Just got the weekly email newsletter from HDTracks.com. At the end of the email, they always tease an upcoming release. This week simply said, "Coming Soon: Prince's 1999". Can this be for real?!? Wonder what the source and specs will be...

could just be upscaled. i think that's common with some of that type of stuff

nothing else of his on their site...how the sound on this site?

If this is true, it could be very big news. HDTracks releases songs in high resolution, better than CD quality.

They do have a number of titles in CD standard 16/44.1 but even that means people can download a lossless copy. I'm really crossing my fingers for something more.

If its coming to hdtracks its most likely going to be remastered first, if its not then it wont be too much better than the cd. All the good downloads on hdtracks receive audiophile mastering and I really hope 1999 gets this since the current cd, along with ATWIAD, really sounds bad compared to the vinyl mastering.

HDTracks songs sound fantastic. I know that when Rhino made the vinyl-re-issue of 1999, they didn't press the vinyl off the CD, they pressed it off original source tapes. I think creating a new 24-bit master from the source tapes would sound better

Prince told the Peach & Black guys that he's already remastered his first six albums. How sweet would it be if this is how he plans to re-release them???

[Edited 3/22/13 12:34pm]

If he's looking for money HD-Tracks probably isnt the best way to do it but if they made a new master from the source tapes that would be amazing. So Prince told people that HE remastered the albums?? That could be bad cause if he doesnt know what hes doing and is doing what most engineers do today then the remasters will probably be awful.

My only concern is that he's become the George Lucas of the music industry and any new remastered releases may end up with lyric changes, etc. How sad would that be?

Can we also get decent pressed media with those remastered audios on them?

spiffnme said:

My only concern is that he's become the George Lucas of the music industry and any new remastered releases may end up with lyric changes, etc. How sad would that be?

That is my biggest fear as well! Let's hope he won't alter any of it. Much looking forward to HD Prince releases though!!!

spiffnme said:

My only concern is that he's become the George Lucas of the music industry and any new remastered releases may end up with lyric changes, etc. How sad would that be?

At one point IIRC, he was going to re-record his entire back catalog, altering the lyrics to fit with his "no more swearing" thing. So far the only thing he's released to that end is 1999: The New Master. So the George Lucas thing is not that far off.

spiffnme said:

chopingard said:

spiffnme said:

My only concern is that he's become the George Lucas of the music industry and any new remastered releases may end up with lyric changes, etc. How sad would that be?

I dunno he let rhino release those 180g vinyl remasters without editing.also berries Grumman done the remaster from the original master Your fears are not unfounded though and I used to feel the same

Yeah that is true, I had forgotten about that. At least that is a good sign!

Small update: HDtracks now has an artist page up for Prince here, but no listing of an album yet:

https://www.hdtracks.com/...p;id=10774

Also, they tweeted this morning "Upcoming releases this week on HDtracks: @depechemode, @MilkCartonKids, @ARTTM, @MilesDavis, Prince, & more!!!"

electricberet said:

If this is true, it could be very big news. HDTracks releases songs in high resolution, better than CD quality.

Hmm.

If I have to do it for lack of pressed media, I could still burn a true DVD-A or play that stuff in full resolution over a squeezebox.

So please gimme those FLACs as an easy download...

HOLY SHIT!

IT'S REAL!

24/96 and 24/192!

https://www.hdtracks.com/...p;id=10774

[Edited 3/26/13 11:44am]

ericschafer said:

HOLY SHIT!

IT'S REAL!

24/96 and 24/192!

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=artistdetail&id=10774

where does it say 24/96 and/or 24/192 in relation to prince?

unique said:

ericschafer said:

HOLY SHIT!

IT'S REAL!

24/96 and 24/192!

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=artistdetail&id=10774

where does it say 24/96 and/or 24/192 in relation to prince?

Here and here.

ericschafer said:

unique said:

where does it say 24/96 and/or 24/192 in relation to prince?

Here and here.

So is this classed as a "Re-master" then as they state this is an exact digital copy of the original master, or just a much better digital transfer of the master tape? which I presume is a sort of re-master anyhow

I don't know the answer to your question definitively, but let me share what I know:

• Rhino/WB released the remastered "1999" on vinyl. They are also listed as the releasing label for the 24/96 and 24/192 versions. My assumption is that they are working with the same source (the Bernie Grundman re-master) that they did for the vinyl.
• HD Tracks is only the outlet, so they don't do any processing to the files other than to make them available in the various formats they provide (aiff, alac, flac, and wav)

[Edited 3/26/13 12:54pm]

ericschafer said:

I don't know the answer to your question definitively, but let me share what I know:

• Rhino/WB released the remastered "1999" on vinyl. They are also listed as the releasing label for the 24/96 and 24/192 versions. My assumption is that they are working with the same source (the Bernie Grundman re-master) that they did for the vinyl.
• HD Tracks is only the outlet, so they don't do any processing to the files other than to make them available in the various formats they provide (aiff, alac, flac, and wav)

It was my understanding that these were not remastered - that the re-releases were simply the original mastering put out on 180-gram vinyl. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Genesia said:

ericschafer said:

I don't know the answer to your question definitively, but let me share what I know:

• Rhino/WB released the remastered "1999" on vinyl. They are also listed as the releasing label for the 24/96 and 24/192 versions. My assumption is that they are working with the same source (the Bernie Grundman re-master) that they did for the vinyl.
• HD Tracks is only the outlet, so they don't do any processing to the files other than to make them available in the various formats they provide (aiff, alac, flac, and wav)

It was my understanding that these were not remastered - that the re-releases were simply the original mastering put out on 180-gram vinyl. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

I want to walk back the "Bernie Grundman re-master" part of my statement, simply because I don't know it for a fact. Here's what Music Direct says about the vinyl re-release:

After more than two decades of being out of print, 1999 is finally back on vinyl--and how. Mastered from the original tapes, with lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, and pressed at RTI on 180g double vinyl, this is the very best version you'll ever hope to hear. No longer will you have to settle for the slightly compressed original or nearly unlistenable CD versions. Rhino's analog reissue also boasts replicate original packaging.

What do you make of that statement? To me "mastered from the original tapes" means "received the original mixdown tapes and mastered it from those", which by definition would be a re-master. But I am definitely not claiming to have inside info here.

Edit to say: this topic is also being covered at http://forums.stevehoffma...ks.313583/ and http://forums.stevehoffma...430/page-6

[Edited 3/26/13 13:33pm]

[Edited 3/26/13 13:46pm]

Cool. Please don't think I was trying to put you on the spot - just trying to reconcile the various things I've heard.

ericschafer said:

I want to walk back the "Bernie Grundman re-master" part of my statement, simply because I don't know it for a fact. Here's what Music Direct says about the vinyl re-release:

After more than two decades of being out of print, 1999 is finally back on vinyl--and how. Mastered from the original tapes, with lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, and pressed at RTI on 180g double vinyl, this is the very best version you'll ever hope to hear. No longer will you have to settle for the slightly compressed original or nearly unlistenable CD versions. Rhino's analog reissue also boasts replicate original packaging.

What do you make of that statement? To me "mastered from the original tapes" means "received the original mixdown tapes and mastered it from those", which by definition would be a re-master. But I am definitely not claiming to have inside info here.

[Edited 3/26/13 13:27pm]

Genesia said:

ericschafer said:

I don't know the answer to your question definitively, but let me share what I know:

• Rhino/WB released the remastered "1999" on vinyl. They are also listed as the releasing label for the 24/96 and 24/192 versions. My assumption is that they are working with the same source (the Bernie Grundman re-master) that they did for the vinyl.
• HD Tracks is only the outlet, so they don't do any processing to the files other than to make them available in the various formats they provide (aiff, alac, flac, and wav)

It was my understanding that these were not remastered - that the re-releases were simply the original mastering put out on 180-gram vinyl. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

The vinyl reissues were remastered by Bernie Grundman. I wrote to Bernie Grundman Mastering and they confirmed this. See this thread:

http://prince.org/msg/7/357631

Just listened to the samples and it sounds like the 180gram remaster.

The compression is notable on the drums of the Let's Pretend we're married sample

chopingard said:

Just listened to the samples and it sounds like the 180gram remaster.

The compression is notable on the drums of the Let's Pretend we're married sample

Is this good or bad, does this sound better than the version on CD? I have no way to play vinyl, so the 180g's passed me by.