Hi-Res Download News (HDTracks, ProStudioMasters, Pono, etc.) & Software/Mastering Part 12**

That's the understatement of the week!

 

WTF? They did such a nice job with the HD for Late For the Sky....and the flat Warner HD of the 80s stuff sounds nice....I thought the DVDA was a weirdo with someone else in charge. I mean, I don't care about this because I don't LIKE running on empty a lot outside the title track....but, if this is the direction he's going now with the HD, THAT would sadden me.

 

This is a GUESS, but I doubt Browne had anything to do with the mastering. I suspect the decisions were made by whichever mega company owns the WEA catalog this week. Although that said, the superb 2011-2014 WEA flat transfers were a company initiated series (though I believe it was a different company then).

 

That was a nice run while it lasted, gave me hope. Today, I've lost all faith...

 

I've said this before, but the majors are shooting themselves in the foot brickwalling hi-res releases that are meant for an audiophile audience. And, it really angers me, because music can sound so amazing when recorded & mastered correctly.

But than the labels have never gotten digital marketing right from day 1; other than the unfair profits they made off of "perfect sound forever" from 4th generation safety masters at 16/44 that many of us were dumb enough to repurchase over & over again every time there was a remaster (some of which were better, some worse). Between USA vinyl, Euro vinyl, Japan vinyl, numerous cd remasters & hi-res, there are albums I've literally bought 10 times.

Possibly the one that upsets me the most id the Hendrix Electric Ladyland box, which I just sold at a loss. The best sounding official digital version of EL is still the 2nd Gen Warner 1 disc "RE-1". I can't count how many inferior masters have come out since then..........

 

Is there a list of those 2011-2014 WEA remasters that sound good and are they still available for sale?

 

Ministry (Twitch)/Depeche Mode/Erasure
Yes-90125
I think are still active. On the Mode's I wouldn't waste your money on the 192's. 96 is almost too much. Not much info above 22 (44) on these (as with the originals except Speak)
Unfortunately they replaced all the nice Fleetwood Macs with the awful remasters.
On HDTracks you'll see a tiny Warner Logo on the top right of the album cover.

 

It's mostly 44.1 kHz / 24-bit upscaled -- see prostudiomasters for the horrid details.

 

I'll try to compile a list of the ones I own, though it may take awhile. Many seem to go in & out of print (I have no idea why). Some artists that come to mind are Prince (debut through Around The World), Several BN Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne Late, Hold Out & Lawyers; Any Duke Ellington recorded for Reprise, & just about the entire Warner Joni Mitchell catalog.

 

not that I've seen, but for Browne, it was an odd "80s only"--Hold Out, Lawyers, World in Motion--skipping Lives in the Balance, I assume because they couldn't find tapes or something?....Late for the Sky isn't close to a flat transfer, and came out later, from memory--it was done/ready for the launch of Pono? But, then I don't know how "flat" they are--so much as the mastering are the same as the original US CDs, except Late. So, I guess if it was standard issue to flat transfer onto CD in the 80s....they're flat....but, I always figured they were simply the production master compilation tapes. They sound like the vinyl usually to me....except for things like Hold Out where the vinyl is cut through an Aphex machine....it sounds like what the tape sounded like before aural exciters were added.

The Prince stuff is For You to Parade, actually....Fleetwood all the way from S/T to Tango in the Night.

Madonna's first at least three.

Phil Collins first couple and the 1989 (But Seriously)....skipping the biggest one....

Some Doobies....I want to say America....

That said....I know the Jackson Browne's aren't for sale any longer. They actually came out and were seemingly gone really quickly--like they weren't supposed to get released or something. I feel like the Princes got pulled when he passed or something--maybe when they remastered Purple Rain? The Phil Collins went missing when they made loud HD remasters of those a couple years ago.

 

I have definitely seen the Princes' & Browne's go in & oop on HDT.

Through correspondence earlier on this thread (& also off the thread) I recently learned there were 2 versions of Late For The Sky. I have the "good sounding version". It's dated June 2014.

 

Also the Yes stuff through Big Generator, though I'm not sure if they're still available.

 

Ive heard HERE theres a poor sounding Late....I dont know where that exists. It was NOT done as part of these Warner archives. Yes, the 2014 pono version is what I have and its best of any format barre none. Can someone say where they got this “bad sounding” 192khz of Late For the Sky?

 

To be clear, I've never heard the bad one. You'd have to ask the op.

 

Can't believe I missed the Pono version of Late For The Sky. I did buy a few Pono releases of other artists including Tom Petty's "Wildflowers" (sounds fantastic).

Pat

 

I wasn't aware that Pono did any exclusive remasters other than the first 2 CSN/CSNY's & possibly some of Neil's. They did tend to be a little lower priced if memory serves.

Their CSN debut remaster totally destroyed the Warner version that HDT, PSM, AS, etc were carrying.

 

When Bruce Botnick was actually working for Pono, he created remasters for Love's Forever Changes and MC5's Kick Out the Jams, both albums of which he originally worked on as co-producer. I believe the Love remaster remaster finally reappeared in the recent 50th Anniversary set (but in 24/96 on the Blu-ray; the Pono download was 24/192). Unsure about the MC5 remaster showing up anywhere else.

 

Pono didn’t “do” remasters per se. But it apparently had some exclusive deals.

CSN/Y for obvious reasons. Tom Petty’s Wildflowers was another IIRC.

 

I suspect Neil or his "people" did the 1st 2 CSN/CSNY's. If you've never compared the HDT to the Pono of the debut, the difference is staggering.
I have no idea which version of the debut is out there today; I believe the Pono Deja Vu was the only hi-res version ever done.

 

I got it from HDTracks around the same time - compressed to hell and clipped all over the place. Nasty. It was probably covered at the time of release in these threads. Didn't know there was a nice Pono version.

 

It's been years since I bought mine. I thought it came from HDT (I re-labled the folder HDT, but I'm certain I did that; not the retailer), but I may have gotten it elsewhere. Someone with one of the bad ones has heard mine & agrees I have the good version. Windows shows the file dates as 6/28/14. Apparently I ran the DR meter on the same day I got it.Here's the Foo DR meter report in case it helps anyone figure out exactly which version I have. Mine definitely sounds very good.

foobar2000 1.3.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-06-28 13:54:27

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Jackson Browne / Late For The Sky
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR11 0.00 dB -14.01 dB 5:42 01-Late For The Sky (Remastered)
DR12 0.00 dB -14.44 dB 6:52 02-Fountain Of Sorrow
DR12 0.00 dB -14.52 dB 5:21 03-Farther On
DR11 0.00 dB -14.12 dB 5:14 04-The Late Show
DR10 0.00 dB -12.04 dB 3:08 05-The Road And The Sky
DR12 0.00 dB -15.52 dB 4:46 06-For A Dancer
DR11 0.00 dB -12.93 dB 3:55 07-Walking Slow
DR12 0.00 dB -14.41 dB 6:23 08-Before The Deluge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 8
Official DR value: DR11

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2816 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

 

Thats what i got from pono—the dr11 version.

 

THIS WEEK on HDtracks...


James Taylor - The Warner Bros. Albums: 1970-1976
The Dave Clark Five - 5 albums
Scott Stapp - The Space Between the Shadows
Flaming Lips - King's Mouth: Music and Songs

plus much much more...

 

Intereting that Clark is finally putting stuff out here (other than greatest hits); & in hi res at that!

 

Normally I am not “this guy”, but if these Taylor remasters don’t top the AF versions...what’s the point