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Topic: The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far... (Read 8974 times) previous topic - next topic
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The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

I just want to take this opportunity to tell you all about a CD I just got:

I know it's not likely that many here are familiar with the band Warrior Soul, but I was one of their few huge fans in the late-eighties/early-nineties. They were signed to Geffen due to initial interest and buzz on Headbanger's Ball and such. They were later dropped during the whole "grunge/alternative" movement due to lack of interest.

Their first four albums were reissued in 2006 (the first three were favorites of mine at the time.) I recently bought their second "Drugs, God and the New Republic" through an online distributor. I still have a rip of the original master that I passed on to my brother, but was interested in the "upgrade."

Holy. Crap. I can't believe someone was paid to do this to a recording. I can't believe I paid money to hear it. This is my biggest problem with "modern-masters." I've heard remasters that were actually decent, but they generally (IME) are NOT. This album is, by far, for me the most egregious example of this sickening trend. They are turning music, as an art, into nothing more than a disposable commodity. ...and now I see it can even apply to "underground" stuff rather than just what is currently popular.

I couldn't even listen to the whole album. It made my head hurt at any volume and I wanted to throw up or shoot my ears off.

Anybody else have this album or similar experiences? I can upload some samples soon if someone wants, but I'd rather not subject the good people of HA to such aural crappage and violence to their ears. This is some weapons-grade stupidity right here: it makes me very distrustful of reissues in general.
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #1 –
What's wrong with it, specifically? I'm assuming it's been compressed to a sheet, but that's not very clear from your post. Can you upload a sample?

I have a similar thing with Arctic Monkeys, but I find the music itself nice enough, so when my ears feel physically fit, I play 'em.

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #2 –
Stunning 

By the way, the link back to here from the uploads post is broken:
http://http//www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=84862

C.
PC = TAK + LossyWAV  ::  Portable = Opus (130)

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #3 –
Quote from: dhromed on
What's wrong with it, specifically? I'm assuming it's been compressed to a sheet, but that's not very clear from your post. Can you upload a sample?

I have a similar thing with Arctic Monkeys, but I find the music itself nice enough, so when my ears feel physically fit, I play 'em.


Uploaded samples

Compressed is only half of the problem. There is audible distortion even in the quieter passages. I uploaded the beginning track/intro. It doesn't even begin to get "busy" the way the guitars usually do. I'll try to edit some more if anyone's interested. I just think it sucks badly. Of their first three albums, this is probably my least favorite. It has some really strong songs and the message is undeniable. The song "Hero" is worth the (ORIGINAL) CD alone. It speaks of a man who is a hard-working laborer who wants to rise up and be a hero. "If I stand I know I'll shine...I'll be a hero in my own time!" Kory Clarke's message has always tended to be political and negative, but songs like this and "The Losers" off the first W. S. album are amazing and relevant to "little people" even today.

I checked out some samples of the Arctic Monkeys on iTunes. Not really my style but I can dig it because the rhythm-section is pretty strong. 8)
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #4 –
Quote from: carpman on
Stunning 

By the way, the link back to here from the uploads post is broken:
http://http//www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=84862

C.


Should be fixed now. Thanks for the heads-up.

I'm not even lying; my head still hurts so bad I briefly contemplated suicide!  I don't have a single Tylenol in the house. I'm going to go to bed and be back on when I get home from work tomorrow.

Thanks for your replies and interest. I knew it wasn't just me.
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #6 –
Please explain your inference that this are brickwall artifacts.

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #8 –
Quote from: googlebot on
Please explain your inference that this are brickwall artifacts.


If it's not technically "brickwalling" than I know not what to call it.

I'm not a producer nor do I have an exact technical knowledge of what it is they do to make their crap like this louder than it already was. But I am a fan of music and the end product. I think that qualifies as having a right to criticize it when it sounds like trash compared to the original.

If they had labeled the CD "Remixed and Remastered" as Megadeth did, then this would be no one's fault but my own. They didn't even label it "remastered." for the love of life.

Forgive me if my terminology may be imprecise. "They cranked it up or something and now it sounds like crap." I don't think anyone that listens will argue with that, although stated vulgarly and in the simplistic terms of a layman as myself.
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #9 –
I don't think that brickwalling has anything to do with how this is sounding.

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #11 –
Looks like typical loudness (re)mastering to me (but I've seen worse):

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #12 –
Alright, thanks guys.

I did give you a rather tame example. Is this an example of "brickwalling" or just up 10dB or whatever? (I added two samples from the song "The Wasteland" at the original link.)

I still can't get over how freaking distorted it is on the remaster. I can understand sometimes making things a bit louder for the iPods or whatever, but I have not heard anything worse than this. I can't believe any professional was paid any sum of money to do this.





Those are the images from the samples of "The Wasteland" courtesy of Audacity.
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.
 

The Worst-Sounding Brickwalled Remaster Thus Far...

Reply #13 –
Quote from: carpman on
Have to agree with googlebot. Having just "remastered" their original with a 10dB limiter:

The Original "Remastered" by Me (in <1 min)
Their "Crackly Remaster" (which must have taken at least an hour)

I've matched these up, for comparison.

C.


That's pretty impressive, Carpman! I wish I knew more about audio-editing. Way behind the curve. I guess I've not just found much use for it so haven't set about learning a program. Which one are you using (if you don't mind me asking?)

@ googlebot & D. Lundberg: thanks for pointing this out. I guess I just hear the term "brickwalled" so often that I've been falsely applying it to everything I hear that's "loudness remastered."
The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.