Originally Posted by Cheesegreater

I hope this doesn't upset someone if I'm putting it in the wrong place, but I have to ask Tool fans from all the different eras with all their different biases, what has happened to Maynard's voice over the years?

I'm not asking this as a loaded question, like "What the FUCK has happened to his voice." I'm just asking how has this man's voice evolved over time?

I have to say that early recordings all the way up the early 2000s his voice seems more prevalent in the mix. Now, in all fairness I will say I've seen an exception or two with a couple of 10,000 Days concerts, but overall he's really low in the mix... beyond blending in like "being another instrument," it's to the point of being barely heard at all.

I remember when I saw my first concert which was a 10k Days show I remember being really pumped about hearing Maynard. The show was great, but I had to make peace with the idea that I'd only be able to hear him well in the mix only every now and then.

Do you guys think this trend will continue? Do you think it could possibly have been his miking technique that screwed over his sound this last tour? Also, I know in arenas you aren't guaranteed good sound in a lot of places. So could it just be where people are located that affects whether or not you get to hear Maynard?

i don't know... I mean all the other musicians are usually equalized perfectly, can't he get a little louder, or at least can his mic?