The One-Step on here sounds like its in a tunnel or tin box and not an equally leveled comparison. From these few snippets the DCC sounds great! Cheers
Thank you for posting these samples. I downloaded your friend's audio rips from his youtube video and put them in my DAW to do my own volume matching and a/b-ing. I will say that if you try to level these samples based on volume-matching just the lead vocal, the impression is quite different
IMO- it’s pointless to compare online files vs what I hear when I play the actual vinyl on my system. My one step vinyl sounds nothing like that in my room. To each his own.
But it’s great to be able to compare a/b/c/x in sync using the same equipment. Regardless of how it sounds in your room, it’s a way to notice the changes between masterings, all other things being equal.
If you download the Hi-Res files that were given in the other video, then the room or acoustics is a variable that's not part of the equation as these were direct feed from the line stage output to the digital recorder capturing @ 24-bit/192k resolution. You are really getting the pure sound coming out of my VPI Avenger Reference, My Sonic Lab Eminent Ex moving coil and Van den Hul The Grail phono stage. Sure, it could argued that even the Hi-Res files aren't 100% the same as having listened to the LPs live in my room. I get that. Yet, I can assure they are a decent (near-perfect) facsimile. Probably 95% as good if you are using a decent DAC during playback. Either way, a fun experiment methinks! Oz
It is so strange for me as well because I can assure you I made sure that via the meters on the Tascam DR-100 Mk III recorder the levels were matched for all pressings always ensuring peaks would not exceed -6.0VU And then the second time I could monitor the levels was once I imported the files to my editing app Audacity. There I could see the graph and ensured the peaks would always match for all. Yet, like you, I do hear on at least two segments the MOFI One-Step appears to be lower in volume and I can't explain it, other than perhaps the effect of a higher level of digital compression? Don't know but if it's throwing you off I invite you to ride the gain during those segments to try to "normalize" Personally I do not like using the "digital normalization" because I can hear it. It always dumbs down the most dynamic tracks and homogenizes everything to sound similar. So I avoid it and try to match manually and of course visually. Enjoy and report back! Oz
Great work! Wow, the One Step doesn’t fare very well at all in this sequence - just so thin and almost tinny - kind of shocked…..the Hoffman blows it all away finally as well.
Yeah exactly! I’m with you. Listening to the files in your own room (or with headphones like I do) shouldn’t be any different than if you had the same equipment and were playing it back live in the room. Most ADCs I’ve tried capture the output so close to the live playback that the difference is practically indistinguishable from the digital file playback. And when using headphones you even remove any silliness of room dynamics and whatever. Can focus on just the comparison itself. I’m a proponent of these A/B captures.
This was my first impression too. The DCC was big and bold and warm. And bassy. the one step is thinner, sharper, a bit more detailed. My first thought was “well ****, the OneStep loses here”. But I kept the a/b going across all 4 sides and began to appreciate the OneStep more over time. There’s a clarity to it that helps. The DCC ballsiness got a bit tiresome after a while. by the end of the album, my wife and I preferred the OneStep for some of the songs. But agreed the DCC is the one you put on to really groove with the album.
Level matching aside, and strictly listening to the clarity and tonality of the instruments, I can definitely hear “more” with the One Step. And it doesn’t seem Im distracted by the clarity. As Ive mentioned before it seems on some of these One Steps I have to listen a few times to let my ears adjust to a bit of a shock hearing them. Now, I would say that there is more highs emphasization on the One Step. Does it seem to bother me so much? Eh, I dont know, maybe a little. But I have a feeling, also as Ive stated before, that a couple of tubes thrown into the mix of ones system might just do the trick. While I prefer the DCC here, as I think it ticks all the right boxes for soundstage, clarity, tone and balance, Id have to say that I think having both the DCC and UHQR are to be valued by me for different reasons. One for the in the studio with the musicians clarity and one for overall sound quality. As a musician I really appreciate the UHQR but as a listener, I prefer the DCC. If that makes sense. Looks like I may grab this UHQR eventually. Damnitt you guys. Which Hotel og do you have? Is it an LH mastered original? Thanks again for your efforts!
It’s a relief to read it….wonder what could be causing such a severe quality change ………as i was listening to it I knew all h—— would be breaking loose at some point.
It sounds like the One Step has some real intrinsic value then…. I also like detail and am a sucker for hearing things I’ve never before….I actually - in an unpopular fashion - prefer that experience much of the time over ‘warmth’ …. It depends on a lot of things as you well know….
My go-to is Kevin Gray's AAA reissue. I had the DCC which I thought far too warm and tubby. On KG's version, the drums have bite for the 1st time. On other pressings, it sounds like Henley is hitting cardboard boxes. Japanese 1st pressing was a surprising one. Sounded fantastic.
No I’m tempted to buy it tho…..my system is really too modest to bring the best of this kind of thing out…. I do own a few of these tho …UHQR Aqualung, Eagles debut, Sill Crazy, and The Nightfly,
Yep. Everything in life is a compromise. DCC has great bass and vocal breath of life. OneStep let’s you hear the intricate high hat work and better strings clarity. So to me, that’s intrinsic value for the OneStep. It at least offers something unique, and is worth the spend for me. A new listening experience.
But why does it make sense to level everything according to just the peaks, those are just the sharp waveforms coming mainly from the drums, which is just a small portion of "the music". In order to do a fair musical comparison you need to simulate how you would act as a listener just enjoying the LP , setting the level by ear based on the lead elements of the music like the vocal and lead guitars. To me, the tonal balance on the one-step sounds so different from the other pressings , that I think this is what is required to really try to judge it properly.
I will try something different next time. I will try to match them more closely by ear regardless of what I am seeing in the graphs. Anyway it is easy enough to ride the gain during those segments that appear a little softer, honestly. For sure I would not do the digital normalization. I hear what that does right away. It squashes dynamics on all the tracks in an attempt to make them all same volume. No bueno.
Duly noted. I would LOVE to hear the Kevin Gray cut at some point. Thanks for bringing it up to my attention. But what about the Bernie Grundman? How do we feel about that one?
Eagles - Hotel California It'd be interesting to hear him recut it since that pressing was done at AcousTech Mastering and his studio at Cohearant Audio is supposedly miles ahead, now. It's digitally sourced. I personally never have heard it but many have. From what I remember reading, it's solid but nothing spectacular.
