Acoustic Sounds DSOTM SACD - Out now!

Why is Chad Kassem reissuing the old SACD ? Simple : reissuing the same old stuff is his whole business plan. And since, in this case, Guthrie calls the shots, Guthrie gets his way.

 

Why would James Guthrie be calling the shots? Could you elaborate on that.

 

Probably more than that. I really don't think anyone's going to have access to those old tapes again. Everything going forward will probably be sourced from already done Guthrie digital's.
Except maybe some 5.1 one's down the road (Of course just a guess Bill )

 

He's something of a curator for Pink Floyd.
Check out his Wikipedia page :

"Guthrie's primary responsibility was (as it is to this day) to serve as one of the final authorities on the audio quality of Pink Floyd and Floyd-related releases. He has mixed and/or mastered nearly every Pink Floyd and Floyd-related release since 1978, and could be considered to be Pink Floyd's archival engineer. Others have referred to him similarly, such as mastering engineer Doug Sax ("He has also been the Floyd's quality control man ever since The Wall.")[14] and musician/Pink Floyd associate Jon Carin ("He is the keeper of the audio flame.")[15] In 2002, Guthrie was selected by the band to engineer the 30th Anniversary reissue of The Dark Side of the Moon in the SACD format, providing the mix and mastering for 5.1 Surround Sound. The final product was the biggest-selling Surround Sound release of 2003, the winner of three 2003 Surround Music awards, and received overwhelming praise from the technical press, including Jerry Del Colliano of Audio Video Revolution ("If you were to own only one SACD, Dark Side of the Moon is it.")[16] and this summation from Matt Rowe of The Digital Bits: "The way I see it, James Guthrie should be asked to do every 5.1 SACD project from here on out. For every band."[17]"

 

What James wants, James gets.

 

I got mine and I like the new packaging more than the 2003 stained glass image. Plus has the picture of band poster as on original US vinyl LP in booklet. I always liked that poster more than standard UK poster picture in most CD issues since 1980s. I also have Acoustic Sounds 2018 WYWH SACD I got as a birthday present in 2019 for my 43rd birthday.

 

I'm looking at it from a different perspective. I don't think James Guthrie "calls the shots, gets his way" in regard to what titles get released, when they get released and what formats those releases are on. I would have to believe that Gilmour, Mason and Waters (depending on the era) have the final say, call the shots and get their way. Was it James Guthrie that pulled the multi-channel mix of Meddle from the Early Years box set? Is it James Guthrie who's delaying the release of the new multi-channel release of Animals?

I agree that James Guthrie is a very important member of the Pink Floyd team. But in my opinion he does not "call the shots or gets his way" in the entirety of Pink Floyd releases. As far as James Guthrie doing all Pink Floyd 5.1 releases going forward I really hope that isn't the case. I think Andy Jackson's work is equally as good and in some cases better. I think Andy Jackson's 5.1 mix of The Division Bell is far better than DSOTM and WYWH in overall SQ and is far more immersive. I really think James Guthrie's multi-channel mixes are somewhat overrated and that there are some out there doing work as good if not better.

 

I wasn't implying that's he calling the shots on a business level, rather that he oversaw the band's records and was in charge of its sound legacy, the "keeper of the audio flame" as the Wikipedia quote has it.
In that sense, I imagine Andy Jackson works under his general supervision or as his "delegate".

 

Your earlier post does not differentiate between business or sound legacy. If James Guthrie was "was in charge of its sound legacy" and "keeper of the audio flame" for Pink Floyd's records why isn't his name mentioned in The Later Years box set or the Delicate Sound of Thunder Blu-ray release credits? The fact that it's stated on Wikipedia must mean it's 100% accurate .

Pink Floyd – The Later Years 1987-2019 (2019, Remixed, CD)
Pink Floyd – Delicate Sound Of Thunder (2020, Slipcase, Blu-ray)

Delegate, I don't think so. I believe that David Gilmour prefers Andy Jackson's work and Roger Waters prefers James Guthrie's work. So it's no surprise that Andy Jackson did the mixing for The Later Years box set and Delicate Sound of Thunder Blu-ray.

 

So is this confirmed to be the same masterings from the 2003 SACD except for the stereo CD layer? Is that the 2011 mastering instead?

 

The fact is that the Wikipedia quotes interviews with Doug Sax and John Carin. If that's not good enough for you, your loss.

 

Who knows? I have sooooooooo many versions of this album on CD and SACD that this entry holds no interest at all for me. It's a money grabber.

 

Haven’t been tempted to get anything else DSOTM related after the Immersion Set. I did however get the reissue of the WYWH SACD because I love that mastering.

 

So did I. The surround mix is great!

 

I am not sure if the CD Stereo layer is the same mastering as the 2011 CD, I do not own the CD.

I am posting the EAC log file of the SACD I ripped the CD Layer on below (with errors). If another forum member has the 2011 CD, it should have similar or same peak values, TOC, and CTDB TOCID. I'll post an accurate rip when I receive my replacement SACD.

TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
---------------------------------------------------------
1 | 0:00.00 | 1:07.13 | 0 | 5037
2 | 1:07.13 | 2:49.40 | 5038 | 17752
3 | 3:56.53 | 3:45.29 | 17753 | 34656
4 | 7:42.07 | 6:53.29 | 34657 | 65660
5 | 14:35.36 | 4:44.05 | 65661 | 86965
6 | 19:19.41 | 6:23.15 | 86966 | 115705
7 | 25:42.56 | 7:49.17 | 115706 | 150897
8 | 33:31.73 | 3:26.32 | 150898 | 166379
9 | 36:58.30 | 3:46.50 | 166380 | 183379
10 | 40:45.05 | 2:12.45 | 183380 | 193324
Track 1
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\01 Speak to Me.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 40.6 %
Extraction speed 2.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC CE198D26
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 200) [0C6236FD], AccurateRip returned [84DC4E66] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 2
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\02 Breathe.wav
Peak level 92.8 %
Extraction speed 4.1 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 5D6DBF28
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) [9C501FBD] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 3
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\03 On the Run.wav
Peak level 99.5 %
Extraction speed 4.7 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC E1D0BD42
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) [2385ADB4] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 4
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\04 Time.wav
Peak level 96.6 %
Extraction speed 5.6 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC BCBCFF8F
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) [99F1CAB7] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 5
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\05 The Great Gig in the Sky.wav
Peak level 98.4 %
Extraction speed 6.0 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC D17FAAE0
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) [17FF2FD1] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 6
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\06 Money.wav
Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 6.7 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 48A7735E
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 200) [2BFBE205], AccurateRip returned [F0E8D520] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 7
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\07 Us and Them.wav
Peak level 90.6 %
Extraction speed 7.5 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 087CA174
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) [CA3FA880] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 8
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\08 Any Colour You Like.wav
Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 7.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 5E382955
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) [F84AAD56] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 9
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\09 Brain Damage.wav
Peak level 99.7 %
Extraction speed 7.5 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 21E8081D
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) [EE7E5853] (AR v2)
Copy OK
Track 10
Filename D:\Rock\Pink Floyd\The Dark Side of the Moon\10 Eclipse.wav
Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 7.0 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC D582F045
Cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 200) [41BEC8D7], AccurateRip returned [24BBE552] (AR v2)
Copy OK
7 track(s) accurately ripped
3 track(s) could not be verified as accurate
Some tracks could not be verified as accurate
No errors occurred
End of status report
---- CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.6
[CTDB TOCID: UyW8JpEPtdl.PAAQT28hpXIJ7m0-] found
Submit result: UyW8JpEPtdl.PAAQT28hpXIJ7m0- has been confirmed
Track | CTDB Status
1 | ( 76/8104) Accurately ripped, or (6072/8104) differs in 4203 samples @00:02:07-00:02:44
2 | (7987/8104) Accurately ripped
3 | (7998/8104) Accurately ripped
4 | (7993/8104) Accurately ripped
5 | (7929/8104) Accurately ripped
6 | ( 2/8104) Accurately ripped, or (6072/8104) differs in 2093 samples @04:29:67-04:29:69,05:02:49-05:02:50, or (10/8104) differs in 2093 samples @04:29:67-04:29:69,05:02:49-05:02:50, or (63/8104) differs in 2462 samples @04:29:67-04:29:69,05:02:49-05:02:50
7 | (7915/8104) Accurately ripped
8 | (7916/8104) Accurately ripped
9 | (7913/8104) Accurately ripped
10 | ( 2/8104) Accurately ripped, or (6072/8104) differs in 990 samples @01:04:58-01:04:59, or (10/8104) differs in 990 samples @01:04:58-01:04:59, or (63/8104) differs in 1127 samples @01:04:58-01:04:59
If you are sure that your rip contains errors, you can use CUETools to repair it.
==== Log checksum F791886EFB31B77651DCC3D81467BD67ADFB47DB73AE4B061A5D262CCB3D3290 ====​

 

Yes, same as the 2011 CD.

 

So... the SACD CD Stereo layer is the 2011 (Discovery Edition) mastering James Guthrie and Joel Plante at das boot...

 

I don't think that's fair at all. Chad has done as much as the best audio boutique labels to get quality product in the hands of fans, and offers great customer service and quality control. He understands his customer base and the need for dedication to detail and he even produced many original sessions. He embraced SACD early, and produced 50 blue note albums on SACD, for which I'll always be grateful. Wish he could have done more, but I try to be happy with what's offered.

 

I agree with everything you've written. And yet, my point is still true : he keeps reissuing the same hundred or so records (I might even be overly generous here). Just look at his current Verve series. What's the very first thing he puts out ? Getz/Gilberto for goodness' sake !

 

He keeps releasing them because his customers keep buying them. MoFi does this too.

 

Well no, MoFi have a much wider range in their releases. Off the top of my head, they've done things by Los Lobos, Richard Thompson, Weezer or Run DMC, for instance, that Kassem would never do.
Besides, the better record labels feed and enrich their public's ears, they don't keep feeding them them the same product.

 

Let's keep the thread on topic about the release, and not AS/AP/Chad.

There's nothing controversial to me about yet another reissue of DSOTM at this point. The old SACD is out of print and there was a better CD layer to use, so it's a logical move. What changes were folks thinking it could/should include?

 

The truth is that the audience is more interested in Getz/Gilberto and DSOTM--not to mention APO's Jimi Hendrix Experience SACDs--than anything by Los Lobos, Richard Thompson, Weezer or Run DMC, and it falls in the "know your audience" category. MoFi understands this, too, and the proof is in all those iterations of Dylan and Miles SACDs.

To get back on the thread topic, I don't mind buying DSOTM again because I was never fully satisfied with the earlier SACD--the center has cracks and even given the same mastering I've noticed variations in these types of releases audibly that I can't account for digitally. Maybe I won't this time, but it's still worth the purchase for other reasons I mentioned.

My choice previous to this was tracking down the Japanese version for far more money than the new APO version. Chad did his customers an important service with this particular release.

 

My loss... huh? Some quotes on Wikipedia from Doug Sax and John Carin do not mean in any way that James Guthrie is "in charge of its sound legacy" or the "keeper of the audio flame" for Pink Floyd.

I posted a few examples of titles that clearly show James Guthrie was not even involved with. If he wasn't involved in those titles then how could he be "in charge of its sound legacy" or the "keeper of the audio flame"? It seems that you're a fan of James Guthrie and I respect that. I just think you need to be a little more accurate on your assessment of how much say he actually has on Pink Floyd releases.

My apologies for the off topic exchange but I felt the need to point out that what was posted by Mrtn77 is not totally accurate IMO.