Cookie's Corner - #176 Original? Deluxe? Super Deluxe? Do they all sound the same?
From Cookie Marenco - Founder and Producer Blue Coast Records and Music
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How many versions of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” can you find? Do they all sound the same?
Don’t ask me why but Patrick likes to arrive at the studio at 7am and start blasting music from the 80’s while he’s doing miscellaneous work. This morning he was binging on Tears for Fears and we both noted how great it sounded. Probably cuz it was an early recording and captured on tape - we mused. Even on Spotify you could hear the quality that tape brings to a master.
Then, knowing that there are remasters, I asked which version of the master were we listening to? Yes, we went down the rabbit hole of listening to different versions of the same song this morning.
Mostly, we compared the original 4:11 version with the 4:11 versions from the Deluxe and Super Delux Editions. There are plenty to choose from but we decided on these for starters. You can do you own tests and send the results to us.
Yes, you guessed it, the original was the best!
Funny enough, the volume levels were relatively the same (which doesn’t always happen with remasters). I don’t think remixing was involved, but I suspect a digital copy was made from the original (who knows what format) and the Deluxe version was made. Then, from the Deluxe version, a digital copy was made and sent off for inserting into the Super Deluxe version.
Now, a lot of you aren’t going to hear any difference and that’s fine. If you never compare these kinds of things, you’ll never be bothered by them either.
Those of you that do care are probably asking… “Why didn’t they use the original masters to create the Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions?” … Who knows….. Cost to revive the tape? The masters were burned in an ‘accidental’ fire? The mastering engineer was given what the label had? No one cared enough to ask?
If you want to do the same listening test we did, have your audiophile ears and speakers ready with a buddy (preferably) to do the listening. Go to Spotify and search “songs” for Tears for Fears Everybody. You’ll get a list of various versions and you’ll see the 4:11 minute versions there that we listened to.
Let us know what you think!
Comments about recording at home….
We got a lot of great comments from people at various stages of having a home studio. So much so, that we’re thinking about opening up private lessons and/or consultation about how to best record and mix at home. Contact us if you’re interested.
Enjoy your music!
Cookie Marenco
Founder and Producer Blue Coast Records and Music
Owner OTR Studios
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On the left is me and Gus Skinas from Sony. Gus got us started in DSD more than 20 years ago. Middle is David Angress CEO of QSC (and the man who’s business sold us our initial recording gear 40 years ago). On the right is Mike Newman (standing) and his son A.J. (who’s contemplating a career in music). Mike was a roommate and top product manager for so many pieces of gear I can’t remember them all.
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I started working with Gus Skinas in 1998, archiving DSD transfers with Sony's "Silverline" system before there was an optical disc for consumers to hear how great Direct Stream Digital is. We were fortunate enough to have Meitner converters for many years. Gus is a wonderful human being, and a joy to work with. Now, if he only knew a joke about a duck that walks into a bar...