The article quoting Danney Carey that sparked this thread is dated August 12.. 2017.... don't hold your breath...
After I went to an incredible Tool concert in Amsterdam last tuesday I noticed that some TOOL vinyl is again available in some Dutch online shops. I did a quick search on Amazon but couldn't find anything. Let's wait a few days and I know more.
So they announced that the album is called Fear Inoculum and is still scheduled for August 30 release. And that their back catalog will be on streaming services this Friday.
Wonder if this will be remastered for the streaming services? And if so, will be then be getting remastered versions on physical media? Tool allowing their music to be on streaming services though.....
I see that Tool's albums are available on HDTracks now in 24/96. Has anybody checked them out yet, whether they're remastered or anything?
The early feedback from the rabid fans on Tool's Reddit page is that Opiate and Undertow sound noticeable better and both Ænima and Lateralus are improvements. Little or no change noticeable with 10,000 Days. However, it's worth noting that many people are comparing today's releases with crappy YouTube streams and/or other pretty low quality sources (e.g. Torrents) so it's not clear if those of us dinosaurs who bought the original CD's are going to notice much of a difference. There is speculation that Bob Ludwig did do some mastering of the tracks last year, but I haven't seen this acknowledged anywhere official yet.
I listened to a few tracks on Apple Music in may car this morning. Previously all of the TOOL on my phone was from CD uploads to itunes. So I've been listening to mp3 versions of my CD uploads until now. I started with Intension from 10,000 Days and was struck by the enhanced presence of the the backing vocal tracks. Then I played the Opiate title track and found it a little heavy on the treble. Listened to all of Undertow at the gym on my beats headphones and it sounded great. Of course these impressions are limited to mp3 samples, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm looking forward to listening to Lateralus tonight on my home system via Quobuz hi-res.
I’ve only had the chance to listen to Undertow and it sounds noticeably better than the CD and recent vinyl copies I have. It appears that it no longer suffers from the quiet/fatigued sound that I’m sure others have noticed. Going to dig into the rest of the catalog throughout the day.
Listening to Lateralus 24/96 right now. Great detail, great clarity, still tons of drive and crankability though. Awesome stuff. And for what it's worth, Roon is showing the following DR info, and Roon's DR is not optimistic generally Opiate - DR6 Undertow - DR12 Aenima - DR11 Lateralus - DR12 10,000 Days - DR9 I know DR isn't the end-all number, but it's encouraging, nonetheless.
I'm listening to Lateralus on Tidal right now through iPhone > Dragonfly black. The Dragonfly is lit up green, which indicates the stream is only 44.1kH. Nevertheless, it sounds excellent. Definitely hearing more clarity and detail than I've ever heard before. I will be buying the HD Tracks 96/24 tonight, and I assume the Dragonfly will light up Magenta indicating the 96. And I just ordered a Dragonfly cobalt, man I can't help myself when it comes to great music!
Then Roon is lying. 10,000 Days from HDtracks fed through DROffline is DR8, and the other scores on the database show every other album is either the same or louder than the original master. Undertow went from DR12 to DR9.
I think I am hearing more distortion on the distorted guitars during the loud section at the beginning of Parabola. Not sure if its intended (i.e. hearing more of the recording) or unintended (i.e. mastering too loud). Anyone else hear that?
Also the really busy and loud section at the end of Ticks and Leeches is sounding a bit distorted too I think, but not sure.
Someone posted this on Reddit: Proof that the new web release is remastered. The top waveform is from the original 44.1/16 bit CD rip (CDs can’t go to 24 bit) The bottom waveform is the new 96/24 bit The spectrum is below that. The white is the new. The yellow is the old. Notice the extended highs and loudness. Song: Bottom : ToolBand
I'm definitely hearing more nuance, detail and clarity all over Lateralus. Only concern is the couple of very loud sections I mentioned above. I'll take it though, as overall the sound is a noticeable improvement.
Sounded just as blasted as the old CD to me on my home system last night. "The Grudge" even sounded quite treble-heavy to me in parts. Rest of the album sounded pretty good, especially cranked up.
I wonder why Opiate is DR6 and the 10,000 days is DR9. Is this how they were mastered originally, If not, they why not go for DR12 like some of the others?
The quieter sections sound especially good to me. The lone drum hits in Reflection on Lateralus sounds fantastic. You can hear the air of the studio behind them easily.