the voice being edited, but it being edited THAT much. Since the release of the A BEST LIVE audio CD and the DVD, her voice has always been extremely edited, far more noticeable than before.

Exactly! I am baffled how anyone can miss the change in her vocal editing. As someone put it, it's as if they are "introducing new Android Ayu!"

Listen to R'n'R Circus microphone where there is power and force behind her voice. As well as Memorial address. Unbelievable.

Now compare the sound to her current edited voice. It has a ton of reverb. It sounds almost completely processed using the template of Ayumi Hamasaki - not being projected from a real person.

I will say I have not watched the show yet. However, from the clips I've heard, that is what I noticed. I will watch when I have time, but it's like her voice now sounds like how the lip-synced pre-recorded tracks during past lives (ANGEL'S SONG, HONEY @ CDL). It has that "smoothed out rawness" to it. She may have been singing the show live but I feel like whatever they have done to pre-recorded tracks in the past, they are starting to filter the same way in post-processing prior to release.

Performances of the past have been good to watch her give life to songs - to really channel and enhance the environment of the song before our very eyes. Add a little something that makes the live version unique among recordings, etc. Now I feel as if she's not projecting life through these performances. It's very cookie-cutter.

Anyway, just an observation. I will watch the full things eventually.

EDIT: Watching a bit and during CAROLS and momentum it doesn't look as if the sound is coming directly from her voice. It looks like a layover or she is lipping. Secondily, I do think she lipped momentum because even at the time of recording she said she had difficulty getting that one out. She barely struggled here and there was a specific part where her voice trailed off/faded away as if it was an effect of editing.

Because of You is sung with high pitch? Since when? I feel like I'm watching a tv show where they have re-cast the lead actress / voice actress.

[cosmicfirefly]

Although I haven't watched it completely yet, her voice does sound different during Feel the love, especially in the verses. I love the performance of WE WISH, and I don't mind the voice editing so much there. I do wish Because of You and Free & Easy had been performed in full, instead of cutting out the second verses.

[LONJJONG]

I didn't know that CDL 13-14 was released as digital live album before o.O

[chocopockymaster]

I have such mixed feelings about the DVD for this concert. Overall, the energy level was amazing, I love the new machinery and how they utilized it on stage, I enjoyed watching the dancers perform the choreography for the new songs...DJ Hello Kitty and m-flo were both gr9 (VERBAL, I love you, but omfg that outfit needs to go) and it really seemed like Ayu was into it. If I had been there, I think it would have been one of my favorite concert experiences! At some points it felt to me like what AT09 should have been like. There was so much they could have done with a tour for NEXT LEVEL and to this day I still think it fell flat.

But whoever was in charge of the audio editing for this DVD needs to contemplate a change of career--and fast. The disconnect between the ~version of Ayu's vocals that comes out of the speaker and how she's moving her lips is seriously distracting. In some cases I suspect it's because she's lip synching...she has this habit of way-overexaggerating her mouth movements when she does that, and I've noticed that the more time progresses, the worse it gets. You used to have a hard time being able to tell which tracks were lip-synched and which ones were live...I find it quite easy to tell nowadays, which is kind of annoying. Her 'acting' antics have gotten a bit over the top, and so has her lip-synching technique. From this concert, FtL in particular comes to mind.

Originally Posted by kotora

If haters believe they can do better jobs, make a proposal to avex and edit for ayu.

This is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. I'm not a professional sound editor, I make no claim to be, but if I'm NOT a pro and I can hear that there's a profound difference between how her voice *should* sound coming out of the speakers and how it DOES sound--processed to hell and back--then you know there's a problem.

Originally Posted by Zeke.

I am baffled how anyone can miss the change in her vocal editing. As someone put it, it's as if they are "introducing new Android Ayu!"

I agree 100%. Though I will say that wasn't present in all the songs--but it wasn't really until Love song that I felt like I was hearing Ayu's real voice...and it was beautiful! She was on key and it sounded more like HER than any of the performances before it. (I realize that all of her vocals from the DVD have undergone some form of post-processing, but to get almost halfway through the concert before you see something that constitutes a performance that has 'the whole package' is just sad.) I was sobbing my eyes out at the Love song performance. It's all the more frustrating because, hearing her vocals on that song, it doesn't sound like there was the need to edit her vocals as much as they did for the (majority of the) rest of the concert. This isn't CDL01-02 we're talking about here.

part of Me and Curtain call were both stunningly beautiful as well.

Originally Posted by LONJJONG

I didn't know that CDL 13-14 was released as digital live album before o.O

Trollvex compiled the album versions of all the songs in the order of the setlist for CDL and released it as a """digital live album""". (nooooooope)

Other random CDL related thoughts:

-Yocchan's short hair and clown shoes age him about two decades. Bring back long-haired Yocchan plz.

-Who do I have to sleep with to get Timmy off stage and never have to see/hear him again? "Love is All" was truly painful.

-I am glad, however, that Yoshi finally got a partner for her aerial work. It was great seeing something new from her other than the tissue dance...that routine was super impressive!

-Love song killed me, brought me back to life, cremated me, and scattered my ashes to the wind.

-Bold & Delicious arrangement = LIFE. It reminds me of the PoM arrangement a bit (but I can't speak as to how much since I haven't seen it in a while) but the ending with Ayu was super cute.

-It must suck to be that new backup vocalist and be relegated to the position of Third [Vocal] Wheel. But damn, that girl's got a set of pipes, and I honestly think her voice works better with Ayu's than either Timmy or Princess' voices. That being said...Princess, girl, you look like a wannabe lolita cosplayer that got lost in JoAnn Fabrics. And you sound like you're trying to be the next Peco. Please, for the love of god, just stop.

-Lico and her smooching Ayu on the cheek/dancing all up on Enrique was giving me so much life omfg. You better work, bitch.

[Andrenekoi]

^Not that it makes difference that I say it, as sometimes AHS seens to have a hard time getting simple business aspects, but Princess doesn't get to chose what she will dress. Or what she will sing. Or how she will sing. People hiring her, directing and producing the concert, chose those stuff. If you want to blame someone by how Princess (or anyone else on stage) looked or how she performed, I will give you a hint: The name is written in big letters on the DVD cover, and every concert DVD since 2005 or so ends with a still of this person, crediting them as the main producer.

[chocopockymaster]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

^Not that it makes difference that I say it, as sometimes AHS seens to have a hard time getting simple business aspects, but Princess doesn't get to chose what she will dress. Or what she will sing. Or how she will sing. People hiring her, directing and producing the concert, chose those stuff. If you want to blame someone by how Princess (or anyone else on stage) looked or how she performed, I will give you a hint: The name is written in big letters on the DVD cover, and every concert DVD since 2005 or so ends with a still of this person, crediting them as the main producer.

Yes, thank you for pointing that out for the millionth time, no one's ever said that before.

[pride123]

https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0ByVL0...xport=download

Whole CDL show: 1.07 GB download

[AyUmIXx]

i've finished watching CDL1314 yesterday.
it's the best CDL ever!!
love the whole new concept of the stage design. it's really a new machinery like ayu said on her TA before. it's really different from her previous ATs or CDLs
awesome! finally something new about her stage.
i hope it'll be much more awesome stage for her upcoming tour.
i love all the setlist, specially the encore parts, part of ME acoustic version is just so beautiful!!!
ah this CDL is definitely the best!

[KLJames]

if not mistaken the songs in piano are "Who... ~ Voyage ~ HEAVEN ~ JEWEL ~ MY ALL" <3

[tsumekaze_]

^ what does she say tho?
love suki? love so deep? love's here? love so dear?