Beatles Mono VINYL Box Set - 8th September 2014 Release Date (Part 6)

I was going to discuss but I think that's for another thread.

 

Yes, it greatly reduces the ringing..I used to have to sleep with the TV on. One thing however....I don't play live gigs anymore as this will agrivate the condition. I still have "episodes" but nowhere near as bad. Do you wear ear protection while playing? This is a must!!!

 

This is just mother natures' way of saying she prefers the stereos.....................

 

Perhaps.....

 

lol.. if they didn't tell you they did this, you'd never have known.

 

So Please Please Me is from a 2nd gen copy. Seems like this was an unavoidable choice between the lesser of two evils, as far as sticking to the analog domain Is concerned. This raises a number of questions, however.

Is Please Please Me the only 2nd gen master in this upcoming set?

I cant imagine how this could be limited to a single master tape, assuming a similar tape formulation has been used for many, if not all of their catalogue. What Is the general condition of the rest of the tapes, both session and masters? Are they in poorer shape than we were led to believe?

Is it still possible this could be the best pressings ever, or more likely that the age and condition of the tapes will be revealed compared to original pressings? None other than our host has emphasized the importance of using the best, lowest gen master. Is this an acceptable compromise? I suppose we will soon find out for ourselves.

The stereo masters have seen even more mileage (e.g. the intro to A Hard Days Night on the 2009 remaster). Does this further reduce the likelihood of a future analog vinyl treatment or will we see more 2nd gen sources from this point forward?

 

Another thing to consider...if this is the beginning of the end of the master tapes people might want to re-consider there pre-order cancellations as this set could be the last of the analog releases...I'd like to know what speed the new "master" was recorded at...30ips...15ips? That would make a difference hiss wise............

 

If the box is limited to a 40,000 run, then my bet is the box will sell out within two years or possibly sooner. The mono CD set has already sold over 70.000 units according to Variety.

 

This!

Still, I'll be intrigued to play the CD mono box version (presumably from the master) of this vs. this new 2nd gen tape transfer to vinyl.

Sounds like the PPM master-tape has some serious sticky-shed issues :/ Perhaps a variation on this treatment would be prudent (I tried this and it worked for me - and believe me I was a sceptic!). Obviously, it's a very contentious treatment when dealing with something as priceless as a Beatles master, but if nothing is done.....

http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=13954

- John

 

I believe if the Mono CD box had not been pirated, it would have sold out long ago. Unfortunately for that box, it was/is heavily pirated and discounted.

 

If they really sound excellent I think that they will sell out even faster, because may be many people will get more than one box, having in mind that this is more likely the last AAA Beatles product and in few years a mint box can be sold for quite a profit.

 

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.

 

Let's not start or encourage this paranoia. We don't want a repeat of 2009 all over again.

 

Right, seeing as we are all counting down the days, something occurred to me. The last two box sets, the US & Japan, I ordered through Amazon UK, each time I received an E-mail on the Saturday to say that they were on their way & would be delivered on the Monday. Well, in each case they arrived on the Sunday (good service) & both times I was out for the day.

Do I wait in on Sunday 7th Sept just in case they arrive early again? I think I'll have to. This set is coming via Amazon again.

 

The smile curve is a separate issue. Find me a post or review before this year where someone has nailed the intro of MFSL Michelle vinyl being a 2nd generation. I'm not defending 2nd gen transfers. Sometimes, like the catastrophic disintegration of the intro of Michelle or the shedding of oxide with PPM, an analog transfer is the only way out. I'll take a solid analog transfer over an A/D conversion into the newest wiz bang, gee wiz converter box any day.

 

All good questions. The first one is easily answered as they have publicly stated that all LPs were cut from the original master tapes after Please, Please Me.

Given the age of the tapes, a fantastically mastered original UK is going to have the freshest sound, and that's usually evident in the upper mids and highs. That being said, these reissues might render more impact, more depth, given that they're being manufactured with higher quality equipment in mind (though their listening with an Ortofon 2M Black leaves me a bit puzzled). I'm going to guess that, given the care they're putting into it and being done at Abbey Road (which usually does extraordinary work) that they've done it right and as good as it is going to get at this point. There are going to be some aspects that will be improved over originals, but originals will have the edge in other areas. I don't think there's a situation where, as Steve Hoffman did with the Nat King Cole releases, they can go back to some rarely used session tapes and mix onto lacquers on the fly and save a whole generation.

If you want to be astonished with fresh sound from old albums, check out the Nat King Cole offerings (especially on 45rpm) or even the Patsy Cline Greatest Hits reissue that AP put out, also from session tapes (skipping a whole generation and sounding it!) and mixed on the fly.

 

Perhaps I don't understand what you mean by "Find me a post or review before this year where someone has nailed the intro of MFSL Michelle vinyl being a 2nd generation." Can you say this in another way?

 

I know that in the US, if you opt for Free Shipping, it could take a while to get to you once it comes out. I pre-ordered mine through SoundstageDirect, along with some cleaning fluid, which means they can't send it Media Mail. UPS Ground is going to be their only option for free shipping (I would guess they're not going to do a free upgrade to 3-day shipping). UPS Ground is only slightly faster. I learned how USPS does their Media Mail. They have a separate bin for it, which only gets sent out once it's full. You could be lucky and have your package be put in the bin as it's getting full so it will be sent out quickly, or it could be sitting in there for days in the Post Office facility until the bin gets filled up. Then it goes out by Parcel Post (ground).

 

AFAIK no one has exactly known that the Michelle intro was 2nd gen except Stan R and Mitch M (until Mitch M. told me). No golden ears type has ever noticed, at least not enough to write about it. I would think, with the way those remasters have been picked apart over the decades, that if there was a problem someone would have mentioned it.

 

All of 'Michelle' is second generation, due to the 4-track being copied to another 4-track during recording. Are you sure you're not getting confused with that?

 

Y'know, I didn't know that. I always wondered why the sound of that track didn't sound as vivid as the others. Is that true for the mono AND stereo?

 

Every mix.

 

I'm sorry, but you're wrong. The Patsy Cline reissue (vinyl, DSD download and SACD) was sourced from the 1/4" compilation master tape assembled in 1967, not from the 1/2" 3-track session tapes. It's official: http://analogueproductions.com/index.cfm?do=detail&Title_ID=86032

 

I want to make sure I understand: they made a new (2014) analog tape copy from the original 1963 PPM mono LP master tape? Then they mastered the new vinyl from that copy? I assume the only reason they didn't master the vinyl from the original tape is because they feared it would be damaged or worn further? But then in order to make that copy, they had to subject the master to wear and tear anyway...