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| From | Dave Bradley <db65@comcast.net> |
| Subject | Re: a record was constantly loud |
| Date | Mon, 27 Dec 2004 09:20:45 -0500 |
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>In THIS case, the fans WERE asked. The consensus was that all previous
>attempts at digitally remastering these albums sucked because the lower
>volume was lower than the original vinyl....and subtle items were lost in
>the '90s re-issues.
I'd like to chime in here in full support of Jaimie where the Klaatu
reissues are concerned. For years various record labels have slaughtered
the sound on these albums for their CD reissues. Some compressed things in
a really bad sounding way and all you got was mud. Some de-hissed analog
recordings to the point where all the high end and some of the mid was
sucked out of the recording. Some just edited out things they couldn't fix
or didn't realize was part of the recording.
When it came time for the Bullseye reissues, care was spent to get it
right. Yes some compression was used, but it was also used on the original
vinyl releases. It wasn't like the vinyl master was further compressed and
squashed, they went to the pre-EQ'd/pre-compressed master mix tape and
started from there. The one exception is Hope where that tape no longer
(exists to anyone's knowledge) and they worked from the EQ'd and compressed
LP master. And in that case the original attempts just didn't cut the
mustard and it was re-done with a different approach and the results are
fantastic.
As for the band members, they weren't part of the stadium rock at 100+ dB
scene, their hearing isn't shot. BUT, the remastered CDs were also
subjected to the hearing of others intimately familiar with the way the
albums originally sounded and gained approval from several others, myself
included, before going to press.
These were remastered correctly.
And for those who love to call remastered recordings a "remix", you need to
bone up on your language. These are NOT remixes, they are remasters. And
having some "DJ" (that title has obviously changed to mean something
different than it used to mean) re-edit a track and add a drum loop and
scratching effects also isn't a remix no matter how many releases claim
that's what they are. That's simply a re-edit. A re-MIX is when you go
back to the original multi-track tapes and actually mix the song from
scratch. That was done to Help and Rubber Soul by George Martin for the CD
releases. That was done by Yoko for several of the recent John Lennon
"re-mixed and remastered" CDs. That was done by Pete "I'm deaf in one ear
and partially deaf in the other" Townsend (sp?) for one of the many
reissues of the Who catalog. That is definitely not what was done to the
Klaatu CDs on Bullseye.
>Maybe "remaster" isn't the right term for what we did. I think
>"restoration" is more appropriate.
Bravo. That's exactly what has taken place here.
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