SH Spotlight "In The Wind" stereo SACD by Peter, Paul and Mary from Audio Fidelity. Mastering secrets post #271

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Dec 7, 2013.

  1. hbbfam

    hbbfam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chandler,AZ
    In my local market (Phoenix) it is airing again tonight.
     
  2. beatlematt

    beatlematt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gadsden, Alabama


    Here is something to watch. Right in the middle between the JFK tragedy and Beatlemania launching, January 1964.
     
  3. weekendtoy

    weekendtoy Rejecting your reality and substituting my own.

    Location:
    Northern MN
    This disc is easily one of my best hi-rez purchases in 2014.
     
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  4. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    I asked for this for Christmas, and Santa (my niece actually) came through. I am extremely happy to listen to this in such wonderful sound quality. :edthumbs::D
     
  5. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    And a year later, they still do! :confused:
     
  6. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    :(:(:(:(
     
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  7. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Hard to believe that I first posted in this thread (posts #7 and #9) well over a year ago and that just yesterday, I finally got to sit down and listen to Steve's SACD mastering. First, here in Ohio, it's currently sub zero temps and the wind was blowing the few inches of snow around outside, like a mini blizzard, so that was my visual, as I turned on the old tube Scott 299b, Klipsch Chorus 1 speakers and Oppo "Special Edition" SACD player.

    Like I mentioned last year in those first few posts, I only recently came to appreciate "Peter, Paul & Mary", outside of "Puff The Magic Dragon", "I Dig Rock n' Roll Music" and their beautifully harmony filled and much later recorded cover of "September Song", from an album called "Lifelines". When the opening track of "In The Wind" comes on, "Very Last Day", it is truly hard to believe that this was recorded in the early sixties, as it just sounds so fresh and alive, as if they are actually in the room with you. Every song that follows has the same chilling effect and while I can say that Steve did another great mastering job with this, I feel that, thanks to the original engineer, Bill Schwartau and producer Albert B. Grossman, for capturing these recordings so perfectly in the first place, along with Warner Brothers Records, for clearly storing the master tapes properly, all these years, is in high order here!

    I really can't imagine Peter or Noel not feeling that this SACD represents their sound, as best as it can be reproduced, outside of the playback of the original master tapes? If either of you are reading this, I hope that you find some sort of happiness in the end results of Steve's mastering, as you can tell that, just like the music contained within, it was a "labor of love".
     
  8. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I also just received my copy and listened to it on Tuesday evening.

    Lovely!

    BTW this record by PP&M (LP) was among the few of my earliest acquisitions, when I was 14 0r 15. It was probably the mono version, and I wish I still had it.
     
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  9. SKean

    SKean Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central Jersey
    Just got my copy today via ImportCDs, playing it on my Oppo 105, XLR'd into my Reference Music mono block 10wpc tube amps
    juicing my HiFiMan 500s (about 2 or 3 watts into their 38 Ohm load), and not being all that aware of PP&M's output other than
    the huge hit Puff The Magic Dragon like the above poster, and Wow! does this title really shine.

    Nice job once again, Steve Hoffman, and I'm really looking forward to your re-do of Renaissance's Ashes Are Burning. Yes, I know
    you haven't announced it, but it would be your very best hi fidelity coup ever. I'm being an optimist here....
     
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  10. bmoregnr

    bmoregnr Forum Rezident

    Location:
    1060 W. Addison
    This was really nice, and it feels like it will probably be the closest I ever get to being in a room when a master tape is played, although admittedly I have no idea what that would sound like. Is the voice, especially the female voice, the hardest thing to record? This recording made me appreciate that it must be pretty damn tough. I was also intrigued how, since the recording naturally does not have much bass energy compared to the bulk of music I normally listen, the low end is there in new and really subtle ways, little throaty things or bumps just hit you so hard especially since you get lulled into not expecting much to be happening down there. I look forward to playing this again soon.
     
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  11. MultiMan

    MultiMan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sweden
    I got this hybrid SACD in the mail yesterday and as I only got a CD player that's what I played. My first ever Peter, Paul & Mary record but love the kind of music they do.

    I'm amazed over the sound quality on such an old recording as the master tapes must've aged quite a bit. I already know the amazing quality possibly in the '60s on the best vinyl from that era. The music in itself is just fantastic.

    Thanks, Steve, for doing the things you do, for the benefit of our ears and souls!
     
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  12. fluffskul

    fluffskul Would rather be at a concert

    Location:
    albany, ny
    Listening to Peter, Paul & Mary a bit lately after watching a documentary on them by accident on PBS lately. The two AF discs are great... BUT please do the 2nd LP too... Puff the Magic Dragon is Baby Jude's favorite song. And I'm trying to raise my son right. Make him appreciate a well-mastered SACD on quality playback, and not be another earbud wearing IPod listening punk! Let's get this going already!
     
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  13. AppleCorp3

    AppleCorp3 Forum Resident

    I'm going to have to pick this up. And i didn't think anything could beat my original pressing - it sounds like this is the one!!
     
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  14. fluffskul

    fluffskul Would rather be at a concert

    Location:
    albany, ny
    An OP that's NOT beat to all hell would be a great find... though the AF is prob still the winner.
     
  15. oxenholme

    oxenholme Senile member

    Location:
    Knoydart
    Are you reading this Marshall? Puff the Magic Dragon is one of my favourite songs too. I've got a space reserved for the SACD. When will it be ready?
     
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  16. AppleCorp3

    AppleCorp3 Forum Resident

    I've got the self titled and this one plus a German pressing of Album 1700 that are in great shape.

    Just lucked upon them at a flea market for a buck each!
     
    billnunan likes this.
  17. fluffskul

    fluffskul Would rather be at a concert

    Location:
    albany, ny
    I've literally tripped over PP&M LPs at thrift stores, and they are always beat up. Even ones that look good visually, tend to play back staticky for me. I dunno if its something about the way WB cut back in the day, or just the fact that people really played the hell out of these LPs!
     
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  18. mne563

    mne563 Senior Member

    Location:
    DFW, Texas
    I've had the opposite experience; I've been finding near mint gold label PP&M WB's for several months now. They play quietly and have that breath-taking realism that is missing from so many records today. I've yet to pay more than about $8, for some really great records. It seems to me that the folkies took very good care of their records in the 1960's.

    If you can't land nice copies of the lps, the AF SACDs should be your next purchase!
     
  19. Dennis Metz

    Dennis Metz Born In A Motor City south of Detroit

    Location:
    Fonthill, Ontario
    Time for the next one :cheers:
     
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  20. zen

    zen Senior Member

    It sounds amazing. My socks are still missing!
    Thanks Steve.

    By the way, is there any hope for a (Moving) Audio Fidelity disc in the future?
     
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  21. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    You're welcome. I think AP did MOVING, didn't they?
     
  22. zen

    zen Senior Member

    I can't find it anywhere. :shrug:

    Maybe since the MOVING album only reached #2 (for 9 weeks) it wasn't considered worthy. ;)
     
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    PP&M-InTheWind.jpg I felt like revisiting IN THE WIND (our Audio Fidelity version) today and so I cued up the "unmastered reference" from Marsh Mastering and the "mastered reference" on two (identical) machines and fired them up, switching back and forth. This is the first time I heard them on my current Audio Note UK system and I must say I was really blown away by the sound (this is the CD part, not the SACD section).

    The unmastered version (what we in the biz would call a "flat transfer") sounds pretty great, as it should, engineered in 1963 by the great Bill Schwartau, but with a little nudge in mastering, it comes to life, real people standing there, making great music. I can (with the Audio Note system) actually tell what type of guitars are being used, I mean not only brands, but actual shape and size. Very impressive.

    At any rate, what did I do in mastering for this, you ask? Well, the flat transfer has the typical Neumann mike sound and by that I mean a bit of a top end tizz with a midrange dip and an upper bass dip. I simply filled in the dippy spots and fleshed 'em out. Bingo, the sound comes to life. I don't have my actual notes with me at this moment but I remember deciding on 80 cycles, 140 cycles, 500 cycles 3,000 cycles as the pressure points. Mess with them a bit and what was great sounding becomes fantastic sounding (to me, of course, there are other versions out there that jacked up the top end to the point of pain...)

    Stephen Marsh has a beautiful sounding Ampex ATR-102 that we used to do this transfer with, I used Bill's original New York mix. There is another mix that was done at Radio Recorders in Hollywood a bit later. I bypassed that (even though it is the "official" cutting master) because I felt Bill's version was more emotional sounding.

    This is a great album, holds up well, not a clunker on it, hard to believe it was recorded 52 years ago...

    Is this still in the Audio Fidelity catalog? I know they didn't make that many. Hope it's still in print and that you all have a chance to get a copy, it's beautiful music.
     
  24. AppleCorp3

    AppleCorp3 Forum Resident

    You're making me want to go out and buy some CDs...
     
  25. Blue Cactus

    Blue Cactus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    The AF website still shows this as still available. https://audiofidelity.net/home?page=1
     
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