ABBA The Album Deluxe distortion?

Hello forum!

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I really couldn't find any info on this.

I would like to know if the latest remaster of The Album Deluxe Edition has distortion of the Side A tracks, namely The Name of The Game?

I have a vinyl pressing and also a W. Germany Polydor pressing from the 80s. Both have very noticeable distortion.

Would anyone also like to shed light on the latest remastered for iTunes remasters? To my ears they seem to have very little distortion, at least when compared to my Polydor CD.

Is the iTunes remaster using the same remaster as the Deluxe Edition? If yes then I would go get a Deluxe edition CD. I've never been a fan of iTunes's 256kbps.

 

BUMP!

 

Avoid the Deluxe Edition at all costs, if you're looking for good sound quality. The master makes heavy use of dynamic range compression, and peak limiting, and it is LOUD! If memory serves, they did indeed choose to use the distorted album master tape. Your W. German Polydor from the 80s will sound much better by comparison.

 

Wow. I thought the Deluxe editions of the many ABBA albums were much better and more dynamic than the 2001/2005 remasters. I've read reviews that The Visitors Deluxe had great dynamic range and does sound much much better as compared to the Astley's or the CSR remaster, though it is a bit louder and less dynamic than the 80s Polydor release.

It's sad that it's very hard to get a nice sounding copy of The Name of the Game, be it on the LP or the 80s Polydor CD. Why can't they get the undistorted stereo mixdown tapes and master that? Hopefully they're not lost/damaged...

 

The Deluxe editions vary and you will find different opinions from different people here. Some I know are really well done like "ABBA" (3rd album)
First of all it depends, how and where you are listening to music. Also the differences ain't as big as you may sometimes tend to believe when you read certain postings here.

 

Yeah I agree. But if The Album Deluxe is sourced from undistorted tapes then it would feature the best Side A tracks, don't you agree?
Because so far:
80s Polydor: Dynamic but distorted
2001: Bad EQ, terrible dynamics, but from good source tapes
2005: Terrible dynamics and distorted
Deluxe: OK dynamics, but from what source tapes?

 

It's always the same source tape with the same mistakes, but differently equalised. The Deluxe Edition offers much bass and has the treble reduced a bit. But bass very often makes distortion audible. For example "Take a chance on me" has very little bass and extreme treble on the "Thank you for.."-Box. If you "correct" this by adding bass and reducing treble the result is identic to the Deluxe version including the strange loudness drop at 2:18. And the slight distortion is the same although it's less obvious on the box.

The point with ABBA is, they probably didn't use the best tapes in the 70s for their masters. But as long as they refuse to recreate new mixes from the original multitracks, every remaster suffers from the same problems more or less and in the end it's all the same.

 

With the exception of Eagle and Take a Chance on Me, the Deluxe is (pratically) a clone of the 2005 remaster.

The 2014 iTunes remaster has a "non-distorted" (or whatever you want to call it) version of The Name of The Game. Of course, they could've used this for the 2014 re-re-re-re-release of Gold. But no. Of course not. There's a vinyl reissue coming soon of the Gold compilation... we'll see what they did there but I'm not holding my breath...

 

How disappointing... So sad that they just won't use the original mixdown tapes. I think I'll pass on the Deluxe version then and just get the Remastered for iTunes album. Though its 256kbps lossy, it'll have to do until they get the remastering right.

 

There are many options to collect the side a tracks without distortion, but you have to re-EQ the stuff to get it right.

 

Wow... Re-EQing is hard work, isn't it? I don't think I would know how to re-EQ the Side A tracks and using which CD version?

 

I have to think that the Mfit (Mastered for itunes) version of "The Name Of The Game" is probably the best version out there in terms of dynamics, EQ, and lack of distortion.

Based on this I just purchased the Mfit version of "Take A Chance On Me" from the same album. Disappointed - it is pretty compressed IMO.

 

Well, it's not as hard as you think by using a match EQ. Just use the Polydor CD as a template for each separate track and match it to the following sources:

1) Eagle (Thank You For The Music Boxset 1994)
2) Take A Chance On Me (Thank You For The Music Boxset 1994)
3) One Man, One Woman (The Album Remaster 1997, unfortunately the only version without distortion)
4) The Name Of The Game (The Album Remaster 1997, but you have to rework the two edit points of the pasted verse; or simply use the iTunes version)

This is what I did and it sounds great. I also restored the missing peaks and amplitudes with Relife by Terry West:

http://www.terrywest.nl/utils.html

I hope my information was helpful. Have fun

 

I just downloaded the Mfit version of "One Man, One Woman", and it does not appear to have any distortion on it. A very pleasant, moderate EQ-ing has also taken place, and it sounds like it came from a really good tape.

 

Wow thanks so much! I'll definitely try it out soon!

 

Hmm for me I don't think it's that compressed. At least it's not as brick-walled as the previous remasters...

My exact sentiments! Based on that fact alone I'm going to buy the whole album off iTunes. Would be really nice if this remaster came out on CD, though it most probably won't happen anytime soon...

 

I think the new iTunes versions were also mastered by Masters Of Audio in Sweden (who did the last Deluxe Editions). they sound very similar and I am sure they will use the new masterings for the box set which will be released in Autumn 2014....so we have to buy that stuff again and again and again...

 

Yup I think I've read about it somewhere that the same people remastered the iTunes versions and the Deluxe editions so I was wondering if they used the same source tapes for both. Apparently they didn't, as only the iTunes remaster is remastered from good source tapes.

Oh, there'll be a new box set released this year? Hmm I think I'm gonna wait for reviews about the quality of the music first... They sure know how to keep us ABBA fans spending our money...

 

Any info on this new box set?

Darryl

 

Expected to contain the Deluxe Editions of ABBA's eight studio albums.


Release TBA (expected November)

 

Some interesting reading ref "The Album":
http://www.abbajustlikethat.comyr.com/1_4_Audiophile-Corner.html

A great site cataloguing and detailing some sources for the 'best' source of the tracks and why:
http://www.abbaplaza.com/site-en/album-audiophile.asp?IdAlbum=5

I'm still playing with "The Eagle" because I am not satisfied with either the TYFTM boxset (mega bright) or the original Polydor CD, ignore all of Astley's efforts! I am trying to achieve a balance between ambience and smooth warmth, and I will need to spend more time on this track. All of the others I am satisfied with, it's just this one, arguably Abba's finest, that I can't get right.

 

They used good tapes but unfortunately quality control has been a little disappointing sometimes. The mixdown tapes do not contain the distortion - as is evident from the UK 7" of The Name Of The Game (and Astley's remasters) - but the lp cutter for side A of The Album does. I really wish that ABBA will soon be presented with the same care soundwise that goes into finding pictures and writing essays for the albums. Actually it's strange that this very collectible group has never received the DCC treatment.

 

It's strange that an audiophile quality release hasn't been brought out with the Abba catalogue, they're not just a poppy, cheesy Eurovision winner outfit at all.
It'd be great for the proper decent masters to be found, transferred and mastered with full respect to the dynamics and the sonics. Unfortunately, this has never been done. It's either dodgy sources, and little no to no 'mastering' (early Polar & Polydor CDs), good sources and oodles of top end boost (TYFTM boxset) or just plain ghastly monstrosities in the form of those Astley releases (NR, Loud, bad edits etc).

 

Is there a consensus on SHF that the deluxe version of the 3rd album ("Abba") sounds better than "Arrival" and is actually worth purchasing ?

Thanks!