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Post by freebird on Oct 22, 2009 8:21:04 GMT -5
With the release of Blind Melon's two best-of albums, the songs contained in those albums were digitally remastered. The difference can clearly be heard, at least by me. Now, before I answer my own question, I'd like to ask you which version you prefer - the old versions (Blind Melon, Soup and Nico) or the new versions (Classic Masters and Tones of Home)? If you can't hear the difference that's a valid answer as well.
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Post by freebird on Oct 27, 2009 8:18:25 GMT -5
Okay, so apparently no one cares... Fair enough. I, on the other hand, prefer the old versions. The digitally remastered versions have been subjected to severe dynamic range compression, which (while it may be convenient in certain situations) has a significant negative impact on fidelity.
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3arman
The Pusher
SCRATCH A HOLE IN MY LIFE, SO EVERYONE CAN SEE
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Post by 3arman on Oct 27, 2009 10:00:15 GMT -5
This stuff is way over my head. All I know is that I like it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2009 10:02:56 GMT -5
This is the first time I've seen this thread.
I'll tell you one thing, I LOVE the version of PULL much better on Classic Masters than on Nico.
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Post by freebird on Oct 28, 2009 11:13:40 GMT -5
This stuff is way over my head. All I know is that I like it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compressionI'll tell you one thing, I LOVE the version of PULL much better on Classic Masters than on Nico. Oh, that's interesting. Assuming the version on Classic Masters (which I don't have) is the same as the one on Tones of Home - The Best of Blind Melon, it's the only song that seems to come from a different mix, instead of just being remastered. I happen to prefer the version on Nico, but I can see why one might prefer the other version.
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twiztid_3
Porcupine
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Post by twiztid_3 on Oct 29, 2009 8:17:51 GMT -5
.... I'll tell you one thing, I LOVE the version of PULL much better on Classic Masters than on Nico. thread.. and dynamics aside... my favorite version is the acoustic version of PULL. #hoonsmiley#
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Post by baron on Nov 2, 2009 10:23:04 GMT -5
Tones of Home was the first Blind Melon release I bought, so when I got the studio albums a couple of weeks later, I was dissapointed with the sound quality. Especially the Soup material sounds alot better on Tones of Home than on the original album, with the exception of Galaxie.
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Post by freebird on Nov 2, 2009 17:51:45 GMT -5
thread.. and dynamics aside... my favorite version is the acoustic version of PULL. Which one is that? Especially the Soup material sounds alot better on Tones of Home than on the original album, with the exception of Galaxie. That surprises me. I would've expected you to say that about Blind Melon, or about some of the songs on Nico, but not (specifically) about Soup. Soup is the album with the most professional production of the three, as far as I can judge.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2009 19:36:24 GMT -5
I'm way out of the loop..I need to do my homework and pick up classic masters.lawl
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2009 19:45:40 GMT -5
That surprises me. I would've expected you to say that about Blind Melon, or about some of the songs on Nico, but not (specifically) about Soup. Soup is the album with the most professional production of the three, as far as I can judge. In all honesty... I think "For My Friends" was the best mixed CD. It came out very "full". But, if we are talking about JUST the first three albums... I'd have to say that "Self Titled" has the best sound.... "Nico" has a thin sound... and Soup has a little of each. "The Palace" and "The Metro" sound much "fuller" than all of them (minus "For My Friends").
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Post by rogersstevens on Nov 4, 2009 21:09:57 GMT -5
This is all about technology... Digital mastering has improved so much from 1992 to the present, that it's only natural newly mastered recordings sound better.... Hence the new Beatles re-masters, etc...People complain about constant re-releases, but in my view, if the technology has greatly improved, then why not? All of our records prior to the last one would see significant improvement if they were re-mastered. Having said that, NONE of my cd's are even close to my vinyl records. When you get into the process and learn about the technology, it's easy to see why.... rogers That surprises me. I would've expected you to say that about Blind Melon, or about some of the songs on Nico, but not (specifically) about Soup. Soup is the album with the most professional production of the three, as far as I can judge. In all honesty... I think "For My Friends" was the best mixed CD. It came out very "full". But, if we are talking about JUST the first three albums... I'd have to say that "Self Titled" has the best sound.... "Nico" has a thin sound... and Soup has a little of each. "The Palace" and "The Metro" sound much "fuller" than all of them (minus "For My Friends").
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Post by freebird on Nov 5, 2009 9:54:05 GMT -5
This is all about technology... Digital mastering has improved so much from 1992 to the present, that it's only natural newly mastered recordings sound better.... So all albums were recorded using analog equipment? That's interesting to hear, I didn't know that yet. I'm sure there has been some improvement in digital technology, but the differences should be minor, really. I think sigma-delta ADCs have given us more linear converters and hence less distortion, but other than that there really shouldn't be that much of a discernible difference. Of course, when using professional equipment, the mastering engineer is far more important than the equipment he uses anyway. Hence the new Beatles re-masters, etc... Of course those master tapes are a bit older. People complain about constant re-releases, but in my view, if the technology has greatly improved, then why not? Yes and no. You see, there are record companies (*cough*ABKCO*cough) that just love to re-release the same music over and over again with minor changes, just because they KNOW that certain people will buy it anyway, even if they don't offer much value. These re-releases wouldn't have been so bad if they had been released for the right price, but often these remastered albums are sold for a price equal or close to that of new albums. Another thing is that completists are often forced to buy compilation albums full of songs they already own (twice, thrice, etc.), just because it contains one or two unique songs. None of these complaints apply to Blind Melon, but they do apply in general. All of our records prior to the last one would see significant improvement if they were re-mastered. Is that so? Obviously you're in a far better position to judge this than me, but aren't many of the songs on Nico very hard to improve upon, given the state of the master tapes? I mean, I obviously don't expect a Hi-Fi version of Letters From A Porcupine (the song, not the video) to ever see the light of day. That's the most extreme example of course, but I can imagine some of the other songs (Hell, All That I Need, Life Ain't So Shitty) having essentially the same problem. Having said that, NONE of my cd's are even close to my vinyl records. When you get into the process and learn about the technology, it's easy to see why.... Well, I respectfully disagree with you there. Because I realize this debate is futile (cold hard numbers versus a subjective listening experience), I won't try to convince you of the opposite. But since you obviously seem to care about sound quality, I have to ask - what did you think of the dynamic range compression being applied to the remastered recordings? Did you like it that way, or did you consider it a necessary evil in today's loudness war? P.S.: If you can find the time, could you please answer my PM (from September 14th)? Thanks in advance!
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ol
The Pusher
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Post by ol on Nov 15, 2009 2:12:15 GMT -5
I HATE, HATE HATE Dynamic Range compression & and the clipping that is often a result... It has RUINED so many new releases, to the point of them being almost unlistenable.. These days, the music has to be really strong, or by an artist I already love to me even give it the time of day (if this horrible mastering technique has been applied)... The new albums by Dinosaur Jr and Alice in Chains, have absolutely butchered sound quality thanks to dynamic range compression... All the songs on the albums have the same volume level... When J Mascis solos kick in on Beyond and Farm, they just have no balls whatsoever (unlike the excellent sound on the original pressing of the "Where you Been?" album. Remember Unified Theory? I love that album! But it too sounds horrible! You can tell the production is top notch, but there is almost nil dynamics on that cd! That sucker is L-O-U-D, with clipping everywhere! The new Alice is also horrendous, almost as bad as Death Magnetic, Vapour Trails and Californication (Which are IMO the 3 most horrible modern mastering jobs, that I've ever had the displeasure to listen to!).. Damn shame! Before BM released "For My Friends" I was on this forum and their myspace regularly, pleading with the band not to master their upcoming release this way (because IMO the first 3 sound quite good!)... Unfortunately FMF has the same horrible, LOUD, wimpy sound (albeit no where near the worst I've heard!), what makes this even worse for us melon heads, is that Chris and Brad really know their shit when it comes to recording... After all the effort they and the band put in, some mastering decision takes a dump on their work! I still play the album to death though, it's a great LP! My favourite track is "Father Time," the second solo gives me chills! If the album had more dynamics, that track could be used to demo hi-fi gear on! If I want to listen to my music loud, I'll use the volume knob on my hi-fi thanks, I don't need some stupid mastering decision turning it up for me, and killing the dynamics of the recording in the process! I'll always dig out the original albums (I'm lucky to have the first two on vinyl, Soup in particular sounds miles better on vinyl), when I want to listen to some Melon I prefer some of the mixes on the "Classic Masters" release, especially "Pull" as someone above mentioned.. (Those ghost like extra hoon overdubs gave me chills when I first played this disc... The disc could have been even better if they went easy with the compression, Classic Masters though, sounds better than the Tones of Home release IMO. A great example of a good modern mastering (that I'm sure many melonheads have heard) is Chinese Democracy, say what you want about the music, but you can't deny that that is one excellent recording . Only thing wrong with that album is the excessive use of Auto Tune..... But I'll save that for another day!
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ol
The Pusher
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Post by ol on Nov 15, 2009 2:29:01 GMT -5
Also, thank God for the resurgence in Vinyl! Due to the nature of the format, excessive loudness cannot be carried across to an LP.. So if a new release cd sounds bad, chances are that the Vinyl version of the same album will have a better mastering
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ol
The Pusher
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Post by ol on Nov 15, 2009 2:46:55 GMT -5
I'd love to see Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MFSL), Audio Fidelity or even Analogue Productions (though they mainly do Jazz) have a crack at the Blind Melon catalogue.
I'm sure the results would be incredible.
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