Paul McCartney Flaming Pie Archive Collection - Sound Quality Discussion

With the set now released, it is time to discuss the sound quality. Share your sound quality opinions, waveforms, DR values, etc...

 

Given that half the participants of the anticipation thread are still anticipating receipt of this release, this thread may be a slow burner

 

True but there’s already a sound quality debate brewing in that thread so better to bring that here.

 

Besides the issue with Souvenir, the remaster is quite amazing (on vinyl). Can't speak to the home recordings.

 

Ref the supposed issue in Souvenir i will repeat what I said in the other thread, what you are hearing is a pronounced pluck on a nylon stringed guitar. The sound is there on the original mastering. However, the new mastering has really brought that to the fore. I may well be wrong but that is what it sounds like to me.

If this is a mastering error how did they manage to get it perfectly in tune?

 

It does appear to be on the beat, which would be a fluke if it were an error.

 

McCartney is so musically talented that even his digital glitches remain perfectly in tune and right on the beat...

 

Have to agree... I’ve only listened to the first disc in the vinyl set however what I’ve heard is absolutely fantastic.

 

Considering there are 5 or 6 Flaming tracks appearing on the 2016 Pure McCartney, one key question is if the 2020 remasters are the 2016 remasters, or yet brand new ones ...

 

Even on crummy headphones, the difference is huge. This is a good sign that they're willing to undo more aggressive mastering. This the first album of the brickwall era (even though the original wasn't that bad). Jeff Lynne's darker mixing approach with lots of low mid is especially bad for modern day mastering so this is great.

 

Comparing the vinyl:
Parlophone, Capitol, new Re-issue.
On my system, the re-issue stands above both previous original releases.
Bigger Soundstage- much deeper and fuller than both, although the Capitol press out ranks the Parlophone.
Instruments, particularly guitars and keyboards, are wonderfully musical and seem to 'fit' better in the mix, while being more pronounced, if that makes any sense.
Quite impressed so far.

 

I thought the vocals are too in your face. They seem to have a bit of a shrillness which I would attribute to an EQ boost around 500 Hz.

 

Lost track of the cluttered original thread, so I applaud this separation. Posted a bit on the mastering here, and will follow up later:

On the inverted polarity and 'Pure McCartney' (@Nicolas1234 ):

 

He has perfect glitch.

 

I have to admit this was my first impression as well, especially on the issue of shrillness on the vocals. I also detect some of the mids being dialed back a bit?

For things like the acoustics or cymbals it’s quite welcome and contributes to a better soundstage and depth to the sound.

In the coming days I’ll dig out my Parlophone vinyl and Capitol CD releases to compare. But really no major complaints from me, just a different sound.

 

Try dialing down the 1.4kHz - 2kHz range. Made a big difference when I was listening to the Deluxe remaster on Tidal

 

What is the issue with "Souvenir"?

 

Just a squeaky guitar noise some have interpreted as a glitch (it's not). Again, less annoying with the 1.4-2k notched down a few dB. Your mileage/system may vary

 

Hold on, I'm reading up on this, and what makes you think it's not a glitch? A few remasters in these series have a traditional glitch: 'Magneto And Titanium Man' got a skip, 'Love Is Strange' got a skip, which both happened in the digital domain since the hi-res versions don't contain those skips.

And the bit in 'Souvenir' definitely doesn't sound like a "squeaky guitar noise", but like a part which got accidentally "paste mixed" during spectral editing. It wasn't there on the original CD master, vinyl version. It wasn't there on the 'Pure McCartney' 2015 remaster. And now it appears out of nowhere.

This has nothing to do with a bit which was "emphasised on" in the new remaster. In no way this loud "blip" can suddenly appear, not even after the most extreme EQ-ing or limiting. Both things which don't apply to any part of this remaster at all.

 

I’ll just add that it’s also on the original mastering so intended or not, like the airplane on Black Country Woman or Ringos squeaky drum pedal, it is part of the album

 

The error we're talking about is not on the original album.

 

I guess we'll have to remaster the remaster ourselves. Where can we send the bill?

 

Hi Mindgames, I have the hi-res version of 'Love Is Strange', and that has the skip too (maybe they fixed it on later downloads?)

 

It is 100% a glitch. I've even posted a frequency spectrum graph in the original thread that clearly shows the anomaly compared to the original CD. Squeaky guitar noise! LOL



The remaster is the top one.

 

I stand corrected, just listened to my promo cd from release day side by side.

It does make a nice quirky addition tho, imo. Certainly not intrusive being right on beat