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Does it come down to the mastering quality only??

Listing to some of the Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note reissues and some of the original Blue Note releases, i am beginning to wonder if the quality of the recording...and therefore the overall SQ that one is going to get through your system is more dependent on the quality of the mastering than any other aspect! If the mastering engineer nails the recording and is able to record onto the tape the most 'live' sounding instruments and voices, then you will get a superb recording that will do almost ANY system proud ( IMO Rudy's recordings onto the master tape are incredible ( most) ). OTOH, if the mastering engineer somehow screws up, then the result will be nothing special...regardless of how great the system playing it back is...or for that matter ALL future reissues and techniques of re-mastering the original tape..'One Step' Direct to Disc etc. 
To sum up, if the original master tape is recorded poorly, ( due to the electronics used, or to any number of other variables) then all subsequent releases will simply be a polishing of a turd!
Thoughts???
daveyf

Showing 2 responses by onhwy61

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,284 posts
 
If I may make a strained analogy -- the original recording mix is the meal a chef in a quality restaurant prepares and mastering is the overall restaurant experience for the diner.  Mastering cannot take a poorly prepared meal and make it taste wonderful.  Mastering can complement and enhance a dish to make it a truly exciting dining experience.  If the mastering engineer is presented with a well recorded, well mixed album, then they do very little sound alteration in mastering process.  They stay out of the way a let the recording come through.

I agree with Folkfreak's comment above.  Any decent system will sound real good with a great recording.  It's how they handle to mediocre to bad recordings that makes for a truly satisfying system.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,284 posts
 
In my experience poorly recorded great music makes for a far better listening experience than audiophile quality recordings of mediocre music.
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