SH Spotlight Recording and Mastering Questions---Answered here. Any more?

What's wrong with Paint It Black?

Not narrowing, at least on those songs. Others (I Am Waiting) were narrowed.

Don't know exactly how they did it. One way is to send the output to another bus, use a low pass filter and then mix that to the opposite channel.

I haven't heard Aftermath on LP, so I don't know. I certainly do have LPs that have the bass somewhat centered.

 

Compression and the volume on cd are not necessarily related. You can make a loud cd without using compression and make a quiet one with using compression. A cd has the capability of around 100db dynamic range and most masters don't approach that. Raising the level on the cd can be a good thing in that it takes the low level information into a more linear region. Then again it can be a bad thing. It would sure be nice to have a standard level like there sort of is for vinyl mastering. Of course that one is imposed by the limits of the technology where as in digital those limits are not nearly as severe.

 

Sorry don't want to go off topic on this thread.
Not saying there's anything really wrong with the SACD version, it sounds pretty nice actually. Its just the drums and bass are clearly on the same track of the multi, and are panned left. However there is clearly low bass in the right channel as well which is not totally in phase (if thats the right word) with bass on the left (so no phantom centre channel).

You can hear it clearly in the line "I see the girls walk by..." and in the whooshes (or whatever they're called??) during the outro.

That has to be either filtered and combined, or it's mike leakage.
I don't have a London cd to hand to compare though maybe it's always been like that and its more apparent on the SACD.

Cheers
JJ

 

I'd have to listen again, but I don't remember it being narrowed, nor do I remember any bass centering on the 4-track material, just the 3-track material. My guess is that's how it's always been (although the bass is a bit louder on the SACD).

 

With all due respect, I think we'd all like to read your ramblings on this subject.

 

But well worth it and appreciated.

 

Here's a very specific question for Steve. I remember being a bit surprised when I saw the DCC Luck of the Draw in a record store. Surprised, because DCC remasters tended to be ones of less recent albums. I bought the CD anyway and was of course pleased with how it sounded.

Anyway, my questions are: Were there any particular challenges in remastering this album? And are there any other interesting stories or trivia you can share about it? Thanks!

 

Recording and Mastering Questions---Answered here. Any more?

I posed this question earlier during the flurry of Capitol Box 2 threads, but I guess it got lost in the storm, so here goes again:

It was stated by Capitol that the whole snafu resulted when a "step-down" master of mono fold downs was mistakenly sent to the pressing plant by the "third party" mastering facility.

What would have been the point of making such a "step-down" master in the first place during the mastering process? Is this a standard procedure in remastering? Has anyone ever done this or heard of anyone doing this on a mastering or re-mastering project?

TIA!

Dave in Nashville

 

Exactly. That's why Steve did it that very way for Linda and the Eagles, Doobie Bros., Cars, Al Green, etc.

 

Hey, Steve Martin made a bunch of cash being a "ramblin' guy" so keep it going!

Besides, this is great stuff to put over on the Interview Archive.

 

If your wife asked you not to remaster an album because she felt the band sent a very poor message to today's youth...would you still remastered it?

 

Steve, Thank you so much, please ramble on all you want.

 

Steve, wouldn't the Master and Stamper be the same physical configuration - a "ridge" instead of a groove?

 

The master wouldn't fit in the press though - wrong hole size.

Also, I presume the physical properties of the stamper material are more suitable for stamping vinyl cleanly.