[ProAudio] FeralA - Recordings released encoded with Dolby A

[Richard L. Hess]

The problem, Scott, with CD reissue vs LP vs single is that the CD 
reissue is often the most pristine copy available, even if it's mangled 
a bit. That is why in the next issue of the DHNDRD DA decoder we're 
going to include the FeralA processing in the software (as an option) 
and more information in the manual as to how to use it. It is another 
tool in the toolbox for cleaning up reissues if there is available funding.

I hated the Man of LaMancha OoBC CD and loved (and had a very worn) LP. 
At one point I wondered if the master tape was AME, but it turns out 
most of the difference was that the LP was professionally mastered and 
the CD wasn't. I was able to fairly quickly re master it to be more 
pleasing and more like the LP.

As you may know I'm a big Judy Collins fan and at one point, when Alan 
Silverman was doing reissues of the original Elektra albums, I offered 
him a clean transfer from LP of Judy Collins/3. He ended up re-mastering 
it as the tape to him didn't sound anything like the LP copy I sent 
him...and since it was one of my favourite albums, I knew what it 
sounded like and the still-sealed LP I scarfed up in the 1990s sounded 
as good as the earlier ones. Also, a funny story, the tones at the head 
of that master tape caused Alan a bit of a challenge...the azimuth of 
the tone didn't match the azimuth of the audio!

Richard

On 2020-02-09 3:07 p.m., Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Richard, don't ever trust cd reissues.  The original single is canon,
> everything else is supposed to sound like that.
>
> So many CD reissues have been so horribly bungled over the years, and
> especially in the eighties when the big labels were cranking out back
> catalogue product as quickly as they possibly could without much care
> in the transfer, one should not expect a reissue to be competent unless
> it is otherwise proven to be so.
>
> I have a Beatles CD around here where a full-track tape was played back
> on a stereo machine without setting the azimuth up properly, so you can
> hear the delay on one speaker.  Sheesh.  The LEAST they could do would
> be a mono sum if they didn't have the right headstack available....
> --scott
>

-- 
Richard L. Hess                   email: richard at richardhess.com
Aurora, Ontario, Canada           http://www.richardhess.com/
http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.