Not by choice. Again, he works for the labels that tell him what to work on. he doesn't sit around and say "Hey! I wanna do this and that". If Steve were asked to master, say, Parliament, i'll bet he'd jump at it. However, I also notice that Kevin Gray, not Steve, has been doing almost all of the R&B titles for AF lately. Stevie Wonder, Barry White, Sade...
So the sound of the songs remastered by Mark Wilder on the 1998 Greatest Hits cd will be the sound of those same songs on all the remastered albums?
This thread got me on an EW&F kick this afternoon. I don't know what the cd layer of the MFSL "That's The Way Of The World" sounds like, but the SACD layer is very good. Impressive depth and musicality. Compared to the Japanese SACD of "All 'N All," it's audio nirvana. Not that the JSACD sounds bad, but it's rather one dimensional compared to the MFSL. (Different albums recorded at different times, I know, so perhaps they're both fairly faithful to the original masters.) Still, I really felt like I could hear into the mix on "That's The Way Of The World" and didn't get that sense at all with "All 'N All." I didn't listen to "Gratitude" in stereo; multichannel only. I loved listening to this album again and the surround mix on this disc sounds fantastic.
I A/B'd them too. The MFSL CD layer has boosted highs. Since the Wilder CD is closer to my original vinyl, and the original vinyl is usually closer to the master tape, I can safely confirm that MFSL boosted the treble. It's like if someone could have played it with the Audio Technica 440 mla or 150mlx carts. But, some people like that sound...
I agree with Grant and Say. I was able to listen to the MFSL sacd yesterday and though it is clear, it is bright and fatiguing. Not a fan, unfortunately.
The 2013/2014 SHM [CD or SACD] effort's have been nearly all flat transfers. Does flat work for everything? Nope, but they would fit all the requirements in your first post. Too bad there are none for the album you seek. Good luck in the search. Give it patience, I'm sure someone will have EAC values for the original US stock discs and 1st Japans.
I like the Mark Wilder remasters. All of them. The albums box contains all of these up through I Am, then newer Mark Wilder masters from Faces on up (since the remaster campaign ended with I Am, this makes sense). However, the big mis-step on the box, IMO, was leaving off the bonus tracks from those remasters. At the very least, they should've added a disc to the bonus Constellations with all of the bonus tracks, as they did on the digital-only version of Constellations.
One thing I noticed after I moved about 36 months ago is that recordings that sounded too bright to me before now sound more neutral. Not surprising since I previously listened in a room with more windows, window blinds, and hardwood floors; now I listen in a room with drapes and wall-to-wall carpeting. I also noticed after upgrading my pre-pro a few months ago how much I wasn't hearing before since my old unit didn't have a lot of capability to convey spatial cues. Yesterday was the first time I played the MFSL SACD through my Arcam and I was surprised by how each singer's voice was distinct and had body.
I have to disagree with what is said above. I had a 2006 Japanese remaster of Raise! (The paper gatefold vinyl imitating MHCP 957). Beautiful package, but it is a compressed, harsh sounding disc with distorted treble. I now have the 35DP 15 from 1982 and it sounds much better: almost twice the dynamics, wider sound stage and instrument separation, better treble, and still a lot of impact.
Are you sure about the flat transfers? Did you compare them to the first / early Japanese releases? I started a thread about those at http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/earth-wind-fire-early-japanese-cd-releases.350752/
To be complete: the 35DP 15 is a disc with pre-emphasis. I had to de-emphasise it after ripping, to get it sounding correctly on my iPod/iPhone.
I'm still wondering which series you are referring too. I cannot find any EW&F SHM discs from 2013/2014. I can find blu-spec CDs from 2012/2013. These blu-spec CDs don't seem to be flat transfers. If I look at the DR levels for the 2012 Raise! (SICP-20363), it's quite obvious that the 2006 remaster (MHCP 957) is used, and not the 80's 35DP 15. Please see http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=Earth,+wind&album=
hi - no SHM's for EW&F I was alluding to it would have been perfect for the OP if there were. The 2013/2014 SHM [CD or SACD] effort's have been nearly all flat transfers. Does flat work for everything? Nope, but they would fit all the requirements in your first post. Too bad there are none for the album you seek.
Question: I now have the Columbia Masters Box Set, Is there anything on the The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. II that is different (edits or mixes)? Earth, Wind & Fire - The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. I is on the box set so I dont really need that.
can someone give me the total running time of the 1999 Wilder remaster of Gratitude, sans bonus track? I'm trying to figure out if my old '80s CD has anything cut. It's catalog number CDCBS 88160, printed in Holland, manufactured in Japan. Total running time is 66:49.
One more question to save me combing the archives, can anyone supply a complete list of Mark Wilder remasters with bonus tracks? Thanks in advance.
I don't own the remaster, but my early US disc clocks at 66:24. Maybe you can check it using the versions on Discogs.
The early 2000s original version of The Essential EW&F is readily available in shops here, how does it rate sound wise? Presumably it is not wonderful but is it acceptable for a non devotee?
The (German) Speakers Corner vinyl of That's the Way of the World is nice. Most of the rest I still have on original UK vinyl. Don't know what the best version is ( I think I just have the CBS CD) but Gratitude is a live album worth having. Keep the faith....
I'm not an audiophile, but to my ears the mastering is totally acceptable. It's not super loud or compressed (in fact, the volume levels are nice) and the overall sound quality is easy on the ears. I think it's a decent comp for a non devotee. I believe it was mastered by Seth Foster and Mark Wilder.
For grins, I checked out the samples of the hi-res remasters on Pono, and "Gratitude" sounded particularly awful! It had tons of sibilance. What the hell happened?
Ok, so many of the old CDs has some kind of glitch, so they're out of the equation. Which are the best then? The Columbia Masters boxset, the remasters single discs, some japanase release, or the official digital downloads?
I'd say you'd be set with the Columbia Masters box...but those '98-'02 remasters have some essential bonus tracks that were left off the box in a very odd decision. (Those bonus tracks seem to have been added back into a digitally expanded version of the bonus disc Constellations.)
