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Thread: "the beatles' entire catalogue remastered for release 09-09-09"

  1. #1
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Wales, UK

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    I'm Mark.

    Default "the beatles' entire catalogue remastered for release 09-09-09"

    Hello All

    Just when you thought you'd bought your very last Beatles album, and I quote; "The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release."

    Full article available here;
    http://www.beatles.com/core/news/

    Mark /Audiocom

  2. #2
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

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    I'm ChrisB.

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    i

  3. #3
    Join Date: May 2008

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    I'm ChrisB.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Grand Wazoo View Post
    That's got to be one of the most repeated lies in the history of recorded music.

    I'll reserve my judgement - let's see how the recordings, that have earned their living more times over than almost any others ever made, are priced.

  4. #4
    Join Date: May 2008

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    According to Amazon UK, they're mid priced at around nine quid or so.

    I wonder what they've done to them? The first four sounded bright cos apparently, that's the way the masters sound when not warmed up by the vinyl reproductive process..

    I also hope they haven't been heavy handed with the "No Noise," as some of EMI's engineers were prone to be with disastrous results for reverb and instrumental decay..
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
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  5. #5
    Join Date: May 2008

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    I'm David.

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    Hope I'm allowed to post the following from -

    http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/04/08/121952.php

    "...Re-mastering the Beatles catalogue

    The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title.

    From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn't impact on the original integrity of the songs.

    In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today's music, overall limiting - to increase the volume level of the CD - has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles' music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings.

    When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson.

    Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three - a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there - and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team's satisfaction.

    You know, remastered."
    Last edited by DSJR; 13-04-2009 at 16:39.
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
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  6. #6
    Join Date: May 2008

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    I'm Nick.

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    Interesting. To be honest I wish I enjoyed The Beatles' music more, so I could appreciate the result.

    When I first read this, I was surprised that the mixdown masters were still usable. Roger McGuinn decided to go back to the multi-tracks and remix to new mixdown masters when it was decided to remaster The Byrds back catalog. This was necessary because the original mixdown masters were too rough to use, having been played repeatedly over the years for prior CD mastering, and - gasp - because the original mixdown masters had been used repeatedly to create various pressing masters, often when overseas territories decided a local release was in order... I think the same was done with The Who's back catalogue. Perhaps The Beatles' masters have been treated with more care over the years.

    Why was 'limiting' considered necessary. And why don't they just give everyone a 'compress' button on their CDP so the masters don't need to be. All that effort and then that.

    Interesting to see they used the vinyl releases as a reference. I wonder if they checked out Dr Ebbett's transfers or bought their own originals. And we should be told which TT, arm and cartridge they used, lest there has been any undesirable colouration of the result
    Last edited by Beechwoods; 13-04-2009 at 16:56.
    Nick
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  7. #7
    Join Date: Mar 2008

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    I'm Mark.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Beechwoods View Post
    I wonder if they checked out Dr Ebbett's transfers or bought their own originals. And we should be told which TT, arm and cartridge they used, lest there has been any undesirable colouration of the result
    Hi Beechwoods

    I first listened to the Dr Ebbett's transfer to WAV via a Squeezebox Transporter and external DAC and I heard some of the best Beatles playback I have encountered. Even the first 4 albums were highly listenable!

    We will have to wait and hear the result and I will be comparing the CD's to Mobile Fidelity and the Japan First Pressings.

    Best, Mark

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

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    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Guys,

    For Beatles stuff it has to be vinyl. I have a few original albums in mono and also some later remastered audiophile grade stuff - all sound superb and much better than anything on CD

    Marco.
    Main System

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  9. #9
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

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    I'm Neil.

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    Does Michael Jackson still own the rights to this material ? Call me suspicious but if he does this would earn him a few more dollars he needs badly. Frankly and honestly, along with the Stones I think the Beatles are overrated

    Does the world really need this stuff done again ? Frankly I think not....how many rehashes of a rehash can EMI get away with. The job should have been done right before. I am sick of record companies fleecing music fans...its a disgrace.


    Regards D S D L
    Regards Neil

  10. #10
    Join Date: May 2008

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    I'm David.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Guys,

    For Beatles stuff it has to be vinyl. I have a few original albums in mono and also some later remastered audiophile grade stuff - all sound superb and much better than anything on CD

    Marco.
    I disagree with you on the mid period multi-everything stuff. Vinyl just can't cope..

    The first four album releases on CD were what seem to be straight transfers with no mucking about. OK you say until you hear the middy, bright balance from these. George Martin said at the time that what you get was what was there and there'd have been an outcry if they'd changed anything. The fact the B&W had given EMI and Polygram quantites of 801's to master with also plays a part. Most bright toned CD's sound fine on 801's I found...

    The mid period albums were much better treated I felt. Rubber Soul was and still a superb CD, funny stereo and all. Revolver was a very complex album to master for CD and apart from a touch of edit sorting, not much could be done.

    I knew that the multi-tracks for Sgt Pepper still existed, as George Martin showed on TV how each of the four tracks was put together and blended to make the whole. The band themselves used limiting at this time in the recording process I understand. My several LP copies of this album all suffer with the treble dulling towards side end, the CD sounding all but identical at the beginning of the sides, despite being transferred from a safety copy I'm told, as the original stereo master was shagged.

    I can't speak for the later albums as I didn't much care for them, unlike people nearer the Beatles' age...

    I had a job on the road when "1" came out and was amused to see an LP of this in an Audio T store. The fact that this LP was cut from digital masters almost certainly going right over the opinionated manager's head it seemed at the time. If only he knew that most reps give detailed reports on their dealer visits back to their managers.....

    Wendy Carlos (formerly Walter) wrote a splendid piece concerning the mastering ten years or so ago of her back catalogue (Switched On Bach etc) once her thirty year contract with CBS expired. Althopugh the courier presented her with a box full of tapes, she still had the 8 track mix-down masters for each of the albums, which were compiled together to make the production masters that CBS used in the LP, tape and original CD transfers. Skipping a generation of tape and not having to bother with eq'ing the mid up and compressing to stop needle-jumping has transformed the music apparently (I can't afford the box-set).
    Last edited by DSJR; 13-04-2009 at 22:58.
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

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