your opinion of Remastered CDs ?

Whatever makes my listening experience more fun and challenging!

Walker wrote: BroSpence wrote: ProgBagel wrote: What can possibly be bad about increasing the quality? Often the people remastering the albums cut things out or the mixing is done in poor taste.  So yes I take the original LPs over the remastered CDs.   The situation you describe goes beyond the definition of mastering. I would not approve editing the music or remixing the music in any way, but I do think the remastering adds to the overall quality of sound. You can remaster an album without remixing it or editing it. Most remastered CD's on the market are NOT remixed. Please tell me some remastered CD's that you think sections have been cut out of or the mixing was done in poor taste please. I would be interested to know, because I've never found one.

Check out Kiss's "Hotter Than Hell" and Mountain's "Climbing!" remastered CD copies.  They are absolutely hideous.. 

I have been remastering CDs myself using a program called 

GoldWave - Audio Editing, Recording, Restoration, & Analysis Software

it is amazing how good they sound some of these older prog recordings 

Check this relatively inexpensive program out and save your money on inferior remastered CDs   I believe anybody with half a brain can polish a "turd"  



Edited by Yorkie X - September 25 2007 at 12:25

^ i know i've been telling them this for months...

Walker wrote: ^ not really into to Kiss, but I have the remaster of Mountain Climbing. I never heard the original album, so I can't compare. Was something cut out, or do you think the sound is bad on that one?

I'm not sure if anything was cut out, but it sounds terrible in comparison.  Its a bit "tinny" and the instruments are mixed oddly.  I think they boosted the guitar and vox up way way over the bass and drums.  The original vinyl release sounds much better in my opinion.

Yes, I dislike remixes as a rule. The Free ones were absolutely ghastly; I remember we had a best of called 'All Right Now' and all the drum tracks sounded very '80s' all of a sudden and totally at odds with the timeless-sounding (IMHO) originals. I didn't buy the Doors ones either in fear of a similar mess.

Edited by salmacis - September 26 2007 at 12:11

Zargus wrote: Another bad thing with LPs is they are so BIG! one whonder where you put thos things?

Leaving vinyl out of this, I greatly prefer remastered CD's. They usually sound better and surely not worse(except perhaps a few rare exceptions, but I'd know before buying), and the package is always miles better, plus the often excellent bonus tracks. I'm really into special/limited editions as well

Just add EQ  normally add treble and bass (pending) next step is to  apply  the dreaded compression but only of the high peaks nothing else best not to over do this next maximise volume to just below where it starts to clip ...and  Bobs your uncle 90% of standard original recordings are improved greatly not much point fooling around with recordings made later than about 1990   in my opinion they are normally done with CD in mind   a good result should lift the gain of the recording by about 2 - 4 DB and without any added clipping !!!    but also make it very dynamic and rich in texture  for older recordings tape hiss is noticable there are tools for removing this but expect to change sounds like cymbals ect  ... I just accept the hiss    ...   you should hear how well the first Pavlov's Dog CD I did today come up  ..  its fantastic   apart from the original tape hiss which isn't bad  and certainly no worse that it was before I started working on it  but I want to keep the personality there just build on it. could easily remove the hiss but if you know anything about engineering every action seems to have a reaction ( like not hearing any cymbals)   so I just left it. 


Edited by Yorkie X - September 27 2007 at 12:18

Glad you like it, I just thought it lacked bass, rough sound is OK with me.