They're fresh digital transfers, which is true and not hype. John Davis said they had to use a copy tape for one side of one album, but that otherwise they all were fresh transfers from the true master tapes. No one can know that for sure of course, but thus far there is no evidence to suggest otherwise, and whatever the criticisms some might have of the sonics, a lack of clarity and other symptoms of copy tapes being used, are not among the criticisms leveled at the overall sound of the 2014/2015 remasters. If there was any real "hype" about this, it's the converse, a variation on the "Diament CDs had swapped channels" myth that @lukpac called out above: the hype or myth was the claim that the prior masterings all used inferior tapes. While that might be true for some of the albums, overall it seems that Diament and Marino probably had access to the real master tapes for a good deal more of the albums than the myth would suggest. So the 2014/2015 remasters likely did not use tapes that had never been used before; but they did use the original master tapes for at least most of the albums. @abzach , I have no doubt that you have read in multiple places (though not "everywhere") that the new reissues were remixed. The reason you've read that is because too many people don't know the different meanings of remixed and remastered - and also because a small but vocal group of people write things like, "I can tell just by listening that Page has remixed these," because these people love to "know" things that others don't, and because they don't have a good understanding of how different a remastering can make music sound, including emphasizing different frequencies, which can on occasion change the perceived balance among instruments in a way somewhat similar to how a subtle remix might.
That may be true (I disagree about HOTH, *both* sides are obviously inferior to the Diament), but the "hype" comes in when they claim that the master tapes are "newly discovered" and used for the "first time ever". That is pure marketing hype. In a lot of cases, they appear to have used the same tapes as the Diaments as the differences are barely noticeable, they have the same age defects, dropouts, etc...and then you have albums like HOTH that are clearly inferior to the Diament.
I'm not positive Luke, but I doubt it. I'd have to pull my albums out, but it wouldn't be comprehensive. Maybe someone with more knowledge of the album versions can post about them.
Someone (maybe @Stefan , but I'm not sure) posted a list of the L-R channel orientations on multiple LP and CD versions of Led Zeppelin I, and everyone was surprised when it turned out that the original UK and US LP first pressings had L-R channels swapped relative to each other. So at least for that album, there is no 100% definitive correct orientation. If memory serves, it wasn't 50-50: One orientation showed up on a clear majority of versions, including one of the original LPs, the 1980s Diament CD mastering, and the new 2014/2015 Davis mastering. So I would suspect that's the "correct" orientation. But there's no way of knowing for sure, unless you had a trusted source who could tell you which is L and which is R on the true master tape.
First of all, the "newly discovered tapes" claim was about the bonus material, not the core remastered albums. Secondly, don't tell me or anyone else here what album they should or shouldn't like, I personally love the sound of the recent Houses... remaster, and many others do too... I see you've only been a member here for just over a month, please learn some manners and decorum before venturing any further emphatic opinions and you'll get on just fine here, thank you.
... but I won't - and I actually prefer the Davis of LZ IV as well. Regarding the Diament HOTH, if I may explain, what always bothered me was the poor sound at the very beginning of Dancing Days, especially after that almost non existing pause between that and the previous track, it always sounded like a hasty job to me from a damaged tape. I bought it upon release back in the 80's. It wasn't on the vinyl I previously had recorded on cassette. The Marino fixed that but is peak limited and has terrible distorsion on The Ocean. On the Davies, all this is finaly fixed - I haven't heard any glitches, so I'm quite happy with it along with a vinyl rip of the original UK press. Regarding the Sidone LZ IV, it has annoying drop outs at the end of Stairway To Heaven which I noticed at once when I bought it upon first release back then - and same here, the Marino is peak limited (which I hate), the Davies is not - that's why I prefer it, even though the Sidone might overall very well sound closer to the original vinyl ( I have a good sounding 70's press vinyl as well of this album) which I usually prefer over tweakad with remasters (as I think most of you have noticed by now). Like I said in another thread, I do prefer the Diament for all but those two - for the above reasons. We all notice different things, there's no absolute truth about such matters. I'm happy with what I got right now, a combination of vinyl rips, Diamant CD's, vinyls and Davis remasters. I might change my mind in the future about the above - things like this is a constant journey of development, just as I think it should be. Good night.
Well you were spreading falsehoods about what tapes were used. Sorry for pointing that out. If you like the sound of a bad copy tape as opposed to a master tape, that's fine. Just don't expect other people on an audiophile forum to agree with you (and most of us don't).
The same oddness at the start of Dancing Days is on the latest remaster: As far as the gap after The Crunge goes, it's almost exactly 1 second on the Diament CD.
I recall that HOTH master is beat up in places. Mainly where leader tape is cut in. Not a shock. I want to expand on what tmtotmh said. I think the engineers and the decisions went towards better tapes used at times, but not always. In fact, I think the tapes they used the 2nd time around was the best attempt, but the attempts to get the EQ similar, especially for the box-sets, was heroic (or a joke). I listen to the first two albums on CD that were first put out there. They used to sound good, but now they sound like heaven when in the headroom of what's out there now, called remasters. Mixed...bag. Besides, they did IV at Island when it was calibrated like poo.
Just ignore them. Those who prefer the compressed sound of the loud Davis remasters are ignorant and love to trample on our opinions of the original CDs, and even the true facts stated about them. Oh, and they also HATE to hear anything positive to do with those old 80's Diament masterings as well. Trust me, they bite my head off for praising the Diaments all the time. So it's no different that they'd do the same to you, or anyone else who likes the old school "classic" sound.
I don't hear that, to my ears the start sounds good on the 2015 remaster. I think the pause is too short, I see it like I described.
The 2015 remasters are compressed, yes - but they're not so loud that they hit the limits to be brick walled peak limited, like the 1994 remasters. I was happy to find that out when they were released.
I have another question: wasn't there an issue about some part missing at the end of Hats Off to (Roy) Harper on the Diament LZ III? Or do I remember that wrong?
.... now I remember, Hats Off to (Roy) Harper is faded out earlier on some releases of the album and not on others - what's the story about that?
What falsehoods? I was right about the Diament remasters, and I may or may not have been right about the Marino's... depending on what Jimmy Page meant exactly by "original analogue tapes". It all comes down to EQ choices on the part of Jimmy and the mastering engineer; be they Barry, George, Bernie, or John! Everyone has their own preferences, different strokes for different folks... let's just be cool with each other's opinions and things will be just dandy . According to John Davis himself, and many audiophiles here, the recent remasters are not compressed...
I just go by what I see looking at the wave files, and the 2015 remasters have about half of the peaks compered to the Diaments.
Say what you will about the Marinos; the albums,the complete box, and crop circles, but they're not brickwalled.
The same here, I just go by what I see in the wave files, and the peaks are "cut" right of hitting the fence, isn't that brick wall peak limiting? Maybe I use the wrong term for that - what should I call it then?
Yeah, let's be thankful none of the Zeppelin CDs are garbage(Mothership and HTWWW excepted). The worst among them are still better than a lot of groups'.
... just checked out the wave forms of Achilles Last Stand 1994 remaster, definitely brick wall peak limited - don't know what else to call it...
