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

It isn't hi res, but I just got an email that Murfie is shutting down. They sold 16/44 downloads, I guess actually when you bought the download you were buying the used CD as well. I only started using it a few months ago, bought about 6 albums. At the time I decided to just do the FLAC, they would ship the CD each for $5.99. Kinda wish I would have had them shipped. Not sure now if I will get a chance to get them or not.

They aren't rare albums, so it isn't a big loss, but had been planning on having them mailed to me. Guess I procrastinated too long.

 

What's the verdict on the Hendrix Fillmore set for download vs CD?

 

Oh, got your thought. As far as I can recall that description was there from the beginning, but of course on the main page nothing was mentioned. You should click on a tab in order to see details. Sorry for being that picky, ha
I also remember that back when the whole HD audio thing started the main point was "studio master quality" and so forth, so of course if something was recorded/edited in studio at a certain rate - that's what we as customers should get.

 

I don't know if the major labels are trying to kill the format, are REALLY DUMB, or both.

 

Haven't heard the Hendrix CD's but I very happy with the digital download. Sounds great for me.

 

Good timing! I just finished a film, & am planning on playing some of the 24 bit dl on my main system (so far I've only played it on the pc) at least until the neighbors complain about Jimi at 11:15 PM!

 

I agree with Roberto899.

After listening to a couple minutes, the sound is very good for 44/24. It's really a shame they didn't go 96/24

 

Hey, no problem.

They come up with the dumbest ways to deal with things. I can never tell if it's ignorance or deceit. I'm sure it's been both.

HDtracks advertising aside, with that Doors live album, I never heard an explanation of why they used the 80s digital transfer of the multis. Seems if they had to because the original analogs were damaged, they would have said so. Seems like a really odd thing to go into such a major hi-def restoration and start from a primitive digital transfer of the audio rather than re-transfer in modern tech. Or did they not initially realize we'd be able to tell? To me, that explanation sounds like damage control after complaints started, which is why I was thinking maybe it was added later. That line about how it will show as 44khz on frequency analysis but really is HD sounds like a response. Wish I could remember how it went down. I just spent some time at the Waybackmachine but haven't had success finding this page at/soon after release. Searching the current link for the Bowl release only gives me links back to 2013 after it was switched to 44/24 so the URL must've been different before that.

 

That is great. However people do realize that changing sample rates in playback really makes no difference. For example: If the file is in 24 / 48 ramping up the snap me rate to 192 will make no difference. As opposed to recording. Some will disagree but as an audio engineer I find this a pointless upgrade. All the other stuff is great.

 

Ex-audio engineer here. Yes, good points.
Digital multitracks didn't start using 24/48 until the early 90's. Look at the Sony 3348 (1988) which records 48 tracks of 16/44.1 / 48 on half inch DASH tape. We are coming to the end of a decade and still using 16 bit. Even the early 90's 3348HR was still recording at 24/48.

There was a Universal fire (are the Doors with Universal?) that destroyed over 500 000 master tapes and who knows what else. But disasters like this happen to other companies all the time. You just don't hear about it. Floods, earthquakes, fires, etc. have been Destoring tapes for decades.

If they took the 16/48 or 16/44.1 DASH tapes, transfered them to Pro Tools, then mixes them through a analog board and finally back to Pro Tools in 24/96 or whatever they can say that it is HIGH DEF. I think that is load of dogs doo doo!

Truth is record companies lie....Lie...Lie and lie when it comes to this. What can I say. We once asked for the analog 2 inch 16 track copies for some Tony Orlando and Dawn concert from 1978 or something and we got a DASH half inch tapes that were a 1984 copy made from an analog copy of the original analog multitracks. My Uncle figured this out all by himself. But we were told, "These are the original multi-tracks from the concert."
And on top of that it was the wrong bloody tour!

 

They aren't with Universal but it's possible the original tapes were no longer useable. However, they've mentioned that in the past when other tapes had to be used for other recordings so it seems strange that with Bruce giving that explanation and there being such a backlash over the low res source being used for a hi res release, that they wouldn't mention if the reason was due to original tapes being damaged. I honestly wonder if it was done to save costs and that they really didn't realize we would be able to tell. I don't know if they went out to analog or not but they may've been mistakenly thinking that if they did and then re-captured and mixed at a higher res and added reverb that it would then make it appear the same as true HD audio. If that was the case and the analog tapes are still sitting there in fine shape, that's pretty infuriating. But they also screwed up the video with over the top NR and sharpening so maybe they can re-visit it all again and this time do it from the analog tapes and not leave the video with the fine detail of a cartoon.

It's sad how little some people who are in charge of these recordings know or care.

 

Did Universal end up with the Warner catalog? If so, could the fire have an impact on this & a couple other titles we've discussed? (i.e. is all that's left on some titles 44.24 archived copies?)

 

It was just a guess. I lose track of who owns what and who is with whom. Most people don't know that WEA was once Warner, Electra and Atlantic. So if WEA and EMI join up does that mean they will be EMIWEA or WEAEMI? I give up!

Yes, I agree with all that you said and then some. People think every multitrack is kept and properly cataloged. In the last 20 years maybe. But you would be surprised at how many studios had a erasure and reuse tape policy. (You didn't hear this from me.) No Four Season multitracks....mmmmm....I wonder why? I would place this months rent that the erased the tapes. Back then the idea of going back and remixing was just not down. Why saved the multitracks? Just taking up space. This was the attitude but thankfully a lot of this stuff was saved.

Short story. Air Supply fans are familiar with the 1987 Chile concert shown on television in Latin America. Since 1989 Uncle Jack had heard that the whole concert (72 minutes. Air Supply always gives 72 min shows. ?????) had been recorded on a Sony DASH 3324A and was going to be turned into a double live album for 1988 release. Nothing happened. Since 2006 our studio had been trying to get permission to get the 1/2 inch DASH tapes, mix them and release it as a live CD. Maybe even on 180 gram vinyl. Limited release of course.

The first response we got in 2006 was a telephone call: "NO SUCH TAPES EXIST."

Response from a long letter Uncle Jack wrote to someone important in 2008:
"..The show was recorded to DASH but the tapes cannot be located..."

Response from a 2009 phone call:
"...The DASH tapes were destroyed in a flood along with many multitracks of live shows and albums...."

Response to a letter Uncle Jack wrote again in 2014:
"The tapes do not exist..."

Go figure. Strange eh? They can't seem to make up their minds. Does anyone think the company in question is trying to hide something?

 

HDtracks:

Use code TurkeyHD20 for 20% off storewide
and up to 40% off select sales!
Offer valid through 11/30/2019 11:59PM EDT.

 

O.k. who wants to loan me money to buy HD tracks?.....Come on....Don't be shy....

 

The entire business? Including Chesky?
That's gonna be quite a gofundme project.

 

Well, not all of it. Could I just get a little tasting? LOL Not the whole business. But that would be alright too.

 

I'm wondering if Alliance has already bought them. About a year back I (& others) noticed that parts of HDT's site now looked strangely like Deep Discount. I haven't looked to see if they are still doing it, but at that time they were also starting to sell some physical media.

 

This is me if tempted by "just a taste" of the HDtracks catalog. I'd be a glutton.

 

I am glad HD Tracks was doing so well.
All of our stuff unfortunately is tied up in legal BS and red tape. The company in question claimed we hacked into their servers and stole hundreds of their master files and then turned around sold them as ours. I couldn't hack my way into a cardboard box!

 

THIS WEEK on HDtracks...

Prince - 1999
Pink Floyd - The Later Years 1987-2019
The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women / You Can't Always Get What You Want
Kacey Musgraves - The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show

plus much much more...

 

It may be creeping into video now too(let’s hope not):

 

I can't play You Tube. Could you please summarize?

 

Brickwalling video of sorts. Basically capping the nit level of high definition video. Kinda like fake upsampling where you pay for high resolution but only get CD quality or less plus over use of compression just to make it louder for no good reason. With the video it makes everything harder to see(darker). Curious as to why you can’t play YouTube?

 

XP without Java & Flash for safety. XP will play HTML 5 video, but Google has in there infinite wisdom has restricted that ability. In fact, Google is doing more than MS to make XP (my fav os) irrelevant. It's hard to use the web these days without recaptcha; the only XP browser that Google will allow to connect with it (afaik) is Firefox 36.