My memory may be playing tricks..but I remember the initial first wave of CDs being criticised for lacking warmth and umph etc, then remasters in the 90s that improved on those CDs for bass and clarity , then further remasters that boosted the volume for iTunes etc , and now the best CDs were the originals all along ? For my two pence the best remasters I picked up we’re Neil Young’s archive series 1-4 , a major improvement on the original CDs , and I agree , some modern new album CDs are Mastered appallingly (Whitesnake I look at you) that distort when cranked up .. The zep original CDs ... I remember volume 4 had terrible distortion on going to California ..and didn’t sound as good as my original vinyl .. the first remasters definitely improved to my recollection
In general, when remasters started to come in the 90's, I thought they were improvements. Nowadays, in most cases, I think otherwise. Added volume, clarity, compression, noise reduction and bass got my ears fooled at first, now I can hardly listen to it.
I forget what the case is with the Marino remasters, or for that matter if I even compared that one, but the latest remasters have less bass than the originals anyway.
The 2014 remasters? I knew something was missing when I first listened to these. Nothing but some EQ'ing can fix that.
Wasn't disagreeing with your point. I was just adding that regardless of how better a MP4 sounds that it is not a lossless format and inferior to WAVE. "I have a beef..." was meant to be funny. Most of my posts are humorous as to not to offend. But ahh apparently it doesn't always work.
So let me get this straight some of you "audiophiles" spent $10 000 or more on your fine systems to play back LOSSY 256 kbs MP4s? Seriuosly? LOL. Please someone tell me I am wrong. LOL
On the remastering thing... Led Zeppelin 4 needs help in the bottom and top end. But a careful: +2 db @ 60hz, +3 db @ 16 khz. All at a Q of 1. And maybe a little bit of tasteful compression. Like the compression that is on most of your Led Zeppelin albums. Some compression will tighten up the bass a bit and make things jump a bit. But none of this should be to the point that you notice and say, "Hey, they let some toddler play with the mastering EQ....Why do they allow toddlers to work in mastering studios? Is the little one part of the union?...." Steve says it is rare that you hear a master that doesn't need some EQ help. Agreed. But mastering engineers do way too much today. Eq moves that completely changed the tonal balance of the album. The Rush late 90's remasters were done right. Just a little bit of this and that. But never too much. As for the later 24/192 Rush remasters...well.....I think garbage island still has some free spots to rent.
Ahh but why not a 320 kbs MP4. I have made MP3 and MP4 of albums for clients that wanted a Lossy version for whatever..... Anyway the studio standard for either MP4 or MP3 has always been 320 kbs. Even if you get an album to buy as a mp3 is still comes in 256 kbs.
Not really. I use lossy formats all the time sir. But for portable use ONLY. Let us stick to Lez Zeppelin. How did Lossy format come up anyway? Oh yea...... I would rather have a flat transfer of every Led Zeppelin album on MP4 256 then every album on badly mastered overly compressed 24/192 FLAC files. So no, I don't hate Lossy formats. Although there is one 98 kbs MP3 that owes me 50 bucks.
Because AAC is the standard format for itunes, which is what we were talking about. You've literally quoted this same post of mine 3 times.
No, we were not just talking about I tunes. Maybe you were. MP3 was brought up by other members..Maybe you should re-read some of the other posts. Dude seriously I am trying to be light hearted. Back off please. I make mistakes. Whatever you win. We were arguing over Lossy formats but since you insist on being silly about it you know what I could care less....we are audiophiles..well at least I am. And do us a favor and drop the pics. It just makes you look shallow and petty. We don't need your animation to make your point. Well, maybe you do.
If you re-read the posts, you’ll see this all started when someone said they liked the Mastered for iTunes versions, which you then asked about.
Sigh...let me walk you through the manner in which we came to this impasse and then I'll end it here.. Someone posted: To which you asked: And I volunteered my answer to your initial query: And then you started in about mp3s... And so I tried to bring it back to what we were talking about and to clarify that 256 AAC and 320 mp3 are comparable in quality... To which you offered this: We all agree its a lossy format. So I don't know why you continue talking about 192 kbs mp3s. I'm sorry I don't mean to come off rude, but maybe this gives you a little insight as to why I'm becoming a bit frustrated with some of your replies. I was merely trying to answer a simple question about the Mastered for itunes format! Let's just shake hands and leave it at that, ok? .
Hi. I've been working my way through this interesting thread and just have a couple of questions. I am a newer member here and don't know much about some of the well-known engineers here or their backgrounds. I keep seeing john morris referring to working at some recording studio and many comments about his Uncle Jack who worked there. Can you share the name of the studio and maybe list a few of the better-known artists (the satisfied ones -- I don't want you to get in any professional trouble) you keep mentioning that had their mixes done there? Maybe some of the songs or albums you worked on? It would help add some depth to your comments. Thanks!!
Not all of is what to live in the limelight. I used to a have a web site but it got over filled with nasty comments about my remastering or mixes. So I shut it down. I have done hundreds of mixes. Mostly demos for Metal , Rap dance and Alternative (what is that anyway) Stuff that went nowhere. A lot of them were independently made. No record company involved. Including several 5.1 mixes. There is a reason why you haven't heard of The Wallkickers album, "Drenced In Semen." They manufactured all 500 copies including the glossy inserts by themselves. This is why you can't find it listed. And the 5.1 mix that sold 14 copies. If you find one frame it. We mostly do transfers. They are only 10 studios in North America that have a functional Sony 3348 HR. We have (Uncle Jack has): Sony 3348 HR (the orginal 1989, 2 inch format) Sony 3348 HR (half inch DASH) × 2 Mitsubishi X-850 (1 inch DASH) x 2 so we get A LOT of clients who want their DASH tapes transferred to Pro Tools. Or sometimes to analog. It is 80% of our business. Sometimes you will see on a CD insert TAPE TRANSFERS BY..... But not all the time. But because of my head injury several years ago I don't remember names or titles. Even years escape me now. And I don't work there anymore and haven't in several months. This is why a month ago I forgot my Samsung A20 on the subway. And still $900 left to pay on it. My health is poor. Many years ago I did a remix that some fan really hated. He sent me several threatening letters and emails etc.. even showed up at my house with a knife. Tried to poison my cat too! I have been hiding ever since. I usually use different names on CD or DVD inserts because I am on a Disability Pension. If the government found I was getting paid in job I could have ended up in jail. And since the day the crazy guy showed up at my house I have been hiding ever since. John Morris isn't on anything. In Hollwood and in this industry the name is all over the place. Too many guys called, John Morris.. My Father is John as was his Father before him. I have never gone by John Morris except here. I was always trying to hide. So even if I gave you album names you would find other names on them. I used many aliases over the years. I had written them all down on paper somewhere but I don't know where that is. I never claimed my mixes were great or even good. As for famous clients - a few. But again I can't remember and/or the name on the CD insert would not be John Morris. ĹA few years ago I almost got caught over this with the Ontario government. I had to appeal with a legal aid lawyer just to stop my ODSP worker from cutting me off. Someone had emailed my worker saying I was working in studio and mixing for big clients. I hardly got paid much anyway. And now I am unemployed. After 18 years of working with my Uncle Jack that is it. To do legal problems our studio name kept changing.. I have no idea what it is called now. I don't think it really matters. Rupert Hine mixed both PRESTO and ROLL THE BONES and the soundĺ quality of those two Rush albums are nasty.. I have received over 5 000 unpleasant emails over my work. I don't need one more. Thanks for the interest.... If I could remember titles and names and put them up for everyone , negative criticism would surely follow. I really rather not have even one more.
Does anyone remember when Robert first started saying/singing "Does anyone remember laughter" during Stairway? Re the thread title I do not think there is a definitive answer and also it would appear to be an album by album thing. It certainly appears many folk like the 80s cds and think they are ok/good - or at least that is my reading of this thread.
Sadly, the possibility that each of the Zep masterings could offer something to cater to individual tastes appears to be an idea just too out there to contemplate. We actually have options , that usually is a good thing !
@grandegi actually ran a series of blind listening test threads for each album where the results bore that out.
