Just a quick note: compressing music does not add more playback time to a CD. The Redbook standard is 74 minutes for a CD, and this can be stretched to 80 minutes, but this has nothing to do with whether the material is compressed or not.
Compressing and processing music is frequently done because of the "loudness wars" fad -- musicians, producers and record companies often want their music compressed because they think it sounds louder that way and stands out. |
Golden -
here's mine;
1. Day Tripper -The Beatles.
2. Frontin' - Jamie Cullum. |
Vinyl versions of:
Rudy- Supertramp
Babylon Sisters- Steely Dan |
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Thanks for that link Mofimadness what a beautiful song going to have to buy that one |
Greatest hits usually get most of reprocessing of the original materials to match sound characteristics of one to another and therefore not on my list to demo.
Had LZ classsic records 180g pressing, but was not impressed compared to first press. It's definitely more quiet, but dynamics are sacrificed and makes me bored or is it just Led Zeppelin that I'm tired of listening to on all formats.
Small releases from the small record companies sound best to me:
CMP label: Charlie Mariano,Philip Catherine,Jan Garbarek,Bo Stief -- "October" on vinyl
Sky label: Irmin Schmidt -- Impossible Holidays on vinyl
WEA label german pressing of Carla bley's "European tour 1977"
almost ECM vinyls (especially german presses) are all great to demo. |
If I played Celine Dion, I wouldn't care what anyone thought, I'd be in convulsions hoping to die. |
War: Summer
Beatles: Come Together
Beach Boys: Good Vibrations
That might be three. |
@Mlsstl
Once a mastering engineer told me the more data you add to a cd the more compressed it will sound so reprocessing is used to eliminate the volume from track to track. Even though digital he used the example of how sometimes the inner groove distortion issue.
Thanks for the clarification.
@Czarivey
I have the 200g pressing I didnt know that 180's were even out there. |
Hah I thought the same way uptill I weighed each one to exactly 180g. |
Either you misunderstood the mastering engineer's description of the issue or his understanding of digital music files is incomplete.
And, whether "greatest hits" CDs are remastered or not depends on two issues. One is volume normalization for tracks from different albums and the other has to do with bringing the reissue "up-to-date" with the current fads & fashions in the music industry. Neither has anything to do with how the CD stores digital info.
Inner grove distortion is an issue relate to vinyl LPs and ties to the fact that the velocity and tightness of the radius differ for the inner grooves of a LP which affects how the stylus picks up the physical groove impressions.
This issue doesn't affect CDs -- other wise the distortion would corrupt the signal and no data or program CD would ever correctly install. (CDs actually begin play at the innermost groove and work toward the outside edge which is the opposite of LPs.) |
DIRE STRAITS (XRCD VERSION)
Don't worry now
Love over gold |
Thank you for the update it actually makes total sense... :) What tracks to you use for reference? |
What I use for reference music pretty much depends on what mood I'm in. My listening tastes run to 40% or 50% classical, with the rest fairly eclectic -- blues, folk, jazz, rock and so on, though my interest in classic rock seems microscopic when compared to others on forums like this.
My reference recordings tend toward straight acoustic material (voice & instrumental), or when instruments are amplified, a straightforward miking of the amp with minimal post-processing.
For example, The Great American Mainstreet Band has a brilliant recording of early 20th century jazz titled "Silks & Rags" - one of the best recordings I've ever heard. Also excellent are the Norbert Kraft classical guitar albums, the recordings by The Empire Brass, Tea Time Ensemble, the Thomas Tallis Scholars and dozens of others.
On the folk & Americana side, Jorma Kaukonen is well recorded, as are most albums by Janis Ian, Lydia Ruffin, Maura O'Connell, The Waifs and others.
For rock & blues, I often find the recordings by lower profile bands give a better sense of realism than the big names. The latter are often grossly overprocessed. I've got copies of some of the original unprocessed studio open reel tapes from the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and they are far better than the LPs. Going back, I've got a 1965 release by Lightning Hopkins that was nothing more than a couple of mikes set up in some no-name Texas studio that is absolutely intimate in its unprocessed rawness. If you want to hear musicians in your living room, start with a recording that hasn't had every gimmick thrown at it that is available in a fancy studio.
But, that's just me. I'm rather contrarian about such things. |
Sutpen--do you have a stereo version of Good Vibrations? If so, which release is it form? |
Rory Block's 'From The Dust' is a fabulous recording and example of really good acoustic blues. |
@Mt10425 its my wifes CD and she wanted to listen to it, when i was listening with her I was pretty amazed by the sound field the engineer used during the recording. :) |
I too avoid listening to that whining. Very depressive at any recording or mastering quality.
She's probably been screwed up by too many boyfriends and ended up with none. No wonder her personal life is kinda hidden in lines of wikipedia. |
Celine Dion?
I thought it was a joke at first, but I see you are serious.
I am terribly sorry..........
Shakey |
@Shakey LOL just listen to the track please |
I've used Led zeppelin a couple of times, not bad. |
Re Led Zeppelin. Yup, me, too. Especially Mothership Disc 1 and Disc 2. |
The alto sax on Brubeck's Take Five album is a good test of the upper midrange. If it sounds harsh, you should pass, IMO. Same with Nora Jones' earlier stuff. Voice is recorded very front and center and will expose a harsh or honky midrange in short order. |
Apart from Led Zeppelin (the Mothership album is outstanding), I've been using a remaster of Gaucho by Steely Dan (who were incredible in concert last week and featured an incredible sound system). |
Ricki Lee Jones under the boardwalk cover. It's dynamics and bass is enough to send a mere mortal back to best buy with his receipt in his pocket and Bose speakers under his arm. |
Eddie Vedder 'Long Nights' off the Into the Wild sound track.
Fiona Apple 'Shadow Boxer' off of her Tidal release. |
Amused to death by Roger walters, and some modern stuff from Lindsey Stirling. |
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Seriously?
If so: long time leader of Pink Floyd. |
It's Roger WATERS, not WALTERS. That's why Czarivey asked. |
Oh, I see--hadn't noticed the typo. |
Take a listen to cut 1. (The Saint Louis Blues) on Huge Laurie's "Didn't It Rain" CD. Really interesting album. |
As of late it's been these two songs first, followed by many others:
Artist - Album - Song
1.) Califone - Heron King Blues - "Wingbone" [Thrill Jockey  thrill 135]
2.) Farrar, Jay / Johnson, Will / Parker, Anders / Yames, Yim - New Multitudes [Rounder Records  11661 91291] - "Hoping Machine" (and "Careless Reckless Love" on the flip side)
(Vinyl only of course) |
