Amy Winehouse - Back To Black Deluxe Edition - different mastering......

Well, well, well.......

I recently picked up a new edition of this great album (see here for details) - I already have the standard UK edition but it's been in the car for months so I didn't hesitate in getting this new "deluxe edition" [DE] especially since it comes with a bonus CD of great tracks.

I mean, the album itself would just be the same master as the standard edition so there was no point buying it to get a better version of the actual album, right?.......


Wrong!!

I noticed that disc 2 in the DE was much louder than disc 1 when listeing on my boombox in the bathroom the other day but didn't think too much of it at the time - I just figured they had probably mastered the bonus disc even hotter than the album disc. Now, having just loaded them both up on my computer I am astonished to discover that the DE is different to the SE.

Not just a little bit different either - the DE is about half as loud in terms of the peak levels when compared to the standard edition [SE]. The SE has all tracks peaking at 100% of full scale whereas the DE peaks are around the 50% mark!

I rarely if ever see any CDs with such low peaks - even old ones. Maybe this was an error?.....

Whatever the reason it's good news because a closer look at the waveforms reveals that the DE has a more natural look to it that the spiky looking SE.

Here's a screen grab from a zoomed in section of Rehab - SE left and right channels at the top, DE left and right channels at the bottom:



Here's a grab from You Know I'm No Good:



What is clear in both is that the SE has had some digital processing done to make the peaks far more exagerrated than would occur naturally with sound waves. The DE looks far more likely to be the waveform as it would have looked pre-processing.

It makes me wonder if they didn't use a pre-processed master by mistake on the DE - it stays in synch with the SE so one is certainly derived from the other. The only difference is that the peaks haven't been exaggerated on the DE. I don't suppose for one minute that Universal intended to put out such a quiet CD - especially since the bonus disc in the same package maxes out at 100% or just below for most tracks.

Whatever the reason, it's a godsend for those of us who like their music a little less in your face than the current trend. I find the DE version much easier on the ear when played at similar volumes. Hi-hats that are harsh on the SE are much less grating on the DE and the overall presentation is just more relaxed on the.

I know I stood up for the SE mastering in a previous thread and I stand by what I said - the mastering is what it is and without another version available I was happy to call Back To Black the greatest album of recent times (20 years or so if you are wondering what I mean by recent times). However, I love the sound of the DE even more as it still has the same grit and grunge of the SE but without the glassy fatiguing sound.

Here's a 30 second clip of Rehab from each edition - I haven't adjusted volumes so beware:

Rehab (standard edition)

Rehab (deluxe edition)


Weirdly, both CDs have the exact same matrix numbers etc.. The only distinguishing features are a different IFPI code [SE=IFPI 0467, DE=IFPI 0457] stamped in the plastic inner ring (the IFPI code etched in the matrix area are the same on both discs) and the addition in parentheses of the catalogue number [174 909 7] of the DE set on the end of the print on the outer rim of the label. In every other respect the discs look identical. This is odd - from the matrix number the glass master seems to be identical for both CDs yet the data isn't. This is one reason I believe this difference between the editions must be an error (I'm guessing the two editions should have been the same) - albeit a fortuitous one for those who care about sound quality.

Maybe I am being too cynical - is it possible Universal have realised the error of their ways and finally released a CD that doesn't promote the loudness wars? Will we be bemoaning the fact that CDs are getting too quiet in years to come?!?

Coming back to planet Earth for a minute - I think it probably is an error so my advice is to get one of these Deluxe Editions as soon as you can if you want to hear Amy sounding better than ever!

 

As I say, the SE has all tracks peaking at 100% full scale according to EAC. In contrast here are the EAC peaks for the DE:

Track 1

Peak level 47.3 %

Track 2

Peak level 45.5 %

Track 3

Peak level 54.5 %

Track 4

Peak level 43.1 %

Track 5

Peak level 46.8 %

Track 6

Peak level 40.9 %

Track 7

Peak level 47.8 %

Track 8

Peak level 41.4 %

Track 9

Peak level 40.9 %

Track 10

Peak level 44.9 %

Track 11

Peak level 46.8 %

As you can see, these are remarkably low!!

However, despite the lower than ideal levels (which means we are losing out on some of the resolution 16-bit offers), the advantage of the DE not having the digital processing that exaggerates the peaks on the SE makes for a much better sounding result to my ears.

 

Here's a direct link to the amazon UK listing of the Deluxe Edition:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Black-...6380668?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1194719050&sr=8-3

 

Thanks Mal! I'll place my order now and will let you know if mine is corrected or has the same mastering when it arrives (probably 2 weeks to get here in Kentucky with the holidays and all...)

By the way - great signature line; one of my faves!

 

Wow... downloading the clips right now... can't wait to check these out.

Thanks Mal!

 

You read my mind. I have not played an album more in recent memory than this one. It's in my top 10 of all time!

 

It really is a terrific album. This CD never makes it back to the shelves. It's my favorite debut since . . . Marshall Crenshaw? (Yes, I realize it's only her U.S. debut.)

Cripes, I may triple-dip, since there's a Best Buy version with a bonus DVD of acoustic performances. Anyone got an opinion on the Best Buy bonus material?

 

Is the deluxe edition a UK release only?

 

Could be - the discs are pressed in the UK.

 

It's up here....doesn't say Import.....$21.99.

 

I guess it's not exlusive to the UK then - where are the discs pressed for the ones in Canada?

 

I'll let you know when I buy it. Hopefully this weekend.

 

I'm curious to see what people say about this, because to my own non-audiophile ears Mal's samples sound pretty much the same (when played at the same volume). It HAS to be a mistake, though, because even if they decided to release a more audiophile mastering, there's no way they would keep peaks under 50%. Are you sure it isn't the same squashed mastering, just cut really quiet by accident?

As an aside, I sent a CDR to a forum member awhile ago, and he said to me "What did you do to [song X]? It sounds so much better than the standard CD!" All I had done was lower the volume. Even the best ears can play tricks on you, I presume.

 

I just level matched each track and gave them a listen. They sound pretty much the same to me too. Based on these samples, the UK vinyl sounds much better.

 

Other than the volume, they also sound the same to me.

 

Doesn't always have to be a trick since many digital filters can't properly handle digital peaks near max (very high distortion), since they will go above 0dB when oversampled and interpolated. It's called intersample peaking, and is why many recommend mastering CDs at -3dB, and why some digital filters reduce the level before processing further. It's also why ProTools has an oversampling plugin, so engineers can see what the levels will be during playback and thus adjust the mastering level to keep the intersample peaks below 0dB. So it is conceivable (and anecdotally accepted by many of us) that lowering the CD digital level by a couple dB or so can lead to better sounding playback on many of the modern masterings that are pushed constantly to 0dB

 

Mal, these waveforms look like you've zoomed in on the samples of a certain section, but I think in order to make a valid assessment we'd need to see a screen shot of an entire song.

If the waveforms still look somewhat sawed off in the DE then it's possible we're talking about a new master made by playing back the digital master and re-recording it through another set of converters. And judging from what everyone says about comparing the clips - that may be what happened here.

 

Wow -- didn't know ANY of that! Thanks!

 

I don't see how it could be missed - even at the same volume, the standard sounds like it is clearly clipping in places that the deluxe does not. I'm not even anywhere near as picky as most of the SH regulars but the sound quality of this album has been one of my only problems with it - I love this album, but I find it hard to listen to. It's rare that the sound actually influences how often I listen, but it does with this one. I think I'll be ordering this shortly. One last Christmas gift to myself . . .

 

I've just compared Mal's mp3s in a wave editor (Samplitude 10 Pro). After normalizing both, they still look different and the Deluxe looks (a little) less processed. But as the headroom is -7.63 dB, I suppose it is not audiophle mastering, but simply the wrong file used.

Martin

 

Mal;

The Deluxe Edition here in Canada is indeed manufactured in the UK (I just picked up a copy at Future Shop here in Calgary).

I've only listened to it in the car, but it does sound more natural to my ears. I'll have to A/B it with the UK vinyl and my standard Canadian issue CD.

Thanks for the heads-up!

 

Does it look and sound as good as the US vinyl?



http://www.badongo.com/file/5223263

 

For those who can't hear the difference......

While there are some explicit audible differences - such as a harsher top end and more "in your face" sound to the SE (standard edition) there is also an almost subconcious difference. For me, it is clear that my brain is having a harder time with the SE mastering. The effect is best described as an oppressive feeling - like the feeling I get when I am under a lot of stress and it makes listening to the music a decent hi-fi a rather unpleasant experience overall. In the car on on a boombox the effect isn't so pronouned since these playback systems tend to have all sorts of deficiencies themselves which mask the mastering problems to some extent.

Anyway, I find a lot of modern mastering has this almost subconcious effect on me - I put it down to the unnatural sound of digital compression.

Now back to the science......

An interesting question - and after some analysis I have to say it looks just as good and sounds even better!

Here are the different waveforms and mp3 files for a short clip of "Me & Mr. Jones":

Standard edition (CD): SE.mp3




Deluxe Edition (CD): DE.mp3




Deluxe Edition (CD) nomalised: DE+5.3dB.mp3




LP: LP.mp3




Based on the LP sample posted I have to say that the DE CD release is easily my favourite edition so far.

 

I should have said I can't tell the difference "on these crappy computer speakers!".