Toto "Tambu" album - dynamic range discrepancies on the DR Database

I just noticed an entry on dr-loudness for Toto's "Tambu" CD that has DR values significantly higher than the other entries. Oddly this entry states 6 channels and a bitrate of 2354 kbps, which suggests that it is a hi-res multichannel release??!! Can anyone shed light on this?

 

Anyone?

 

Look at the year of release. That was before any multi-channel releases were being done. Add to that there is no other record of any multi-channel Toto outside of IV (there was a SACD of Hydra, but it was stereo).

Rather, I would question the DR values shown there for Tambu. All that said, I've always thought the sound quality on that CD (produced by Elliot Scheiner) was outstanding. It just sounds good to me.

 

I agree it is a good sounding disc. I really like some of the songs on Tambu but overall I find it to be way too long and I don't listen to it much. I think I listen to Kingdom of Desire much more!

 

Guess it was wishful thinking on my part that there might have been an "under the radar" pressing out there with improved DR values. I agree it is an excellent sounding release, better than the DR values suggest. I also think Mindfields sounds great. In fact the only Toto release out there that sounds really messed to my ears is XIV. I know Falling In Between got a lot of flak for being brickwalled but XIV is so crushed you can actually hear it "pulsing" like someone is riding the volume knob to bring the levels down just at the point they should be going up!...

 

Yea Tambu sounds good. XIV sounds absolutely terrible.

 

The tragedy of XIV is that:

1) The songs are really good - some of the best of their career.

2) CJ Vanston did the last two Lukather solo albums prior to this, and both of those sound quite good.

Still not sure what went wrong with XIV, but I'm blaming Frontiers as I've heard other releases on the label (although not all) that seem to suffer from something similar.

 

Frontiers is a horrible label for anyone who likes at least a little dynamics in their music. Nothing but loud smashed clipped sound. I can’t recall the last time I liked a Frontiers mastering.

The songs on XIV are excellent. Almost unlistenable though due to mixing or mastering.

 

I checked out XIV and found it unlistenable. The minimal DR approach, though never ideal, REALLY doesn’t suit Toto’s music. Too much going on. The worst part is, it’d be so so easy to release two versions of the album: the car stereo master and the audiophile master.

 

There's only one mastering of Tambu, unfortunately. I have no idea how this DR database entry came about.

There is a super rare vinyl pressing that perhaps someone ripped and mislabeled as a CD? (Toto - Tambu )

 

Tambu is being re-released on vinyl in October 2018. So there will soon be two masterings available.

 

I meant one digital mastering, but yes, this is also happening. But I think that entry in the DR database is a mistake.

 

There will be a new digital master (CD remaster) this fall as well.

 

I have the super rare vinyl pressings of KoD, AbsLive, Tambu, Mindfields and TTLG, though I'm ashamed to say I've never played them. Needledropping them has been on my "to do list" for many years but I just never seem to get enough time to dig my turntable out...

 

I have Kingdom of Desire on vinyl too. Don't love it as I think it's just a little too long to fit very well. Have higher hopes for the upcoming remaster. Mindfields on vinyl is a double, but I don't have a great memory of how it sounds on vinyl vs. CD. The CD version sounds wonderful on the intro to Better World.

 

Damn, I am jealous. I ordered KoD on eBay a few years ago and the post office delivered it to a random address in a zip code 20 miles away. Of course the one time they do that is with an LP I'll never find for that price again.