airth said:

You can label the changes all you want, all I hear is a volume and base increase. I did that myself years ago.

luvgirl said:

Warner chose the wrong version of The Dance Electric (no guitar distorted, on the 2014 leaked version, theres an amazing guitar from 3:43 and on, this is missing on the Expanded version! and, also - there's no Wendy & Lisa backing voices, on the Expanded version).

And I understand (from another thread) theres an error in the intro to Erotic City (Extended).

Also an error, a hole in the music in right channel in Computer Blue (Hallway speech (Extended)), at 3:34.

I am only writing, listing from others, in another thread.... but....


How in the whole world can these mistakes happen..... sigh at Warner Bros.

.

[Edited 6/24/17 0:58am]

JoeyCococo said:

My 1984 cassette sounds better than this shit...
This shit makes me believe a midget with a Linn Drum lives inside of my left ear...

Neversin.

Some people say it sounds great and others say its not great. It all depends on what equipment you use to listen to it on AND to some extent how old you are....

yep the older you get the more your ears are unlikely to pickup the intricate details and layers within the music....e.g the smallest tinkle of a cymbal in the background, the slighest breathe of Prince or the depth of every string plucked in every cord.

At some point your ears simply wont be able to register these differences anymore....similar analogy is needing reading glasses as you get older....or adding more seasoning to your food because your taste buds have died off.

Your senses degrade over time no matter who you are...when you get older you will find you add more chilli or salt and pepper to your food.

So I can see why some people are loving the new remaster...its basically been 'spiced up' or 'artifically sweetened' depending on how you look at it...and your senses are responding to it because thats what you now need to get your 'kick'....but the reality is you have basically altered the recipe to your liking and is totally different to what the chef (i.e Prince) created.

Sorry if this offends but its true.

[Edited 6/24/17 4:29am]

luvgirl said:

I've learned that most people confuse "LOUDER" with better. It's really not.

Bishop31 said:

I wanted to see exactly what Joshua did with the "Remaster". So, I uploaded this into my Ableton Software that I use to Mix/Master my own music. If you look at my screenshot above, you will see the difference in the dynamics on the New (Top) and Original (Bottom). You will notice how the New Master is on some parts totally dark, which means it literally has no dynamics. He CRANKED TF out of this album. All he did was RAISE THE VOLUME. So, don't confuse louder with better. The AES Standard, which suggests the Loudness Level Standards for music, their standard is -16. "Lets Go Crazy" was -6.6. That's -10db higher than the AES Standard. That's absolute garbage, and frankly unprofessional.

Apple Music standard is -16 and Spotify is -14. Both streaming sites will have to lower the levels of this album. Which means it will sound like a Squashed Turd.

No disrespect, but seriously what is the point of these types of posts. I mean we are not audio technicians and boffins and most are music fans wanting to join the music, who cares if a commercially rereleased copy of a 33 year old album does not meet your scientific standards.

.

This type of audile snobbery makes those of us with budget and basic musical systems along with basic knowledge of musical waves or whatever the fuck you call this shit, look like clueless morons. What is the point of this shit?

.

Do you guys actually enjoy music or just analyse with 5000 waves of subamicrons and xugalotles or something. This is like reading medieval cyrillic to someone like me.

Adorecream said:

Bishop31 said:

I wanted to see exactly what Joshua did with the "Remaster". So, I uploaded this into my Ableton Software that I use to Mix/Master my own music. If you look at my screenshot above, you will see the difference in the dynamics on the New (Top) and Original (Bottom). You will notice how the New Master is on some parts totally dark, which means it literally has no dynamics. He CRANKED TF out of this album. All he did was RAISE THE VOLUME. So, don't confuse louder with better. The AES Standard, which suggests the Loudness Level Standards for music, their standard is -16. "Lets Go Crazy" was -6.6. That's -10db higher than the AES Standard. That's absolute garbage, and frankly unprofessional.

Apple Music standard is -16 and Spotify is -14. Both streaming sites will have to lower the levels of this album. Which means it will sound like a Squashed Turd.

No disrespect, but seriously what is the point of these types of posts. I mean we are not audio technicians and boffins and most are music fans wanting to join the music, who cares if a commercially rereleased copy of a 33 year old album does not meet your scientific standards.

.

This type of audile snobbery makes those of us with budget and basic musical systems along with basic knowledge of musical waves or whatever the fuck you call this shit, look like clueless morons. What is the point of this shit?

.

Do you guys actually enjoy music or just analyse with 5000 waves of subamicrons and xugalotles or something. This is like reading medieval cyrillic to someone like me.

I ran this test AFTER listening to it. It sounded like a compressed pile of horse poop, so I wanted to check and see why. And the reason why is because someone (Josh) who obviously doesn't know what he was doing, raised the volume and killed the dynamics. Professional Mastering Engineers have techniques to raise the perceived volume of a song without killing the dynamics. Neither Josh or Prince had any clue how to Master an album. This is the result. Unprofessional sound. I'm not trying to come off as an "audio snob". Having a degree in Recording Engineering, I'm simply pointing out that this is not a good mastering product. Simply put, louder is not always better.

Militant said:

The long-awaited Purple Rain Deluxe is out now.

You can listen on Spotify here. You can purchase it on Amazon, in your local record store, or via the official website at www.officialprincemusic.com

This thread is for discussing the remastered first disc, only.

DISC 2 (VAULT) - DISCUSSION HERE

DISC 3 (EDITS/EXTENDED) - DISCUSSION HERE

DISC 4 (DVD) - DISCUSSION HERE

PACKAGING/LINER NOTES - DISCUSSION HERE

Purple Rain has become so intricately sewn into the fabric of pop culture that we rarely sit back and look at how the original songs measure up when separated from the movie. Guitar heroics? Check (“Let’s Go Crazy,” “Computer Blue,” “Purple Rain”). A radiant beam of sunshine pop? Check (“Take Me with U”). Sweat-drenched balladry aching with desire and longing? Double-check (“The Beautiful Ones”). A throat-shredding, X-rated escapade which single-handedly birthed the Parental Advisory sticker? Done (“Darling Nikki”). How about a pocket-sized, synthpop gem made for pumping fists at the ceiling yet appropriate for a Sunday morning sermon? You got it (“I Would Die 4 U”). Finally, a scorchingly bitter masterpiece that aims for the Billboard rafters without sacrificing an ounce of integrity or creativity? Bullseye (“When Doves Cry”). As a musical Halloween of sounds and styles from various eras, Purple Rain is a genre unto itself.

It's really a shame that this (or any other album) doesn't get the respect it deserves with these terrible masters. Are they really mastering albums to the 1" speaker on kid's phones?

I was a little shocked when I heard this remaster. I had no idea how someone like Bernie Grundman could come up with something like this. Now I learned it was Joshua Welton...and am even more shocked. I mean, this is one of the most succesful and most famous albums ever by one of the most succesful and most famous artists ever. It´s both a late anniversary of Purple Rain and a late first anniversary of Prince´ death. And they are not even hiring a proper mastering engineer? I don´t know what to think of that.

On the plus side I like the clarity of the record, so you can locate the instruments better and hear what everybody plays. But imho he took it too far and made it sound like a demo. And he fvcked up the top end. Totally. This is a beginners fault and to me it´s pretty annoying. The vocals and some guitar solos are nothing but harsh to an uncomfortable level.

I´m fine with the other CDs, since these were actual demos from unknown sources. I didn´t expect them to sound "produced", but actually they sound better than expected. Of course something like Erotic City must not happen, especially if they had access to the official Version of the "Let´s go crazy" CD-Single. But I don´t know if they had.

Adorecream said:

No disrespect, but seriously what is the point of these types of posts. I mean we are not audio technicians and boffins and most are music fans wanting to join the music, who cares if a commercially rereleased copy of a 33 year old album does not meet your scientific standards.

.

This type of audile snobbery makes those of us with budget and basic musical systems along with basic knowledge of musical waves or whatever the fuck you call this shit, look like clueless morons. What is the point of this shit?

.

Do you guys actually enjoy music or just analyse with 5000 waves of subamicrons and xugalotles or something. This is like reading medieval cyrillic to someone like me.

Why would you feel like a moron if you see something you´re not familiar with (yet) or don´t even care about? The great thing in life is that we can always learn

If you´re happy with the release and its sound - that´s perfect. But some of us aren´t. And that has nothing to do with snobbery.

Of course we/I enjoy music. One thing I love especially about Prince is the dozens of hidden things happening in the background. I listen to his records I know for 20+ years and still find something new. The problem is: With an average loudness of -6,6dB (as mentioned above) there is no background. It means the quietest and the loudest parts are just 6,6dB apart. There is no dynamic range. Unfortunately -6 to -8dB is the average loudness of current Pop records. To achieve such numbers you have to start at the writing and arranging stage, but obvioulsy that´s not possible if doing a (re)master. So the only way to come up with -6 in mastering is squashing the life out of it, which happend here. And the sad thing is - you hear it. There is even audible distortion in Purple Rain and I think Let´s go crazy, and that is the worst case. This is something that must not happen. Ever! With todays software it actually can not happen at all, so he obviously used outboard gear (of course) and didn´t gain stage properly (meaning he didn´t set the volume sending to his gear to a suitable level). These are actual beginners faults and I´m fascinated, that this happens on and to a record like Purple Rain.

I´d be interested in hearing from someone who bought the vinyl, since this should have a seperate mastering. Is this just as bad? (In case they didn´t went the cheap oldschool way and just snipped hi- and low-end).

Bishop31 said:

I ran this test AFTER listening to it. It sounded like a compressed pile of horse poop, so I wanted to check and see why. And the reason why is because someone (Josh) who obviously doesn't know what he was doing, raised the volume and killed the dynamics.

I don't even have a degree in anything, but I have ears, which I assume people who master records also have. The hard ending on Let's Go Crazy sounded AWESOME on the original master (hell, even on my old cassette copy), but this version sounds like someone recorded a tornado ripping through a basement. There's just nothing there but noise. Why does this happen? Do people just not care anymore?

SLP said:

Bishop31 said:

I ran this test AFTER listening to it. It sounded like a compressed pile of horse poop, so I wanted to check and see why. And the reason why is because someone (Josh) who obviously doesn't know what he was doing, raised the volume and killed the dynamics.

I don't even have a degree in anything, but I have ears, which I assume people who master records also have. The hard ending on Let's Go Crazy sounded AWESOME on the original master (hell, even on my old cassette copy), but this version sounds like someone recorded a tornado ripping through a basement. There's just nothing there but noise. Why does this happen? Do people just not care anymore?

I would assume Prince has great ears. Which leads me to believe he didn't care at all about this project. Because, if he heard it, he wouldn't think it sounded very pleasant. That leads me to believe he didn't listen to this at all. He wanted to give this to WB, so he could get his music and be done with them.

rogifan said:

[Edited 6/24/17 10:45am]

Is it just me, or does the remastered version of The Beautiful Ones sound INCREDIBLE? I kept skipping back and forth between the original and the remaster, and I can't pinpoint what exactly is different, but the remastered version is clearer, fuller, and the synths sound AMAZING! It sounds like there's a full-blown orchestra playing. I'm listening via Spotify on my iPhone.

[Edited 6/24/17 10:51am]

rogifan said:

[Edited 6/24/17 10:45am]

I responded to his Tweet with my thoughts on the ReMaster lacking dynamics. It's important he hears it, and is not lied to with this "Oh, it sounds awesome" fandom. Louder does not equal better. "Let's Go Crazy" was almost 10db over the AES standards for Loudness levels. Thats awful.

Bishop31 said:

rogifan said:

[Edited 6/24/17 10:45am]

I responded to his Tweet with my thoughts on the ReMaster lacking dynamics. It's important he hears it, and is not lied to with this "Oh, it sounds awesome" fandom. Louder does not equal better. "Let's Go Crazy" was almost 10db over the AES standards for Loudness levels. Thats awful.

So they didnt get that 11 was satire?

Bishop31 said:

rogifan said:

[Edited 6/24/17 10:45am]

I responded to his Tweet with my thoughts on the ReMaster lacking dynamics. It's important he hears it, and is not lied to with this "Oh, it sounds awesome" fandom. Louder does not equal better. "Let's Go Crazy" was almost 10db over the AES standards for Loudness levels. Thats awful.

Yep I made a comment too....gotta to say how it is.

One of my biggest takeaways from this deluxe edition is how great the original album is. Obviously, most of the focus is on Disc 2, which has all of the previously unreleased tracks. But, getting this deluxe set made me listen to Purple Rain from front to back in one listening again; hadn't done that in a while. Wow, what a great album.

Bishop31 said: