Jay wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:46 pm
Just listened to the Glyn Johns mix of "I Me Mine" from the new box again, and something is seriously wrong. There's nasty digital artifacts all over the track. Sounds like someone took a low bitrate MP3 and applied EQ to it to make it sound livelier, then saved the result as MP3 again. Am I really the only one hearing this?
Perhaps they sourced it from an acetate? The bits sound less to me like digital artifacts, and more like suppressed surface noise.
EDIT: lordsnooty beat me to the punch. Glad my observation holds some water!
Jay wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:46 pm
Just listened to the Glyn Johns mix of "I Me Mine" from the new box again, and something is seriously wrong. There's nasty digital artifacts all over the track. Sounds like someone took a low bitrate MP3 and applied EQ to it to make it sound livelier, then saved the result as MP3 again. Am I really the only one hearing this?
You're not. They're almost definitely transferring audio from the acetates. The "I Me Mine" track source is the same on the PurpleChick Let it Be collection (disc 4, track 22 -- listed as "Acetate 4"), minus the distortion and hiss. The nerds over at Hoffman forums confirmed it's the same source between the two tracks. The distortion on the new box set master is because the acetate was probably played a bunch, and because acetate discs continuously break down over time.
Thanks for this explanation, lordsnooty. If their source is the same as Purple Chick's they must have done something to it to make it sound worse. Unbelievable what passes for quality control nowadays.
Guess this also means they don't have a tape source for this track anymore. Too bad.
Jay wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:13 pm
Thanks for this explanation, lordsnooty. If their source is the same as Purple Chick's they must have done something to it to make it sound worse. Unbelievable what passes for quality control nowadays.
Likely that the PurpleChick source was transferred (probably to tape) long ago, and the acetate has just deteriorated in the meanwhile.
The real question is: what happened to the tape master? I was led to believe it still existed.
The new release of the 1970 Glyn Johns I Me Mine sounds very much like it came from an acetate and was then subsequently hit with everyone’s favorite…No-Noise
Rickenbacker325 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 8:15 pm
The new release of the 1970 Glyn Johns I Me Mine sounds very much like it came from an acetate and was then subsequently hit with everyone’s favorite…No-Noise
There's a rare acetate like this in the "Sell Out" box by The Who. A pain to listen to, but an attraction in the set list. Guess the producer's team just cannot dedicate much time to a thoroughful restoration of such a track.
tymime wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:30 am
Any idea where they're getting these take numbers from?
If I had to guess…and it’s only just a guess…I would say from the tape boxes
:/
Okay, but if the tape boxes had the take numbers on them, don't you think the Mark Lewisohn book would have noted them? He usually only mentions the approximate number of takes recorded, as if he's not sure just how many there are. That and the way Anthology 3 doesn't mention any either led me to believe no one really knew.
I listened to "take 8" of Get Back and compared it to A/B Road, and it sure as heck doesn't seem to be the eighth version recorded at Apple (on the Nagras anyway). My best guess is that it's simply the eighth version recorded to multitrack, and they went with that.
tymime wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:30 am
Any idea where they're getting these take numbers from?
If I had to guess…and it’s only just a guess…I would say from the tape boxes
:/
Okay, but if the tape boxes had the take numbers on them, don't you think the Mark Lewisohn book would have noted them? He usually only mentions the approximate number of takes recorded, as if he's not sure just how many there are. That and the way Anthology 3 doesn't mention any either led me to believe no one really knew.
I listened to "take 8" of Get Back and compared it to A/B Road, and it sure as heck doesn't seem to be the eighth version recorded at Apple (on the Nagras anyway). My best guess is that it's simply the eighth version recorded to multitrack, and they went with that.
I seem to remember seeing a photo of a tape box from Olympic Studios of the 1970 Glyn Johns mix…is that in the Lewisohn Recording Sessions book?? How does this tape not exist and how could they not have access to it…mere speculation on my part of course.
