Radiohead vinyl versions

That's a very helpful response. I certainly understand that concept. There is a huge sound quality difference.

 

More to it that that I suspect. Like the UK people had much better tapes/files/whatever to work with.

 

Exactly, that's what I was eluding to or inquiring about I guess. I think that his response may be more appropriate if it was 1975 and an album was cut from the OMT in the U.S. and UK because at the time there were different styles to mastering vinyl in the U.S. and Europe.

 

In my opinion (and total speculation of course) they used "CD" pre-mastered files in he US for the Capitol reissues, with the compression and EQ already applied, that's why they sound harder and edgier. Mastering option can also be one of the reasons... every mastering engineer has a different taste

 

The thing is, none of us will likely ever know why they sound different. They could very well be using the same tapes (or most likely, the same digital files). It's not like Capital is using a specific cutting engineer like Kevin Gray or Chris Bellman. Most likely a staff engineer who doesn't put initials in the deadwax. A lot of engineers will set up the mastering chain to apply a given amount of compression and then roll off some low end (especially from the Sides, or Difference channels) to make it easier to cut. The engineers that we like here in this forum will usually do as little as possible and really bring out the sound of the master tape.

In the case of OK Computer, the UK was cut by Chris Blair at Abbey Road. In the case of the USA, the reissue has "Mastered by Capitol" in the deadwax and was probably cut by a staff engineer who doesn't spend a lot of time dialing in an audiophile cut.

 

I think this is true, digitally produced music can sound excellent on vinyl, and I have many examples where the vinyl trashes the CD version too.

 

Usually does sound better on vinyl, it's not the exception, it's the rule... and it's called "better mastering"

 

Can't find kid a under 80$ so guess I'll just get the Capitol for now. Is that one still good? I've read somewhere that someone even preferred it to the original. What about the Bends? Haven't heard anything really positive regarding the vinyl quality. Also Amnesiac? Does that one sound good?

 

From my experience the earlier UK releases are pressed and sound better for all albums.

 

IIRC, Capital cuts are Ron McMaster. Also, Capital's mastering chain isn't going to be as good a Cohearant Audio or BGM. I'd imagine Abbey Road is better than Capital as well.

 

I must admit, at first I thought Radiohead and best of sets don't make much sense. Why not buy the albums? They're more an album than a singles type group. I caved and bought the Best Of Vinyl set( Acoustic Sounds still socks it, for now). I think it sounds better than my separate albums and I find the sequencing to be a refreshing change. I can understand Radiohead fans passing on this but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any who are open minded.

 

I was hesitant for the same reasons but eventually bought the 'best of' as well. Sounds great and they get many plays. I also bought the UK versions of the albums too... Like you said, more an album than singles group...

 

So according to an email from Soundstage Direct these are being reissued again domestically!

Hail To The Thief (Pre-Order) »

Maybe it won't be defective like the other domestic pressing.

 

As you've likely heard by now, Radiohead is reissuing all of its albums on vinyl this month. This coincides with Radiohead wresting control of its catalog from Capitol/EMI and all new reissues will be on XL. I've got pre-orders in for a few of them but nothing is known about pressing provenance. Given Radiohead's apparent lack of concern for audio quality, I'm guessing these will be purely digital.

 

Especially since they cut up all the master tapes to put on special editions of the new album. Did they use copy tapes or something? Has that been discussed here?

 

the only radiohead on capitol that i have is kid A …… and i think it sounds great actually…. i was quite surprised. but i only have the cd to compare it with though. it compliments the sound of my uk 'amnesiac'……………... i did find the capitol HTTT horrendous, in terms of sound, AND pressing quality (non fill all over side B) …. i got a refund on that one for sure. the parlophone of that is excellent.

 

From what it looks like, they are keeping copies of the masters and cutting up the actual masters for the deluxe editions of A Moon Shaped Pool.

 

I returned three domestic Capitol copies of Thief. They were all defective. I found the Palophone at a Half Price Books. It's great sounding!

 

I don't know if I misread the statement but what I thought they meant was they'd cut up tapes of alternate takes and not the finished album masters

 

From the website:

This is a piece of a Radiohead ½ inch master tape from an actual recording session.
The tape degrades over time and becomes unplayable. We thought rather than it ending up as landfill we would cut it up and make it useful as a part of the special edition. A new life for some obsolete technology...
Each loop contains about ¾ of a second of audio - which could be from any era in the band's recording past going back to Kid A. You may have silence, you may have coloured leader tape, you may have a chorus... It's a crapshoot.
We have copies. Don't worry.

 

They absolutely have concern for audio quality. They're just not anal analogue audiophiles.

 

It's ambiguous so I hope that was the case.

 

Of course they're not cutting "master tapes" hehehehe, it seems to me that whoever wrote that description used the term "masters" referring to tape used for recordings, so it's not really what we call a "master tape". For all we know, it might just be some leftover tape with recorded stuff that was never used, or a tape running as backup... or whatever. Let's not get carried away, it would be the stupidest thing in Music History if they were actually cutting master tapes as a "nice touch" for the Special Edition

 

there's a pretty significant gulf between being "not anal analogue audiophiles" and releasing music with a DR of 3