“The Aesthetics of Remastering Reissues”

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ben Adams, May 22, 2018.

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  1. Exit Flagger

    Exit Flagger Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    How is this different from saying "sure you can rip a CD to digital file but it's still not a CD"?

    I don't think DRM is much of a factor at all with labels selling vinyl. Most even give away the digital files for free.

    Buying vinyl + download cards gives you pretty much total ownership over the music across multiple platforms.
     
    Grant and Stone Turntable like this.
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    And how will you know? They aren't going to tell you
     
  3. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    No, actually it's totally different from ripping a CD. When you copy a CD - let's assume copying a CD to a CDR - you have an EXACT COPY. Nothing changed, nothing missing.

    You simply cannot do that with Vinyl. Any copying you can do, changes it. Hence, it's the best DRM the industry could hope for.
     
  4. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    And still would sound better than the CD:biglaugh:
     
  5. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    [​IMG]
     
  6. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
  7. Exit Flagger

    Exit Flagger Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    The best DRM the industry could hope for would be streaming.
     
  8. teag

    teag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Yeah, they do.
     
  9. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Here's another real life LP sleeve credit, and it's actual meaning (and I don't blame the people credited, as the record company probably devised the credit, perhaps innocently, and those mentioned in the credit were unaware of the wording until I asked about it):

    "Mastered from the analog tapes by (Person A) and (Person B) at (Location C)." I spotted this at Barnes & Noble in Woodinville, WA, and since I know the named parties and the geographical areas where they do their work, and the credit seemed a little puzzling as I tried to put 2 and 2 together, I sent a couple of texts and had my answer before I left the store. Here's the translation:

    Person A had the masters at Location C. He then created a new digital master, "mastered" the way he wanted the LP to sound. That new master was then sent off for lacquer cutting at Location D by Person B, and those lacquers were then shipped off for LP manufacturing.

    "Digital mastering by Person A at Location C. Lacquers cut by Person B at Location D." Doesn't have the same ring to it.

    Again: "Unless you actually see the baby coming out......." never assume anything!
     
  10. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    Too funny. Of course much of what we know to be true is not true. This in a nutshell is why recording provenance will never be reliably disclosed as a matter of policy by the labels. Buyers have to rely on specialist sites such as this one to get even some side by side comparison of different issues. It's quite indirect but rarely can be bettered by truly reliable recording info.
     
  11. Je2000

    Je2000 Active Member

    What about remastering "for vinyl"?

    Not just a cash grab LP pressing but something redone, "with love" so to speak.

    I've heard the cash grab vinyl revival and also compared it to something from this year "remastered for vinyl" from digital recorded in 1999.

    Marketing, as usual. I live in a hipster Mecca, there is nothing to be had used. Plenty of brand recordings on new vinyl though. Good stuff.
     
  12. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    And then there's E: How does it sound?

    Do I care that the Steve Hoffman-mastered-from-the-analog-tapes Buddy Holly CD or CCR/Zevon/Nat King Cole etc. SACDs are tainted by digital? No I do not.
     
    Vaughan likes this.
  13. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Agreed! The end result is what matters.
     
  14. teag

    teag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Interesting story. Any facts to back it up? If we know the title and record company we can avoid it.
     
  15. teag

    teag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Of course they are digital , those are CDs and SACDs. But I will take the all analog LP of SH masters over the SACDs or CDs all the time. The Nat Cole LPs sound better.
    The missed opportunity by Audio Fidelity was not cutting more of Steve’s work to vinyl. I have quite a few of the CDs and SACDs and they are great. Would have loved to have them on vinyl also.
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2018
  16. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    I only listen to AAA CDs and SACDs, personally.
     
  17. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    A digital file will sound the same as the vinyl. So in that case, it is copyable. Why do you think the record labels cracked down on all those needledrops that were offered on bittorrent and file-sharing sites? If you ever heard some of them, they sound equal to the CDs. They are that good!
     
  18. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    What? It is trivial to capture streamed music today. Where ya been?
     
  19. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    AAA CDs and SACDs? There is no such thing.
     
    Nostaljack likes this.
  20. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    It's apparent to me that you have never done it, or you wouldn't have stated it.
     
  21. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Yet how often do people, fooled by this kind of thing, listen to their Vinyl and say: "this sounds like it was a digital master"? I personally think there's a weird bias with some people, a bias that may - or may not - serve the music well.

    What, just not bother to even hear it?

    Please explain. What about a CDR copy is different? Most modern players have no issue playing CDR's, or CDRW. So you're correct, I have no clue what is different - how about telling me?
     
    stevenson66g likes this.
  22. Gill-man

    Gill-man Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Many people here would have had a hissy fit and slammed the release had there been anything digital near an LP release.
     
    stevenson66g and MaestroDavros like this.
  23. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I'm convinced this "cut it from analog tapes, period", was the contributing factor of many of the complaints in the Bowie boxes. During the Heroes debacle, Visconti said that the level dropped on the master, and that's exactly what we got on the first CD. It all suspiciously hangs together that they wanted to cut from the analog masters as much as possible, warts and all.
     
  24. MaestroDavros

    MaestroDavros Forum Resident

    Location:
    D.C. Metro Area
    People want it both ways and it just isn't possible.

    Release cut from analog but with tape damage: "This is a faulty product, I'm outraged!"

    Release cut from digital files with damage fixed: "This is a faulty product, I'm outraged!"
     
  25. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    I absolutely know the artist, title (an album that I've owned and liked for 30+ years in its original form), original label, reissue label, and the two engineers credited, both of whom are "known names" here, one of whom is a friend and colleague of mine. There's no way I'm going down the path of putting that info on a public forum. These guys (and the companies associated with the release) do good work and do not need to be open to ridicule, especially when the issue is not the quality of work done, but the way the reissue company handled the on-cover credit -- and even that oddness may have been unintended.

    EDIT: I'll also add that, as far as I can find, not a single person on this forum has complained about the quality of the release.
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2018
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