Anyone enjoying bad music? Or badly recorded music?

Bruce
Most of Duane Eddy on Jamie and the early Rolling Stones are pretty badly recorded and no amount of skilled remastering even by Tom Moulton (of Duane Eddy) appears to be able to bring out the best in these tapes.
On the topic of remastering I’d like to ask a question. Why is the SACD version of an album automatically considered to be superior to the Redbook?
With 3.13 on my DMP, I am getting to a stage where the system is sounding really, really good. In fact, The Olympics DDC CD released in the late 80s sounds surprising good.
I have various versions of Otis Redding’s "Otis Blue:, # 78 on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums of All Time, vinyl and rebook CD. I also have it on SACD and paid a pretty penny for it. I’ve listened to it once or twice and been totally unimpressed - the sound is flat and totally lacking in the characteristic Stax bass even compared with the UK vinyl version in mono I bought in 1966. Rationalizing that the DMP with 3.13 and the DSD with Snowmass was as good as my system can be, I played the SACD at a volume level of 45 on the BHK Preamp and racked it up to 55. The sound was meh. I then listed to the Rhino 2CD release mastered by Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch and both the mono and stereo versions of Otis Blue sounded so much better at a volume of 45 than the SACD. Dire Straits on SACD is an improvement on the Redbook, why does Otis Blue not achieve the same distinction?

It is not.

Totally depends on the mastering, CD can be much better. Just often on the same hybrid discs, where CD and SACD layer have different masterings, the SACD mastering is better as then it’s mostly the improved one and they left an old simple mastering on the CD layer.

But the Analogue Productions SACD I supposed to be the bees knees at $30.

SACD or other hi-rez formats are all founded on the source tape. The source tape may not be “The Tape”. Master does not mean original. Record companies are infamous for not knowing the provenance of a given tape, or where “The Tape” is located or even exists.

I have a checkbook and am ready to buy hi-rez downloads… got my DS DAC… ready to play those beautiful hi-rez files… NOT… I keep getting burned on downloading classic music in hi-rez format… my old CDs just sound better. Its all in the provenance.

This industry sure knows how to screw up a good thing.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Sure, an SACD with also the best available mastering is always best.

Its not the mastering… mastering is only a final tweak to whatever file the last company/process received to then make the sellable format. The word “Master” implies something it is not. The tape that is the “best”, is usually the “Source Tape”… goes by a few names. This is the mixdown from production. Folks incorrectly think this is the master… it is not. A master may be a copy of a copy of a copy… that last tape, or whatever, is given to someone/company to tweak it for final conversion/transfer to a sellable medium… that medium could be a downloadable file, or squeezed onto a CD… or SACD etc. That last step is called Mastering… a word that is very misunderstood. Mastering may include compression, expansion, equalization, limiting, stereoizing… whatever.

Note I said “usually” the source tape is the best… but not always. George Martin was furious when someone put out Beatles releases (one of the many re-re-re-re release cycles) and did not master the tape. The intent was to put out the “best” possible sound. Well… Mr Martin purposly mixed down the Beatles “hot” or unnaturally bright. He did this because he knew the tape would be continually copied multi-generation and distributed around the world to record processing plants. When tapes are copied and then copies made of that one, the first thing to go is the top end. Mr Martin expected whoever to then cut the discs to apply equalization to lower (if needed at this point) the high frequencies… (this is mastering). So the moral: not all source tapes are good for distribution.

I have a German print of Rubber Soul where the left channel is completely… yes completely different from the right. The intent was to mix it down for mono or processed for stereo. Cool but terrible.

Check this out for a bit more: My disappointment with Hi-Rez - am I expecting too much? Paul McCartney

Peace
Bruce in Philly

I don’t intend to be arrogant, but I’m sure, the more you will read about this (and then listen for it), the more your opinion will change.

I think this final process you mention (which really has no sound quality effect) is „authoring“.

You are not at all arrogant. You are spot on that ultimately, it is what you like in a recording. I have two main issues: 1) that we understand the typical process and use the right words (and there is no “official” lexicon), and B) That the record companies sell us their highest quality product. Just because something is hi-rez does not mean it is the highest quality version of that recording out there. I have been burnt by buying older recordings in hi-rez. I want hi-rez. But I am learning that what I really want is high-quality first.

These L2 recordings are some of the best quality I have ever heard. http://www.2l.no/hires/index.html
Mastering shmastering… they are great.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

There we agree: hires doesn’t mean high sound quality.

But the same recording with the same mastering sounds more or less better on hires than on lower res.

Anywho… back to crappy music and crappy recordings…

Mr Elk: C’mon, no bravery needed! I am on the other end of a digital line! This is all in good fun!

How about this one from my deep deep archives: Jane Wiedlin… Kissproof World

Hey, I can admit it: My kid is ugly and I dress him funny.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Listening to Deep Purple Machine Head now. Crappy (poor quality, poorly done) recording but I love it.

agree 2L sets the standard in its SACD releases

Crappy recordings of great music have never been a problem. Also listening to great music on a crappy system, although I prefer a decent reproduction. But wasting my precious time listening to crappy music? No way! Even if the recording is audiophile quality. Life is simply too short for that.

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Constantly.

A great deal of my listening is to orchestral music from the major labels. Early digital, inelegant multi-miking, poor mastering but the performances are worth it and, as we all know, selecting the right transport, DAC and other components increase enjoyment.

I take the opposite approach. I buy music to listen to it. If my system doesn’t allow me to listen and enjoy all my music I need to change my system. To me the music is the most important part of my system.

But we know everyone is different.

[I 100% agree!

Something wrong with this reply, because it has been locked?

22

My single favorite Eric Clapton tune is Layla, but the only official recording by Derek and the Dominos is abysmal. It’s a muddy, cloudy mess. For some reason, my memory of hearing it in the Goodfellows soundtrack sounded better, but that’s not a movie I care to revisit (just to verify that memory). The rest of the album, Layla and Assorted Love Songs, is much better. I find it disappointing that a great tune that could/should be an audio spectacular is hopelessly lost. My SACD, in fact, highlights rather than improves upon the sound quality.

Elk only removed the quote you inserted. He does this to reduce clutter when your reply is the very next post in the thread under the post in which you replied. When he does this, he also locks it. Not sure why he locks it also, but Im sure he has his reasons.

I only know because it has happened to me :wink:

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