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.
― nate woolls, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:19 (fifteen years ago) link
A friend already said he's ponying up for both the mono and stereo versions. I have no idea about the video game.
― I'm crossing over into enterprise (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:25 (fifteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, I'll buy it all without hesitation. Apart from the game.
― nate woolls, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:27 (fifteen years ago) link
Remastering the Beatles cataloghttp://www.boomcity.biz/librarybooks/resources/scientists.jpg
― tylerw, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:31 (fifteen years ago) link
I'll get the game. Plus Abbey Road. The old cd is really "hissy".
― Bill Magill, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:36 (fifteen years ago) link
Good good good.
― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:38 (fifteen years ago) link
Awesome I cant wait to pay 18.99 for each CD all over again.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:40 (fifteen years ago) link
How does that mastering process sound to you, Nick?
― nate woolls, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:41 (fifteen years ago) link
Does this mean there will be an upsurge of non-remastered Beatles CD's in the "used" section in the future?
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:46 (fifteen years ago) link
It sounds pretty fine; it would be stupid to use no limiting at all, but they sound as if they've been very careful with it; I'm not against limiting per se, I'm against people using it clumsily and unsympathetically. Not using de-noise (apart from 5 mins out of 512) is a big plus, too. I love how the Love thing sounded, and I imagine this will be equally as good.
― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:49 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah, Love sounds amazing.
― nate woolls, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:50 (fifteen years ago) link
cool
― d20 riot tard (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:51 (fifteen years ago) link
any word on new vinyl pressing???
it's getting pretty spendy to get really nice copies of the old originals...i can't imagine they wouldn't make bank on some nice 180g shit pressed at RTI
― d20 riot tard (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:57 (fifteen years ago) link
Sounds promising. I will be going for the stereo ones (actually have never owned the originals of the first four because I am a stereo freak) while I leave buying the mono set up to the reactionary anti-sound-quality lunatics only.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 16:12 (fifteen years ago) link
You mean like Brian Wilson?
― OK, fine, yes, I Goggled it (Pancakes Hackman), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 16:12 (fifteen years ago) link
Who you callin' reactionary? (xpost)
― Mark G, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 16:13 (fifteen years ago) link
Brian Wilson, for physical reasons, just cannot hear stereo properly. That being said, the stereo mix of "Pet Sounds" is for me the one and only version that matters.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 16:17 (fifteen years ago) link
It's nice.
FWIW, I have no opinion about mono being 'better' than stereo, it's more that I do not have an overriding position of "stereo is always better than mono".
The first Beatles Stereo albums had vocals on one side, instruments on the other. Which is less good than having it all mixed together for mono.
Presumably, this time round a decent Stereo mix will happen.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 16:29 (fifteen years ago) link
9-9-2009 has a good ring to it. so excited about this.
― Bee OK, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 17:07 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/
HATS. AIR.
― piscesx, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 17:16 (fifteen years ago) link
hmmm these look ... expensive. and nice!
― tylerw, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 17:21 (fifteen years ago) link
will they also be updating the cover art as well? the abbey road cover has been so played out, same with sgt pepper
― lil waynes babymama (musically), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 18:23 (fifteen years ago) link
There's a thread idea.
― •--• --- --- •--• (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 18:29 (fifteen years ago) link
attn ilx graphic designers or whatever
― now is the time to winterize your manscape (will), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 18:36 (fifteen years ago) link
They're gonna fuck these up, I know it.
― Jazzbo, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 18:39 (fifteen years ago) link
I wanna see the Polish movie poster versions.
― •--• --- --- •--• (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 18:40 (fifteen years ago) link
I want vinyl. Also, what is the argument for buying the Mono version?
― Nate Carson, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:07 (fifteen years ago) link
basically the recordings were mixed to be mono, and stereo versions were made artificially after the fact and sort of clumsily. i've heard that the mono mix of sgt pepper is the one that was really slaved over and the stereo mix which we are more familiar with were thrown together
― d20 riot tard (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:10 (fifteen years ago) link
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
― DavidM, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:18 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm not shelling out for CDs. Vinyl, maybe. Way to totally blow it you fucking idiots.
― This Board is a Prison on Planet Bullshit (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:22 (fifteen years ago) link
fuck you, john lennon
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:27 (fifteen years ago) link
I was at a record store once, and someone had just sold them a copy of Sgt. Peppers in mono. GLORIOUS MONO. And the employee simulated disgustingly real sex with it.
― i'm shy (Abbott), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:30 (fifteen years ago) link
Ringo: "What do you feel when you turn out the light?"record store guy: "I can't tell you, but it feels like a stand of spaghetti..."
― snoball, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:41 (fifteen years ago) link
strand, aaarrgghh...
the mono mixes are different mixes, highlighting different thing; in the case of Pepper and the White Album, the mono mixes are radically different on some songs, with entirely different tracks that weren't used in the stereo; 'she's leaving home' isn't sped up, etc.
― akm, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 20:55 (fifteen years ago) link
9-9-2009 has a good ring to it.
"One After 909"
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:27 (fifteen years ago) link
har, nytimes is calling for the release of the 27-minute "Helter Skelter".
― tylerw, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:28 (fifteen years ago) link
b/w 33 minute version of Heroes & Villains
― i'm shy (Abbott), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:31 (fifteen years ago) link
BRING IT ON
― tylerw, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:33 (fifteen years ago) link
how much you wanna bet the promotion of these reissues is accompanied by Sir Paul dropping tantalizing hints about all the unreleased shit the COULD be releasing, but aren't.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:35 (fifteen years ago) link
god I hope Ringo outlives Paul
― This Board is a Prison on Planet Bullshit (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:35 (fifteen years ago) link
they could ... oops
That's one of the cool things about being in a band...you get to decide what you want to release.
― Mark, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 21:57 (fifteen years ago) link
There's a limit as to how much you can actually do with two tracks. But I guess instruments in the middle and vocals in left or right would be better than the radical two track sound. This only goes for the first two albums anyway, as they used four tracks from "A Hard Day's Night" onwards, and that record sounds great in stereo the way it is.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 22:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Other sources claim that "Sgt. Pepper" was actually the first album where they guys put as much into the stereo mix as the mono mix. For instance, the panning lead vocals on "A Day In The Life" were definitely not something George Martin or Geoff Emerick came up with alone on a quiet and boring day in the studio.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 22:48 (fifteen years ago) link
gah quicktime files?? is this 1993 year of CD-ROMs or something?
― listen to it...put yourself in los angeles (winston), Wednesday, 8 April 2009 05:47 (fifteen years ago) link
and as for vinyl, the new vinyl copies out there sound pretty good if you ask me but i've been listening to the dreaded CDs all my life so it all could be relative..
― listen to it...put yourself in los angeles (winston), Wednesday, 8 April 2009 05:49 (fifteen years ago) link
For instance, the panning lead vocals on "A Day In The Life" were definitely not something George Martin or Geoff Emerick came up with alone on a quiet and boring day in the studio.
Sure they could have. It was their job!
― Mark G, Wednesday, 8 April 2009 06:58 (fifteen years ago) link
― piscesx, Wednesday, 8 April 2009 11:21 (fifteen years ago) link