-

I agree with that.

It all sounds so much fresher and more revealing on headphones.

Either, modern headphones are making progress.

Or both of course.

My investment in a great pair of headphones also made me rediscover ''U Got The Look.''

This song used to leave me quite indifferent.

But ever since Susan Rogers said he's been working on this song for a long time,

I felt I should give it an extra chance.

And boy!

What a great song that is in this remastered version.

Same goes for ''It'', although i've always loooooved this mysterious funcky track.

in ''Play In The Sunshine," the vocal parts of Susannah are so much brighter and well produced.

That song seems much more complex that it sounds.

All the c-vocal arrangements are absolutely stunning !

Also the vocal harmonies in ''Starfish And Coffee'' are so much more layered now in the chorus.

Another; ''Slox Love'', how gracefully the vocal harmonies in the chorus blend into the wonderful saxophone parts, and then once more into the silky string arrangements.

It's all so much more apparent.

-

Have not listened with headphone, but sounds about the same to my ears. I did buy the records in 1987 though, and they reportedly sound better than the original cds. I also have a few of the songs on the soundtrack for a Spike Lee CD, think the Cross, Hot Thing, always thought they sounded very good too. Don't get me wrong, remaster sounds great, but not necessarily different or a lot better compared to what I had

The remaster sounds great, imagine how gutted we would have all been had it been badly remastered and brick walled.

TheEnglishGent said:

The remaster sounds great, imagine how gutted we would have all been had it been badly remastered and brick walled.

im sure I heard from a "reliable source" that it had been? Or was than an error?

trickyjoe7777 said:

TheEnglishGent said:

The remaster sounds great, imagine how gutted we would have all been had it been badly remastered and brick walled.

im sure I heard from a "reliable source" that it had been? Or was than an error?

Don't blame the op, he was going with the opinion of the ears of a Grammy nominated producers.

U know

I think there is a lot of difference between the original CDs and this new remaster. In general the songs have more low end and better definition now. Like JoeyCoco said especially the vocals are much more defined and clear, it is a joy to be able to distinguish all the individual parts. I think the remastered SOTT album is a huge improvement on the original CD, the remaster has definately given SOTT a new leash of life for me as an album.

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

dbpdexter said:

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

Post-80s Prince material is 92%brickwalled.

The following is what I wrote before on a diff thread but here it is now updated..

WhisperingDandelions said:

dbpdexter said:

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

Post-80s Prince material is 92%brickwalled.

Yes, I agree...which is why I'm THRILLED they didn't F up SOTT.

dbpdexter said:

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

Unfortunately, that's because Sign is at the correct level, whereas most modern music, especially Prince's are mastered way too loud.

There is software that can sort that though.

WhisperingDandelions said:

dbpdexter said:

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

Post-80s Prince material is 92%brickwalled.

i

I may sound stupid but I hav no idea what 'brickwalled' means...

Yes i read it several times here on different forums, but still no idea..

in this context. Can someone please explain me?

Thank you.

-

The biggest surprise for me is Slow Love.

dbpdexter said:

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

This is actually a good thing and why the remaster sounds so good, because the dynamic range is preserved. The sound level hits peak but isn't clipping and the rest of the range hasn't been compressed, which is how it should be. The only way to make it seem louder as a whole would be to decrease the dynamic range, thereby brick walling it.

The problem lies with the other albums, not this one.

Vannormal said:

WhisperingDandelions said:

Post-80s Prince material is 92%brickwalled.

i

I may sound stupid but I hav no idea what 'brickwalled' means...

Yes i read it several times here on different forums, but still no idea..

in this context. Can someone please explain me?

Thank you.

-

This wikipedia page explains it well.

LILpoundCAKE said:

The biggest surprise for me is Slow Love.

THis was definitely one that i appreciated more after the remaster. I always liked it but found it to be the least interesting on the album. Now with the keyboard twinkles, and beautifully restrained singing...I just love it.

Someone else started a thread on La La La He He Hee and how there is so much more going on. I totally agree. There is so much bass or low frequency stuff happenning in that song. There is more low in the mix talking happening too

For those that are able to explain technically, I'd love to understand how they were able to squeeze so much out of these tapes.

I am longing for a Lovesexy to be remastered .....especially, the 3 part I Wish U Heavan 12".

TheEnglishGent said:

The remaster sounds great, imagine how gutted we would have all been had it been badly remastered and brick walled.

LOLOLOL!!! Totally GUTTED...

trickyjoe7777 said:

TheEnglishGent said:

The remaster sounds great, imagine how gutted we would have all been had it been badly remastered and brick walled.

im sure I heard from a "reliable source" that it had been? Or was than an error?

Don't blame the op, he was going with the opinion of the ears of a Grammy nominated producers.

U

JoeyCococo said:

LILpoundCAKE said:

The biggest surprise for me is Slow Love.

THis was definitely one that i appreciated more after the remaster. I always liked it but found it to be the least interesting on the album. Now with the keyboard twinkles, and beautifully restrained singing...I just love it.

All of a sudden it makes sense why he kept this one on the album instead of some of his other great tunes from this time. It never made sense before But it does now. It's a beautiful song.

AsylumUtopia said:

Vannormal said:

i

I may sound stupid but I hav no idea what 'brickwalled' means...

Yes i read it several times here on different forums, but still no idea..

in this context. Can someone please explain me?

Thank you.

-

This wikipedia page explains it well.

-

Thank you so much.

Even didn't know it is called loudness war.

-

dbpdexter said:

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

Albums that have a great and big dynamic range tend to be quiter overall than more compressed albums, which is probably what you hear. They fixed the sound levels when it comes to the tracks in relation to each other on the album

MOst of Prince's music was 'brickwalled' badly post 1995. The Crystal Ball set is expecially terrible. This is why I'd welcome if they'd put those 1986/1987 tracks from CB on the SOTT set. They could have had another 1/2 disc....

Dream Factory

Last Heart

Make You're Momma Happy

Movie Star

Crystal Ball (full)

Sexual Suicide

Joy In Repitition (would love to hear this remastered)

I'd have filled out the remainder of this (4th vault) disc with...

U Got The Look - supposedly a slower, much funkier version exists. I read this somewhere.

I Could Never Take The Place - at the end of Michael Dean's Cat interview, he let a diff version of this song play out the closing. I could tell it very likely a version Prince did b/c you had to have the original tapes to do it...for example, the guitar solo's start was more clear... you could hear the guitar start clearly. It also had more precussion. I liked it.

Maybe they are waiting for a 2nd Originals, but the following would have been super.

The Sex of It

Violet Blue - or really, anything from the Jill JOnes album

dbpdexter said:

they still didn't fix the sound level

if i have my player on shuffle i still have to turn the volume up when a sott track plays and then turn the volume down before the next track plays

True, but they managed it on Adonis & Bathsheba compared to the bootleg version, so don't see why they couldn't up all the frequencies in equal measure on SoTT.

jfenster said:

All that matters is how good does it sound in someone's car...thats the best way to determine quality. I think

Sarcasm? More compression/limiting would be needed to cut through traffic noise/engine noise/background noise... this is how brickwalling started, every exec wanting everything optimized for their car CD decks... It's also why vinyl is how it is, people aren't playing records in their cars, they were designed for living rooms...

[Edited 12/8/20 9:48am]

WhisperingDandelions said:

jfenster said:

All that matters is how good does it sound in someone's car...thats the best way to determine quality. I think

Sarcasm? More compression/limiting would be needed to cut through traffic noise/engine noise/background noise... this is how brickwalling started, every exec wanting everything optimized for their car CD decks... It's also why vinyl is how it is, people aren't playing records in their cars, they were designed for living rooms...

[Edited 12/8/20 9:48am]

Yeah, I wasn't sure if that was a jokey comment or not. Dynamic range does not matter if yuo're listening via a Airpod...or in the car. It matters when you are listening real close, i the dark to focus all attention to your ears....i understand most don't listen this way....but for those that do, this remaster is king.

in fact, this remaster gives me so much hope of hearing The Black Album properly. I will guarentee...that forgotten album will get its due when you can actually hear what he is doing on it. That bass playing in Le Grind....all that keyboard swirling in SUperfunkacalifragisexy....the horn lines in Rock Hard...

Like what happened with Slow Love...a equally good remaster will show off the Black album in new gleaming light. There is too much happening in those songs not to be impressed. Did you know there is a piano happening in Le Grind?????????

JoeyCococo said:

in fact, this remaster gives me so much hope of hearing The Black Album properly. I will guarentee...that forgotten album will get its due when you can actually hear what he is doing on it. That bass playing in Le Grind....all that keyboard swirling in SUperfunkacalifragisexy....the horn lines in Rock Hard...

Like what happened with Slow Love...a equally good remaster will show off the Black album in new gleaming light. There is too much happening in those songs not to be impressed. Did you know there is a piano happening in Le Grind?????????

ya, but gotta EQ those old cdz.

[Edited 12/8/20 11:22am]