Review of the last maxi single of Mylène Farmer, the 360RA format increases the gap with vinyl, CD and streaming in terms of dynamics

[Jean.Francois]

The comparison of the different editions of the maxi single A tout Jamais by French singer Mylène Farmer includes CD, Vinyl, Streaming Qobuz and Tidal , and Tidal 360RA.

This comparison below shows 3 categories in terms of dynamics as shown in the graph below:

The 360RA binaural version is the most dynamic with a DR14, followed by the vinyl version with a DR10, and finally, the digital stereo versions (streaming or CD) with a DR6.

After having exchanged with one of the engineers who worked on these tracks, he confirmed that there were indeed 3 different masters.
The 360RA was made from the multi-track without dynamics compression. The stereo version was remastered between the studio release and its broadcast.
To have a dynamic stereo version, you would have to downmix the 360RA version (without the binaural)?

This difference is increasingly common in modern productions, as the spatial audio versions are more dynamic than the stereo versions.
Vinyl is better off with its specific master.

The listening difference is striking, you can find extracts to compare with the complementary measurements here.

 

[sergeauckland]

This actually rather annoys me. Please bear with me for moment:-

When Beethoven and Mozart and Bach were composing and/or performing, there was no record of what they did, what we have now are modern interpretations of their music, and clearly, every interpretation is different.

With electronically recorded music, at one time the released record was the definitive version, sanctioned by the artist/composer/record company, and everything else was a cover version, an interpretation, not the original. Then we got into multiple formats with different mastering, in some cases different mixes, such as the Quadraphonic mixes of Pink Floyd and Mike Oldfield which differ not only in the surround aspects, but have clearly different musical elements present or absent according to the version. That's when the rot started as far as I'm concerned.

Now, there are different masterings and mixes for different release formats, or 'Radio Mixes' suitable for a 'family' audience and so on.

What is a future musicologist going to make of the various versions, without any 'definitive' version? I can't think of another artform (dance perhaps) where there is no artist/composer sanctioned final version. Books, poetry, plays*, films, paintings and sculptures all have one version that's the 'real' one. Music doesn't, and that bothers me.

*A play has a written definitive form, but I suppose it doesn't live until performed in a theatre, so perhaps that's another artform where the interpretation is more important than the written word.

I think it sad that historically there's going to be only a relatively few years when we can know the composers' and artists' intentions, everything else is a cover version.

S

 

[boXem]

What is a future musicologist going to make of the various versions, without any 'definitive' version?

<S>What worries me is that future musicologists would bother studying Mylène Farmer's work </S> sorry @Jean.Francois ...
More seriously, you didn't mention theater, where actors, director, costumes, ... have their own interpretation of the initial work. I don't see it as such a problem.