HiRez Poll Beatles, The - THE BEATLES (The White Album) [Blu-Ray Audio]

[key_wiz]

Well, the new mix could be presented unmastered, Steven Wilson style.

I suppose. But we really don’t know that unmastered would be an improvement. Things get mastered in the first place for a reason.

 

[GOS]

3 Points from Rudy!???
Why?

I hate when someone votes super low like that, but doesn't offer a quick post saying why....oh well, guess not everyone is as perfect as I am. lmao

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I suppose. But we really don’t know that unmastered would be an improvement. Things get mastered in the first place for a reason.

It's the same reason they get remastered...again...and again...and again.....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I hate when someone votes super low like that, but doesn't offer a quick post saying why....oh well, guess not everyone is as perfect as I am. lmao

There are quite a few "drive by" posts on the polls...they usually seem to follow the same pattern...the poster doesn't give any reason and doesn't post on any of the threads...Rudy has 1 "registered" post(listed more but none left to read) and some of these members have never posted on the threads

 

[JediJoker]

I suppose. But we really don’t know that unmastered would be an improvement. Things get mastered in the first place for a reason.

Yes and no. Things get mastered mostly because that's the received wisdom. "You have to get your track/album mastered before release." Steven Wilson's body of mixing work is proof that great sound is possible without mastering. Sometimes, heavy-handed mastering can get in the way of a great-sounding, balanced, tonally pleasing, dynamic mix.

 

[4-earredwonder]

It is my understanding that votes cast should remain anonymous and not criticized for what the voter feels is fair.

NOT everyone is in love with the Beatles. If, for instance, my parents or their cronies heard THE WHITE ALBUM they'd probably dismiss it as NOISE.

If the polls are to remain sacrosanct, LET IT BE as is and stop criticizing others because YOU DON'T LIKE IT.

BAD HABIT!

 

[jimfisheye]

Yes and no. Things get mastered mostly because that's the received wisdom. "You have to get your track/album mastered before release." Steven Wilson's body of mixing work is proof that great sound is possible without mastering. Sometimes, heavy-handed mastering can get in the way of a great-sounding, balanced, tonally pleasing, dynamic mix.

Some of this is miscommunication...

Mastering is simply putting a mix into a consumer container.
The only reasons for that process to ALSO include altering the audio is either to cater to lower quality 'containers' or because there may have been a problem (in someone's humble opinion of course) with the audio. Now, if someone goes pulling and tugging on a finished mix instead of going back to the multitracks... If the mults were lost, altering the final mix would be the only choice. If not, someone is being lazy or cheap or both.

Of course then there's the stuff that seems like it was intentionally degraded. Is that intentional to make for a future "upgrade"? Is it simply that the C- engineer got the job that day? Either of those explanations sounds silly but I don't see how there could be a 3rd choice.

Back to this While Album REMIX...

In this case, the treble hype doesn't match up with the mixing work. The mixing work here has an excellence to it. The treble hype slathered on top of that is shockingly crude. This was NOT done by the same hand! Did someone really give excellent work to an intern to finish? See, this is what makes the more conspiratorial explanation of intentional degrading it kind of seem more likely.

Anyway, if you reduce the high end above 3750Hz it brings this more into proper balance and you can appreciate the mix work done here. The original stereo is still definitive and has better fidelity but this remix has a reason to exist.

FYI, The high end boost someone did likely involved some compression. So just turning it down seems to maybe step on it a little at the end of the day - depending on the eq you might be using and so forth. I put this master on one track on the mixing board unaltered and then blended in a 2nd copy with all the highs above 3750Hz rolled off with a linear phase crossover eq. Original unaltered track at -1.41db and the low&mids boost track at -16.3. That gave me a proper balance (IMHO) with no clipping (with no compression or limiting).

This is a well done mix. At least worthy of being an alternate choice. Certainly some isolated areas of improvement even if the original is still definitive.

However, if I were to vote on this, the part where it looks like it was intentionally degraded would have a lot of weight in that vote. Just sayin

 

[key_wiz]

Yes and no. Things get mastered mostly because that's the received wisdom. "You have to get your track/album mastered before release." Steven Wilson's body of mixing work is proof that great sound is possible without mastering. Sometimes, heavy-handed mastering can get in the way of a great-sounding, balanced, tonally pleasing, dynamic mix.

Well sure. If the mix is good enough it won’t need mastering. But albums rarely are, hence why mastering was done in the first place.

Is The White Album mixed welll enough that it would be better with no mastering ? I have no idea.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I will forever wonder what the "Steely Dan" initial remixes sounded like. Why undo that?!

 

[JediJoker]

Some of this is miscommunication...

Mastering is simply putting a mix into a consumer container.

Technically, yes. But colloquially, even within the industry, "mastering" implies further audio processing of the mix after mixdown. (Source: can confirm, am engineer.)

 

[milt]

I’m not sure why people tend to favor the mono mixes over the stereo versions of albums. I certainly don’t like everything collapsed and buried into one speaker.

The preference for mono as far as The Beatles is pretty specific and a well-known story.
The fake stereo mixes are stereo in name only although many prefer them which other than familiarity is a mystery to me.
The mono mixes are far more coherent with great imaging.
I've had both the original stereo and mono mixes of the WA and I like them both.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

The preference for mono as far as The Beatles is pretty specific and a well-known story.
The fake stereo mixes are stereo in name only although many prefer them which other than familiarity is a mystery to me.
The mono mixes are far more coherent with great imaging.
I've had both the original stereo and mono mixes of the WA and I like them both.

How can great imaging even happen with a mono mix? Everything comes from the same place. Its not an image, its an open window.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Well, we all know that when the Beatles actually mixed their songs (except for Rev 9 in here), they mixed to Mono.. it was George Martin who'd mix it to Stereo later with no Beatles in sight..

Also, Mono is more like a BALL (or Sphere) than a Window.. at least to me...

 

[milt]

How can great imaging even happen with a mono mix? Everything comes from the same place. Its not an image, its an open window.

All I know is what I hear on my system.

 

[ar surround]

How can great imaging even happen with a mono mix? Everything comes from the same place. Its not an image, its an open window.

...Also, Mono is more like a BALL (or Sphere) than a Window.. at least to me...

I've heard a few mono jazz recordings where there was definite front/back imaging if sitting in the sweet spot. I don't know if any of The Beatles mono recordings project this effect because I prefer to listen to everything, including the stereo Please Please Me, in 7.1 rather than in mono. But I'll give it a try sometime.

 

[The56Kid]

Man, now I'm not so sure I want to listen to The White Album gift I'm receiving for Xmas tomorrow. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but some of you here make it seem like this release is a total sonic misfire. Bumming me out!

 

[marpow]

Man, now I'm not so sure I want to listen to The White Album gift I'm receiving for Xmas tomorrow. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but some of you here make it seem like this release is a total sonic misfire. Bumming me out!

Trust me, you are gonna love all of it.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Man, now I'm not so sure I want to listen to The White Album gift I'm receiving for Xmas tomorrow. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but some of you here make it seem like this release is a total sonic misfire. Bumming me out!

No way! It's one of the most enjoyable releases of 2018!

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Man, now I'm not so sure I want to listen to The White Album gift I'm receiving for Xmas tomorrow. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but some of you here make it seem like this release is a total sonic misfire. Bumming me out!

Just block out all the "noise"....with 77% of the votes being a 10...over 18% are 9's....you should be looking forward to it...check this out

 

[ar surround]

Man, now I'm not so sure I want to listen to The White Album gift I'm receiving for Xmas tomorrow. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but some of you here make it seem like this release is a total sonic misfire. Bumming me out!

Hey, I definitely have some complaints about it and it is STILL a 10.