Just got the AP Sacd . Don't have an sacd player but it sounds very good anyway. Smooth. Makes my old Rhino 1992 sound harsh. Glad I came to this thread. AP don't do fancy covers do they? The track list appears three times (inc. on the disc) but no songwriting credits anywhere! How does that work?
The AP vinyl set is still the best sound quality of any of the releases. Everything else sounds harsh and horrible by comparison, even the original pressings.
Not all 4MWB are bad, but not very consistent. Of course they do have great taste in releases which only makes it worse.
Agreed. Mine sounds like it was recorded under a blanket. I have two 4MWB releases and they are both poor sounding, so I now boycott that label. Too bad they release such great titles, there are plenty I'd like to own, but I'm not willing to take the chance.
They probably listened to a 4MWB copy and couldn't resist putting it on the list. Every time I play my copy I just hit the loudness button and it instantly improves.
When people talk about vinyl made directly from CDs, that's exactly what 4MWB and Plain releases are. The CDs typically sound better, though, and these really are bottom of the barrel vinyl reissues.
Just received DIM AP 45 and this thread came to mind when I looked at the spectrum analyser. A massive peak around 18.5k every time the vocals are in the mix. I wouldn't expect to be hearing it at my age but the dog must wonder what's going on. It does seem to add a little air or tension to her vocals though. First thing I did was checked my phono section and I'd be interested to see if anyone can confirm or deny the existence of this peak on their recording.
My 2017 vinyl reissue sounds fantastic but only had digital rip of an unknown cd version to compare with. It came with a download code for a hires download though which also sounds great
As mentioned upthread I've got both the AP vinyl and an original Atlantic pressing. The AP sounds excellent but there's nothing essentially wrong about the original, despite the fact that the album was stitched together in a somewhat artificial way. It's a highly pleasurable listen with no jarring distractions from SQ flaws. Typical late-60's studio pop sound, and of course, a stone classic album from start to finish. "Harsh and horrible" in reference to the Atlantic SD 8214 is audiophile invidiousness taken to comical extremes, IMO. And I don't agree that it's a laughable thoughtcrime to include this album on an audiophile list. I've listened to it dozens and dozens of times with nary a cringe or a sneer. Fremer's overview is dead-on I think though he's a bit harder on the original than I would be: Dusty's Southern Excursion Has Never Sounded This Good
Yes and no. There is a high frequency hump in the frequency response chart at 18.4 kHz and this is caused by a constant tone on the master tape which you can see as a straight line going across the spectral view at 18.4 kHz on probably all issues and reissues of this album. However this is a constant sound - inaudible to most ears because of the frequency - and is not related to the vocals. Looking at the AP SACD, I don't see any peaks occurring at or near that frequency when the vocals are in the mix - the peaks I see are in the 5 kHz to 10 kHz range, as you'd expect from female vocals and sibilants. I don't have the AP LP but I'd be surprised in they were much different.
Thanks for the information, you learn something new every day. Is it a characteristic of all master tapes or this one in particular? Inquiring minds need to know I'm pretty sure I can't hear it, there might be some youngsters who do and pets. It's very quiet in any case. I have been looking at my phono stage loading which is why I was digging around in the lower decibels of the high end looking for peaks. A picture tells a thousand words so I'll try and attach a screen grab. I'm unlikely to succeed.
It isn't constant though. Possibly mixed out when there's less high end information present for other reasons? I don't know enough about mastering for a cutting head but I'm always interested to find out more.
You're right, you didn't! Succeed, that is. Or at least, I can't see the screen grab. It's only this master tape - you wouldn't normally expect to get a constant tone at 18.4 kHz. What makes you say it's not constant? I believe it is, and can show you a spectral view that confirms this if you like. It is sometimes masked by other high frequency information but it's always there, always at the same amplitude.
I'll go back and review it again as it might just be a case of amplitude. It certainly seemed to increase whenever Dusty is singing or about to. I'd be interested to see the spectral view in any case. It seems that bats produce sound around that frequency, been busy today so not much time for research but it's interesting how many things there are that could produce a high frequency and end up recorded without detection. I suppose it would have been detrimental to remove it but why is it there in the first place?
Here y'are, as requested. This is Just A Little Lovin', recorded digitally from the AP SACD (via HDMI) at 176.4 kHz. It's on all other versions I have as well. As you can see, the tone is very prominent at 18.4 kHz and doesn't vary. Glad I can't hear that high!
Interesting, thanks for that. I've not used spectral analysis much, usually recording into Logic and using one of the monitoring tools. I'll have to look for a decent plugin. I guess it's possible that tape striped with that frequency would make it easier to monitor tape speed when mixing down. Or a fault somewhere but it seems so consistent it could only be deliberate.
It looks like there's a new reissue coming out in July...they're billing it as a 50th anniversary reissue, though that would be two years away! Basing this on a post from my local record store.
Its a Rhino issue. Check the thread here. Rhino Records Summer of Love issues, July 2017 No info yet on mastering or pressing plant. And.. now that I realize it.. Dusty In Memphis came out in 1969.. What's Rhino doing here this summer with releasing this as part of the "Summer of Love" campaign??
You nailed it. Her vocals were recorded in a small sound booth, completely separate from and at a different time from the band. The name was recorded in a larger studio. So you're accurately hearing the difference in the recording venues. It's not an absolute high-fidelity recording, but the music makes up for it, eh?
Yeah, including that in the Summer of Love initiative makes about as much sense as Dusty Groove using 4 Men With Beards artwork to promote the Rhino album's release. Way more interested in this if it's from Rhino. Would be awesome if Kevin Gray is mastering.
I was pretty sure it wasn't a 4MWB reissue, and I know that one's awful. I resisted buying it and waited till I found an older pressing. But yeah, not sure why Dusty Groove had the 4MWB image. Yeah, that's in a few of the documentaries about her, that she couldn't sing with the band in Memphis because she was intimidated by being in the same studio as Aretha, et al. So she recorded them separately. While we're talking about sound, is it just me, or has anyone noticed that "In The Land of Make Believe" seems to be two or three takes spliced together? The pacing and pitch seems to change at different points.
