The Police on CD

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by street legal, Oct 24, 2005.

  1. William Hall

    William Hall Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baytown, Texas
    Any news on the new Zenyatta Cd?
     
  2. ricks

    ricks Senior Member

    Location:
    127.0.0.1:443
    HI,

    Not from me, but in the main SHM-SACD thread, Claus seems to like it very much.
     
  3. ricks

    ricks Senior Member

    Location:
    127.0.0.1:443
    I posted the above into the main SHM-SACD thread earlier.

    The bass on Other Way Of Stopping and Shadows In the Rain on the SHM-SACD really sounds good. But still greatly prefer Sting's solo version of Shadows on Blue Turtles.

    While I am a collector of the Police catalog the same sickness does not extend to this album therefore I will not be getting the Plat SHM-CD of this one.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2014
  4. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Very helpful, thanks Rick !
     
  5. ricks

    ricks Senior Member

    Location:
    127.0.0.1:443
    yw. It's somewhat out of date now due to the 2013/2014 SHM Plat+SACD efforts. I am working on revisions. I hope to have the original post replaced by a mod, rather than a new seperate post, to avoid confusion.
     
  6. stopbrickwalling

    stopbrickwalling Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia Beach, VA

    I have this exact version as well. I think it should be added to the Outlandis table.
    CD-3311
    DIDX28
    8/92 2DA5 CD3311 (on inner ring of disc)
    AAD on artwork WITHOUT the AM+
     
  7. ricks

    ricks Senior Member

    Location:
    127.0.0.1:443
    I've now listened to Can't Stand Loosing You from the UK CD (Thanks Nobby). The drop out, actually more like a volume bump up, is apparent at the 1:11 mark. The D32Y is the contains the superior digital version of the of the album track for the reason nobby detailed [see post below]. For the single version 1986's Every Breath YOu Take The Singles is my preferred by a large margin.

     
  8. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die

    Location:
    United States
    I've spent about a week reading through this thread, and it's been quite a fun/interesting read. In my 2+ years as a member of these forums, I can't believe I missed this thread before buying my Police CD's! Just like @William Hall, I'm also a young guy who loves listening to older music (mainly Rush, Genesis, and Judas Priest) :D. Anyway, I'm not as much of a Police fan as many of you here (and I'm hoping that changes), but I like the band enough that I own all of their studio albums. These are the masterings I've got:

    Outlandos d'Amour - (US for US) CD 3311
    Reggatta de Blanc - 2003 redbook in Digipak
    Zenyatta Mondatta - (US for US) CD 3720
    Ghost in the Machine - (US for US DADC) CD 3730
    Synchronicity - 1995 remaster sourced from MIAB with clear tray and a yellow back insert that says: "Remastered Classics"
    Every Breath You Take: The Singles - (US for US) CD 3902/DX 824

    I'm perfectly satisfied with Outlandos, Ghost, and EBYT. I guess I'm fine with Zenyatta for the time being, but I'll definitely snatch up one of the other early masterings if I find one on the cheap. However, I'm not very happy with Reggatta and Synchronicity. With Reggatta, I find the 2003 CD to sound exciting for about a minute or 2, but then it gets too loud, so my ears get fatigued and I have to stop listening. I used to enjoy the '95 remaster of Synchronicity, but now I notice its problems. It sounds kinda thin and hollow, with somewhat grating high end. Oh, and it's kinda loud too. Thank you @ricks, for putting me in the right perspective and helping me to easily see/hear the flaws of the remasters :targettiphat:. It's funny how even though both remasterings of the discography are quite loud, they still have a few tracks that are in the double digits DR-wise. Whatever the case, wish me luck in my search for better masterings of Reggatta, Synchronicity (and maybe Zenyatta too)!
     
  9. ricks

    ricks Senior Member

    Location:
    127.0.0.1:443
    A long but interesting read. Any one who puts in the time to read it end to end is a fan!

    The 2013/2014 SHM-SACD and Platinum CD's of Reggata, Zenyatta and Synchronicity, no SACD released for the latter, all have my recommendations as well. They are still pricey but with the stronger US dollar each is almost $10 lower in cost then this time last year.

    Thanks for the kind words.
     
    jamesc, DiabloG and Plan9 like this.
  10. Stuart S

    Stuart S Back Jack

    Location:
    lv
    My favorite thread on this site!!
     
    ricks likes this.
  11. stopbrickwalling

    stopbrickwalling Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia Beach, VA
    SOOOOOO, I think I have another Zenyatta Mondatta "early" CD....just got it today.

    The levels:
    97.7 / 97.7 / 94.7 / 87 .6 / 93.6 / 93.7 / 93.7 / 97.7 / 97.7 / 97.7 / 97.7

    On the jewel case insert spine and also on the back of jewel case insert:
    DIDX 582 CD-3720

    On the silver face of disc:
    CD-3720

    On the inner ring of the disc:
    CD 3720
    06/90
    1DA6X

    Would this be a level shifted version of the US for US?
    It sounds pretty much the same as a CRC DADC ZM that I have with the 100.0 levels.

    When I checked the CRC 100.0 disc in Audacity, there is clearly clipping indicated on the CRC disc.
    However, there is not any clipping on this newly discovered 97.7 disc.
    I am questioning which disc I should keep....the CRC because it has the DADC on inner hub and no UPC indicating it's an earlier disc OR the non-CRC disc because the levels are just slightly lower and there is no clipping?
    I'm thinking I will keep the non-CRC disc because of the lack of clipping.

    Great thread!
     
    C6H12O6 and George P like this.
  12. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I had the original CDs of Ghost In The Machine and Zenyatta Mondatta, and, yes, Ghost was at a crazy low volume. So much so that I always considered that CD defective. I remember Zenyatta was at a normal level, though, as I must have listened to "The Other Way Of Stopping" a hundred times when I was in high school. I bought Message In A Box when it came out because of the non-album tracks, and also because I had only ever had the first two albums on cassette tape. I'm glad to read that folks here think the mastering holds up after all these years.

    I've never warmed up to "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86". I think it's just as well the band broke up because Sting was clearly headed into a musical direction I consider predominantly slow, atmospheric and, well, just plain boring.
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2014
    Man at C&A likes this.
  13. Lucidae

    Lucidae AAD

    Location:
    Australia
    ricks, I'd like your opinion on this. Another member here in a different thread had this to say about the Regatta SHM-SACD...
    After comparing the SHM-SACD to my early A&M CD I came to the same conclusion, the latter does sound better to my ears.
     
  14. ricks

    ricks Senior Member

    Location:
    127.0.0.1:443

    I will compare again, but I seem to remember decent bass. Of course my SACD playback differs than my Redbook so it's possible my ICBM on that channel was really responsible for the bass. Will test again and see.

    So much of SACD stuff is system/gear/setup dependent too much for the common person IMHO anything from simple most times. Never really stood a chance to take over for the CD.
     
  15. ricks

    ricks Senior Member

    Location:
    127.0.0.1:443
    This is my favorite thread on these forums. I know at least a few others have said it is their fave as well! It probably is also the thread on which I have been most
    active.

    So;
    After all these many years I thought fitting to place my 5000th post here even if does not actually add to this thread :) Now to add a custom title....
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2014
  16. stopbrickwalling

    stopbrickwalling Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia Beach, VA
    Finding these early CD's can be frustrating.
    I keep striking out on Ghost In The Machine.
    I want one with the louder West Germany mastering.

    I have bought 2 used copies so far.
    Both had cd-3730 on the spine.
    One also had DIDZ-10070 on the spine.
    One was a BMG club, one was regular.
    BOTH had AM+ on the disc.
    And yet both copies had the 95.3% MIAB mastering.
    GRRRRRRRRRRR!

    I could not see the discs before purchasing because they were wrapped.
    I guess I am down to searching the thrift stores and Ebay ads with actual pics until I can find one that has Made in West Germany on the actual disc.
     
    c-eling likes this.
  17. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Search ebay Worldwide, shouldn't be hard to find, I've had excellent service from German sellers :)
     
  18. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    In my experience they're not overly hard to find. I've got one of each - a W. German and a U.S. The W. German is solid aluminum all the way to the hub, while the other has a clear plastic hub - that's another reliable visual giveaway AFAIK. My U.S. copy is just a level-shifted version of the W. German mastering.
     
    c-eling likes this.
  19. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    Have you tried discogs? Here's the one I have - discogs lists it as a U.S. disc because it was for the U.S. market, but it's made in West Germany and has the same markings on the CD as mine. (Unfortunately there's no pic of the spine.)

    http://www.discogs.com/Police-Ghost-In-The-Machine/release/4990636

    None for sale now, but the last one sold there less than a year ago, and for only $3.99. So I think a little patience will pay off.

    EDIT: I just re-checked info here on the forums, and apparently the West German-for-U.S. and West German-for-Europe CDs have the exact same mastering including identical peak levels. That's good news because it means you can get the mastering you're looking for with this version:

    http://www.discogs.com/Police-Ghost-In-The-Machine/release/559615

    There are a few for sale, starting at just $4.99. And the disc info and catalogue number corresponds with what folks here on the forum have confirmed is the "West German mastering" with the high peak levels (100% on many tracks).
     
    deredordica and stopbrickwalling like this.
  20. Redhat220

    Redhat220 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    SHM 2013 (newest version) Regatta De Blanc - The worst sounding of the 3 new ones. No bass, lifeless. Stick to the original A&M.

    SHM 2014 - Zenyatta Mondatta - easily the best sounding version of this album. Smokes the original A&M. A perfect flat transfer.

    SHM 2014 Synchronicity - I have heard the original A&M, the MFSL, and this. The SHM is the most well balanced of the 3 versions. It is my preferred version. I have not heard the really early A&M pressing discussed by Roland. It may be better.

    Outlandos, Regatta and Ghost stick to the original A&M discs.
    I have the original A&M versions with the high peak values so I suggest:
    Outlandos and Regatta - Burn CD-R with 25 percent volume reduction
    Ghost - Burn CD-R with 40 percent volume reduction. This disc is just way too loud. Do the reductions and you will have audiophile grade Police CDs!

    As far as the remasters, as discussed previously, the Message In A Box is about as good as it gets for a remaster of this catalog. I do like the bonus tracks, but I prefer non compressed music.
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2014
    Carlox likes this.
  21. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    I can see how burning CD-Rs with reduced volume might make the albums play at similar volumes to other CDs in your collection. But how would burning them at reduced volume make them sound any better? In other words, burning them at reduced volume would be equivalent to just playing the original pressed CDs and turning down the volume on your stereo.
     
  22. Redhat220

    Redhat220 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Maybe I should have clarified myself. The CDs themselves don't sound better at lower volume. But at a lower volume I can crank my amp and my system sounds better playing the CD's. That's because I'm driving the MOSFETS harder in the amp. Do you want to listen to your CD, or your equipment is what it comes down to. I wanna turn the volume knob up and drive the amp. That's one of the reasons the whole idea of compression and brickwalling is bogus. How can you get anything out of your system when the volume is at 2 and it's deafening?
     
  23. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    Ah, I see - makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. :righton:
     
    Redhat220 likes this.
  24. kevin5brown

    kevin5brown Analog or bust.

    It's the same.

    If you're listening to both cases at the same volume, loud CD, 2 on the vol knob, quieter CD, higher on the volume knob, if the volume through the speakers is the same, then the power that the amp is supplying to the speakers is the same. No difference.

    What's different, is that the preamp is driving the amp with a higher or lower voltage. If the linearity of your preamp is good, then it makes absolutely no difference. And most modern day electronics have no issues with linearity.

    But what you are doing, is reducing the dynamic range of the recording, by lowering the recorded volume the way that you are.
     
    ricks and botley like this.
  25. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Isn't it also potentially adversely affecting the sound, by digitally reducing the level?
     

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