dobyblue

Whilst a repress is needed for Album Of The Year, I have trepidation as I get the feeling that this is going to be a nother style over substance pressing sent to the Czech Republic for anoth badly mastered record via Pirates Press. Although they've come some way at GZ to improve their product, it is still woefully below what we get from Pallas (Furnace or pallas Gmbh) or United  who offer competitive alternatives to the Pirates Press proxy.

 

We got a very poor remaster of Angel Dust but an impressive physical pressing from Mofi in 2008 (pointless) followed by two counterfeits of Angel Dust from GZ Digital Media (2012 and 2013  -the company behind the pirates Press proxy) which were woefully flat and forgettable. I'm just fed up of FNM not getting the attention to detail and ultimately the  pressing they deserve. Please, please look to a decent mastering engineer and a decent manufacturer for this reissue - even of you have to rope in SST Brüggemann GmbH for the cut and then either Furnace/Pallas, Optimal Media Production or even United Record Pressing to press the thing.

 

 

 

I've had rotten luck with United outside of RSD releases where maybe Jack whipped them in to shape with his name all over it. There are titles URP has pressed that I've had to buy THREE copies of in order to get one with all four sides centred enough that I can't hear blatant pitch variations during playback, never mind that they're usually pretty noisy too. Give me RTI over URP any day of the week if it's being pressed in North America.

 

I probably would have needed three copies of Black Gives Way to Blue as well had I not just forked over the money and ordered the far superior pressing from Germany. DMB's Big Whiskey - three copies. DMB's new album, not even bothering to buy another copy because Ray Janos @ Sterling confirmed it was cut from the Redbook CD files (WTF?), but the one copy I do have is noisy and severely off centre, Soundgarden King Animal got a UK copy and it was more quiet and perfectly centred.

 

I wish URP would put the quality into all their work that they put into their RSD titles this year and their work for Jack.

I would have been fine with this, if there was the option to buy a regular version.  Now I'll have to wait for MOV to re-press this.

Yeah nice, didn't even think about that possibility. I'm sure the source material is 24/96 anyway, so give MOV the files and let them master in house. Very consistent quality records from these guys, glad they finally started being forthcoming about the source lineage.

 

Anyone looking for RATM's debut album on vinyl, pick up MOVLP043, they got to use the original all analogue metals for it and it sounds freaking brilliant. Unless you want to shell out big bucks for an original pressing this is the best route to go, and to be honest the pressing quality most likely exceeds that of the original US pressing anyway.

 

Watch out for the XX 20th anniversary pressing, MOV also did this as MOVLP6xx (6 hundred and something), Vlado Meller destroying dynamics all over the place.

I don't think this is a new thing, I think more people are becoming educated on what is happening with music.  Black Gives Way to Blue has clipping and digital distortion through out, Death Magnetic was the worst, the new Fall Out Boy album is pretty bad too.  It takes away from the dynamic range that used to exist in music, what a drag.

 

Also, picture discs are too gimmicky, hopefully they do a standard release.

 

I found the EU vinyl pressing was noticeably better than the CD on this front. It was cut by Ray Janos at Sterling and they do often use a 24-bit high rez master that's had less drc applied than the redbook master. Unfortunately the US pressing was done at United, very noise, SIDE D pressed off center. The German pressing is whisper quiet and perfectly centred.

Is complaining about loudness the new cool thing?

Let's hope so, if it becomes a cool thing then loads of people will do it and the dicks in the suits will be overruled and the artists who don't understand the concept of dynamics will open their ears to their fanbase's requests.

 

As for whether it's the new cool thing, I only see people complaining about it on AV forums like here, Steve Hoffman forums, etc., so no...I don't think it's the new cool thing yet.

 

However it's nice to see that sometimes a review that specifically calls out the dynamic compression can be the #1 most helpful review on Amazon like this one of Soundgarden's Telephantasm - http://www.amazon.com/review/R2G6JU4JL0AIJ7/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003YRIM0Q&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

So the pre-order is official, only a double picture disc so far for vinyl. Hopefully anyone else here that thinks that sucks balls can let them know on their Facebook page under one of the most recent updates they made with a pre-order link. This stinks!!

 

Picture discs for both the UK and US? Balls! Looks like I won't be purchasing this album at all until a real version comes out. I already know the CD will be loudness wars crushed to shit.

I got pretty crappy service from Razor & Tie recently. They issued Brad's "Welcome to Discovery Park" recently and I was wondering about the source information. I sent an e-mail and was sent the following reply at 4:19PM (Nov.08.2012)

 

It has not been re-mastered, it’s the CD cut to vinyl, but with two bonus tracks that weren’t on the original CD.

 

A little disappointed I replied:

 

That is disappointing news on the source material. I hope I’ll be able to cancel my pre-order. As much as I’d love to own this on vinyl it’s obviously just a novelty item for collectors. I have my original CD still in good condition.

 

Is there any chance I can pass on as a fan a wish/request to the band or whomever makes these decisions that in 2013 if Shame is being reissued on vinyl Razor and Tie might consider going back to the master tapes and doing an all analogue release? I’m surprised Stone is behind a CD cut to vinyl release given how much he and the members of Pearl Jam pushed vinyl back in the 90’s with their all analogue release of Vitalogy two weeks before they released the CD, and the single “Spin the Black Circle”.

 

Then I got another response:

 

 

We didn’t just make it from the CD, we did (or actually the band did) go back to the master tapes, and delivered a new master for this.

 

So I replied:

 

 

Hi Kerri,
Admittedly you've left me a bit confused.
4:19pm - It has not been re-mastered, it’s the CD cut to vinyl
5:03pm - We didn’t just make it from the CD, we did (or actually the band did) go back to the master tapes, and delivered a new master for this.

 

I'm sure you can imagine I'm a little tentative when it comes to re-ordering based on the two conflicting statements within 45 minutes. I hope this doesn't seem trivial to you, I'm very fond of my analogue chain and I like to get the most out of my purchases which is why I usually order vinyl when the record label has been up front about the source, like Warner who have been very good recently with their Dire Straits and Red Hot Chili Peppers reissues and of course specialty labels like Analogue Productions and Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs. If this is indeed a new master for vinyl from the master tapes then I will re-order it in a second and eagerly anticipate getting hold of it. So if you can confirm that your earlier statement was incorrect and the 5:03pm e-mail is the correct assessment then I'll order again as I had previously cancelled after getting your response.
If the band want to build anticipation of their vinyl reissues I'd highly recommend putting this information on the package or in the information for the pre-order as there are many forums for releases like this (Steve Hoffman forums for example) where people will eagerly seek out a vinyl release of this nature.
Thanks for the open line of communication,

 

Then I get the following two brusque responses:

 

I am literally taking information provided to me and copying into an email.  Please refrain from emailing me again.   Bob on copy can advise moving forward. Thanks and good luck. Kerri

 

AND

 

Steve. It's not that confusing. They made a master for the vinyl from the original masters, but they didn't remaster it.  Wr didn't just make a vinyl master from a production cd
Bob Hoch

 

I thought I had outlined why it was confusing? Anyway, I sent a final response:

 

 

It's only confusing when someone tells you two different things within a 45 minute time frame, sorry to be such a bother to you and your staff.

 

Some people are pretty full of themselves. Sadly the vinyl ended up being terrible, a real different story from the job Razor and Tie did for the Emerson, Lake and Palmer reissues. It sounds like 128 Kbps .mp3 quality, nowhere near as good as the CD.

I was on Discogs looking at the listing for the new Barsuk Years vinyl collection from AinR and someone in the comments directed me to a thread here. Couldn't resist joining up as I love vinyl and post on numerous AV forums always looking for an interesting one to join.

Well while we wait for that announcement did anyone see this?

 

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f56c3e82fc/alice-in-chains-twenty-three

Please tell me there will be a regular NON-PIC vinyl released?

QRP is in Salina, KS.

 

LOL, is there even a state with KC as the abbreviation? Too early in the year to be mixing up NFL teams with pressing plants!

45rpm means wider grooves, better reproduction of the sound, but also shorter length per side.  Stability EP is cut at 45rpm.  The way these sound, I don't think Trans needs to be recut at 45, sounds excellent the way it is.

 

You can pick up a copy of the original 45rpm Pallas-pressed version still sealed for around $35. Glad I didn't sell mine waiting on this coming in. However I have no doubt it sounds terrific as it's supposed to be the same all analogue mastering done by Kevin Gray, one of the good guys who doesn't play "loudness wars" games.

 

As for Pallas, it's suprising they botched the labels so badly, but I do find the pressing plant has a lot to do with it. Rainbo really botched The Beatles LP's and box sets badly, dinged corners, off centred pressings, tonnes of non fill, meanwhile the Pallas-pressed EU editions are whisper quiet and dead centred. I think RTI would definitely do a better job than Rainbo with these as every MOFI title I've ordered has been very consistent.

 

However I reserve the most disdain for URP in Nashville. I know they seem to do a great job for Jack Black, but just about any other major label title I find I get up to check when it sounds like gash and sure enough it's URP. I had to buy three copies of DMB's "Big Whiskey" before getting one with a centred SIDE D, same for Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue, the third copy I just imported the German version and it was perfect.

 

For major label releases these days I usually just import from Amazon UK unless I know it was pressed at A+R in Dallas, TX, QRP in Salinas, KC or RTI in California. My copy of Mellon Collie was fine, but I did think it strange to go that far into the deadwax on SIDE A instead of just cutting a little more quietly and using narrower grooves. Stan Getz did a great job with all the other Pumpkins titles.

 

Really weird that they'd re-cut a master for Transatlanticism at 33rpm. Doesn't make any sense, why not just make some fresh mothers from the 45rpm master?

 

Shame they didn't use Kevin Gray's excellent mastering for the Super Audio CD, what a waste of that format's capabilities.