SH Spotlight I'm asked stuff: Favorite mastering engineer, best BOSTON CD, best TRAVELING WILBURYS CD, etc..

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Oct 3, 2018.

  1. Ale200

    Ale200 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Thanks for your suggestions, I think I'll gift myself with the European Rock 'n Soul Pt.1 80s CD you mentioned this Christmas:)
     
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  2. PooreBoy

    PooreBoy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lake City, TN
    Funny that you mentioned Tapioca Tundra. I used to win a lot of bar bets with the music trivia question "what is on the flip side of the Monkees' Valerie?" .
     
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  3. jhm

    jhm Forum Resident

  4. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    That was the CD I was referring to.
     
  5. jhm

    jhm Forum Resident

    Sorry, I just saw references to Rock n' Soul Part 1.
     
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  6. Ale200

    Ale200 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    I owned The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates too and although it is comprehensive, as you say, and includes their most notable 80s hits, it sounded too bright and EQed for my ears, thanks anyway :)
    I think there was a K2HD CD version of this compilation released in 2012, maybe someone can comment on this one??
     
  7. Jaime1972

    Jaime1972 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London, UK
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  8. Abbagold

    Abbagold Working class hero

    Location:
    Natchitoches, LA
    Steve:

    What was the album that made you realize that all pressings weren’t the same? Was it a self discovery or was there someone pointing you in the direction?
     
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  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    RAM in 1976. I was working after school for Bill Drake Radio Automation and I was "mastering" needle drops onto analog tape for automation duplication.

    I had four albums of RAM, two APPLE US originals and a new cutting on Capitol (no longer an Apple label). So different, so out of phase, so impossible. The recut just sucked. Blew my mind.

    Squirted water on the Apple version (was doing Uncle Albert) and hydroplaned the needle drop. Worked perfectly.

    In that time there was no data base for the music, each day's programming had to be needle dropped separately. Pointless waste of time but it was my first job.

    Each song we were assigned came with at least four different copies of the song, the 45 and three album versions. We used the version that sounded the best with the least noise. Pops and tics I had to cut out by hand from the tape. Good times.
     
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  10. Abbagold

    Abbagold Working class hero

    Location:
    Natchitoches, LA
    Another question:

    When you were at MCA, how hard was it to get “the tapes” for your projects? Was it a “just use the tapes we got kid” or “knock yourself out, just clean up your mess”.
     
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  11. jhm

    jhm Forum Resident

    Yes, so I linked to the one I had with better DR (the first issued version - RCA in 2001).
     
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  12. Joy-of-radio

    Joy-of-radio Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central ME
    Steve,

    Back in '87 I bought my first compact disc player. I didn't have much money then, so I had to settle for a display model Emerson brand player from F.W. Woolworth department store for $25. Then I went to Misicland and bought a few discs including one titled "Vintage Collectors Series Music Volumes 1&2" on MCA. I almost passed on it because I thought its cover looked cheesy, but I wanted it for the songs I used to hear on WBT in Charlotte NC during their Sunday Night Hall Of Fame show with host Rockin' Ray. Well, I'll tell what! I was absolutely floored by the disc's extraordinarily high level of audio quality! Here it is 2018, and I've yet to hear any of the recordings sound as natural and clear as they do in this series. The rest of the series was a challenge to get back then, but it was worth the persuit.

    My questions are, did you enjoy compiling and re-mastering this series? I regard it as crucial to my collection. Do you regard the series as important and a must have as I do? Are you proud of it? Thank you Steve.
     
  13. Ale200

    Ale200 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Do you know who mastered it? I can't remember right now
     
  14. jhm

    jhm Forum Resident

    I don't, sorry.
     
  15. spencer1

    spencer1 Great Western Forum Resident

    "Identical Pressings with Very Different Sound ..."
    "Hot Stampers" (subcategories "Super Hot Stamper", "White Hot Stamper"), a real thing?
     
  16. Jaime1972

    Jaime1972 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    The only problem with that compilation is that it features a lot of single/edited versions and a live recording of Wait for Me (at the Montreal Forum, IIRC), they are not inferior versions but I feel they give you an incomplete experience of the great music by H&O:cry:
    And I see that there is a remix of Kiss On My List credited to Bob Clearmountain on the Discogs link you provided, does anyone know what's the difference between this and the album version?
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2018
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  17. Jaime1972

    Jaime1972 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    It was mastered by Bill Lacey and Mike Hartry
     
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  18. Joey Kaspick

    Joey Kaspick Forum Resident

    What is your favorite Sparks album?
     
  19. fluffskul

    fluffskul Would rather be at a concert

    Location:
    albany, ny
    This thread is so confusing right now... the "ask Steve" is still alive and well, and there is this whole sidebar on the best mastering of Hall & Oates compilations.

    I'll contribute to both if I may:

    1) Rock N Soul Part 1 "RL" LP.

    2) Steve: Based on an old thread I grabbed the Angel Karajan "Tristan and Isolde." Do you have any other recommendations for Wagner recordings?
     
    Simon A likes this.
  20. Grant

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

    There has been a huge demand for H&O single versions, as some are edited differently, or are substantially different mixes. There's still two or three missing from the digital world, but most are now available somewhere. How many people remember that "I Can't Go For That" has two single versions?

    Anyway, back to the Q&A...
     
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  21. Jack_Straw

    Jack_Straw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wichita, KS
    Maybe the gorts could split off the H&O stuff into another thread? Personally, I like the sound of the old Rock & Soul comp a lot, and you can't beat it for a single disc with the essentials, but I reach for the 'Legendary' 3-cd comp most of the time - I have the Australian pressing, but IIRC there is a European one too (?). I'd like to hear the new MFSL Rock & Soul but can't bring myself to shell out the $ for what might be a marginal upgrade. I also have the 2-disc compilation mastered by Darcy Proper - it sounds pretty good but too much compression.
     
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  22. ShayLaB

    ShayLaB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    Hi Steve,

    I was reading a book by David Hepworth called "Nothing is Real" and he mentioned something I hadn't heard before: "High Water Everywhere" by Charlie Patton.

    It was recorded in 1929 and it accompanied by a constant hiss. I find this makes it tiring to listen to.

    What are your thoughts about cleaning up those older recordings? Do you prefer the original recording or should they be cleaned up so limitations of the recording equipment don't interfere so obviously with actual performance?

    P.S. Super grateful for the site you host.
     
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Never had a problem.
     
  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I enjoyed it but I'm sorry I did it like that. I should have used the original hit mixes. Tried to play God.
     
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  25. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Just a bad, rare pressing. I hear through it but I can understand if others cannot. I don't know what the "limitations of the recording equipment" has to do with this, there is no hiss, that's surface noise of the record..
     

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