Remastered?
wide...@my-deja.com
Presumably it is not a re-mix.
The earlier albums would have been made before the days of computerised
mixing, so it could not be going back to the multitracks without
remixing.
So is it just re-copying from the 2 track master or am I missing
something?
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Martin Grünewald
> So is it just re-copying from the 2 track master or am I missing
> something?
Yes, it is "just" that. But that can be a lot. The
analog-to-digital-converters are much much better today than in the 80's. A
higher resolution like 20 or 24 bits is used. (This has to be shaped down to
16 bits anyway, because of the CD format, but still has many advantages.)
At second, there can be done equalizing. This is nothing doubtful, as this
has always been done, even by the cutting engineer preparing vinyl masters.
But I think, the habits have changed a bit in the last decade, as many
remasterings seem to have more warmth than the original CD releases. That is
why even remasterings of digital recordings sound often better.
Then there is a tendency to use multiband limiters (or -compressors), which
is the reason why many new CDs sound so much louder than the old ones
(iwithout lacking dynamics). As the digital noise of the 16-bit-CD is as
loud as it always was, the signal-to-noise ratio is much better after this
processing.
And: now there are used much more first generation master tapes than in the
80's. B.t.w., there can be made mistakes too. Just bought the remastering of
Brian Wilson's first album, which has now two wrong mixes on it. And SD's
"Pretzel Logic" which omits the intro now (here in Europe, already corrected
in the US).
Any questions or corrections?
Martin.
wide...@my-deja.com
Thanks for this full and interesting answer.
I have recently bought Aja Remastered.
I can hear some instruments more clearly, in particular cymbals are
clearer and easier to place (left/right).
I was intrigued that the liner notes stated that the band were involved
in the remastering process. This would imply some creativity being
involved.
Presumably this would include the equalisation, possibly the levels of
compression as well.
Mike
DrDiamond
Roger Nichols himself:
I guess with the Steely Dan2K tour history, there's more free time
than before. A few people in the Alt.music.Steely-Dan chat room were
wondering what exactly goes on when old cd's are remastered, as has
been happening with the entire SD catalog. I.E., is it just stereo
eq'ing and squashing, etc., or do you go track by track and remix from
the floor up? Or whatever.
Thanks,
Doc
The Immortal Reply:
It depends on the budget.
The Steely two tracks were transfered to 3M digital in 1980. I spent a
week renting two track analog machines to see which machine played
back which album the best.
On the box set I went to Masterfonics with Glenn Meadows and we got
the digital tapes made in 1980 and the original analog tapes and
listened. The analog tapes had worsened and the digital tape was the
best source. We used the Cedar to clean up some of the noise, not too
much, just enough to make it sound like it did when the tapes were
new.
For the recent remastering I went back to the original tapes again
thinking that the latest whizbang technology would pull more sonic
goodness out of the analog tapes. Now way Jose! SO, I took the Cedar
processed tapes and used a DSP program that I wrote to try to clean up
the harmonics and get rid of any high frequency tape flutter. I used
just a touch of EQ to get closer to what the tapes sounded like when
we mixed each album originally. I guess I was the only guy who could
do this because I was the only guy who was there for all of them.
Because of the condition of the tapes in 1980 I could not get back
100%, but the new remastering is pretty darn close. You can hear a
little more detail now because of the wow and flutter removal.
Maybe when I get my new electron beam scanning analog tape
reproduction system goin I will try again.
Roger
There ya go.
NO charge even.
Doc
k...@onhoops.com
important occasions. When you go through Aja 4-5 times a week, both for
yourself, entertaining, or with the parents, it's nice to have an
affordable copy with such pristine production.
In article <8raf1m$sfr$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,