Alan Parsons Project - "I Robot" 1984 Arista CD - right channel distortion

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by ToTo Man, Jan 24, 2011.

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  1. ToTo Man

    ToTo Man the band not the dog Thread Starter

    Location:
    Scotland, UK.
    Picked up this CD used recently ("I Robot" 1984 first pressing on Arista) and gave it a spin tonight for the first time. I was someone surprised to find that most (if not all) of the tracks are distorted in the right channel. By 'distorted' I mean the kind of crackly distortion one gets when they turn an oxidised potentiometer that needs to be cleaned with switch cleaner. This is the first time I've experienced such a major flaw in the mastering of a CD. Does anyone else have this distortion on their copy?

    Here's a couple of samples -
    http://www.filedropper.com/08dayafterdaytheshowmustgoon
    http://www.filedropper.com/09totaleclipse
     
  2. ChristianL

    ChristianL Senior Member

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    The crackling at the beginning of "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" is on the MFSL silver disc, too. But not on a German CD I've recorded to DAT and not on the Classic Redords DVD-Audio version. Both companies (MFSL and Classic Records) claim to have used the original master tapes. One of them must be lying :laugh:
     
  3. ToTo Man

    ToTo Man the band not the dog Thread Starter

    Location:
    Scotland, UK.
    Do you have the details of your German CD pressing to hand?

    My pressing says:
    Arista, 610 142-222, LC 3484, Printed in West Germany.
     
  4. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

    I have an original Made In Japan for US CD of this title, and I do not notice it. I also have the Classic Records HDAD, but I like the eq on my original Arista CD better. My original Arista has no barcode on it anywhere. It is not silver to the center.
     
  5. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam



    Just a couple quick notes. The original jewel case is ribbed but there is only one CD logo imprinted on the tray; on the upper right hand corner. There is no CD logo on the lower left hand corner.
     
  6. ChristianL

    ChristianL Senior Member

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    I'm sorry, I had not noted the pressing/matrix numbers when I made the DAT copy back then...
     
  7. ToTo Man

    ToTo Man the band not the dog Thread Starter

    Location:
    Scotland, UK.
    Ok no problem. I've just bought a 1987 USA pressing, so I'll see how this compares to my 1984 German Arista.
     
  8. ToTo Man

    ToTo Man the band not the dog Thread Starter

    Location:
    Scotland, UK.
    Pleasingly, my new copy is distortion free :).
     
  9. WilsonTTC

    WilsonTTC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    How is the reissue that came out a couple years ago (with a few bonus tracks) compare to the original?
     
  10. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    How does the mastering compare to the German Arista disc? I really like the sound of that disc but the distortion is annoying!
     
  11. Lucidae

    Lucidae AAD

    Location:
    Australia
    Another option to consider is the DSD download from Acoustic Sounds.
     
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  12. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Robert C likes this.
  13. PH416156

    PH416156 Alea Iacta Est

    Location:
    Europe
    I hear some hissing sounds during the beginning of the first track, then no distortion on the right channel for the rest of the album. Just finished listening to it ( only the right channel was enabled, of course) via Cambridge Soundworks PC speakers.

    My copy is a German Arista with cat # 259 651, if I'm not mistaken that's the 2nd or 3d euro pressing on CD.
     
  14. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I got the USA disc to compare. No distortion (which is good!) but I think I prefer the EQ on the West German CD. It has a deep bass groove that isn't as big on the USA CD. The US has more top end detail I think. The WG has noticeably more tape hiss. Shame about the distortion.
     
  15. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    I just got a used copy of the (original?) Arista (no bonus tracks.) It was cheap, so hey. Is the remaster of this one an improvement?
     
  16. Ecki

    Ecki Forum Resident

    Best sounding version by far (imho): Deluxe Edition 2013.
    Nice: Bonus material from the previous release has been extended and banned on the second disc
     
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  17. albertop

    albertop Forum Resident

    I've just got an Australian reissue of I Robot (SPCD 1102) on Ebay. The CD was pressed by Disctronics, probably in 1987 or 88 (when the company was founded). Artwork and CD still show the same style and graphics of the original Arista CD. I've uploaded the details here.

    I don't have the original German or US versions for a comparison, but this sounds good to me. Good bass and mids, but I prefer the treble EQ of the Acoustic Sounds version (a bit warmer, less pronounced). I couldn't notice the distortion issue on this CD. I've also checked for an eventual pre-emphasis, but it was pressed without, thankfully.

    I made analyses of both versions (Aussie CD and DSD from Acoustic Sounds) using Xivero Musicscope, feel free to download the results from this Dropbox folder. Some songs are more dynamic in one version, some in the other. I always use MusicScope as I think that the DR value doesn't tell much about the actual dynamics of a song.

    I'll get the new MOFI SACD next week and check that as well. Hopefully it will be the best sounding version of the three I have so far!
    Cheers
     
  18. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    Yesterday I came across an early Arista 610 20142-222. Strange thing is that the disc matches the original disc, only the matrix ends on "02" instead of "01". But the artwork, both booklet and back inlay, claim it's a Arista 259 651. So the catalog number on the disc isn't mentioned on the artwork, and visa versa. It's probably a store misplacement…

    I can hardly hear the distortion that is mentioned by the OP, although once pointed to, it can easily be heard on the intro of The crackling at the beginning of "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)". The disc sounds okay SQ-wise, although I think it's more trebly and less smooth than the early Eye In The Sky disc on Arista (it also sounded a bit "nervous" on my main system, but that could be caused by my family who kept talking to me when I tried to listen to it).

    Music-wise I think this album is a pleasant listen. I was almost going to place an order for the MFSL SACD when I saw the DR of that release and immediately lost all interest. DR-wise it seems that the Distronics CD is the one to get, although I think I'll just stick to my Arista 610 20142-222.
     
  19. albertop

    albertop Forum Resident

    I wouldn't worry about the DR of the new MoFi SACD, it's an excellent release and is easy to find. I've discussed it a bit more here: The Alan Parsons Project I Robot MFSL SACD »
    Your Arista CD is also very good though!
     
    Yost likes this.
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