Naim Label Remastering?

quote:

Originally posted by Sloop John B:
As I've got older and crankier and a bit further up the Naim Hi-Fi chain the quality of the software is becoming a bigger and bigger issue for me.

I think there is a gap in the market for remasters without compression or without reduction in dynamic range. I know MOFI does this but there is surely a ready made market amongst Naim users where through the forum one could gauge (or vote) for albums to remaster and have a definite number of sales (even a down-payment method).

Advantages to Naim would be a huge enhancement of its audiophile image and amongst audiophiles, what better way to target advertising?

Does anyone else see merit in this?

why couldn't it be done?

OK, i'll start:

I think there is a gap in the market... - Yes, you are probably right but I would suggest that the gap is so small that it would be impossible to break even let alone make a profit.

why couldn't it be done? - One obstacle would be the need to sub-licence the rights to the particular recording from the repertoire owner. This can't always be done, and when it is possible it can be (a) costly, (b) time-consuming and (c) impractical.

Lastly I would question whether it would be worthwhile for naim to invest the time, money and infastructure required into a risky venture that can't be considered as core to their business model.

King Size,
I appreciate from another thread you know about sub licensing which I don't.

I'm not a marketer but I would try and have it that it is seen as an accolade for Naim to want to remaster your cd. Engineer a way that people will desire for Naim to do this.

People know people, there must be someone in Naim or the wider family who knows someone who knows Ringo, John Paul Jones, Sting or whoever to get the thing started.

And while I appreciate it may be a small market, it is the exact area that naim wants to appeal to -audiophiles.

It surely cannot be too arduous an area to become involved in when you already run a record label. And the new high res formats will be crying out for a better quality "master".






SJB

Oh great NAIM remastered Porcupine Tree , SW has another chance to sell you what you already have (several times)!!!

I'd like Naim to re-master the complete Christy Moore catalogue and release it on vinyl - I'd buy it

It would be difficult to say what albums could be done - I'm no fan of PT so that wouldn't excite me. I could easily list albums I would buy, but no idea if that means there is a market for them as much of what I like is not as loved by others.

I know this subject is quite hard as Martha and the Muffins have found it pretty difficult to re-release their own records even though there is sufficient demand to make this financially viable - lots of legal issues as I understand it.

Still Steve Hoffman manages it so it must be possible.

Hi SJB,

Someone like Simon from the naim label could give their perspective if they chose.

My guess though is that if you run the numbers they simply wouldn't add up.

On another thread I mentioned an article in the current issue of Tone that gives good insight into the process of mastering - as mentioned in the article current mastering practices aren't done to annoy audiophiles, although I accept that they do have that result in some cases.

Cheers
KS

Interesting article all-right.

and from the Rolling Stones "Exile" thread I see that one man's meat can be another man's poison.

I find the answer to the last question a bit sad from my perspective though

quote:

SG: Can you turn off your analytical
side and listen to music for
pleasure?
DM: Only when I’m listening on lowresolution
systems, and at home for
me, that winds up being WFUV on a
table radio or the jambox in the kitchen.
I can only love the Decemberists on
that jambox. Not that it doesn’t sound
good. But the music works best for me
in the kitchen or car. Those are very
inviting places to listen to music. Once
it’s on a nice system, I’m listening to the
compressors and stuff

unfortunately on a lot of modern recordings and some remasterings I'm hearing those same compressors and stuff............

I have a lot of albums that sound great and too many that sound crap, I can't belive the crap ones sound better than the great ones on a "jambox"


whichever way I feel there is a market here but judging by the 1000s of responses to the thread perhaps I'm mistaken.


SJB

Interesting article all-right.

and from the Rolling Stones "Exile" thread I see that one man's meat can be another man's poison.

I find the answer to the last question a bit sad from my perspective though

quote:

SG: Can you turn off your analytical
side and listen to music for
pleasure?
DM: Only when I’m listening on low resolution
systems, and at home for
me, that winds up being WFUV on a
table radio or the jambox in the kitchen.
I can only love the Decemberists on
that jambox. Not that it doesn’t sound
good. But the music works best for me
in the kitchen or car. Those are very
inviting places to listen to music. Once
it’s on a nice system, I’m listening to the
compressors and stuff

unfortunately on a lot of modern recordings and some remasterings I'm hearing those same compressors and stuff............

I have a lot of albums that sound great and too many that sound crap, I can't believe the crap ones sound better than the great ones on a "jambox"


whichever way I feel there is a market here but judging by the 1000s of responses to the thread perhaps I'm mistaken.


SJB

I do think recording and mastering practices/preferences are influenced by both recording and playback technology as well as the cultural, artistic and creative styles of the time. Certainly production values through the decades have continued to evolve, and not always for the better.

For eg. there are many recordings done in the 80s that are cringeworthy for there lack of body, depth, bottom or top end. Yet not every recording from the 80's was like that, it just seems to be the dominant style of the time.

If my train of thought is correct then current remasters of albums like "Exile..." is simply bringing these recordings ine line with current standards standards and preferences.

Maybe in 20 years time remasters will sound complete different again and we will be marvelling/cursing at how good/bad things did or could sound. Hope that makes sense?

Any one doing remasters would have to do it at the Bluray level or for download. We all know that's the next step.

it is indeed, conceptually at least, a fantastic idea. especially with the new opps in hi def downloading.

most content on your wish lists i am sure is major label owned. in this respect we are unfortunately a huge fish in a small pond and any advances we've made in this area have taken a considerable amount of time and effort. there are a number of challenges and costs.

any remasters we might do in the future would certainly be for hi def download, and I am talking to a few biggies about some music that may be of interest down the line...

quote:

I am talking to a few biggies about some music that may be of interest down the line...

Eldorado?

Put me down for a copy

Rory Gallagher?

quote:

Originally posted by munch:
I would just like a copy of Freds new album on vinyl.

Same here!