DCC Archive Bob Norberg, Larry Walsh, and Remastering

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by pauljones, Dec 29, 2001.

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  1. pauljones

    pauljones Forum Chef Thread Starter

    Location:
    columbia, sc
    In an earlier topic, I stated, "when you add EQ (excessively) and "shape" the sound through noise gates, noise reduction, and other means to "modernize" the sound, you tamper with artistic integrity. I feel this issue is critical when remastering vintage tapes to the cd format. Now, the controversy is with preserving the "sound" versus the "performance". I maintain that the two are one and the same; in other words, "what is, is," and the role of the ethical engineer is to translate the original listening experience as clearly and cleanly as possible, without altering it to any significant degree. This is where I have a problem with the Bob Norberg approach. I have hundreds of Capitol cd's from the 1980's and 1990's. I can easily identify Bob Norberg's because...they do not sound like the original vinyl! Just listen to his work on the Nat King Cole Collectors Series cd. He removed all the echo and reverb that was on the original stereo tracks. Compare them to the Larry Walsh transfers from the late 1980's (Love Is The Thing, The Very Thought of You, etc.) and you will hear the difference. Also, listen to what he did to the Kingston Trio recordings on the Capitol box set, and also the "twofers" of the Dave Guard trio released in the early nineties. He literally sucked all the life out of them through removing all the echo and reverb that was originally mastered into the stereo releases and then no-noising them to death. Collector's Choice Music did a great job on the Stewart-era Kingston Trio releases because they took the album masters, slight tape hiss and all, echo and reverb as on the vinyl releases, and decided to issue them as the albums originally sounded. These were EMI special markets product, and someone wisely decided not to tamper with history. The ideal scenario is to do as Steve Hoffman does, and to search out the absolute master and then try to make it replicate the original listening experience. However, when you deal with major labels, they are not inclined to look at the same priorities. This is why I would rather listen to the work of, for example Larry Walsh, than Bob Norberg. Because, Larry will take a master tape and do a basically straight transfer, "warts and all", than to send it through extensive processing. When you tamper with a tape to the degree that Bob Norberg does, yes, you do result with the "performance" intact, but not the original sound. And, Larry has done some stunning work, such as his late 1980's reissue of Nat King Cole's "The Complete After Midnight Sessions" and the Nat King Cole/George Shearing cd (lots of tape hiss, but you get the feeling he took the original,just turned on the converter, and took it as it was). To sum it up, I want to hear the music as the artist originally recorded and released it. Don't you?
     
    ggggreenisaac and Ale200 like this.
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