Freakin' Remasters!
Posted by: J.N. on 04 January 2010
I heard the splendid 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak on the wireless this afternoon, and realised that I didn't have it in my collection.
So it was off to Eye Choons for a download. Top of the pile was the remastered version. Even in arguably low-fi 320 Kbps, the 30 second sample sounded shite (obviously louder and compressed) compared to the original version, which was fortunately, also available, and sounds so much better.
WTF is going on? Why are modern recording techniques making music sound inferior?
The vast majority of 7" pop singles were destined to be played on Dansette record players, but listen to something like sympathetic transfers of Buddy Holly singles onto CD - They sound superb. Those engineers were not playing to the lowest common denominator, so why are we doing it now?
Several new CDs I buy, sound loud and over-compressed. Most older recordings on CD sound so much better. No wonder there's a good market in 'First Press' CDs. We seem to have been going backwards from those superb first West German pressings.
I might as well own a nice Amstrad system at this rate.
Arse, Girls, Feck etc:
John.
Posted on: 04 January 2010 by Klout10
I agree, when I want to obtain an older recording, I always make sure it's not remastered.
Did you ever hear about the so called Loudness War?
Regards,
Michel
Posted on: 04 January 2010 by Klout10
Posted on: 04 January 2010 by J.N.
Spot the oxymoron in my original post.
Doh!
John.
Posted on: 04 January 2010 by shoot6x7
We were playng that disc yesterday - to show it's age it has that funky green paint which I painted on its edges when I bought it ...
Posted on: 04 January 2010 by Joe Bibb
Was comparing a Jam CD remaster tonight, bloody awful. An old WG Polydor copy of 'Snap' is just soooo much better.
You're right John, we have gone backwards.
Joe
Posted on: 05 January 2010 by Joe Bibb
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
Joe,
As you know i have not gone backwards.
Never bought into the SHM or the MOFI CD thing.
Stayed with the original pressing to cd pressings
Steady on mate, there are some excellent SHM and particularly MFSL issues. It's just that a remaster (whatever it is) needs to be treated with caution. Some are better, many more are worse.
Posted on: 05 January 2010 by Lontano
I agree with Joe. Stu, most of the MFSL/MOFI, Analogue Productions, Audio Fidelity, Hoffman remastered are the best out there. It tends to be the mass market remasterings that you have to be cautious on. The more specialist remasterings are done with extreme care and attention.
Posted on: 05 January 2010 by MilesSmiles
quote:
Originally posted by Lontano:
I agree with Joe. Stu, most of the MFSL/MOFI, Analogue Productions, Audio Fidelity, Hoffman remastered are the best out there. It tends to be the mass market remasterings that you have to be cautious on. The more specialist remasterings are done with extreme care and attention.
Fully agree, one of the very few exceptions are the Beatles remaster, I find them very impressive.
Posted on: 05 January 2010 by JamieL_v2
I am now finding that I am hunting on Ebay and elsewhere for original releases of remastered albums I have bought over the last few years.
I got the Led Zeppelin original releases (Barry Diament masters), and am now searching for some of the Yes albums, as well as a few others. Many thanks to fellow members of this, and other forums, who have alerted me to some of the albums for sale.
Thankfully many of the original releases I had mistakenly replaced with remasters were in the car, that situation has been reversed now.
I saw the waveform for the latest Metallica album on here last year, and if that is the low quality of product that you get when you pay money for a legal copy of the album, then all I can say is that the record companies are trying to encourage illegal downloads.
The You tube link from Klout10's thread link is an excellent example of how music is being wrecked by remasters, as well as the boosting of bass and treble.
Posted on: 05 January 2010 by MilesSmiles
quote:
Originally posted by JamieL_v2:
I saw the waveform for the latest Metallica album on here last year, and if that is the low quality of product that you get ...
I would hope that this was the absolute lowpoint of the loudness war as even hard core Metallica fans complaint about the poor CD release, apparently the guitar hero version was much better and less compressed.
Posted on: 05 January 2010 by Harry
I wish I could share that hope. Rush’s Vapour Trails released in 2000 was universally condemned as one of the poorest quality albums ever released. The band acknowledged that it was maxed to death and was a lemon it terms of sound quality. Last year Snakes and Arrows comes out and guess what....?
The priority of record labels to make a snap shot sound punchy over the air significantly outranks the needs and taste of the fans and punters. So we tend to buy less and in turn get blamed for killing the industry. It seems impossible for them to comprehend that everybody draws the line somewhere and there comes a point where sane people refuse to buy more crap.
Posted on: 07 January 2010 by u5227470736789439
Dreadful quality is not the monopoly of new issues, but this dreadful example at least has a good tune!
I do miss instrumental hits! Now the chief problem is the catawauling of the generic lead singer, so much less talented than the backing group!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuA-fqKCiAEThis is another lovely instrumental - glad I have this in my library!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwxsaTaVhC4It has everything, though I don't know if it was ever in the Hit Parade ...
ATB from George
Posted on: 08 January 2010 by JWM
quote:
Originally posted by J.N.:
oxymoron
Spot cream for the mindless, shoorlie?
Posted on: 08 January 2010 by BigH47
George,
Tornados member George Bellamy is the father of Matt Bellamy leader of your favourite group Muse.
Posted on: 08 January 2010 by u5227470736789439
Not in the Jeans in that case then!
To be honest Muse wold improve several thousand per cent if they stuck to instrumentals!
Posted on: 08 January 2010 by MilesSmiles
As always there are exceptions to the rule, these Blue Note remasters are just stunning.
Posted on: 08 January 2010 by BigH47
To my knowledge neither of them wear jeans.
Posted on: 08 January 2010 by GraemeH
Steely Dan suffered the same fate with the circ 2000 remasters. The original MCLD late 80's first pressings, especially the Hoffman mastering of Aja, are far superior.
Graeme
