SH Spotlight Recording and Mastering Questions---Answered here. Any more?

Steve: do you think music would sound different if it was recorded at night instead of during the day? When I become good enough on the guitar to join a band I want to try a small experiment: I want to record at night...meaning between 10 pm and 2 am and I want to see if and how it affects the mood and atmosphere of the music. What you think about this?

 

Personally for me, as a recording musician, I am a night person, so i tend to do it mostly then. I especially have trouble with vocals in the morning, perhaps a day of talking gets them more in shape.

 

At this point, it's mostly to hard drive's. A lot of big studios back up master mixes of digital recording onto 15ips analog tape, however.

 

Steve, what is it about CD's that makes them lose the "warmth" of vinyl? Is it eq choices? Does vinyl add it's own sonic signature to the music? Is 44.1/16 recording just not enough?

 

Steve can answer your question much better than me but here is my point of view: from what I was told by people who have measured this, most vinyl masters hardly contain much information above 17 kHz. From this you can deduce that it is partially the absence of ultra high frequencies that give vinyl its warmer sound.

 

I've heard a LOT of cold, brittle vinyl! I think it's the sampling rate. When you go to 88.2k or 96k, more of the original warmth is retained in the recording.

 

thought so. My next question is, what is it about cd's that lend to bad mastering?

Do the physical limitations of vinyl create a framework who's outcome tends to be on the warm side? I know with cd's, you can pretty much do whatever you want, because you don't have to worry about stuff like needles jumping off the records, or side length.

 

Oooh, nice! Can I ask; back in the days of analog, how were master tapes distributed? Was there a tendency for the country of origin to use the 1st gen master while dupes were sent overseas?

Many thanks!
Glenn

 

Some overseas territories got sent metal parts too, but this is thoroughly unpredictable. I've got some Australian Island discs that use Lee Hulko Sterling cuts, or -1U cuts, and some that are local Aussie cuts that use hissy tapes with no top end - and these are manufactured by the same Australian company. We've also seen recently that Phonogram Australia got the Doug Sax cut of Who's Next, and my New Zealand copy of Clifford T. Ward's Home Thoughts is the UK Porky/Pecko cut. I think my Aussie Axis: Bold As Love is the Track cut too but I'd have to check.

But again, there's seemingly no discernable rhyme or reason as to why one album arrives as tapes and one arrives as metal parts - it's nice when they're metal parts though.

 

A few months back I put on Hole's Celebrity Skin for the first time in a long time and that high mid area was just earbleeding - compressed and boosted like the knobs were stuck on 11. A big change from say, Soundgarden's Superunknown or Pearl Jam's Vitalogy, which both seem to have a perfectly listenable top end.

Is there any particular reason to do this, other than the usual "make it stand out on the radio" lines? Or do some mastering engineers just want to see people's macerated brains seeping out their ears?

 

Although not getting a TT and add some decent entry level components until December, I started to buy some of your work on Vinyl(Rumours & Stadium Arcadium in the past year and just ordered Electric Music for the Mind & Body, with Hounds of Love on my Wish List, but just too expensive currently in NM/M).

Also, being on a major Doors kick this year with the 50th Anniversary of their ST Album, I recently bought on CD(DCC Gold CDs-Doors ST, Strange Days, Waiting for the Sun-all NM paid between $40-$50 with Shipping, but still seeking LA Woman NM at a decent similar price to complete my Collection and bought the AF-Best of Doors Quad-realize I need the appropriate set up/components to get the benefits of this CD being Quad 4.0 and just playing it in the car does not reveal the benefits of your work on a Quad 4.0, but at least I have it for the future. Also just bought AF for Morrison Hotel-Got the corrected (2) version & The Soft Parade-all AF CDs were New/Sealed) and DCC for The Cars-ST-New/Sealed.

One question is about the Albums you have mastered on Vinyl, especially for 'Electric Music for the Mind & Body', since I just discovered this album last year and bought the Deluxe Mono/Stereo 2-CD Set, but certainly also for Stadium Arcadium and other Albums you have mastered on Vinyl:

1. Why is your Mastering work on an album for Vinyl, also not done for the same Title on CD? Is there a lot more work involved to apply the same Mastering to the CD, once you have provided Mastering for the Vinyl? Or Vice Versa, when You Master CDs for The Doors, why not apply the Mastering also for Vinyl on the same albums?

Thanks to your work on The Doors(I am grateful to at least acquire 3 of the 4 DCC Gold CDs NM so far and the AF Gold CDs at an affordable price), it has only renewed my interest in their catalog, along with watching The Classic Album-ST episode on Axis TV recently along with the Documentary, 'When You're Strange', which I just bought the DVD of the Classic Album-ST, which has extra footage not on the Axis TV episode and bought Blu-Ray for 'WYS'(and also Hollywood Bowl Concert).

 

Since you have Mastered(Quad 4.0) a few of the earlier Earth, Wind & Fire Albums on CD(AF), are there any plans to also do the same for any other of their albums? Does Maurice White passing away affect this possibility or does it not matter if the Columbia Label owns the Music(up until the 'Touch the World' album or maybe it was 'Heritage' that was the final Columbia Album)? I am holding out hope for at least 'Gratitude' 'That's the Way of the World', 'All 'N All' & 'Faces' but also would love it if you worked on 'Raise' and the under-rated 'Touch the World' & 'Millennium'(although this album is not under the Columbia Label).

In the meantime, I will hold out hope for you to Master Albums on CDs with AF Label(and/or Vinyl) for David Bowie(especially when RCA versions on CD are a case of settling for the best option or in some cases, for a few of the albums on CD in the recent New Box Sets, but no true great audio options), Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, The CURE, Echo & the Bunnymen and DOVES. And if I could only select 3 albums, 'OK Computer' 'The Holy Bible' & 'Dog Man Star'.

 

One last topic with a few questions:

What is the process that determines your projects for Mastering Albums?

Are you contacted by interested Music Artists or their Labels(if they own the Music), or do you actively seek out albums and Music Artists, who you have a strong interest in adding your Mastering Skills to provide a New and Better Sound Quality to an Album, if you can get access to the original tapes? Or is it both options?

Do you have 1-3 Albums/Music Artists on your Wish List that you would like to provide your own Mastering, if it was possible and if so, can you name them?

 

I thought that was probably the case. It's very hit and miss. I've been buying Aussie pressings of UK/US albums and am never sure whether it's a good idea. Not spending heaps on them, so it's not a big deal anyway.

 

This may be an impossible question, but if you are asked to remaster an album (for cd), how long would it generally take from the moment you receive the tapes/files?

 

7 years???? So was it Hysteria or Chinese Democracy???

 

So it is the label that chooses to not put out your Mastering done on Vinyl also onto CD(or SACD) for 'Stadium Arcadium', 'Electric Music for the Mind & Body, and other albums?

Based on your answer that you get called to Master certain albums, guess that answers my question on potential to do other Earth, Wind & Fire Albums, and assume you do not announce a project that will be for sale until you have confirmation that you will be doing the Mastering. I was just asking, as was curious, if there is a chance you will get to work on other albums in their catalog.

Despite only listening on my ATH-M50 Cans on a portable CD Player and my Honda Accord CD Player/Stock Speakers, The Gold DCC Doors CDs I just received-Wow! Once I build a modest system, will be even more excited to hear these CDs(and Vinyl of 3 albums I mentioned I bought with your Mastering or along with KG for 2 of them), but can't wait to share The Doors with a few other friends to listen to, who are not as passionate into music as I am, to showcase how great Mastering can allow a person to hear an album in a New, Better Way. Will get to the AF Doors 'MH' & TSP' in a few days. Now, can't wait to receive The Cars ST DCC CD.

Appreciate your time to answer questions on this thread.