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crapfromthepast MusicFan
Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2243
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Posted: 03 November 2015 at 8:44pm | IP Logged
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I discovered that the (expensive) DCC gold disc version of Greatest Hits 1974-78 has a mastering error on it. The left and right channels are out of synch by about 2 samples. This is enough to screw up the soundstage, and is enough to kill the high end when you sum the left and right tracks to mono.
The ubiquitous Capitol version of Greatest Hits 1974-78 has no such error. The high end remains fully intact when you sum to mono.
If you need to look for yourself, zoom in on the waveform for the attack of the very first drum hit, at 0:14.712 on the DCC, and at 0:13.987 on the Capitol.
Avoid the DCC for "Jungle Love".
__________________ There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.
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crapfromthepast MusicFan
Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2243
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Posted: 03 November 2015 at 9:51pm | IP Logged
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Steve Hoffman mastered the DCC Greatest Hits 1974-78 disc, and he should know better than to let a mastering error like this go out the door.
The gorts on the Steve Hoffman board delete any posts that disparage any DCC discs, so naturally they deleted my post of the above info.
I've had it with the Hoffman forum...
__________________ There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.
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crapfromthepast MusicFan
Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2243
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Posted: 04 November 2015 at 8:23am | IP Logged
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Dear Mr. Hoffman:
After nearly eleven years and 1,628 posts on your forum, I'm calling it quits. I'm disgusted with the censorship of posts that dare to question the quality of anything affiliated with your name.
On a forum dedicated to mastering, on which members routinely debate how two digitally-identical CDs can sound different and cables can require a break-in period, it's tragic that you and your gorts routinely delete posts that deal with actual mastering issues on the Audio Fidelity CDs that you've mastered.
I've discovered that AF's version of Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" uses the same analog transfer as the '80s-era Motown version, with some additional EQ. I've discovered that AF's version of Gerry Rafferty's "City To City" uses the same analog transfer as the '80s-era UK EMI version, with a small EQ adjustment on one track and no EQ adjustment on everything else. I've discovered that "Jungle Love" on AF's version of Steve Miller's "Greatest Hits 1974-78" has a tape azimuth error that desynchronizes the left and right channels by about two samples - enough to screw up the soundstage and wipe out most of the high end when summed to mono. I've discovered that virtually all the tracks on your Razor & Tie collections use the same analog transfers as earlier, existing CDs.
Your forum would have provided a perfect outlet to discuss and address these issues in a respectful, highly technical setting. Instead, you've instructed the gorts to shut it all down.
So like Jamie Tate and Barry Diament before me, I'm leaving SH.tv. I'll be on the Pat Downey board, where we routinely discuss mastering errors without offending the mastering engineer who committed them. And I'll be on the air, hosting the radio show that I've hosted for nearly twenty-four years, and routinely committing and laughing at my own mistakes.
Please deactivate my account.
Ron Gerber, crapfromthepast
Edited by crapfromthepast on 04 November 2015 at 8:23am
__________________ There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.
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aaronk Admin Group
Joined: 16 January 2005 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 6513
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Posted: 04 November 2015 at 8:43am | IP Logged
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Ron, you're one of the most knowledgeable musicologists on Earth, and I have yet to read a malicious post written by you. It's a sad day when SH.tv has angered you enough to make you leave for good. It most certainly is their loss.
__________________ Aaron Kannowski
Uptown Sound
91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop
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crapfromthepast MusicFan
Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2243
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Posted: 04 November 2015 at 8:53am | IP Logged
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It just makes me appreciate the healthy environment we've cultivated around here that much more. I'm starting to think this forum is the exception, rather than the rule!
__________________ There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.
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Santi Paradoa MusicFan
Joined: 17 February 2009 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1118
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Posted: 04 November 2015 at 9:38am | IP Logged
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crapfromthepast wrote:
It just makes me appreciate the healthy environment we've cultivated around here that much more. I'm starting to think this forum is the exception, rather than the rule! |
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Amen gentlemen.
__________________ Santi Paradoa
Miami, Florida
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Paul Haney MusicFan
Joined: 01 April 2005
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Posted: 04 November 2015 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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Ron, as I said on your radio show, this is the most polite forum on the internet. I also can't think of a more knowledgeable group of regulars.
I've read the Hoffman forums from time-to-time and don't know how anyone could possibly keep up, let alone wade through the chaff to get to the wheat. IMO, you've made a wise decision.
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Yah Shure MusicFan
Joined: 11 December 2007 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1317
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Posted: 04 November 2015 at 5:24pm | IP Logged
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I'm a little confused, Ron. I was under the impression you sought out the pressings that would sound the worst on the air and thus better represent the name of your show. ;)
I heartily applaud your decision. The first CD I bought with Steve's name on it in the '80s, The Mamas & The Papas - 16 Of Their Greatest Hits should never have been issued with "Creeque Alley" out of phase, although I'll admit to having thoroughly enjoyed hearing the resulting "no vocals" playback on a new format competitor at the time. That CD still gets the occasional "superb" or similar accolade on SHtv, but you'll find nary a mention of that "Creeque Alley" blunder over there. As one of the rare individuals who usually listens to his music collection summed to mono, information like your DCC "Jungle Love" finding matters a great deal. I've seen more than a few posters over there essentially roll their eyes at a number of similar, non-DCC or AF-related glitches you uncovered and posted on SHtv. I did see your "Jungle Love" post last night and knew it was just a matter of time before it "disappeared."
Thanks for the great detective work you've done and will continue to share here. It is very much appreciated!
Edited by Yah Shure on 04 November 2015 at 5:25pm
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crapfromthepast MusicFan
Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2243
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Posted: 04 November 2015 at 6:27pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for all the support here. It's been 9 years and counting for me here, and I consider all of you my music family.
If only our real-world families were this polite and civil!
__________________ There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.
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Hykker MusicFan
Joined: 30 October 2007 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1386
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Posted: 05 November 2015 at 6:09am | IP Logged
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Paul Haney wrote:
Ron, as I said on your radio show, this
is the most polite forum on the internet. I also can't
think of a more knowledgeable group of regulars.
I've read the Hoffman forums from time-to-time and don't
know how anyone could possibly keep up, let alone wade
through the chaff to get to the wheat. IMO, you've made a
wise decision. |
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I would add the BSN forum to the "polite forums" list. A
different crowd and focus than this, but there is some
overlap, tends to be very civil and it's rare that threads
get deleted.
I never joined the Hoffman forum, but will occasionally
visit. It never felt very welcoming for whatever reason.
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995wlol MusicFan
Joined: 10 December 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 271
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Posted: 05 November 2015 at 10:49am | IP Logged
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Hykker wrote:
I never joined the Hoffman forum, but will occasionally
visit. It never felt very welcoming for whatever reason.
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Probably a good call, Hykker. I got flamed in my very first SH posting for asking about the source of the cover art from Peter Gabriel's "Security" album.
And this was in a forum where you could read pages and pages about people discussing their favorite Beatle hairstyle...
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crapfromthepast MusicFan
Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2243
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Posted: 05 November 2015 at 11:52am | IP Logged
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995wlol wrote:
Hykker wrote:
I never joined the Hoffman forum, but will occasionally visit. It never felt very welcoming for whatever reason. |
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Probably a good call, Hykker. I got flamed in my very first SH posting for asking about the source of the cover art from Peter Gabriel's "Security" album.
And this was in a forum where you could read pages and pages about people discussing their favorite Beatle hairstyle... |
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Don't feel bad. I got flamed in one of my very first posts as well, by no less than the host himself, when I expressed surprise that Boz Scaggs' "Jojo" on Cosmopolitan Vol. 5 (1992) was digitally identical to the version on Columbia's Boz Scaggs collection Hits. I asked, doesn't mastering involve a new analog transfer from a master tape? Especially for someone as esteemed as the host himself? After some rude comments to me, he said that it sounded great on Hits, so why duplicate the effort, or something to that effect. I was not impressed.
__________________ There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.
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Yah Shure MusicFan
Joined: 11 December 2007 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1317
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Posted: 05 November 2015 at 12:14pm | IP Logged
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995wlol wrote:
And this was in a forum where you could read pages and pages about people discussing their favorite Beatle hairstyle... |
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Mike, so which is your favorite Beatle hairstyle? ;)
I'm glad you brought that up. The Beatles are still my favorite group. There's a Beatles calendar hanging on the wall just above my monitor screen. The Sgt. Pepper's Franklin Mint "keepsake" sits atop the bookshelf next to the monitor and just behind me is the "now available on compact disc" Sgt. Pepper's poster a dealer gave me that I had framed. Sounds like Fabs Central, right? Well, no. I buy wall calendars after Christmas markdowns and clearances and what's typically left are 4,278 assorted cat calendars and one Beatle one. Sgt. Peppers isn't even my favorite Beatles album. I don't play their music all that often anymore, even though I like the band a lot.
But good lord, the obsession with that band over on SH is off the charts. It's the musical version of fantasy sports. They've got armchair quarterbacks insisting that this track or that track should have been left off this Beatles album or that Beatles album, when those ships already sailed half a century ago! And yet some of those same people snicker at the attention to detail we pay over here? Whatever.
Sorry, I'll get off the soapbox now. Just as soon as I finish canonizing the Monkees. ;)
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crapfromthepast MusicFan
Joined: 14 September 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2243
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Posted: 05 November 2015 at 1:26pm | IP Logged
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Let's take a poll to decide which is best pressing for the Monkees theme, sung in Italian...
(That really exists, by the way - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxQcD7DMNlw)
Edited by crapfromthepast on 05 November 2015 at 1:27pm
__________________ There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one Crap From The Past.
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995wlol MusicFan
Joined: 10 December 2006 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 271
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Posted: 05 November 2015 at 2:49pm | IP Logged
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If this was Facebook, I'd be "liking" every post on this thread!
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The Hits Man MusicFan
Joined: 04 February 2007 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 665
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Posted: 06 November 2015 at 1:03am | IP Logged
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I learn a lot more here than I do at SH.tv.
__________________
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torcan MusicFan
Joined: 23 June 2006 Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline Posts: 269
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Posted: 06 November 2015 at 12:00pm | IP Logged
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I've been a member at Hoffman's boards for a few years and have close to 700 posts, but honestly, I've probably opened less than 2% of the threads. There's just too much posted there everyday.
There are some really interesting threads there once in a while - like the one in progress where the guy's playing all of his 45s and posting picture sleeves and label scans - I love stuff like that!
I agree about their obsession with the Beatles - it's a bit much. Anytime the Beatles are in a thread it will get 800 views and 100 replies within a few hours, where other threads could sit there for days before anyone responds. Frankly, I'm not impressed.
They also have a "for sale" and "wanted" board there - I've posted lists of my wanted 45 and picture sleeves a few times but never had any luck at all. I don't know where all the 45 collectors have gone...
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Santi Paradoa MusicFan
Joined: 17 February 2009 Location: United States
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Posted: 06 November 2015 at 7:07pm | IP Logged
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torcan wrote:
They also have a "for sale" and "wanted" board there - I've posted lists of my wanted 45 and picture sleeves a few times but never had any luck at all. I don't know where all the 45 collectors have gone... |
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A handful of those 45 collectors are disc jockeys on Top Shelf Oldies (the online oldies radio station). A couple of them have weekend shows where every song played is from vinyl/styrene. It's a pop and click fiesta for the 45 lover. The big draw is the rare seldom heard these days 45 version/edit and/or the even more rare b-side that may have never appeared on CD. They even tell you how much cash they coughed up for the rare/obscure 45 you are about to hear (which is mostly what they play).
Edited by Santi Paradoa on 06 November 2015 at 7:08pm
__________________ Santi Paradoa
Miami, Florida
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torcan MusicFan
Joined: 23 June 2006 Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline Posts: 269
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Posted: 07 November 2015 at 3:47pm | IP Logged
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Santi Paradoa wrote:
A handful of those 45 collectors are disc jockeys on Top Shelf Oldies (the online oldies radio station). A couple of them have weekend shows where every song played is from vinyl/styrene. It's a pop and click fiesta for the 45 lover. The big draw is the rare seldom heard these days 45 version/edit and/or the even more rare b-side that may have never appeared on CD. They even tell you how much cash they coughed up for the rare/obscure 45 you are about to hear (which is mostly what they play). |
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I think I need to know where people are buying 45s (and picture sleeves) these days. I know there are record shows, online dealers such as Val Shively and e-bay, but so many places have closed down it's getting harder and harder to find them now. It's frustrating always contacting the same handful of people and they never seem to have the ones you're looking for - they've got to be out there somewhere and I don't know where else to look.
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Hykker MusicFan
Joined: 30 October 2007 Location: United States
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1386
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Posted: 08 November 2015 at 1:12pm | IP Logged
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torcan wrote:
I think I need to know where people are buying 45s (and
picture sleeves) these days. I know there are record shows,
online dealers such as Val Shively and e-bay, but so many
places have closed down it's getting harder and harder to
find them now. |
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I hear ya!! All the online dealers I've had good experiences
with over the years seem have folded their tents in the last
couple years. All I seem to see now is dealers who are
asking very high prices for ordinary stuff.
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