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Topic: Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ? (Read 444343 times) previous topic - next topic
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Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #500
Am surprised that no one hasn't mentioned Rabies by Skinny Puppy.

The original 1989 version has to be the worst sounding early mastered CD i've ever heard. The CD version was mastered with Dolby B noise reduction by mistake. Which cEvin Key demended it be remastered (why can't Lars Ulrich or James Hetfield do that aswell with Deaf Magnetic  ).

Anyway the digital remaster sounds miles better.

I have the exact same FLAC version, as you have describe. At 48Khz and the 2 versions of Suicide & Redemption. I just left out the JH version, when i was transcoding it to Mp3. Those 2 versions seem to be for co-op mode or something like that.

The difference in the two songs is the solos, with the JH version having a solo by Hetfield, and the KH version having a solo from Hammet.

I know that Kirk plays the KH version and James plays the JH version. For some reason i get a rough idea that those versions were for co-op, but i don't Guitar Hero so am not too sure.
"I never thought I'd see this much candy in one mission!"

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #501
...and another way to completely DESTROY great 80s music.
Even though they didn't do it with each and every track, it pi§§es me off that the great part of their best songs have been (mis)treated this way.

System 56 were a nice little new wave alternative band from Cleveland, OH in the first half of the 1980s, consisting of Steve Simenic, Vince Scafiti and Tom Lash.

But again, they forced me to look out for the original vinyl, albeit that prices are quite high due to their rareness.

In 2003 the original record label Detour Records issued a CD re-release of all their vinyl work...and completely DESTROYED it all again!

I like "Metro-Metro" (non-album track) a LOT; but no longer could I sit comfortably when I saw the brick wall these retards mastered from the once-great vinyl:

Track list speaks for itself. (track gains shown; sane values in blue)

01 Brave New Toys -10.96 dB / 02 Rhythm Before Reason -3.10 dB / 03 Through Other Eyes / 04 Hands of a Stranger -9.73 dB / 05 You're only Dreaming -11.29 dB / 06 The Twilight Index +3.58 dB / 07 Metro-Metro -10.76 dB / 08 In The Old World -10.27 dB / 09 Life On A Cool Curve -9.60 dB / 10 The Other Side Of Science -8.81 dB / 11 A Man Needs A Motor -10.45 dB / 12 Shapes Of Things -0.76 dB / 13 The Sounding -9.66 dB / 14 Your Car Is Waiting -10.27 dB / 15 Next To X -9.73

This makes me angry!!!
Why do they always leave this equipiment to the amateurish ones' filthy fingers who just "crank it all up"?!!
Kudos to all dev's not going like "Upgrade OS or f$%# off!"

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #502
I think Death Magnetic by Metallica sounds like crap but according to Ted Jensen who mastered the album said that the mixers are to blame for the quality of the album

Quote
Even Ted Jensen, who is credited with mastering DM in the liner notes, admitted on a message board, “Believe me I’m not proud to be associated with this one, and we can only hope that some good will come from this in some form of backlash against volume above all else.” Jensen said the mixers of the album are to blame for the compression problems. Metallica is usually on hand for the mixing stage, but this time around they were away in Europe.

From http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/inde...r-hero-than-cd/

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #503
I highly doubt that GH3 is using uncompressed audio. Since lossy audio is really a big norm in video games nowdays, because of faster cpus and ogg vorbis. But sometimes video game devs do take lowering the bitrate abit too far, on games such as GTA 4 (Not sure about the PS3 version though) and Doom 3.


With PS3 and Blu ray you could easily use lossless with all the extra space you get with blu ray especially dual layer.

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #504
With PS3 and Blu ray you could easily use lossless with all the extra space you get with blu ray especially dual layer.


Didn't Konami use lossless audio for MGS 4, which ended up filling up a whole blu ray disc.

Next gen consoles are likely to use Blu Ray and multi DL DVDs packs for PCs and ditch the need for low bitrate lossy audio.
"I never thought I'd see this much candy in one mission!"

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #505
I think the Led Zeppellin albums are the worst mastered albums. They are my favorite, but their mastering process could have been better. Plants high vocals always cut off during his encore sessions in his songs, same goes for JP's guitar solos.

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #506
U2's "How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" (AKA "How to Become Deaf in 5 Seconds"). Most track gains are around -11.50, some closer to -12.00...

There's also The Apples in Stereo's "Velocity of Sound", with some track gains going near -13.00 

(Though honestly, it may have been purposely done like that...)

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #507
Anyone bought the Dark Side of the Moon cover album by The Flaming Lips yet? ...iTunes...

As it's a Flaming Lips album I bet it's probably horribly squashed again and horribly sounding (no, I mean the mastering and not their interpretation of the original album). 

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #508
Disney and Media Ventures dropped the ball with the first Pirates of the Caribbean album.  Lots of clipping in some tracks.  Very rushed and unprofessional for two companies strongly rooted in the media audio business.
foobar2000, FLAC, and qAAC -V90
It just works people!

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #509
Depeche Mode - Playing the angel 
(very bad sound)

Royksopp - The Understanding 
Royksopp - Melody A.M. 
(it seem for me : bad sound)

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #510
I posted this recently, and in this topic or a similar one a while back. Number One Son's Lessons is 43:21 of fizz (and thus could be interesting to compare to Rush's Vapor Trails!)

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #511
I have the winner right here. As much as I love what this album is, it is horrible to listen to...

Brandon Boyd - The Wild Trapeze

game set match

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #512
This is a little off topic but one of the worst produced albums- way back in the analog days- was Physical Graffiti.  The analog tape hiss was horrible. They also didn't bother removing the studio "bloopers" .  "Gotta get this airplane off--- nah, leave it"  "don't make it my dying dying (cough in background) cough".  It is a classic and I love it, but the production could be described as "so bad it's good".

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #513
I'd imagine there's a few Depeche Mode fans here, yes?  Well if you haven't bought their new album already, think twice. I wish I'd saved my money. I've read a lot about over-compression but never really appreciated what a negative effect it can have until I listened to Playing The Angel. It just sounded flat from beginning to end. Being used to previous albums such as Violator or Black Celebration soothing my audio senses, I wasn't prepared for what was about to be inflicted on my ear drums. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.

There's digital clipping within the first second of track 5, Precious (released as first single from album)...



4 years no posts, is there a new thread, or is the list just too long now? Anyway FWIW, I got this SACD rip of DM Playing The Angel. Top two are same bottom is CD version(Precious)

[a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/2cqw2jl88d7aqff/Waveform%20Full.png?dl=0" target="_blank"]Screenshot here[/url]

Can't embed dynamic pages? Dropbox pics? Whatever.

My Entry:

All Radiohead Kid A and up, although I have several different vinyl rips of different albums and sometimes, some songs sound better CD. I think it is the rips though because OK Computer, Hail To The Thief, and In Rainbows(PBTHAL's) sound better than CD, even though every now and then CDs can produce low bass hits that vinyl can't.

King of Limbs - This is a quiet subtle album, compression just sounds silly.

Rammstein - Herzleid - Rockin! Sensucht - Eh, listenable. The rest - TRASH (vinyl rips of all sound so much nicer, like Herzleid)

Arcade Fire - All of them.

Tapes n Tapes - Walk It Off

New Order - The Singles 2 Disc

Benni Benassi - Satisfaction

Metallica - Death Magnetic (duh)

Ministry - Cover Up and all after Filth Pig, 2000 or so

Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains (on the fence)

M83 - Hurry Up, Were Dreaming usually don't mind his limited sound as it is mostly drones, but this one is more musical and gets squashed under the weight of itself.

Depeche Mode -  Violater is not Playing the Angel but it is still a loud, squashed album. I have to admit it doesn't sound all that bad, but the vinyl shows what your missing. Opinions? I have become almost a pureist since 2007 when I found out about all this. So I don't know if I am just looking at waveforms and not listening to music anymore.

NIN - Fragile - present --exception: Audiophile Master of Hesitation Marks (available from NIN.com only when ordered through NIN.com.) It's STILL loud, but shows how much a couple db can make, and the clean electronic nature of it make it very listenable.

Rancid - Out Came the Wolves. ON topic, I think this thread was about which album do you love and was ruined for you? This one wins for me. Note: I didn't even bother trying to listen to or like anything after, esp. Indestructable - GAWD!

NOFX - Pump Up the Valuum - present. I know Punk is suppose to be loud. But go listen to Punk In Drublic and then something new, like War On Errorism, and tell me how loud punk is "supposed" to be...

AFI - Sing The Sorrow (and everything else 1999 and up)

MGMT

Nice Surprises post 1995:

The Faint - Everything has been great until the 2013 record - Doom Abuse. And so we say goodbye to The Faint...

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm Remixed. How did that happen? Original album is loud trash.

GnR - Chinese Democracy. Too bad the music is, eh...

M.I.A - Arular and the second with Paper Planes on it. I have vinyl rips that I made and then returned the LPs to Amoeba for 75% credit. Cheap TT and So so cartridge... Sound decent, but I can't decide if the CDs are actually more bumpin'. Third album - forget it-- trash.

Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
end the LOUDNESS war... please?

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #514
A new one I didn't give thought to before. Must have happened in the recording process clipping from front to back and it sounds like, oh.
Kanye West - Twisted Dark Fantasy. Vinyl and CD. same master for sure. Must be on purpose but it is so bad.
end the LOUDNESS war... please?

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #515
"X&Y" by Coldplay

A really good album, but... Clips, clips and more clips! And very closed sound: Just listen the guitars in "White Shadows" or "Speed Of Sound". Shit!


"First Impressions of Earth" (or "First Impressions of CLIPPING"  ) by The Strokes





Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #516
Yeah, the clipping on First Impressions of Earth is just as bad as the legendary Californication. Every time there's a sustained note, especially on vocals... cringe

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #517
The Mountain by the Heartless Bastards.  Even the acoustic guitars are clipped.  Apparently Howie Weinberg wasn't able to master the album "loudly" enough the first time, so he remastered it.  I don't know if that was at the request of the artist, label, or for his own "satisfaction". 

Whats is the worst mastered CD [your opinions] ?

Reply #518
Metallica - Death Magnetic

Got the cd and have tried different rips and remasters but it really sucks