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Why, for the same song, I'd like one master compared to anothers?

Frgirard

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Why this obsession with cars by audiophiles?

Try you to drive your speakers or others elements in your hifi?
 

Frgirard

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This is just not true.

Many authors go back and make minor changes to their novels or other written works when later editions are printed. JRR Tolkien did this extensively, for example.

Many composers made alterations to scores for orchestral works or operas after those works debuted.

Many directors re-cut their films to make minor corrections to pacing or restore a shot or scene they later realized should not have been cut.

And many works of art have been professionally restored as they fade over time, which is much more akin to a remaster, which typically does not alter the actual original recordings, but only tweaks their presentation slightly.
The classical music is entirely described on a partition.
When there are a change, the opus has a number of revisions.
Same thing for a book.

It's a matter of intellectual honesty. Kundera was opposed to any revision as he was opposed to any posthumous editing. In music, He did not approve of works published after the author's death.

A classical works are not created in a studio.

The white album was created in a studio with a mixing, a mastering, production choices like all the rock albums until the robot won.
 

SuicideSquid

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The classical music is entirely described on a partition.
When there are a change, the opus has a number of revisions.
Same thing for a book.

It's a matter of intellectual honesty. Kundera was opposed to any revision as he was opposed to any posthumous editing. In music, He did not approve of works published after the author's death.

A classical works are not created in a studio.

The white album was created in a studio with a mixing, a mastering, production choices like all the rock albums until the robot won.
This is just not a coherent objection, and is also a movement of the goalposts from your previous post.

Remastering does not change the composition. It does not change the performance. It does not change the mix. If you want to analogize to visual art, it is like changing the lightbulbs in the Louvre.

As for honesty, remasters are always advertised as such. It is easy to identify which master you're listening to and seek out a different one if that's your preference.
 

sofrep811

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If I can purchase a mono recording I try to. In every instance where I’ve owned the mono and stereo version at the same timeI find the mono is preferable by a fairly decent margin.
 

Peluvius

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I don't know of a re-master that was a step forward, only those where there were so many changes it was not the same and usually worse.
 

SuicideSquid

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I don't know of a re-master that was a step forward, only those where there were so many changes it was not the same and usually worse.
The Steven Wilson remix and remaster of Aqualung by Jethro Tull was a dramatic improvement over the original. His remix and remaster of Minstrel in the Gallery also eliminated a high-frequency hum that was present in the original mix and master and made it a smoother listen.

The 2007 Genesis remasters generally did a good job cleaning up the somewhat muddy sound of the early recordings, and particularly improved the sound of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the original master of which sounds very thin.

Most of the time remasters are small changes - if you level match them to original masters I would guess in most cases most people would not notice a difference. As with many things in audio, expectation and differences in volume level contribute to the majority of differences people claim to hear.
 

Peluvius

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The Steven Wilson remix and remaster of Aqualung by Jethro Tull was a dramatic improvement over the original. His remix and remaster of Minstrel in the Gallery also eliminated a high-frequency hum that was present in the original mix and master and made it a smoother listen.

The 2007 Genesis remasters generally did a good job cleaning up the somewhat muddy sound of the early recordings, and particularly improved the sound of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the original master of which sounds very thin.

Most of the time remasters are small changes - if you level match them to original masters I would guess in most cases most people would not notice a difference. As with many things in audio, expectation and differences in volume level contribute to the majority of differences people claim to hear.

I don't like the Genesis remasters as a rule, they changed some of the music as well as any "cleaning up", which I find terribly annoying as I have to hunt down my original CD/Vinyl/file. I don't know the Wilson remixes but you would think in instances where the re-master is simply a more accurate reproduction (which in my view is ONLY what it should be) you would notice it but not for the most part, I am sure there are other exceptions, I am trying to listen to everything but time and my own preferences are slowing me down.
 

MRC01

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The Steven Wilson remix and remaster of Aqualung by Jethro Tull was a dramatic improvement over the original. His remix and remaster of Minstrel in the Gallery also eliminated a high-frequency hum that was present in the original mix and master and made it a smoother listen.
...
Most of the time remasters are small changes - if you level match them to original masters I would guess in most cases most people would not notice a difference.
I agree - the Steven Wilson remixes I've heard (Yes, Jethro Tull, King Crimson) have been consistently great. The improvement is not subtle - Wilson is a studio genius. Most of the Rush & Pink Floyd remasters I've heard are also quite good, though the differences are more subtle. Generally, a tad less edgy through the midrange and it picks up some very subtle details that were masked in prior versions, but similar enough you have to listen critically to hear the differences.

However, other remasters I've heard have been over-processed heavy handed EQ and dynamic compression. Like Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues, among others. What a disappointment!

Overall, results are mixed: the remasters can be better, worse, or much the same. One thing I really like about Qobuz is they often have several versions so one can listen and compare side by side.
 

Phorize

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Why does the sound of a Ferrari triggers a different response than that of a Ford Focus?
Because the if it's at the traffic lights outside my house it probably has blue lights under the chassis and emits dubstep at ten billion DBs.
 

Phorize

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The 90's Columbia master of Santana 1 certainly sounds tonally nicer than any earlier version I've heard, not that this is saying much, it was less than stellar to begin with. I do have an 1st US pressing of the same that is unopened. I occasionally think about playing it just to see whether the pressing was as bad as some repute it to be, but I never do.
 

anmpr1

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Interesting info on 'remasters', FWIW. From the latest Boston Audio Society Speaker.

The young Englishman ... named Fil is using vocal isolation software and a screen display of the fundamental pitch to examine singers' pitch control. One alarming finding is that AutoTune software is being used on reissues of rock tracks. One example: Freddie Mercury of the band Queen was legendary for his accurate pitch, but now Queen tracks are being reissued with his pitch "corrected."
 

goat76

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Interesting info on 'remasters', FWIW. From the latest Boston Audio Society Speaker.

The young Englishman ... named Fil is using vocal isolation software and a screen display of the fundamental pitch to examine singers' pitch control. One alarming finding is that AutoTune software is being used on reissues of rock tracks. One example: Freddie Mercury of the band Queen was legendary for his accurate pitch, but now Queen tracks are being reissued with his pitch "corrected."
That's just sad. I don't like “perfect”, that makes music too sterile.
 

Phorize

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Interesting info on 'remasters', FWIW. From the latest Boston Audio Society Speaker.

The young Englishman ... named Fil is using vocal isolation software and a screen display of the fundamental pitch to examine singers' pitch control. One alarming finding is that AutoTune software is being used on reissues of rock tracks. One example: Freddie Mercury of the band Queen was legendary for his accurate pitch, but now Queen tracks are being reissued with his pitch "corrected."
It's interesting what this says about our intuitions. I hate the idea as much as the next music enthusiast, but is there a material difference between using autotune and a mastering engineers ear to correct the artist performance? I feel like there is, but can't explain why.
 

SuicideSquid

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Interesting info on 'remasters', FWIW. From the latest Boston Audio Society Speaker.

The young Englishman ... named Fil is using vocal isolation software and a screen display of the fundamental pitch to examine singers' pitch control. One alarming finding is that AutoTune software is being used on reissues of rock tracks. One example: Freddie Mercury of the band Queen was legendary for his accurate pitch, but now Queen tracks are being reissued with his pitch "corrected."
I'd like to see something a little bit more to substantiate this claim. As far as I can see the current standard CD and digital streaming versions of Queen's catalog are from remasters dating a little over a decade ago, not remixes. To autotune a vocal track you would need to remix the track - you cannot isolate and autotune vocals from a finished mix, so this claim seems... unlikely.
 

Geert

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is there a material difference between using autotune and a mastering engineers ear to correct the artist performanc

Image a person doing art painting renovation and restorations not only removing dirt and patching up damages, but also changing the colours to make them more realistic.
 

anmpr1

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- you cannot isolate and autotune vocals from a finished mix), so this claim seems... unlikely.
I've heard results of what is called 'digital extraction' on some YT videos. Where vocals are more than less isolated from the main mix. I don't know how it's done. Or if it is what it is claimed to be. If someone had access to the multitrack sessions it would be easier to manipulate vocals--or whatever is on each separate track.

I have no idea whether the little news blip in the BAS Speaker is actually the case. Just reporting it as a FWIW.
 

DonR

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Image a person doing art painting renovation and restorations not only removing dirt and patching up damages, but also changing the colours to make them more realistic.
Replace impressionist paintings with photographs, Monet sorted.
 

Thomas savage

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It's very common on remasters. And remasters of remasters.

View attachment 227422
Recording / mastering engineers , like Rob Watts, desperately trying to substantiate their lives work and create a need for themselves.

Self preservation, its a human instinct, we all have it .
 
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