Allman Brothers - Idlewild South Deluxe Edition coming out!

It's a great product, and I am really happy it got released. It's just not perfect all around in my opinion with regards to the dynamic range on the stereo track for the main album. Looks like the 5.1 has the full dynamics, so I might create my own stereo downmix.

I just don't understand the logic to use any kind of limiting/compression on an audiophile release (Blu-ray). Makes no sense to me.

I think it sounds good but it definitely would sound better with the full dynamics (which would be around 3 dB more).

 

I want to create my own stereo downmix from the True HD 5.1 mix.

I now have the 6 individual channels of the Blu-ray ripped to individual WAV files (each being a mono file).

Can somebody tell me which channel is which? DVD Audio Extractor automatically numbered these 1 to 6. Which channel is Front L, Front R, Low Freq., Rear L, Rear R, Center?

What's the correct way to downmix?

For example:
Create a stereo track from the Front L&R channels.
Overlap/mix the Rear L&R channels each with 100% level (Rear L to Front L and Rear R to Front R respectively).
Then I need to mix the cenrer channel and the LF channel to this. Do I mix 50% each to the left and right? Or do I have to mix both with 100% to left and right? I am not sure.

 

Speaking for myself, given the choice. I prefer a proper EQ over a small loss in dynamics. If there ever was a recording that could use a bit of modern mastering, this is it.

 

Listening to the Ludlow set on Spotify and I have to say that it sounds flippin' terrific! Sounds like a cleaner tape than my original CD - some of the sonic weirdness and fuzziness of the original is gone (particularly noticeable on the MJ, when Duane and Dickey re-enter from the bass solo). Even some of that horrible amp buzz that is so prevalent on the original seems to have been filtered-out in parts - I've no complaints about being true to the sound of the band, but it was very distracting in places on the original.

I do suspect there's a little bit of noise reduction going on here and there to achieve some of this (parts of the in-between songs are dead silent in places), but I can't hear anything nasty going on with the guitars and the drums have plenty of life and cymbal to them.

Nice too, to get a little more stage chatter & is Duane's first solo in MJ longer too? Have we been living with an edit all these years?

Anyway, it's a great job and, the reinstatement of Elizabeth Reed aside, makes this definitive for me. Well done, folks - I just have to buy it now!

 

Awesome! Can't wait to hear it. Mine is on the way from Amazon uk.

 

Has anyone compared the original album (the BR version) vs the Mofi SACD?

 

afaik the standard output bus (and so the order in which the channels should have come in for this BDA) ought to be:

1 = Front Left,
2 = Front Right,
3 = Centre,
4 = LFE,
5 = Rear Left,
6 = Rear Right.

As for how to create a down mix from those individual stems I'm sorry but I am not "your man" on this question, not only am I not v.technically-minded but I am now very much a surround music person at heart and these days would ordinarily listen only to stereo or mono of a music selection where there is no multichannel mix available or I am listening while on the move out and about etc.. not in every instance, there are some lousy surround presentations out there (whether in the mastering, the mix or both!) so the original stereo mix is still "the one" in a number of cases but increasingly its 4.0/5.1/7.1 music blasting out chez moi rather than 1.0/2.0

 

Thanks for the info on the channel assignment. I also found this from a different source. Listening to the individual ripped channels, this appears to be right (for example, my channel 4 only has the bass guitar in it, and channel 3 has most of the vocals).

I just did make my own downmix. I found out from another source that the LFE and the center channel have to be reduced by 3 dB relative to the other channels since they will be added to both the left and the right channel. The 3 dB reduction represents approx. 70%, and not 50% like I had originally speculated (without giving it much thought).

Since some of the individual channels already Peak at 0 dB, I reduced the left/right channels by 6 dB, and the center channel and LFE channel by 9 dB, and then creating a new downmixed left and right channel. I was able to increase the level of the final result at the end by 1.5 dB, and the peak level is now something like -1 dB or so.

I did some brief listening via headphones, and the overall balance of the instruments/vocals seemed about right to me. This downmix is much more dynamic than the original stereo mix on the Blu-ray.

Here's the DR info of the downmix (I will listen to this now on my main stereo):

Code:

foobar2000 1.3.6 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2015-12-07 20:39:01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: The Allman Brothers Band / Idlewild South (BD Downmix)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR  Peak  RMS  Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR14  -0.95 dB  -17.71 dB  4:09 01-Revival
DR11  -1.49 dB  -16.08 dB  3:32 02-Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
DR13  -1.84 dB  -17.53 dB  3:30 03-Midnight Rider
DR12  -1.51 dB  -16.45 dB  6:57 04-In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
DR12  -1.69 dB  -16.35 dB  4:57 05-Hoochie Coochie Man
DR13  -1.86 dB  -18.30 dB  4:07 06-Please Call Home
DR12  -2.89 dB  -17.99 dB  4:29 07-Leave My Blues At Home
DR14  -2.13 dB  -19.25 dB  4:09 08-Statesboro Blues (Session Outtake)
DR12  -2.21 dB  -17.63 dB  8:20 09-In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed (Alternate Take)
DR12  -1.56 dB  -17.43 dB  3:51 10-One More Ride (Session Outtake)
DR13  -1.48 dB  -16.98 dB  3:52 11-Midnight Rider (Alternate Mix)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks:  11
Official DR value: DR12
Samplerate:  96000 Hz
Channels:  2
Bits per sample:  24
Bitrate:  4608 kbps
Codec:  PCM
================================================================================

 

I'm going to have to get my 5.1 setup done

 

You really do Dennis. I'm listening to it again right now...Gregg straight ahead ( center), everyone else around, and behind me, and I can't control the goosebumps !!!
.

 

My apologizes if this is too far off topic. Are there any rare / unreleased photos in the artwork booklet.

Thanks

 

For the guitar crowd out there I read on "Hittin the Web with the Allman Brothers" an ABB site, that Dickey was actually playing a '50's era hardtail Strat and Duane was playing his Gibson 335 at Ludlow Garage on the date of the recording. Unusual if true. It stated Dickey played that Strat for a brief stint the spring of 1970. Can't wait until I get mine from Bull Moose to hear the improved Ludlow over the fatboy I already have.

 

Yes !

 

Excellent !

How is the quality?

Can you detect any digital enhancement or are they true to the era ?

I can't wait to compare them to all the other ABB photos I've seen !-

 

I remember hearing that some years ago and being gobsmacked by that news - still, if you listen closely, you can hear it's definitely different from his later '71 tone.

Here's a couple of pics, which are presumably from around the same timeframe as that Ludlow gig,

 

I like the EQ better on the new release (less bright, overall more natural sounding), but the dynamics are better on the MFSL Gold CD.

 

Great pics!! I guess Hittin the Web was right about Dickey playing a Strat early on. First picture I've ever seen with Duane playing a Les Paul Custom. Looks like a '68 with the witch hat knobs. I see Dickey has the Strat set to the neck pickup for a fuller tone.

 

Wow, love how this sounds. I can tell that the 5.1 mix is probably really great, quite a lot going on. The stereo downmix is already very nice. Glad I tried this out.

 

Got my order (3-disc Bluray) in late but for $46 total shipped feel pretty good about it. May be a week or two before receipt.

Thanks all for your reviews and heads-up.

PS: Those pics are awesome. I have a 54' Strat custom shop reissue that looks exactly the same except mine is a maple fret board. He whammy bar is removed for like the same reason mine is. My luthier locked it back with a piece of wood which dramatically improved the sustain and tonal quality.

 

4 disc. People here get confused enough as it is.

 

lol Sorry about that. I meant 3-disc plus Blu Ray ;p

 

It really bugs me that they didn't include the ludlow garage concert on the blu-ray. If you order the album at Hdtracks you get the concert in 24/96 but they are to cheap to include it on the blu-ray. If you order the album on hdtracks you don't get the surround version, so to get everything in hd you have to get both. So unfair.

 

Just listened to this and I am amazing at how much better the album tracks sound compared to the MFSL SACD. The MFSL sounds tinny in comparison. This new deluxe edition is a great release.

 

My copy hasn't arrived just yet.

How's Berry in the 5.1 mix?

 

Good, because that is the main reason I purchased this release. All previous versions of the original album that I've heard sound too thin and bass shy.