i have a "remastering" of a 1957 recording, "a lovely afternoon" that sounds to my ears like it came off of a somewhat worn LP specimen copy. a disappointment considering that the original stereo master tape still exists somewhere [MCA studios?] in SoCal. OTOH, recent long-belated remasterings/reissues of selections from the stereo mix of the Phil Spector Christmas Album, are sonic revelations compared to the original mono release.
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Re-Mastered recordings are Hit and Miss... much like Life itself. Many Original recordings are just fine as they were released and others sound way better with Modern reworking. @voodoolounge , most music and recordings since 1995-2000 have been recorded in a digital format (as computers became ever increasingly affordable and adaptable). Pressing vinyl from a digital recording has been the Norm for 25 years. There are of course exceptions and they are usually noted on the reord itself. A great many Master Tapes from earlier recordings are also stored digitally and the Master Tapes are archived (and so never/rarely used for re-releases). |
@audioguy85 You’re right. There are bargains to be found but you need a bit of luck. A friend of mine picked up an original mono copy of Sgt Pepper for £5 at a charity shop. He also got a copy of the Beatles Oldies but Goldies for the same amount. A few years back (pre-plandemic, 2017/8?) I managed to pick up a couple of Glen Campbell LPs for him that were part of a set for £1 each! Even better, they were both in mint condition. I spent many, many hours browsing in record and comic shops/marts and I don’t regret any of them - but then came the internet... Anyway, the best of luck in the future.
Remastering is done for three reasons.
It’s all true! Ok, not all remasters have irritating highs, but many do, and all are boosted. Even worse, I have yet to hear ANY remaster that didn’t have some form of dynamic compression added, even if was just a hint. Why oh why do they need to sound modern?
Oh hang on, your 3rd point explains it!
It might sound a bit cynical, but I should tell it like I see it. I felt like a heretic when I compared the Steve Hoffman remastered Nat King Cole to the earlier Bear Family releases, and, shock horror, preferred some of the earlier transfers. Steve did an excellent job on sourcing the original tapes no doubt, but even his ingenuity couldn’t quite replicate the famous Capitol Studios echo chamber.
https://www.acontinuouslean.com/2013/12/02/secret-capitol-studios-sound/
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