Do You Agree With George Martin On Re-Mixing Analogue Recordings for Digital Audio?

I did, I did.....

 

I wouldn't call Love a "mangling" - it's not as if they handed the raw tracks to an EDM DJ - more of a re-contextualizing of familiar material. I'd just like to hear these wonderful songs, these songs that, as Todd Rundgren said "are now encoded in our DNA" without having to make allowances for the limits of the technology. Love showed that recordings were excellent, but that the limitations of the mixing boards and the need to go down additional generations to accomplish their artistic goals added layers of hiss and tape saturation that were an unintended side effect.

 

Indeed!

 

Forgive my lack of knowledge here. I'm not a recording, mixing or mastering engineer, and my terminology may be way off, but does this mean that according to Sir George mixes of the same music which is released now should be different on each format now given the different frequency ranges still exist? I understand from reading above that he did remix some of The Beatles albums prior to their first release on CD. Isn't it really (re-)mastering properly (tastefully!) for the relevant format, including possibly cleaning up some parts during that process, rather than remixing which is the art here?

[Please educate me if you have time/inclination!]

 

I think George/Giles Martin would be able to remix the Beatles without following that training manual...

 

"Remastering" is done from the mixed mono, stereo, 3 or 4 track "master" tape. It was created in the studio at the time, and almost always features material that was originally recorded on another tape. As the two principal analog tape noise reduction systems, Dolby and DBX, didn't exist at the time the Beatles were recording, the hiss inherent in the original tape got mixed into the master tape.

Fortunately, EMI engineers were exceptionally good at documenting and preserving all the original material, and preserved those earlier tapes. So they were able to transfer all of them, load them into a digital workstation, synchronize all the tracks and wind up with a multi-track recording that compares very favorably to current studio recordings. With Love, George and Giles took the opportunity to have a lot of fun with these isolated elements and build a surround mix, but they could. just as easily, do a very subtle job of remixing, closely following the original mixes. The difference is, it would sound far better than it ever has before.

 

I think so too, but only because he is old enough to have been a producer back when production was part of the creative process, and he knows how to accomplish things by coloring outside the lines.
But, the guy did a good enough job first time around I can't for the life in me see any purpose to it.

 

I don't know enough about it and George knows more them 99.9% of the members here so I'll go with him.

 

On occasion, you say interesting and worthwhile things, but your insistence that everything worthwhile in music happened while you were a young man is just sad.

Production is as vital a part of music as it ever was, and a good case can be made that it is a far greater part these days.

 

yes, I agree...no reason whatsoever to change a good thing...

 

yes he does as he was there, but the fans can dislike remixes and be correct...

 

As long as the original mixes remain available, why should anyone be concerned that one of the most important creative contributors to a work would like another crack at it? I know I can't look at any of my artistic endeavors and not think "I really should fix that bit". Despite the current fetish for vintage equipment, the truth is that vast majority of cheap equipment available today is better audio quailty than what was in most studios back in the day. George Martin is an engineer. And one of the defining characteristics of the species is the ability to dispassionately evaluate tools and techniques.

 

I guess you missed the complete retail disappearance of the original STEREO mixes of Help & Rubber Soul? Having them available on a MONO box set is NOT acceptable in my book..OK... that said, I have no problem with a remix if it doesn't REPLACE the original mix...fat chance of that not happening.

 

I don't know about George, but I agree with Dean Martin on mixing: "If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt."

 

But that just proves though that the original mixes are still there, and available, and have been released. The '87 remixes haven't erased them.
If the albums are remixed for decent stereo, in much the way that YSS and Love did, then I'm all for it. It won't replace anything, it will be a new offering of the timeless classic songs and allow them to be heard in stereo in a much more pleasing way than is possible currently - especially on those first couple of LP's! As long as they're remixed to good stereo without altering the overall tone and intrinsic sound, then yep! Let's have it! And of course, the old original mixes will still be there too...

 

Interesting thought.

 

I think George Martin knows a way more about this than I do.

 

Just in case anyone is interested, I have just posted a new thread about covers of every Beatles song:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/covers-of-every-beatles-song.388913/

 

How so? There's only two tracks (music and vocals) to 'mix' on those first two albums, so all that can be done is to bring those two tracks in slightly (which you can do yourself). Impossible to mix into 'decent' stereo.

 

you are joking right? the fan who wants to have the original stereo mixes of H &RS have to buy the MONO box! hysterical..remixes will without a doubt replace the original mixes...it has been proven numerous times with numerous artists on CD...

 

obviously not totally! Martin should do a reversal of his Help & Rubber Soul remixes!