Michael Jackson Thriller, Japan first pressing CD sample

[hvbias]

I had this rip cranked up last night so I thought some others would like to hear a sample of the title track. This is really great, natural sounding early digital. This sounds better than any LP I've heard as the mastering engineer cut the vocals a bit on the hot side on the vinyl which can cause sibilance. The vocals from Michael and the narrator just sound so great on this mastering. Same with the cymbals which have a nice defined crispness without bringing them so far forward like some of the remasters do. From what I understand this very first pressing is not digitally identical to the slightly later Japan CD that came out one year later.

This has pre-emphasis so I de-emphasized it with the latest version of SoX.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/29w667evdqyu0vz/1.wav/file

 

[restorer-john]

Thanks for posting, I'll dig out my first release of it too for comparison.

I have many from the first 50 Japanese releases, including Off The Wall.

Post a pic of the centre code- is it hand stamped or dot matrix?

 

[RayDunzl]

The file...

4.5dB headroom.

Probably ignore the "noise floor" comments.

 

[watchnerd]

the cymbals which have a nice defined crispness without bringing them so far forward like some of the remasters do.

Cymbals?

That's a Linn LM-1 drum machine, my friend.

 

[Krunok]

Cymbals?

That's a Linn LM-1 drum machine, my friend.

You ruined everything to him with this!

 

[hvbias]

Thanks for posting, I'll dig out my first release of it too for comparison.

I have many from the first 50 Japanese releases, including Off The Wall.

Post a pic of the centre code- is it hand stamped or dot matrix?

Stamped matrix (smooth), gold faced CD.

Cymbals?

That's a Linn LM-1 drum machine, my friend.

I knew it was a drum machine, but the percussive instruments are still named. The various percussive instruments have different frequencies so what else would I refer to cymbals as? ie a snare sound is called a snare, and a hi-hat is called a hi-hat even on a drum machine.

If the comment was implying that a drum machine is somehow lower fidelity or not worthy of good mastering I'll strongly disagree, my favorite era of Radiohead was nearly all drum machine instead of real percussion.

 

[maty]

This sounds better than any LP I've heard as the mastering engineer cut the vocals a bit on the hot side on the vinyl which can cause sibilance

I listen to your wav and this has much better sound and in any other format that I have heard.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982), R2R 15 i.ps, ****** Master Tape Copy

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -0.92 dB -16.10 dB 6:04 01-Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
DR14 -1.09 dB -17.12 dB 4:21 02-Baby Be Mine
DR12 -0.51 dB -15.94 dB 3:43 03-The Girl Is Mine
DR13 0.00 dB -16.42 dB 5:59 04-Thriller
DR13 -1.15 dB -16.78 dB 4:21 05-Beat It
DR16 -0.23 dB -18.65 dB 4:53 06-Billie Jean
DR13 -2.40 dB -18.31 dB 4:07 07-Human Nature
DR14 -1.09 dB -16.92 dB 3:58 08-P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
DR14 -2.08 dB -20.94 dB 5:03 09-The Lady In My Life
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR14

 

[watchnerd]

Stamped matrix (smooth), gold faced CD.



I knew it was a drum machine, but the percussive instruments are still named. The various percussive instruments have different frequencies so what else would I refer to cymbals as? ie a snare sound is called a snare, and a hi-hat is called a hi-hat even on a drum machine.

If the comment was implying that a drum machine is somehow lower fidelity or not worthy of good mastering I'll strongly disagree, my favorite era of Radiohead was nearly all drum machine instead of real percussion.

I'd call them samples.

It's not a comment on the mastering, but acoustic cymbals and drum machine samples sound incredibly different to me.

 

[hvbias]

I listen to your wav and this has much better sound and in any other format that I have heard.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982), R2R 15 i.ps, ****** Master Tape Copy

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -0.92 dB -16.10 dB 6:04 01-Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
DR14 -1.09 dB -17.12 dB 4:21 02-Baby Be Mine
DR12 -0.51 dB -15.94 dB 3:43 03-The Girl Is Mine
DR13 0.00 dB -16.42 dB 5:59 04-Thriller
DR13 -1.15 dB -16.78 dB 4:21 05-Beat It
DR16 -0.23 dB -18.65 dB 4:53 06-Billie Jean
DR13 -2.40 dB -18.31 dB 4:07 07-Human Nature
DR14 -1.09 dB -16.92 dB 3:58 08-P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
DR14 -2.08 dB -20.94 dB 5:03 09-The Lady In My Life
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR14

This is not a 15 IPS master tape copy, it's from 7.5 IPS consumer tape. Just another one of those fake named R2R transfers that people that don't know what a master tape is. It sounds ok, but no where near as good as the Japan first pressing CD. But from what I understand you also think vinyl rips are high fidelity, and wav sounds different from flac so we are clearly not operating on the same wavelength.

I'd call them samples.

It's not a comment on the mastering, but acoustic cymbals and drum machine samples sound incredibly different to me.

If I said samples or drum machine samples in my first post it would imply all these frequencies are brought more forward in the mastering which would be inaccurate. The snare sounds fine in one or two other remasters I have heard, it was specifically the cymbal sound that some mastering engineer decided to selectively boost. Whether he thought that sounded better or he was losing that range of hearing, I don't know.

I agree they sound different, I think they have different uses depending on what the artist/producer were trying to achieve. For Thriller it works perfectly.

 

[bennetng]

I'd call them samples.

In the case of Linn LM-1, yes, but other drum machines use other approaches:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-808#Sounds_and_features

It's not a comment on the mastering, but acoustic cymbals and drum machine samples sound incredibly different to me.

The instruments are indeed named as such and it has nothing to do with the sound itself is "acoustic" or not.

 

[hvbias]

In the case of Linn LM-1, yes, but other drum machines use other approaches:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-808#Sounds_and_features

The instruments are indeed named as such and it has nothing to do with the sound itself is "acoustic" or not.

Even the Linn LM-1 labels the various drum sounds properly:

 

[maty]

I have heard both and the difference is very obvious. Your wav sounds much worse.

Believe what you want to believe.

 

[maty]

BTW

Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982), Vinyl, Master Sound, Japan

https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Jackson-Thriller/release/1827448

DR Peak RMS Filename
———————————————————————————————-
DR13 -0.77 dB -15.47 dB A1 Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'
DR14 -0.65 dB -16.93 dB A2 Baby Be Mine
DR13 -2.04 dB -17.42 dB A3 The Girl Is Mine
DR14 -1.10 dB -16.25 dB A4 Thriller
DR13 -2.14 dB -17.35 dB B1 Beat It
DR15 -1.21 dB -17.80 dB B2 Billie Jean
DR14 -2.98 dB -18.17 dB B3 Human Nature
DR14 -1.11 dB -16.66 dB B4 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
DR15 -1.83 dB -20.24 dB B5 The Lady In My Life
———————————————————————————————-
Number of files: 9
Official DR value: DR14

 

[watchnerd]

Even the Linn LM-1 labels the various drum sounds properly:

When I was a kid, first learning to play bass, I had one of those to play along to:

 

[hvbias]

I have heard both and the difference is very obvious. Your wav sounds much worse.

Believe what you want to believe.

So you are telling me Quincy Jones or the Jackson estate just let some guy make a hi-res transfer of the master tape to share with people? If so I have a bridge for sale in the great Brooklyn borough for you

Let me repeat (even though I know it will go ignored) that is a consumer 7.5 IPS tape.

The last guaranteed known transfer of the original master tape was by Bernie Grundman and Jackson's assistant done for SACD around 19 or 20 years ago.

BTW

Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982), Vinyl, Master Sound, Japan

https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Jackson-Thriller/release/1827448

DR Peak RMS Filename
———————————————————————————————-
DR13 -0.77 dB -15.47 dB A1 Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'
DR14 -0.65 dB -16.93 dB A2 Baby Be Mine
DR13 -2.04 dB -17.42 dB A3 The Girl Is Mine
DR14 -1.10 dB -16.25 dB A4 Thriller
DR13 -2.14 dB -17.35 dB B1 Beat It
DR15 -1.21 dB -17.80 dB B2 Billie Jean
DR14 -2.98 dB -18.17 dB B3 Human Nature
DR14 -1.11 dB -16.66 dB B4 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
DR15 -1.83 dB -20.24 dB B5 The Lady In My Life
———————————————————————————————-
Number of files: 9
Official DR value: DR14

The dynamic range meter does not work with vinyl. If a pop or a click is left in it with read it as a dynamic peak and artificially inflate the number.

I have made vinyl rips of the exact same record and seen as much as 5 db difference. This video will explain it properly... but given your post history I have a gut feeling that you will ignore it and just continue believing what you want to believe:

 

[maty]

I was thinking about uploading the same wav fragment that I have and that way you could judge, but from the beginning you have not hesitated to use aggression without provoking it with my words, so I leave you with your stories.

 

[bennetng]

The dynamic range meter does not work with vinyl

...and cassette:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/high-resolution-audio.6525/post-190684