Now that people have heard it, what's the verdict? How is the remastering of the original album? I think it sounds a little punchier and clearer, but I've read where others say that by clearing the sound up a little it takes away from some of the album's "mystique". Still others say they don't hear much of a difference. What are the opinions here?

Definitely sounds 'fresher' to me, obviously with Mick's vocals, but the backing vocals also sound cleaner and clearer, and the piano seems to come out much more with this remaster (which is a good thing!).

Mainly I'm really enjoying it just because my ears are catching different things on each track than usual. Up till now, I considered the definitive 'Exile' aural experience to be a particularly excellent 'needle drop' of the original UK vinyl that I found on the brilliant (and sadly gone) Zamboni music blog. But actually I'm loving the remaster far more than I thought I would...

I haven't listened to much of the whole album, but I did compare All Down The Line (B-side of PMS) with the older (digital) release from the album and I think I prefer the old version. The new remastered album version is louder and has had more mastering compression. The old version has more depth - there is more variation with the volume of each instrument. I'm sure there are little details here and there which are clearer etc, however the compression puts me off a bit. With the old version it is easier to hear each instrument more distinctly and clearly, with the new version the whole lot is a bit too in your face. I recommend anyone compare the two versions of this track (which I think is easier to do since it's also a mainly mono mix) and you'll see what I mean.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-05-19 14:55 by WeLoveYou.

Honestly I was looking forward to being blown away by the new sound, but I'm not. I haven't done an A/B comparison but I will once I'm done building my recording studio. I mix on Yamaha HS80M's, which are extremely accurate speakers, so I look forward to hearing differences between the last release and this current one.

My personal opinion... We wont hear any dramatic differences between the two (aside from volume and compression) because all that awesome mastering work gets dumbed down to 16bit 44.1kHz (CD sample rate). Most pro studios record at 24bit 96kHz or higher. The Stones masters are done at a much higher rate. So if there were any sonic differences between previous works and the current one, we might not notice a difference in the end.

Afterall, this is not a 'new' mix. Its just re-mastered, which takes the original mix, cleans it up, and puts it on disc at a volume comparable with other currently released recordings. The real question is what does the VINYL sound like! I haven't purchased it on vinyl yet, but I will soon.

Bottom line: If the CD master (16bit 44.1kHz) is used on the vinyl, then we wont hear any difference between the record and the CD. Personally, I'm hoping they use the super-high-fidelity master for the vinyl pressing. We wont know until we do a good solid A/B between old vinyl and new vinyl...

I still don't hear anything dramatic except volume and compression.

As someone who's been very critical of the 2009 remasters of Sticky Fingers and GSH, I was expecting the Exile remaster to sound dreadful. It doesn't. It sounds great to these ears. Clearer, cleaner, sharper - without losing any of the original vinyl's ambience.

I'm still mystified as to why the original master isn't just used for the vinyl reissue. There's no point in remastering the master for vinyl when it was properly mastered - for vinyl - in the first place.

For CD yeah, it's different, but then that was figured out in 1993 anyway.

It sounds great to me. Familiar, but fresh.

How about the vinyl re-master? I have it, but am no audiophile. It sounds OK to me, but how about a comparison from those who have heard both the '72 and 2010 versions?

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Nikolai
As someone who's been very critical of the 2009 remasters of Sticky Fingers and GSH, I was expecting the Exile remaster to sound dreadful. It doesn't. It sounds great to these ears. Clearer, cleaner, sharper - without losing any of the original vinyl's ambience.

word. night and day to the 2009 remasters, they did a good job here.

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skipstone
I'm still mystified as to why the original master isn't just used for the vinyl reissue. There's no point in remastering the master for vinyl when it was properly mastered - for vinyl - in the first place.

For CD yeah, it's different, but then that was figured out in 1993 anyway.

According to Don Was the original master is missing, Bob Ludwig had to reference a mint vinyl copy for the Virgin 90's reissue.

I do not know why I bother with all these "remasters," curiousity I suppose and fondness for the recording. I am not an audiophile. Generally speaking, remasters sound a bit harsh to me and I tend to tone down the treble. Sister Morph is the most extreme example of that, but I hear it on legitimate releases as well. I think the sound on this one is mildly strident. But that may simply be my ears. The only thing I noticed on first listen is a little more emphasis on some background vocals and more pop on some drum hits. I can't say I prefer it over the last "remaster."

The best part of the Exile on Main St. remaster is the raised level of the gospel singers and piano on Shine a Light. Gives me more chills than I got the first time I heard this on vinyl in 1984. What a beautiful buzz.

I have been diggin' on the vinyl transfers posted on Demonoid.com by pbthal. Most recently is an Exile needle-drop of the original Canadian Kinney Pressing.

[*]Turntable: VPI Scoutmaster with Trans-Fi Terminator Air Bearing Linear Tracing Tonearm
[*]Cartridge: Audio-Technica AT33PTG
[*]Phono Preamp: Pro-Ject TubeBox
[*]Soundcard: E-MU 1212

All rips are recorded in full 24bit 192khz resolution and then resampled to 44/24 for manual click repair. They are then dithered to standard redbook 16bit/44khz

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MJG196
I have been diggin' on the vinyl transfers posted on Demonoid.com by pbthal. Most recently is an Exile needle-drop of the original Canadian Kinney Pressing.

[*]Turntable: VPI Scoutmaster with Trans-Fi Terminator Air Bearing Linear Tracing Tonearm
[*]Cartridge: Audio-Technica AT33PTG
[*]Phono Preamp: Pro-Ject TubeBox
[*]Soundcard: E-MU 1212

All rips are recorded in full 24bit 192khz resolution and then resampled to 44/24 for manual click repair. They are then dithered to standard redbook 16bit/44khz

I've always thought this concept a little strange: NOT the vinyl issue, or your post, but the perceived benefits of an analogue source, that's then converted to a stream of digital information, burned onto a digital medium & played-back on a digital format.

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MrsHop


I've always thought this concept a little strange: NOT the vinyl issue, or your post, but the perceived benefits of an analogue source, that's then converted to a stream of digital information, burned onto a digital medium & played-back on a digital format.

It sounds different for sure, whether it's any better!?

How is it possible to raise the level of certain parts in the music when only remastering? I think the master has the levels fixed from the beginning? What can be fixed is the level of the whole recording and also the compession and the dynamics, but if you want to raise the level of certain parts/instruments I guess that that only can be done with a remix from the multitrack tapes, which this is not.
Mats

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Matt
How is it possible to raise the level of certain parts in the music when only remastering? I think the master has the levels fixed from the beginning? What can be fixed is the level of the whole recording and also the compession and the dynamics, but if you want to raise the level of certain parts/instruments I guess that that only can be done with a remix from the multitrack tapes, which this is not.
Mats

Eq and compression can make certain parts stick out more.

Heard it on the car stereo this morning and I did detect a very slight tweaking of Jagger's vocals. The best way to describe it is slightly brighter and if you could split the bass, midrange and treble for Jagger's vocals then it would be that perhaps just the midrange and treble have been boosted by one notch.

No big difference compared to the Virgin CD - louder, obviously;
and maybe slightly less treble, which to me is a good thing.

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MrsHop

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MJG196
I have been diggin' on the vinyl transfers posted on Demonoid.com by pbthal. Most recently is an Exile needle-drop of the original Canadian Kinney Pressing.

[*]Turntable: VPI Scoutmaster with Trans-Fi Terminator Air Bearing Linear Tracing Tonearm
[*]Cartridge: Audio-Technica AT33PTG
[*]Phono Preamp: Pro-Ject TubeBox
[*]Soundcard: E-MU 1212

All rips are recorded in full 24bit 192khz resolution and then resampled to 44/24 for manual click repair. They are then dithered to standard redbook 16bit/44khz

I've always thought this concept a little strange: NOT the vinyl issue, or your post, but the perceived benefits of an analogue source, that's then converted to a stream of digital information, burned onto a digital medium & played-back on a digital format.

Well, my reasons are twofold. First, having a second child meant my turntable had to go into the attic - therefore, I can't play vinyl for a while!

Second, I love the sound of vinyl, so rather than purchase a CD "version," I find someone who does this high-quality transfers. It has nothing to do with "benefits," just that I like how the original LP sounded.

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Matt
How is it possible to raise the level of certain parts in the music when only remastering? I think the master has the levels fixed from the beginning? What can be fixed is the level of the whole recording and also the compession and the dynamics, but if you want to raise the level of certain parts/instruments I guess that that only can be done with a remix from the multitrack tapes, which this is not.
Mats

These days it gets done by using Multiband Compression. think of a compressors for each colour of the rainbow.
before that, a single stereo compressor was used on the whole frequency spectrum - like in black & white.

I really like the new remaster for its snappy clarety and fine nuances.
never heared details on the lead and backing vocals are revealed, the bass now has body and contour. guitar chords and licks are way more discernable.
the drums and the room they where recorded in - man, it really sounds!
it's a joy to re-listen.

I'm comparing this to my old sony/CBS CD which is a blunt lackluster and couldn't hold the water to the original vinyl. the new one can, imo.
hearing fatigue sets in with the CBS copy very quick.
I don't have the Virgin release - so no comment from me on that.

One thing I don't get is why the heck didn't they fine adjust some pitch problems on some songs. Sweet Virginia for instance is off the pitch only by a few cents but I find that annoying.
these glitches most likely accured when moving from one studio to the next, using different machines and isn't a funky tuning problem from the Stones.
but it gets dragged from one generation to the next. WHY?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-05-20 15:29 by open-g.

The recording equipment speeds will vary and that includes whatever is used to mix. So since Sweet Virginia was started at Stargroves and then supposedly had more done to it so it's most likely the overdubs could have a slight difference in speed/pitch. Also, they may have been in tune (with each other) when they recorded it but they may not have been tuned to a440 for all we know. It could very well have been very slightly off as well.

That's most likely where the mystery lies - the mix just did it at the speed it did it at regardless. And it's very likely that back then they didn't notice those kinds of details, ha ha, due to various events going on in the studio etc...ha ha.

That's just my take on it.

Given that it took them over thirty years to realize that Beggars Banquet ran way too slowly, I'm not surprised that these little details slipped by.

The bass sounds better, at least to my ears.

Since I now listen to music on my PC and in my car, my ears are now trained to listen to music in this fashion. I just got the remaster today, and yes, it does sound fresh. I'm going to give a friend of mine the 1994 Virgin reissue, as the newest version will replace my previous ones.

I'd long ago decided not to become too conservative in my listening tastes, and have downloaded a few audio enhancements (such as DFX) for my PC. I no longer own a conventional stereo setup. I have a home theater setup for DVDs, and my PC with a subwoofer is how I listen to audio now. I haven't listened to a vinyl record in years.

Yoy cant really rewrite history & correct 'pitch problems', a bum note etc if remastering a masterpiece - its rewriting history the way Zappa did w his Ryko catalog...I find the Virgins a bit more natural, less in-your-face than Universals. The compression is not that dramatic here, certainly compared to ABB (thank god)

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open-g

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Matt
How is it possible to raise the level of certain parts in the music when only remastering? I think the master has the levels fixed from the beginning? What can be fixed is the level of the whole recording and also the compession and the dynamics, but if you want to raise the level of certain parts/instruments I guess that that only can be done with a remix from the multitrack tapes, which this is not.
Mats

These days it gets done by using Multiband Compression. think of a compressors for each colour of the rainbow.
before that, a single stereo compressor was used on the whole frequency spectrum - like in black & white.

I really like the new remaster for its snappy clarety and fine nuances.
never heared details on the lead and backing vocals are revealed, the bass now has body and contour. guitar chords and licks are way more discernable.
the drums and the room they where recorded in - man, it really sounds!
it's a joy to re-listen.

I'm comparing this to my old sony/CBS CD which is a blunt lackluster and couldn't hold the water to the original vinyl. the new one can, imo.
hearing fatigue sets in with the CBS copy very quick.
I don't have the Virgin release - so no comment from me on that.

One thing I don't get is why the heck didn't they fine adjust some pitch problems on some songs. Sweet Virginia for instance is off the pitch only by a few cents but I find that annoying.
these glitches most likely accured when moving from one studio to the next, using different machines and isn't a funky tuning problem from the Stones.
but it gets dragged from one generation to the next. WHY?

what a beautiful and clear review thank you open-g!! and thank you skipstones also. this issue a big concern of mine. i can't chime in other than thanks because i don't have it just yet, and will need a little time
But open-g, that IS what i kinda heard when listening to amazon snippets in good phones. the bass was creamy warm but well defined. got my hopes up fast. also the 'new clarity' and emphasis on vocal frequencies sounded fresh ! but not re-imagineering the wheel... very encouraging...

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john r
Yoy cant really rewrite history & correct 'pitch problems', a bum note etc if remastering a masterpiece - its rewriting history the way Zappa did w his Ryko catalog...

he's saying that the original master was off from how the songs were performed in the studio, so not to correct a "bum note" that the band played but discrepancies introduced in the post-production.

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john r
Yoy cant really rewrite history & correct 'pitch problems', a bum note etc if remastering a masterpiece - its rewriting history the way Zappa did w his Ryko catalog...

excuse me John, but that sounds silly all wrong.
it wasn't intended to be that way in the first place - just a snafu with the machines somebody worked with.
it's a small issue and isn't even obvious to many folks. it probably even has slipped the attention of Mick, Keith and Don Was as they where focusing on different aspects of remastering - but heck, it needs to be addressed.

should we have to listen to Robert Johnson's catalogue forever the way it got released so many times?
I don't think so and I believe the artist would be rolling in his grave if he knew how his songs where received for many decades.


atcha, Beelyboy.

CC,yep that's right.

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FreeBird
Given that it took them over thirty years to realize that Beggars Banquet ran way too slowly, I'm not surprised that these little details slipped by.

Did they speed up Beggars Banquet for CD release then???