Grateful Dead HD Tracks Complete Studio Album Collection

I saw this posted on HD Tracks and was wondering if anyone downloaded it yet and has an opinion? I would have probably jumped on it if it included Live Dead, Skull & Roses and Europe 72 however I'm still interested it's just that HD Tracks has been very inconsistent in the quality of their downloads. However the following makes it sound like this was done right.

"From David Glasser, Chief Grateful Dead Engineer, Airshow Mastering:The Grateful Dead studio albums were mastered from the original master tapes in Airshow Studio C, Boulder, CO. Transfers were done at 192kHz / 24 Bit from an Ampex ATR with Plangent replay electronics to a Prism ADA-8XR A/D converter into a soundBlade workstation. The studio, designed by Sam Berkow, has Dunlavy SC-V loudspeakers driven by Ayre Acoustic amps.

For comparison I referenced the previous CD versions and original LPs. The goal was to remain faithful to the originals while at the same time extracting as much resolution and detail as possible using modern technology, and improving on the original releases, if possible. Some of the masters were transferred flat with no EQ or compression. (That is a testament to the mixing and production of the day; Terrapin Station, in particular, sounded spectacular right off the tape.) When needed, EQ was either a solid-state Prismsound MEA-2, API 5500, or newly manufactured Pultec EQM-1A3 tube equalizers. Very light compression from a Fairman TMC was used on 5 of the titles. No peak limiting was used on any of the masters with the exception of Built to Last, the only album that was originally mixed to a digital recorder (Sony 1630). All the dynamics of the master recordings have been retained. Several of the tape boxes contained the original LP EQ notes, and these were taken into consideration. "

 

Should be some stuff here http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/hdtracks-news-part3.327529/page-18#post-9469680

 

I hope that this gets a Blu Ray Audio release.

 

Wow, this could be really good. I'm glad to see that they are using the Plangent technologies stuff - the Dead crew seem to be the only ones that are, and it is actually technology that makes a difference! I saw a presentation by the Plangent guys a few years back, and they explained the technology and then played examples of "with" and "without" using it. The examples included Billy Joel, and some others, but the most striking were Simon and Garfunkle tracks. Apparently they transferred the Simon and Garfunkle tracks from several of the album masters using the technology, but when they were played and compared by unnamed record executives, those persons felt like the non-Plangent versions sounded "more like when we were listening to them in the 60's". When we heard the differences in the examples played, they were not subtle, and the Plangent versions were truly much much better, light-years better.

 

Has anyone pulled the trigger on this? My Dead CDs got ripped off years ago and I want to replace them - thinking about this vs the Rhino box - anyone compare?

 

Yes, but I haven't listened yet. It took hours to rearrange that mess from HDTracks, but I'm not really complaining. It's somewhat a labor of love.

 

The HDTracks versions don't include the bonus tracks from the Rhino box if you're concerned about that sort of thing. I personally like a lot of the bonus tracks more than the proper albums in some cases.

 

Thx - interested to hear what you think. What do you mean by mess, btw?

 

It's one big folder with all the 1s followed by all the 2s etc.

This is typical of how they present their multi disc sets, but it was much more of a hassle since this set had 13 albums.

 

whew man that sounds like a hassle - I see the Rhino boxes also include the live releases as well in addition to bonus tracks etc - tempting/tough decision - a lot more material on the Rhino box for less money but I'm assuming (hoping?) the HD tracks will trounce the Rhinos sound-wise.

 

For those that have purchased this - Is there a significant difference in sound quality between 24/96 and 24/192 for this release? I don't mean to start a debate about the merits of high rez - 96 vs. 192. Just curious if there is a significant difference between the two for this particular release.

 

I suspect that most who have purchased have not purchased, or heard, both. I went 'all-in' for the 24/192. I posted some comments in the other thread here a few weeks ago.

 

I'm curious about this as well - I know next to nothing about hi-rez - is it fair to say that one would need a stellar system and great ears to distinguish the diff between the two file types in general?

 

Yes, who would buy them both?

Actually, I have probably a half dozen cases where I have both but it's usually because the lower bit rate album came out first and I was impatient. That said, at times I've heard differences between 192k and 96k though it's subtle and not noticeable on all recordings to the same degree. Often I can't hear any difference.

That said, I'd rather spring for the 192k versions just to be sure. It's not that much more money and at this point in my life I'm not going to worry about a few bucks especially when it comes to my passion.

Think of it this way. How many people bought low bit rate mp3's thinking they sounded just fine, and ended up having to rebuy them later in better formats? I never did but this is probably my last trip on the merry go round for most of these albums and even if I can't hear the differences in all cases now, I may at some point down the road. If not, it's not that much money and hard drive space is no longer a consideration.

 

Good point. I thought about that after I posted my question.

 

For reference, here are the links to the HDtracks Complete Studio Album Collection:

96/24 version

192/24 version

 

They were re-mastered at 24/192, so the 24/96 must be a step downgrade, but whether it's audible is another issue.
Not sure anyone would have both sets to compare, as that would be an expensive legal duo-purchase.

I have the 24/192's, but never had many of the CDs, and my vinyl is a distant memory.
They sound good to me, but I have no control to A/B.

 

Any more comments on the sound quality of this set? Which titles have compression used on them? Is this superior to the original CDs?

 

At least with regard to compression, have you looked at the DR database? You'll likely find the answer you're looking for.

 

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=grateful+dead&album=

 

Thanks, it seems like Go to Heaven, Built to Last and Anthem of the Sun have the biggest differences compared to the original CDs on the DR database.

 

I plugged the trigger on getting this download, and so far I am very happy. Slowly working through it but the self titled album sounded great. I need to do some more comparisons but I do think I prefer it against the original CD and the remaster. The remaster is worth keeping though for the bonus tracks and some of the original tracks don't fade out.

I was shocked when I listened to Anthem of the Sun, and realized that it is the 70's remix and not the original mix. I believe this is the first time this mix has been released digitally. It also sounded great.

Will report back as I make it through the rest of the titles.

 

Figured I bump this up with my conclusions. I think overall this release is a winner, but there are a few titles that I prefer the original CDs.

Best digital releases IMO:

Grateful Dead 1st album: HD Tracks Download for the original mix, remaster for the stereo remix
Anthem of the Sun: Original WB CD for the original mix, HD Tracks download for the remix
Aoxomoxoa: HD Tracks download for the remix (unfortunately no digital release for the original mix as of now)
Workingman's Dead: HD Tracks Complete Studio album download for the original mix, DVD-A for the remix or the individual HD Tracks download
American Beauty: HD Tracks Complete Studio album download for the original mix, DVD-A for the remix or the individual HD Tracks download
Wake of the Flood: HD Tracks download
Mars Hotel: HD Tracks download, the silver MFSL CD is also excellent
Blues for Allah: HD Tracks download
Terrapin Station: HD Tracks download
Shakedown Street: HD Tracks download
Go to Heaven: original CD, the HD Tracks download is too compressed unfortunately
In the Dark: HD Tracks download
Built to Last: original CD, the HD Tracks download is too compressed unfortunately

 

I'm debating pulling the trigger on this release as well. I also found out that it's only $172 for the 24/96 version at livedownloads.com... I spent a while collecting all of the original CDs just before this came out.. Do you think the HD Tracks versions are THAT much better than the original CDs, or should I just save my money? I will say I've been enjoying the studio Dead more and more over the years. Lately I've found that I'm rarely in the mood for a 25 minute Dark Star or listening to Donna sing out of key...

 

Yeah I prefer my Dark Stars closer to 35-40 min also