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Old school albums that could use a Remaster


Penzoline

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I know this discussion has happened before but I couldn't find any recent threads for the specific requests.

 

What albums do you think would benefit the most from a remaster? Be it availability or sound quality.

I for one don't care as much for remasters for the sake of getting a new print batch anymore, but damn if some of the old school stuff has a flat sound for todays standard.

 

I'll start with the most obvious. Pleiadians - IFO is in dire need for a remaster. After those Etnica remasters I can only imagine what kind of a sound can be pulled out of this album. It's a timeless classic but it really doesn't sound up to par when it comes to audio quality.

 

Another is Somaton and Shakta. Some tracks like Ion Tribe just sound terrible. After hearing the remastered Somaton - Nool Sonrg on Mind Rewind 2 I can only imagine how much better the debut albums of these acts would sound.

 

MFG - Project Genesis. Absolutely a stellar album that has some of the muddiest sound I've heard.

 

There's plenty of old school that sounds great to this day and there is also tons of remastered albums already, but no reason to stop there! Some of this brilliant music needs a second life.

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Agree about IFO, i would also add:

Battle of the future Buddhas - Twin sharkfins (especially the track Lord of the dance)

Chi-A.D. - Anno domini (would be awesome to listen to Moonart with a modern mastering)

Indoor - Progressive trance

Green nuns - Rock bitch mafia

and some Asia 2001 albums (Dreamland, Ama zone...)

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Penzoline#OP : "MFG - Project Genesis. Absolutely a stellar album that has some of the muddiest sound I've heard."

 

I always thought that the "sticky" sound of Project Genesis was deliberately worked by MFG. I personally find that album contain a few good track and the sticky sound is part of what make them good in my perception....

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I'm not saying all the tracks (by any means) on the albums sound bad but tracks like Ion Tribe, Silicon Trip, Open Mind and Why? definitely could sound a lot better than what they do now. Just refresh the whole package, you get the tracks that sound good still good and the tracks that sound worse much better.

Penzoline#OP : "MFG - Project Genesis. Absolutely a stellar album that has some of the muddiest sound I've heard."

I always thought that the "sticky" sound of Project Genesis was deliberately worked by MFG. I personally find that album contain a few good track and the sticky sound is part of what make them good in my perception....

Yes I am not confusing the musicality of it to the lack of punch in audio quality. Remastering those tracks wouldn't change what's great about it, just make them sound better, more accurate, give some of the layers that little breathing room they need imho. In a track like sunshine the layers feel like they are starting to overlap and clip with each others, all the sounds get stuck together, it just makes for a messy unappealing sound. It does help musically the album is a monster but damn give me some remasters and I'd throw all them dollars at it.

 

I mean this could just be preference but I'd love to see what they would sound with a remaster. They hardly get rotation on my playlists because of the fact I am not so keen on how they sound while I like the musical parts. Then again I avoid tinny albums regardless. Refer to "nool sonrg" from Somaton. I think the remaster breathes new life to it, though unfortunately it seems to have panning issues with a layer and I got no idea how they missed that.

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Guest The Hypnotic LFO Room

Remastering those tracks wouldn't change what's great about it, just make them sound better, more accurate, give some of the layers that breathing room they need imho. In a track like sunshine the layers feel like they are starting to overlap and clip with each others, it just makes for a messy unappealing sound. It does help musically the album is a monster but damn give me some remasters and I'd throw all them dollars at it.

 

Remastering wont fix what you seek. You can not add "air" or new breath to different layers with a mastering unless you have the original "stems" (each track from a song).

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Guest The Hypnotic LFO Room

Just trying to explain that mastering in itself is not a miracle maker. If an original recording has poor sound quality then there's so little you can do to fix it.

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@HLFORoom I disagree. In the last two decades of working with some amazing audio engineers I have seen the right engineer rework poor recording in to sonic masterpieces, as I have also seen the opposite occur as well. You just need as always the right persons for the job. That's the hard part. I mean Avatar Re odd reissues some old stuff remastered by I think Avi Algranati or someone and it was pathetic but the work Tim Schuldt & Colin OOOD have done reworking old gems has been amazing.

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Guest The Hypnotic LFO Room

@HLFORoom I disagree. In the last two decades of working with some amazing audio engineers I have seen the right engineer rework poor recording in to sonic masterpieces, as I have also seen the opposite occur as well. You just need as always the right persons for the job. That's the hard part. I mean Avatar Re odd reissues some old stuff remastered by I think Avi Algranati or someone and it was pathetic but the work Tim Schuldt & Colin OOOD have done reworking old gems has been amazing.

 

There is no way you can master a poor recorded tune into a masterpiece. No matter what you think you know. I speak from 30 years studio experience and working with people who mastered example Metallica and other big bands in Denmark.

 

Ask Colin too. He will say there's no way you can make poor recorded music into gold.

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While this topic is about mastering I was talking about audio engineering in general, there are ways to significantly improved bad recordings. And yes I can drop names as well, I spent 6 months with a very famous bloke who worked on Queen, AC/DC etc. and by the way a lot of the mastering in Metallica's work was/is rubbish. I've heard the original recordings of And Justice For All & they sound so much better than the rubbishy finished product. Hence why many are waiting for a possible rework as well.

Oh and I've chatted to Collin a lot in the past. I have learnt a lot from him regarding this style of music and how to produce quality sound. Currently though I only work with progressive techno & house music, much more fun and work.

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MFG - Project Genesis. Absolutely a stellar album that has some of the muddiest sound I've heard.

I don't know. One of the great thing about PG is the muddy sound. It adds a lot to the tracks. A cleaner version would ruin it IMO.

 

 

BTW IFO sounds great. I doesn't need any remastering at all.

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UX - Ultimate Expirience

volume is soooo low/kick/bass 'mushing' into eachother at times.

 

And ofc

 

Early 80's Ozric tentacles music released on tapes,tho i love the sound and know

every crackling sound in the music itself,a remastered version will be a dream come true.

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I don't know. One of the great thing about PG is the muddy sound. It adds a lot to the tracks. A cleaner version would ruin it IMO.

 

 

BTW IFO sounds great. I doesn't need any remastering at all.

i agree 100%

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  • 1 month later...

It's true, you can't polish a turd. But you can roll it in glitter, and the longer I do this the more I find that you can give glitter a surprisingly smooth, polished finish. When I mastered Intense Visitations I was surprised at the original production; it was the first time I started believing that our own tracks of the time weren't as badly-produced as we'd previously thought, compared to some of the big names. But I think that tune came out quite well in the master :)

 

It's impossible to make a really badly-produced oldschool track sound like a modern production, but it's certainly possible to make it shine in its own way, and give it a good chance of working on a modern dancefloor. I'd love to get my hands on some of those classics.

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I think Chi-a.d.'s Infinitism possibly could use a rerelease and remastering. The Bass on some of the tracks completely overwhelms the other parts of the tracks, and especially the kicks.

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  • 1 year later...

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