The Master Flat-Transfer Thread

Help feed my curiosity: I love "warts-and-all" flat transfer cd's!

Here is a list of the ones I know of:
The Who's "Who's Next" - Steve Mastering
Grateful Dead "From The Mars Hotel" - MFSL
Carole King "Tapestry" - single layer SACD
CCR "Willy and the Poor Boys" - Steve's SACD
Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" - DCC
Bob Dylan "John Wesley Harding" - original issue CD



so, what else can i add to this list?

 

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (MFSL UDCD)

 

According to Steve, basically all of the 1989 Japanese "Pastmasters" series Beach Boys CD releases except Pet Sounds. (Aside from a few tracks deleted from the 70's LP reissues that Capitol forgot to send them initially, and then sent the duophonic versions by mistake.)

Geoff

 

The DCC of Van Halen's debut album, as mastered by Steve.

 

Bob Seger's Night Moves and Stranger In Town (original CD's)

 

Hi acjetnut,

Warren Zevon's "A Quiet Normal Life"
Enya's "Watermark"
CSN's "CSN"
Phil Collins' "Face Value" & "Hello, I Must Be Going"

...at least the versions I did way back when...(Zevon and CSN from 1/2" analog, Enya and Phil from U-matic digital).

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

The Ultimate Rascals (the version without the picture of the group).

 

Hi clairehuxtable,

That was not 100% flat. Some judicious EQ was applied in various places when I did that one. (Same goes for "Ultimate Otis Redding".)

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Also Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across The Water and Honky Chateu.

 

Yeah these would be my choices too. I dont know if EQ was used, but they end up with that flat sound we like. I thought the MOFI Rod Stewart Every Picture, and MOFI Skynerd 2nd Helping had that resulting flat sound as well. Man, I really liked those early MOFI Ultradiscs!

 

I feel lost in this thread.

How do you folks all know what discs represent "flat transfers"? I suppose you've all heard the master tapes?

The first "warts-and-all" (relatively) great CD that I thought of was the DCC Gold Aqualung (the original recording has plenty of issues which are glaringly evident upon listening). But I have no idea if it's a flat transfer or not.

 

Since I don't have any other versions handy at the moment...

Does the reverb at the end abruptly cut off on all versions? Or just on the original Ultimate disc?

 

When the mastering engineer (Steve, Barry et al) confirms it. Or if someone here has compared the cd to the original master tape. Anything else is conjecture and guessing.

 

I agree that this works. As an aside, did I read here (somewhere) that virtually all of the MoFi releases are so-called flat transfers? (i.e., any use of EQ on these titles is very, very rare?).

 

Good point!

 

Ack! Didn't mention the song. Good Lovin'...

 

Hi ivan,

While I can't say for sure, the ones I have experience with (especially when I was familiar with the masters, e.g. back at Atlantic) make me doubt this.

Again, I can't say for sure. Just reporting on my own listening impressions.

Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

I think Steve once mentioned here that most (if not all?) of the early MoFi's are flat transfers and that's why he likes them

 

Barry, you at Warner Bros. back when they did the wonderful remastering of "The Mason Williams Phonograph Record?" I wonder who did the mastering of the CD which is indeed very well done.

 

Hi Brad,

I was at the Atlantic Records division in New York City.
CD mastering at the Warner division (in Los Angeles) was handled by Joe Sidore (unless this was one that was "outsourced" ?).

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

I'd like to reach Joe Sidore and find out if he did the Mason Williams Phonograph Record CD which was done at Warner Bros. mastering studios back in the early 1990s. The sound quality is very dynamic and the hiss is left intact and sounds like it came flat from the master as the original vinyl also sounds like this.

 

Hi Brad,

If it was done at Warner, I'd bet the odds are good that Joe mastered it.
I don't know if he's still there though.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Steve has said that the original CBS release of Journey Escape pressed in Japan sounds like the master tapes. He has said the same thing about the MFSL version of Boz Scaggs Silk Degrees.

He also has said that the MFSL version of Steely Dan Aja was not futzed with, but as I've said before, I don't care for the sound. It sounds harsh to me. I still greatly prefer the original MCA version.

 

Steve's word is good enough for me. No need to roll eyes, he has commented on many flat transfers on this forum.

 

Are some not? Also, are these from the original master tapes, or LP master tapes?