I transferred SOTT to my MP3 player yesterday, along with selected other Prince CDs, but listening to them today found that SOTT is at much lower volume than any of the others. Wondered if it was my player but found it's the same on my hi-fi at home? Was there a known issue with SOTT being mastered so low in volume (the MP3 player was at max to get a listenable level!!). Wondered if it would be worth replacing SOTT if it was known to be an issue on certain batch?

Many thanks for any input.

funkyjam33 said:

I transferred SOTT to my MP3 player yesterday, along with selected other Prince CDs, but listening to them today found that SOTT is at much lower volume than any of the others. Wondered if it was my player but found it's the same on my hi-fi at home? Was there a known issue with SOTT being mastered so low in volume (the MP3 player was at max to get a listenable level!!). Wondered if it would be worth replacing SOTT if it was known to be an issue on certain batch?

Many thanks for any input.

SOTT should be no different than Lovesexy or Parade in that regard. But it won't be as loud as, say the Gold Experience (they got louder on average around the time of the Symbol CD). When Prince passes away and the remasters are released, you'll have a "proper" version of SOTT to enjoy. But if your CD is as loud as your Parade CD, then something weird happened during your transfer and you should try again.

I can't say that my SOTT is any louder or quieter than any of the others. I have an original pressing, and a later version and they both sound shit the same.

Anything degraded to MP3 is going to sound like shit anyway.

Especially on headphones. That fucker needs to be remastered.

2freaky4church1 said:

I usually listen to it on vinyl.

The SHM-CD release is slightly louder.

Genesia said:

Do you use iTunes?

Do you know you can get it louder WITHOUT editing your mp3 (aac)?

For a more visual conparison:

Top is vinyl, bottom is CD

funkycat00 said:

The SHM-CD release is slightly louder.

Yep. SHM-CD is the only way I listen to that album digitally. If you really want a run for your money, buy the SHM-CD of that album, import it to your iTunes, and turn up the volume in the iTunes settings....best thing ever. No compression, full of dynamics on great pair of headphones.

PurpleMedley122 said:

For a more visual conparison:

Top is vinyl, bottom is CD

I'm surprised that the vinyl was cut so much louder than the CD. Vinyl pressings usually have more dynamic range than CDs, though in the 80s the difference between vinyl and CD dynamic range might not have been as great as it is today. The vinyl definitely sounds much better, in any case.

LaceyB said:

LaceyB said:

funkyjam33 said:

I transferred SOTT to my MP3 player yesterday, along with selected other Prince CDs, but listening to them today found that SOTT is at much lower volume than any of the others. Wondered if it was my player but found it's the same on my hi-fi at home? Was there a known issue with SOTT being mastered so low in volume (the MP3 player was at max to get a listenable level!!). Wondered if it would be worth replacing SOTT if it was known to be an issue on certain batch?

Many thanks for any input.

SOTT should be no different than Lovesexy or Parade in that regard. But it won't be as loud as, say the Gold Experience (they got louder on average around the time of the Symbol CD). When Prince passes away and the remasters are released, you'll have a "proper" version of SOTT to enjoy. But if your CD is as loud as your Parade CD, then something weird happened during your transfer and you should try again.

The day we get remasters (if that day ever comes), the only things I would be fearful of is the engineers editing and compressing shit. Some of those original discs have great dynamics (Parade, Dirty Mind, Controversy, ATWIAD)...The SHM-CDs are not necessarily remastered, but they are certainly an improvement.

2freaky4church1 said:

Especially on headphones. That fucker needs to be remastered.

I agree that the Prince CDs do have some problems in sound quality but seriously... being mastered quiet and with lots of dynamic range is A GOOD THING, if you want it louder turn up the volume.

DONT FUCKING REMASTER IT LOUD AND COMPRESSED DONT FUCKING DO IT. THAT IS THE WORST OPTION AND THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. Sorry, but seriously if the Prince cds were remastered and they turned out like the shitty MJ remasters I might cry, those discs are almost unlistenable. Yes the current Prince CDs have a very thin transfer on certain albums like 1999 but please dont support the the worst trend in current music, which was all started by idiot A&R guys.

Yes I know the caps a bit extreme

His old records could need a little remastering. Both louder, clearer and more punch to the beats. Songs like When Doves Cry would sound much better on modern stereo.

ManlyMoose said:

2freaky4church1 said:

Especially on headphones. That fucker needs to be remastered.

I agree that the Prince CDs do have some problems in sound quality but seriously... being mastered quiet and with lots of dynamic range is A GOOD THING, if you want it louder turn up the volume.

DONT FUCKING REMASTER IT LOUD AND COMPRESSED DONT FUCKING DO IT. THAT IS THE WORST OPTION AND THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. Sorry, but seriously if the Prince cds were remastered and they turned out like the shitty MJ remasters I might cry, those discs are almost unlistenable. Yes the current Prince CDs have a very thin transfer on certain albums like 1999 but please dont support the the worst trend in current music, which was all started by idiot A&R guys.

Yes I know the caps a bit extreme

I have to agree with you. Louder doesn't equate to better!!

PurpleMedley122 said:

For a more visual conparison:

Top is vinyl, bottom is CD

Thank you for that. Could you do one for The Cross? It's got probably the widest dynamic range on the album...

PurpleMedley122 said:

For a more visual conparison:

Top is vinyl, bottom is CD

How'd you get the waveform for the vinyl? Wouldn't any analog-to-digital conversion tool leave the job of setting the volume up to you, or can it somehow figure out the 'true' levels of the vinyl?

Sorry if my question doesn't make any sense, I don't know the right terminology...

Yeah, I don't think Sign O' The Times sounds that great on CD. I bought the album originally on vinyl when it came out, and then on CD a few years later. I was never impressed with the sound of the CD. Not that it wasn't loud enough but it seem to have lost it's range and punch. Just didn't sound as lively as the vinyl. A few years ago I got back into vinyl, got a decent turntable and figured out how to rip vinyl to MP3. This album was the first one I ripped and it's breathed new life into listning to it. Not sure what happened when they mastered the CD, but I think the vinyl version sounds better...

I am sure I have read that the SOTT CD set was mastered from the CASSETTE of the album, for what reason I do not know - anyone else heard this? Vinyl is the ONLY way to listen to this album (so much more detail) - if you search hard enough you can find some superb 'homemade' 24 bit vinyl rips online.

mikeallsopp said:

I am sure I have read that the SOTT CD set was mastered from the CASSETTE of the album, for what reason I do not know - anyone else heard this? Vinyl is the ONLY way to listen to this album (so much more detail) - if you search hard enough you can find some superb 'homemade' 24 bit vinyl rips online.

I've heard that story as well, but I don't think that's true. The original CD is just transferred from EQ tapes, but it was mastered bright and lifeless. I know for a fact that Bernie Grundman mastered the LP from tapes that Prince delivered himself, but the CD was just done wrong.

[Edited 10/6/12 12:22pm]

I noticed the volume mine is also lower than the other CDs. The volume on my vinyl copy is also lower than the other albums. Actually, all those CDs sound horrible so I recorded all my Prince vinyl onto CDs myself. I had my recording level on 7 for all them except "Sign O The Times" which I raised to about 7 and a half and also re-recorded "The Black Album" CD at a higher volume level so it doesn't have that "bootleg" sound. They all sound great now.