Hi-Res Download News (HDTracks, ProStudioMasters, Pono, etc.) & Software/Mastering Part 12**

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Gary, May 9, 2015.

  1. Amperage

    Amperage Forum Resident

    Location:
    CO, USA
    Why did this thread just die? Is there a ‘Thread 13’?

    Or do we really just not care anymore about these releases?
     
  2. bubba-ho-tep

    bubba-ho-tep Resident Ne'er-Do-Well

    Location:
    San Tan Valley, AZ
    This, for me anyway. Not much exciting, anymore.
     
    sunspot42 and PTgraphics like this.
  3. jfp11801

    jfp11801 Forum Resident

    I've come to realize that High Res could be great but too many times the mastering is crap and no better than the cd I already own. This has exceptions like the Tom Petty reissues or KOB or most of the Blue Note stuff. I probably bat under .500 for my purchase satisfaction.
     
  4. PTgraphics

    PTgraphics Senior Member

    Too much bad mastering for crazy expensive prices.
     
    riknbkr330, Kyhl, jfp11801 and 14 others like this.
  5. Mickactual

    Mickactual Humble indie rock musician

    Nailed it.
     
    sunspot42 likes this.
  6. PTgraphics

    PTgraphics Senior Member

    Also, is it too much to ask to include a pdf of the booklet in ALL releases? I mean how much more can that add to the already high prices? Is it laziness or incompetence, what? Would love to know the rational behind it. I know a few releases include a PDF but it’s not that common.
     
  7. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Exactly.
     
  8. rbbert

    rbbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    Reno, NV, USA
    I know they aren’t big sellers, but virtually all the ECM albums have excellent sound, and likewise the vast majority of classical releases are improvements over the CD’s.
     
  9. DR.J

    DR.J Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago Suburb
    Most HDTracks offerings and mastering :o. I buy very few anymore and only when the sale is a minimum of 20%.
     
    macdaddysinfo, xj32 and rnranimal like this.
  10. Amperage

    Amperage Forum Resident

    Location:
    CO, USA
    I wholeheartedly agree and came to this conclusion a long time ago.
    I still check back every now and again, but it’s kinda the same story.
    It’s like there was a gold mine of initial great hi-res offerings that we all bought and since then it’s been utter crap. Seemed a lot of momentum at first, then we just lost the loudness wars.
    A low-DR atom bomb got dropped and the war was over. :D
    Very few and far between, for my tastes anyway.
     
  11. jhm

    jhm Forum Resident

    A reissue label was on here once (Ace Records UK) trying to determine interest in high resolution downloads of their catalog. When I asked if their download would include a digital booklet (their booklets tend to be huge and informative) I was told their contracts with the authors didn't include the rights to include a digital booklet with the download. I'm guessing a different medium requires an additional payment to the author and they don't want to pay for it. I realize this is probably not the case across all releases, but I thought it was interesting. For what it worth, I politely told Ace that for me, no booklet meant no sale from me.
     
  12. rbbert

    rbbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    Reno, NV, USA
    The last few words are the key here, I think. In classical and jazz, there are a number of fine new offerings every month. In new pop/rock, hardly anything (worthwhile sonically, that is). Classic rock, sometimes good masterings.
     
    TokenGesture and The_Windmill like this.
  13. neil

    neil Senior Member

    Location:
    Culver City
    I used to purchase at least one hires per week until about a year ago when the bottom just fell out. Lots of jazz and classical, little in the way of pop reissues, and often offered with low DR. Sometimes the record companies will surprise me, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to their releases. Universal, Capitol and WB possess a huge catalog of artists that would sell in high resolution form. What we need is a company to mine these catalogs and release them like Rhino did in the old days.
     
    rbbert likes this.
  14. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    If anyone happens to get one of the Concrete Blonde releases (S/T, Free, Mexican Moon), I'm interested in hearing their impression. Not sure if these are brand new, but I just became aware of them.
     
    art likes this.
  15. JamieLang

    JamieLang Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    Agreed--I posted in the dedicated thread about the vinyl releases....I'd rather have digital if they've mastered them well....and if they get Walking in London. Oddly missing from the HD releases.
     
    art likes this.
  16. skateaway

    skateaway Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    I was wondering the same until I saw on another forum that someone downloaded the Bloodletting hi res and reported that it is DR7, so it looks like the awful 2010 mastering.
     
  17. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    Yeah, that was the 30th anniversary edition. I knew about that. I was hoping maybe these others were done differently.
     
  18. jmacvols

    jmacvols Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tennessee
    THIS WEEK on HDtracks...

    Robert Plant - Carry Fire
    Beck - Colors
    Wes Montgomery - The Wes Montgomery Trio
    Coleman Hawkins - Lover Man

    plus much more...
     
  19. art

    art Senior Member

    Location:
    520
    No! Damn.
     
  20. MrRom92

    MrRom92 Forum Supermodel

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    This week seems like a pretty good one for HDtracks! 6 releases I’m interested in… granted, 4 of them are classical and 1 of them is a holiday album. So maybe not that exciting. The last one, The Front Bottoms new album, is the typical compressed pop-punk production. So I can’t say the hi-res offers anything great there, but I didn’t expect much from it anyway. If I pick up any of the other titles I hope they are somewhat better.
     
  21. Billy Hunt

    Billy Hunt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cardiff, Wales.
    The Front Bottoms? I feel a certain affinity considering my username. Must give them a listen.
     
  22. jfp11801

    jfp11801 Forum Resident

    anyone know anything about the Wes Montgomery mastering?
     
  23. johnny q

    johnny q Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bergen County, NJ
    Anyone grab the new Plant yet? I have the vinyl and it sounds wonderful.
     
  24. Bootstrap

    Bootstrap Member

    Location:
    Brazil
    oneway23 likes this.
  25. tlake6659

    tlake6659 Senior Member

    Location:
    NJ
    The Plant new album is the same mastering as the CD. All 6 and 7's for DR.
     

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