I’m glad they put Fingerprint File back to the released speed, as I like it better that way after listening to it that way for 40 years. It was immediately one of my favorite tracks on the album. Not sure about the phase issues though...that sounds a little disconcerting.
I always kind of wondered how the slow version of "Fingerprint File" even would fit on an LP. Maybe it's just my particular pressing, but the fast "Fingerprint File" practically runs into the label on my original IORR. Makes me wonder if lack of space was the reason it was sped up in the first place.
If that’s your concern, I wouldn’t worry much about it being a rate limiting factor. The previous ABKCO era vinyl box and the Mono box were from digital transfers - and they are excellent by and large.
Good to know, thanks. Looking forward to reading reviews coming in! My wallet probably doesn't though!
I’m holding off myself. I already have everything but Bridges To Babylon. But if the price drops and the reviews are good...
It's funny that Miles did mention Spinal Tap regarding this release to be an 11 in terms of sound quality, but he didn't realized that this answer is the most Spinal Tap thing I've read in ages. Speaking of 11, I think it's the first time that I hear a mastering engineer saying that his masters are the best ever.
At least you didn't order it for $179, then cancel it 10 minutes later, like I did. I'll never forgive myself.
While the press release/announcement info wasn't quite clear/definitive, @dasacco followed up with an e-mail to get clarification on the sources. Post from earlier in the thread in which Miles stated the sources were mostly DSD and some 24/192 PCM:
" . . . that's because I was comparing it to the original LP. If I had been sent one of the later represses [that included the track at its original speed], I might not have spotted it. So I'm lucky that they gave me that, really!" Uhh . . . that's all mixed up, of course. The original speed "Fingerprint File" first saw official release in digital form on SACD in Japan in 2011. Of course, the only vinyl pressing of It's Only Rock and Roll that contains the track at its original (meaning slow) speed is the very rare "Pure LP" also released in Japan at that time. So, it's pretty clear that Miles Showell was given some version of the files that were flat transferred from the original master tapes to DSD by FX Mastering for the SHM-SACD's (and accompanying CD's) that were released in Japan 2010-11. That's a pretty good sign because those SACD's sound pretty good to me. There is one problem - according to people with perfect pitch, those SACD's run slightly slow. It comes out to something like 1/5 of a second per minute, so many won't be able to hear it (I couldn't), but apparently it's there.
I just went ahead and ordered it from amazon a couple of weeks ago. Used some credit card awards from family, so at least it isn't $400+.
I know, I'm a bit concerned about the speed as well. Hopefully if the files he received were slow, he noticed. If not, at least I have pitch control on my table, but it'll be kind of annoying to have to change pitch whenever I play these. The user that brought the pitch issues to the forum's attention provided samples and I really didn't like what the speed did to the sound.
But...he’s not overseeing them. They were already done or he wouldn’t have been caught off guard by this.
Not so fast. Miles said that he was given a hard drive with different transfers for each album and he choosed the versions he liked best to cut each record. So, some of the vinyl will be sourced from the flat transfer files, some don’t. I guess that the misterious hard drive had the Marcussen files too so...
You may have been hearing differences in the mastering. I didn’t listen to the posted clips. I did however listen to samples from my collection, and tried very hard and couldn’t hear it. I heard differences in the sound but not in the pitch. I don’t know if you need perfect pitch to hear a difference of 1/5 a second per minute, but I would assume you would. If so, perfect pitch is apparently really rare - I read up about this at the time, and it’s something like 1 in 5000 people who have it. There are higher rates among people with autism and professional musicians who were classically trained from an early age (or something like that). If you go by those statistics, considering there are only 10 - 15,000 copies of this box, it would seem that there will only be a handful of owners who will be able to hear it.
Presumably everything was a flat transfer. Just flat transfers of different tapes, and/or different transfers of the same tapes.
Miles seems to not hold the Marcussen versions in high regard, so I doubt he would choose any. Flat transfers that Marcussen then futzed with, maybe, but that's an entirely different thing.
No, I heard a difference. By no means do I have perfect pitch, but I have played in orchestras, so maybe that's how I could notice. I also listen to select Stones songs almost daily. I think it was the opening riff to "All Down the Line" that sounded off to me. It wasn't the overall sound I took offence to, it was the pitch of the riff.
Lol!!!! Miles should be a politician, couldn't conclude whether Fingering File is at the slow correct speed, or else sped up. Mumbo jumbo, just speak English damn it! Beave
"Fingering File" sounds too dirty, even for The Stones! But to help you out, it's at the fast speed, which he considered correct for the purpose of replicating the original release. Lose-lose sitiation, really.
