The Beatles "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" original 1965 stereo mixes?

I am totally against using any form of noise reduction on remasters. It takes away elements of the music in the process which can't be recovered. If the tape hiss is there it should remain, but if you can get rid of some tape hiss by going a back to the original multi-tracks and producing a new high rez mix down, they could eliminate the tape hiss on the original 2-track masters without losing any elements of the music. If anything, it would increase the presence of certain elements of the original recordings (if done correctly) IMO.

 

How are they going to remove tape hiss without using any form of noise reduction?

 

Because the new mixes would be mixed to high rez 24bit/192kHz as opposed to the old mix masters which were obviously mixed to analogue tape (apart from Help! and Rubber Soul). You would be removing the hiss created during the original final mix down. The only tape hiss that still may be audible is the hiss from the original multi-tracks.

 

Fair enough. But is anyone really so bothered by the tape hiss on The Beatles CDs that it's worth the time/trouble/risk to remix the multis just to remove whatever-degree of hiss exists on the analogue masters?

Do you really hear so much less hiss on the '87 remixes?

 

I like the 65 stereo mixes of Rubber Soul and Help. Good or bad it's what I am use to so I don't spend that much time thinking about it. I love all the songs.

 

I need to have a proper listen again, but if they used noise reduction on the 2009 remasters we won't be able to tell. They certainly didn't use excessive noise reduction as it's always obvious when a mastering engineer does this. I would like to think that any possible future remix of these albums (as I described above) will be free from any noise reduction when it comes to the mastering. Also, there would be less need to apply noise reduction anyway as there will be less tape hiss on new high rez mixes.

Remember that The Doors had their whole back-catalogue remastered a few years back under the title "40th Anniversary Mixes", so it wouldn't be the first time a band from that era have had all their albums remixed. If they deserved it, then The Beatles albums' sure do as well.

 

No one seems to complain much about any noise reduction problems on the 2009s do they? So if they used any, they used the proper amount and good for them. But if they did, and using your logic, these remixes you want could conceivably end up with MORE hiss!

Weren't those remixed for DVD-A and 5.1? I don't know if it was about "deserving" to be remixed or not. And I don't think they were remixed just in attempt to further improve the sound quality of the stereo masters and/or reduce tape hiss. (Or maybe there are some other remixes you're taking about?) Would we ever get the Beatles in 5.1? Maybe a few of the later albums. Obviously the earliest stuff wouldn't even be particularly possible.

Maybe the place to compare for tape hiss would be with the new mixes on the "1" album?

 

So are the 2009s too hissy for you or not? I'm getting confused here. I'm thinking maybe you're trying to fix a problem that doesn't really exist.

 

The final mix stage doesn't add much hiss, even when the master is 1/4" analog.

And there's generally not much hiss on Beatles recordings anyway.

 

I'm good with the AAA monos from 2014. Now we just need the same for the stereo on LP. I have no interest in anyone remixing history. Based on the mono release, the stereo could sound a lot better.

 

I know it's a little late-after the fact, but it still jars my azz that we did not get the ORIGINAL proper Stereo mixes for Help & Rubber Soul in the Stereo Box...Why were they included in the Mono box? any definitive answer?

 

Because the powers that be considered the remixes the definitive versions. George Martin, etc, etc.

 

Hey Luke...yea, I know that, but I was hoping for a better answer. LOL.
keeping it real they could have added the 1987 remixes as a bonus CD and left all the original mixes in the Stereo box which would have made a better box set and a more fulfilling listen for the fans of the original album mixes...

 

They *could* have done that, but like I said, they considered the remixes definitive, so any "bonus" would have been the original mixes, not the remixes.

 

yea, a missed opportunity for the fan...and an expensive proposition for me to get them in the mono box!

 

I (slightly) prefer the sound of the Canadian CDs anyway, so...

 

yes, and the mono box was mastered at a proper level unlike the stereo box which was too ((((((LOUD))))).

 

...before the box they were overpriced so that was a no go for me...at least I have them in the Mono box, but I bought that "Limited" edition box on street date and paid more than I wanted...Hey, I did not want to miss out! I fell for it! LOL...

 

One just had to keep a close watch on eBay. I paid about $22 for both together.

 

wow! excellent...

 

Glad they provided the 65 stereo mixes at all. But odd that if they were going to be "bonus tracks" that they weren't bonuses on the stereo CDs rather than in the "mono" box.

My guess is they figured they just wanted the stereo CDs to be left alone without any bonus tracks and that the only people who would care so much about the 65 mixes would be the purists who would be buying the mono box anyway.

Are you saying that you ONLY bought the mono box to get the 65 stereos?

 

Presumably the issue was with royalties. Not an issue with the mono box, where the added expense could be rolled into the cost of the entire box, but for the stereo, the CDs are also sold individually. So those 2 albums would have a higher MSRP (or make less money).

 

Is there the same issue when the royalties are for two copies of the same song?

If that's the case, I'm surprised we ever get any CDs with alternate mixes as bonus tracks.

 

My understanding is it is in the US, yes.

 

The 'Martha My Dear' intro is an obvious one. Doesn't bother me at all though, it's hardly the "'Oh Woman, Oh Why' drum intro turning into water drops in 1993", haha. Besides, noise reduction tools came such a long way since they were first introduced. One could argue going back to the (pre-bounced, where it applies) multi-tracks eliminates a few layers of hiss.