What does Steve Hoffman think of the new Beatles Sgt. Pepper remix?

Who says?

 

I must say, the YSS is actually not bad. If they used the guy who did that remix I might buy the catalogue again. I don’t recall thinking that remix was too loud.

 

Wow, 35 pages on this remix, and mostly negative and critical, so much so, I had to put it on tonight and see why I am so wrong in enjoying it so much?? When I listened to the first track for the first time and got to the words "I don't really want to stop the show" and I'm hearing a lead guitar part in the right channel that just was so covered up in the 2009 version, and I suppose other versions, you had to specifically listen for it, I knew I had a keeper here. So, here I am on the couch with the Sennheiser HD-800S headphones just digging on the fantastic exceptional stereo mix I am hearing, and wondering how in the world can anyone get into a mono version of this album, as everything in this remix just hits you from every direction, it's just so full and rich and balanced, none of the old lack of information in one channel like some of the earlier Beatles pseudo stereo and yes, in the 2009 version as well. So, I just must be real easy to please, as I think this new (2) CD set is fantastic, I have enjoyed hearing all the cool things I simply never heard before, and have played this disc so much, it's beginning to have surface noise, just kidding, perfect sound forever in my listening spot!

 

So, by your logic, a remix is an exact replica of the original or are you just trying to keep the argument going for your own entertainment?

 

I second your opinion. I listen to my music almost exclusively from my PC via USB DAC and headphones. I enjoy the remix and simply don't understand what not to like about it. I did multiple comparisons in Foobar media player between the 2009 stereo remaster, new 2017 mix and YSS version of Pepper songs. I think Giles made a good job overall. I don't find this mix to be crazy compressed, comparing to above mentioned versions, in fact it's as compressed as any of them in my ears. New pepper still sounds like a record made in the sixties. I agree with the earlier Steve's comment - it's novel, it's fun and I simply enjoy it.

While I understand others who dislike certain mixing decisions in the instrument placement (for example shifting the drums slightly to the right in "A day in the life") and other things, I perceive the 2017 mix as well balanced and wholesome product. Certain songs like "Fixing a hole" in my opinion sound significantly better in the new mix with regards to both instrument placement, details and tonality. I can finally hear and feel Ringo's drum kick and Paul's bass in my favourite tracks. I appreciate, that finally I can enjoy modern stereo when using my headphones, when both channels are properly saturated with sounds.

With regards to the loudness war. This is not an issue when you listen from the PC. I do apply replaygain option which makes all tracks to have the same volume.

Best regards.

(EDIT: had to delete my post 2 time due to typos. System did not allow me to edit)

 

I meant to say that Replaygain equalizes and lowers the volume (loudness) of the tracks to an average value, which is noticeably lower that on any modern CD. It doesn't change the file itself, it just adds a tag with the information on what volume that particular track must have during the playback. It sounds like a "pre loudness war" record in other words.

Here's more from the search.
A practical way to actually help fight the Loudness War

 

I know that - I just simplified what I wrote to make it short. My point however has nothing to do with that - my point is that I have no problem with the remix per se, it is the brick wall peak limiting that is the problem with this edition.

 

Have fun listening! Honestly, people hyperbolize everything to the max, as evidenced by some of the most insanely dull things that a lot of people are insanely heated up about arguing in this thread.

This is a fun remix, and while I could have done without the lot of compression used, if anything bugged me that much I would just pass off my remix album to a friend and have fun listening to the originals. No biggie!

 

No. Inter- versus intra-, so to speak.

 

Martin: “No one has ever said that Sgt. Pepper’s sounds bad. The original mixes have a great immersive quality to them, and it was really important that we retained that. However, they were made for speakers and systems that were made 50 years ago, and they were mixed on speakers that were made 50 years ago. And we did not have to worry about the needle jumping out of the vinyl groove in the same way that they would have 50 years ago. And people are used to hearing things far louder. All that allowed us to push things. Some people say that our mixes are too loud, but they are not. My father went to Capitol Studios in 1956 to work out how to get records to sound louder!”

Giles Martin

Inside Track: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band |

 

The album is catered for a 20 something audience, with 20 something ears, if they get something out of it, mission accomplished.

 

The remix itself isn't bad, but maybe a tad too loud for headphones.
Recently I imported MKV files from the BluRay to Audacity (which was a converted file containing the stereo remix in 96kHz/24bit) and turned down the volume a bit before exporting the sound as proper WAV files.
Now I have the stereo remix in high resolution on my hard drives and also the volume is good.

 

55 years old with 55-year-old ears sounds great.

 

[QUOTE="My Sgt Pepper 50th review, harsh, loud, trebly, booming bass, more detail but hard to listen to #SgtPepper50 I happen to agree.[/QUOTE]

I feel this way about so many rereleases and remixes. I've been disappointed now so many times, I wait a long time to even consider buying them.

I'm also very hesitant to buy any downloads on Amazon for the same reason. Songs I've loved for years all crunched with most of the dynamic range gone. And not just because they're MP3

 

The last sentence is a non-sequitur and the rest is just rationalizing BS.

This was about milking the 50th anniversary, plain and simple.

 

This is delusion if that was the goal.

 

yep..
1 pint mono
2 pints Stereo
5 pints surround

 

"I remixed the remix and it was back to normal" - Mitch Hedberg

 

Steven Wilson can be trusted. His work is exemplary, unlike the amatuerish examples we are discussing here.

 

I actually brought the center channel down 2 db ....works OK on most of the songs as I didn't like the vocals being shoved forward.

Bern

 

Oh dear, someone else who has better knowledge than Giles Martin, Mike Showell, and many others. How was it milking the 50th-anniversary release pray tell?

 

Sadly I agree. No good reason I have heard that, rather than making the multichannel mix so damn loud he couldn't have used the "Love" release as a template. The sound quality on that is gorgeous. Total fail.

 

I streamed the high-resolution version via Tidal in MQA last night and it was, quite simply, too compressed. Just about everything on it sounded compressed. It took me out of enjoying the album completely. "Fixing a Hole" was the only song I enjoyed all the way through without thinking "ugh, why did that instrument/voice get so compressed"

 

You see you keep appearing and saying this, would you please add in your opinion.............and all the Giles haters are back.

Guys, you still have the others to choose from, you don't have alter them or anything, just think of that, they are still there.