Giles Martin to re-mix Sgt Pepper's Atmos Mix

[jimfisheye]

Yeah, I wonder just what put me off about these. There could just be stuff wrong with me but that aside. When something is so poorly done it's ridiculous, it's really easy to ignore or treat as novelty. When something is done to a genuine high level but still flawed in a couple ways, it might not be so easy. These came across really close to hitting the mark but calling out for alteration/restoration moves. Frustrating enough apparently to make me tinker and see if I could make the overall fidelity more match the originals. I'm into mastering and restoration work and it's usually rewarding. These were supposed to have been done by the "A team" though. What the heck? Why was I putzing around with these?! I can just put on the albums and hear these cool old songs and reflect on how on point and ahead of his time George Martin was. This is work I look up to and shouldn't be touching.

I've had so many vinyl albums I thought were pretty great examples get upstaged by digital masters. Which seems proper. (And why most of the people involved with the average CD master should feel very bad.) These Beatles albums are not included in that. Something's wrong with that. It just puts me in collector/technical mode I guess.

 

[ssully]

I'll give you two examples. If you take the song Birthday, the 80s CD (and 2009 remaster) has essentially all of the instrumentation as a mono center channel. The surround sound mix is much more interesting and enveloping, especially after applying some judicious EQ to take the edge off of it.

On Pepper, take the song Good Morning, Good Morning. The original mix has all instrumentation hard panned right or hard panned left with vocals in the center. It sounds like there are giant holes between the right and center and the left and center. The surround sound mix is again more creative and enveloping.

Your issue isn't with the '80s' CD or any other CD...it's with the original mixes. On LP in the 60s.

 

[DuncanS]

I have now officially, as of 00:00 this morning reached Track 9 of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. So I'm going down the pub for a few to celebrate, commiserate and wonder "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" to quote Sandy Denny!

 

[Cheezmo]

Sgt. Pepper on Apple Music has a new copyright date (2021) and is featured like a new release with a change in the title from (2017 remix) to just (remix).

Is this the new mix?

https://music.apple.com/us/album/sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-remix/1573250333

 

[edisonbaggins]

Sgt. Pepper on Apple Music has a new copyright date (2021) and is featured like a new release with a change in the title from (2017 remix) to just (remix).

Is this the new mix?

https://music.apple.com/us/album/sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-remix/1573250333

I listened not long ago and thought it was really good. I'd be surprised if it isn't the redo.

 

[humprof]

I listened not long ago and thought it was really good. I'd be surprised if it isn't the redo.

Ditto. Listening now and--although I only listened once, weeks ago, to the first posted Atmos mix--this one seems to make much fuller & more creative use of all channels, including overheads. (Will we ever get to buy this, do you think, or is it streaming-only? To my mind, this totally supersedes the 5.1 anniversary mix in the big box.)

 

[fredblue]

Sgt. Pepper on Apple Music has a new copyright date (2021) and is featured like a new release with a change in the title from (2017 remix) to just (remix).

Is this the new mix?

https://music.apple.com/us/album/sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-remix/1573250333

pretty sure it is, it feels more Surround-y to me than the other version

 

[marcb]

Ditto. Listening now and--although I only listened once, weeks ago, to the first posted Atmos mix--this one seems to make much fuller & more creative use of all channels, including overheads. (Will we ever get to buy this, do you think, or is it streaming-only? To my mind, this totally supersedes the 5.1 anniversary mix in the big box.)

The first atmos mix was much better than the 5.1 mix. I haven’t had a chance to try the supposed new atmos mix yet.

IMO, I’d be very surprised it it’s ever available physically. We’re seeing the beginning of the end for physical media for surround music - and it’s not unintentional.

The only thing which might prolong the inevitable is if Apple, etc. find there simply isn’t much interest in real surround and they simply focus on the fake headphone/soundbar crap.

 

[mrcond]

Ditto. Listening now and--although I only listened once, weeks ago, to the first posted Atmos mix--this one seems to make much fuller & more creative use of all channels, including overheads. (Will we ever get to buy this, do you think, or is it streaming-only? To my mind, this totally supersedes the 5.1 anniversary mix in the big box.)

Same here. While I can’t be sure if this is a 1st or 2nd Atmos mix, whatever it is, it is MUCH better than the 5.1 on the blu ray. Much more use of surrounds and ample use of the height channels, much cleaner, clearer and more room to breathe. Less compressed. Really, this is the mix everyone was hoping for that the blu ray didn’t quite deliver.

 

[mrcond]

The crescendo at the end of Day in the Life - wow, just wow.

 

[fredblue]

The crescendo at the end of Day in the Life - wow, just wow.

definitely a new mix, largely excellent and as you say miles better than the 5.1 in the box set!

if part of the future for Surround Music is where a mix can be improved upon so much and reissued with so little fuss, bring it on!! the possibilities for mix correction etc are wonderful!

 

[ar surround]

The first atmos mix was much better than the 5.1 mix. I haven’t had a chance to try the supposed new atmos mix yet.

IMO, I’d be very surprised it it’s ever available physically. We’re seeing the beginning of the end for physical media for surround music - and it’s not unintentional.

The only thing which might prolong the inevitable is if Apple, etc. find there simply isn’t much interest in real surround and they simply focus on the fake headphone/soundbar crap.

No physical release? Alas, that would mean that the new Atmos mix would be available only in a compressed, lower quality format given the limitations of the current technology.

[Edit: I don't mind paying yet again for physical media if it is a substantial improvement over what has come before. I don't get tired of this classic Beatles stuff.]

 

[alansanchez86]

It definitely is. Loved how immerse now it sounds. Waaay better than the 1st atmos mix.

 

[Mcallister]

Damn guess I know what I’m listening to tonight

 

[IMachine]

Jep! This mix is a killer!

 

[marpow]

And all these gems that people like don't forget to + them to your library. I + a lot of titles even without listening to them because they all seem to come and go.

 

[Cheezmo]

And all these gems that people like don't forget to + them to your library. I + a lot of titles even without listening to them because they all seem to come and go.

But realize that adding it to you're library will not prevent it from "go"ing. It will become greyed out and say "no longer available" for the cloud status or will be replaced by a new version.

I had added the 2017 remix version of Sgt. Pepper to my library a while back and it changed into the "remix" version in my library without me doing anything.

Downloading it to a computer may preserve the old mix/mastering if a new version comes out on the server but if you are streaming it on the AppleTV, you are going to get their "latest".

 

[ar surround]

And all these gems that people like don't forget to + them to your library. I + a lot of titles even without listening to them because they all seem to come and go.

I don't quite understand. (I haven't bought Apple Music yet.) If you add it to your library, and the service deletes the title, how can you still listen to it?

 

[Cheezmo]

I don't quite understand. (I haven't bought Apple Music yet.) If you add it to your library, and the service deletes the title, how can you still listen to it?

You can't.

 

[popshop]

In 1981 Apple computers pays $80k and agrees to never go into the music business... then pay $26 million and $50-100 million to Apple Corps when they do.
Now two of the largest entertainment entities on the planet release one of the most popular albums of all time in the new fancy-pants format and they don't say a word.
The exclusive commentary goes to Tidal and the movie goes to Disney. ??
It's so weird.