Peter Gabriel - Best Digital Masterings?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by tlake6659, Dec 22, 2008.

  1. Paul H

    Paul H The fool on the hill

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    Very, very late to this thread but I've been tempted recently to buy up PG's original V/ C CDs. Just because it was available, I bought a no-barcode copy of Birdy and have been comparing it with my remaster.

    The remaster is a little louder but there appears to be little if any compression applied. Auditioning a few tracks at random (At Night, Birdy's Flight and The Heat) I'd say that the V/C sounds a little crisper, whereas the remaster seems a little smoother. I was listening on headphones and found the crisper sound to be more enjoyable because it gives the tracks a little more presence and oomph, but I'd like to audition both through speakers before making any further judgements. I'm going to be interested to see how this pans out because my system is a little bright and the remaster may actually sound much nicer than the brighter original through my speakers.
     
  2. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    I only owned the 2002 remaster of Security. And as it is one of my favorite Peter Gabriel albums, I hunted down the Japanese Black Triangle based on the description above. I must say, if find talking about a "dramatic WHACK!!" a bit overexaggerating what is actually happening, but the 80's disc does have more air. I find it most noticeable in all the drumming before the end of The Rhythm Of The Heat. On the remaster all drum hits have more or less the same loudness. On the Black Triangle you can clearly hear that there are louder and softer hits, which makes the drumming much more interesting.

    Also the (Moog) bass on San Jacinto from 2:59 (BT, on the remaster it starts 5 seconds later) and the (sporadic) bass on I Have The Touch have more detail on the Black Triangle. There's nuance in the sound that is lost on the remaster. So the Black Triangle stays, and the remaster will be sold. :righton:
     
  3. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    BTW, I noted the same listening results from comparing the 2002 remaster and the original 80's Dutch CD of So. The remaster is certainly not bad, but looses a lot of details in comparison to the original CD pressing.
     
    c-eling and George P like this.
  4. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Are you comparing the CDs or the DSD layer from the SACDs?
     
  5. Ambassador

    Ambassador Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    What was the general consensus preferred pressing for Plays Live! again?
     
  6. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    You'll need a two disc version to get all the songs. I have only ever heard my European copy, so don't know how US, etc. editions compare.

    The remaster/SACD is the highlights (one disc) version. You will want it too if you like the sound of the remasters/SACDs.
     
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  7. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    I ditched all my SACD's in favor of my old cd presses, It could of been the simple fact I was so used to them, they didn't seem natural, my opinion of course, I did however enjoy the 5.1 mix of UP :cheers:
     
  8. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Last edited: Jan 17, 2015
  9. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    Just comparing CD's. I cannot play SACD's.
     
  10. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    As c-eling says 2 posts above this one, there is a 2-disc version of the 2002 remaster of Plays Live. It's the Japanese VJCP-68849 50. I hunted it down a couple of years ago when I didn't know yet that the old CD's sound better most of the time. As any Peter Gabriel 2002 remaster it sounds good when listened to in isolation. And I don't like the album enough to buy an early CD master version.
     
  11. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Honestly, the better equipment I get, the better these SACDs sound (DSD layer).
     
    Tullman and c-eling like this.
  12. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    As a SACD (DSD), yes Thomas they did sound great!, It was the remaster they used for it I personally did not care for, now if they do straight transfers on SACD down the line from Japan, I will be all over them in a heartbeat!
     
    danielbravo and Starwanderer like this.
  13. kenbefound

    kenbefound Forum Resident

    I recently acquired a copy of the Up SACD and the 5.1 is something special, Genesis' Trespass is also killer in 5.1. Both highly recommended! Someday, I would love to see all PG's catalog released in 5.1.
     
  14. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    My comment are for the SACD layers. I found the CD layers sounded worse, to the point that I wondered if they weren't slightly different masterings.

    The So SACD layer is to me better than both the original CD I had and the recent re-remaster.
    On the other hand, I prefer the original Target CD for IV (Security).
     
  15. Ambassador

    Ambassador Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Weren't they all sourced from the 2002 remasters?

    Also, are we sure that wasn't any remixing involved in the 2002 remasters? On So Sledgehammer at least, I remember hearing new synthesizer parts in the mix.
     
  16. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    They were done at the same time, but it is one of these cases where, to my hears at least, the CD layer really doesn't sound as good or slightly different from the SACD layer. (Others include Dylan - Nashville Skyline and Planet Waves...) Although they are from the same session, I wonder if they are "identical".

    No remixing has ever been mentionned. But there are at least 2 different mixes of Sledgehammer. The So SACD uses the same old 44.1/16 digital original master for the album.
     
  17. bcaulf

    bcaulf Forum Resident

    I have another question. It has probably been answered but I want to double check. Is the W. German Target of 4 the same as the V/C Polygram pressing I've heard of? If it sounds very good then it must be different than the V/C I have because mine has very low volume, way quieter than the first 3 albums on V/C, and doesn't sound very "robust" to me. It's also kind of on the thin side. Not bad, but I may replace it for the best original master.
     
  18. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    The WG Target is low in volume also, If you like louder masters the US or latest remaster might suit your tastes or equipment, on my home system the WG sounds wonderful, comparable to my Japan vinyl :cheers:
     
    Front 242 Addict likes this.
  19. bcaulf

    bcaulf Forum Resident

    Maybe the WG Target is identical to the V/C? It's pressed by Swindon. I'm just curious. Even if it's quiet, it might still be the best mastering. I know that soft volume often means it's incredibly crankable and still sounds good :righton:
     
    c-eling likes this.
  20. HumanMachinery

    HumanMachinery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lowell, MA USA
    Alright, here's a crazy question: apparently Peter Gabriel re-recorded "Security" in German as "deutsches album."

    Is that what we're talking about here? Are all of the German pressings of "Security" in German, and is that what peeps are talking up as their preferred version of the album? If this is the case, is there a consensus on what is the best-sounding English language version?
     
  21. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    We are talking about the English edition made in Germany :)
    While the German language of III and IV are neat and have unique mixes I personally find them kind of annoying, Peter just doesn't sound right or maybe the language doesn't fit the songs, not sure, just my opinion of course :cheers:
     
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  22. HumanMachinery

    HumanMachinery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lowell, MA USA
    aaaah. thank you, sir.

    I just scored the WG target of "Security" and the Japanese black triangle of "So" for around $50 total. I'd say that was a pretty good afternoon. :D
     
    George P and c-eling like this.
  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Nice find on the "So" album! I don't think the IV Target is that rare, I've found two over the last couple of years at my local thrifts, each with a different hub matrix, hope you enjoy them!
     
  24. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I only have So and the SACD was the only copy I had for many years (no I never had the original). About a month ago I found a "Mastered by Nimbus" with barcode version. About halfway through the first song I had put the SACD in the storage pile so I don't think it was just because you were used to original CD's. If my experience with So is anything to go by I wouldn't even give the SACD's a second glance (OK maybe for 5.1 if you're into that).
     
  25. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Could be Scobb, maybe it was the fact they used the remasters for the DSD, I wasn't impressed, one of the few sell-offs I don't regret, my DM SACD's might be next, I'm probably just going deaf and can't appreciate/hear what these have to offer :laugh:
     
    scobb likes this.

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