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Author Topic: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!  (Read 8377 times)

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FrenchChemist

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #10 on: September 26, 2012, 10:21:07 AM »
Quote from: LFF on September 26, 2012, 09:27:34 AM
Quote from: FrenchChemist on September 26, 2012, 08:07:05 AM

As for EQ tips...which song from the album do you want to EQ?

Well, all of them, of course  :)p13
I know the snare from "So far Away" is painful to my ears. And guitars from "Money For Nothing" sound thinny, very different from Knopfler's usual sound.

I think the Vertigo 1st pressing CDs of other albums are very good (much better than the 1996 remasters) but compared to good vinyl rips (I love the Simply Vinyls) they sound a little bit less musical. Is it because of the limitation to 44 KHz of redbook?
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LFF

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2012, 07:19:37 AM »
Quote from: FrenchChemist on September 26, 2012, 10:21:07 AM
Quote from: LFF on September 26, 2012, 09:27:34 AM
Quote from: FrenchChemist on September 26, 2012, 08:07:05 AM

As for EQ tips...which song from the album do you want to EQ?

Well, all of them, of course  :)p13
I know the snare from "So far Away" is painful to my ears. And guitars from "Money For Nothing" sound thinny, very different from Knopfler's usual sound.

I think the Vertigo 1st pressing CDs of other albums are very good (much better than the 1996 remasters) but compared to good vinyl rips (I love the Simply Vinyls) they sound a little bit less musical. Is it because of the limitation to 44 KHz of redbook?

I have the 1st japan issue by Nippon Phonogram Co. Ltd. Tokyo Japan. If you want, you can upload a part of a song and we can all follow along in a mastering workshop.
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FrenchChemist

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2012, 10:49:17 AM »
Luis, I'd love to have a mastering workshop  :P.

But beware: I'm a total noob (have barely started Bob Katz book)  :-[.

Have you listened to the recent Warner/Rhino DS vinyls remastered by Bernie Grundman?
What do you think of them?

Does the Japanese 1st sound like the XRCD?
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BoxerOrBag

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2012, 02:19:06 PM »
I'm trying to understand audio a bit more, is this a good book on the subject?

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Digital-Audio-Sixth-Edition/dp/0071663460/ref=pd_ybh_5
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LFF

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #14 on: September 28, 2012, 03:10:32 PM »
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BoxerOrBag

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #15 on: September 28, 2012, 03:24:32 PM »
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khaos

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2012, 04:51:20 AM »
Quote from: BoxerOrBag on September 28, 2012, 02:19:06 PM
I'm trying to understand audio a bit more, is this a good book on the subject?

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Digital-Audio-Sixth-Edition/dp/0071663460/ref=pd_ybh_5

It's actually THE reference regarding digital audio, however, it is a very academical point of view and more aimed at an electronics engineer than anything else.
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Babaluma

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2012, 06:10:05 AM »
Curtis Roads "The Computer Music Tutorial" does a better job of explaining it all with nicer diagrams for the layman, although it's much bigger, heavier, and more expensive. I have both and prefer the Roads text, although the 6th edition of Pohlmann is way more up to date wrt things like Blu-Ray etc. The Bob Katz text is always well worth a read too.
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FrenchChemist

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2012, 10:33:00 AM »
Quote from: LFF on September 10, 2012, 06:03:29 PM
Quote from: wiinippongamer on September 10, 2012, 05:55:15 PM
It's of my understanding that SACD when downconverting to redbook are indistiguishable in a blind test. Any thoughts on this?

If you take the DSD and downconvert to redbook with a good algorithm, then it should be indistinguishable in a double-blind test. This converts the bit rate and sample rate but the mastering stays the same.

As I said...it's all in the mastering.

Then what's the point of SACD and 24/96 files, besides charging you more for the same music?

Are there realy no improvement in 24/96 playback files over 16/44.1?

Why do RB usually sound slightly less smooth than vinyl rips? Just the mastering?

Should I downconvert all my 24/96 files to 20(16?)/44.1 and therefore save HDD space? I know I'd love to!
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Babaluma

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Re: Is High Resolution Better? aka Mastering Foibles!
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2012, 11:47:16 AM »
Quote from: FrenchChemist on October 02, 2012, 10:33:00 AM
Quote from: LFF on September 10, 2012, 06:03:29 PM
Quote from: wiinippongamer on September 10, 2012, 05:55:15 PM
It's of my understanding that SACD when downconverting to redbook are indistiguishable in a blind test. Any thoughts on this?

If you take the DSD and downconvert to redbook with a good algorithm, then it should be indistinguishable in a double-blind test. This converts the bit rate and sample rate but the mastering stays the same.

As I said...it's all in the mastering.

Then what's the point of SACD and 24/96 files, besides charging you more for the same music?

Are there realy no improvement in 24/96 playback files over 16/44.1?

Why do RB usually sound slightly less smooth than vinyl rips? Just the mastering?

Should I downconvert all my 24/96 files to 20(16?)/44.1 and therefore save HDD space? I know I'd love to!

Agree with French Chemist.

I can often tell 16/44 from 24/96 lossless files in a blind ABX listening test with some material (quality recordings and mixes with decent dynamic range). Not always though. Lady Gaga sounds as bad at 16/44 as she does in 128kbps mp3. ;)   It can be very subjective, I know, but I tend to notice it in the feeling of "space" (not necessarily just the reverb cues/tails and stereo width), and the "deep black wall" upon which the music is projected.

And you don't "downconvert to Red Book". The Red Book standard is a physical media authoring standard, of which 16 bit word length and 44.1kHz sample rate are just parts.

And mastering CAN make a huge difference, that's true, but on good source files I'd say it's usually only about the final 2% icing on the cake. A good mastering engineer knows when to leave well enough alone, and when processing is required. If it's a great source and will end up on CD, then all that's to do is top and tail, gap, perhaps volume match or SRC if needed, dither down to 16 bit, author the DDP, upload it for the artists/pressing plant and be done with it. No audio processing needed.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2012, 11:54:23 AM by Babaluma »
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