Digitally Remastered Diamonds?

Started by mahler10th, October 07, 2009, 10:41:51 AM

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mahler10th

October 07, 2009, 10:41:51 AM
Right, well, I bought a 1959 recording of Bruckners 9th, Bruno Walter and the Columbia SO.  It is a disc I wanted for a while since hearing Walter just plain avoided doing Bruckners 9h until later years because he 'didn't understand it.'  He understood it better than he thought - this is one of the best Bruckner 9ths I've ever heard.  8)

However, I think much of the thanks for this must go the the 'Digital Remastering' of it.  This work on this disc sounds like it was recorded yesterday with the high end equipment.  The sound has a depth and surprising clarity for something recorded 6 years before I was born.  Played on even an average system, the sound of this remastering is so much better than I've heard before.  :)

So that's the point of this thread.  What other older analogue recordings out there have blasted up an incredible difference through Dgital Remastering?  I am not a fan of 'remastering', I want to hear original warts and all stuff, but this in particular has woke me up a bit and I would like to find more old recordings of famous pieces that sound like they were done yesterday instead of decades ago.   :o

From the back cover:  "This recording was mastered using 20-bit technology for 'high definition sound' and was remixed by Bejun Metha.  HIGH DEFINITION.  SUPER BIT MAPPING.  ADD."

Time for some more from this disk...this time the second movement...as it begins those pizzacato violins strut around like dizzy chickens before the drums and brass step right in and beat the living daylghts out of them...er... :-\

DavidW

#1
October 07, 2009, 11:52:10 AM
Anything from the essential classics series.  For example Ormandy conducting Tchaikovsky's symphonies. :)  The first release was pretty yucky sounding, the better remastering was much better sounding.

Dancing Divertimentian

#2
October 07, 2009, 08:50:18 PM Last Edit: October 07, 2009, 08:57:30 PM by Dancing Divertimentian
Quote from: John on October 07, 2009, 10:41:51 AM
From the back cover:  "This recording was mastered using 20-bit technology for 'high definition sound' and was remixed by Bejun Metha.  HIGH DEFINITION.  SUPER BIT MAPPING.

Pretty much everything remastered in 20- or 24-bit will be an improvement over the original. In my experience, anyway.

But there are so many caveats it could fill volumes. For instance, pirate labels will trumpet this type of remastering as 'proof' of their edition's superiority when in actuality there's nothing at all superior since - as a pirate label - they've remastered from some source light-years removed from the original masters. So the sound is most likely much worse than the original.

Another thing is that this type of remastering might not be preferable with truly historic recordings - meaning 78 era recordings and such. In this instance nothing is better than the loving touch of a truly gifted transfer engineer.

Something else to consider is the intrusive hand of transfer engineers bent on doing too much improving by tweeking things best left alone. But, in all honesty, this might go unnoticed if you haven't heard the original recording.

But overall, when you get into the LP era - where the sound is already pretty good - this type of remastering can really bring out a brilliance not heard previously - on LP or CD.
Veit Bach-a baker who found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern which he took with him even into the mill and played while the grinding was going on. In this way he had a chance to have the rhythm drilled into him. And this was the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants. JS Bach

Lethevich

#3
October 07, 2009, 09:16:34 PM
Quote from: DavidW on October 07, 2009, 11:52:10 AM
Anything from the essential classics series.  For example Ormandy conducting Tchaikovsky's symphonies. :)  The first release was pretty yucky sounding, the better remastering was much better sounding.

His Bruckner 4th also has a very impactful sound quality in the latest incarnation.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

DavidW

#4
October 08, 2009, 04:34:56 AM
Quote from: Lethe on October 07, 2009, 09:16:34 PM
His Bruckner 4th also has a very impactful sound quality in the latest incarnation.

Oh I had the older one... should look into this... :)

I remember also picking up a sony/columbia recording of Bernstein on Shostakovich PCs, not part of essential classics, and there was a different remastered issue that sounded way better. :)

Slezak

#5
October 08, 2009, 06:09:38 AM
  A number of the early digital remasterings of Columbia material were not as good as the original LP issues, but I guess they have learned how to do it right by now. If you want some fine, early recordings, improved sonically, but not screwed up by overdoing things, you might check the ReDiscovery issues. You can hear samples at the site.....www.rediscovery.us

mahler10th

#6
October 08, 2009, 07:27:30 AM
Quote from: Slezak on October 08, 2009, 06:09:38 AM
  A number of the early digital remasterings of Columbia material were not as good as the original LP issues, but I guess they have learned how to do it right by now. If you want some fine, early recordings, improved sonically, but not screwed up by overdoing things, you might check the ReDiscovery issues. You can hear samples at the site.....www.rediscovery.us

Quote"...www.rediscovery.us...."

I am away to have a look.    :)
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