Remastering classic albums

Brokewax · Post by **Brokewax** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:42 am

I've read a lot of cats on here talking about how The Sun Rises in the East is muddy, the 2nd Digable Planets album is too quiet etc. etc. I honestly haven't heard too many joints that've been mastered again, but I think Ready To Die sounded really shitty when they re-released it. Any other records you guys think deserve a good remastering? Heard any that've been totally ruined?

What's the consensus on the

?

Sumthin_Funky · Post by **Sumthin_Funky** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 3:19 am

They never remastered 36 Chambers did they? I fucking hope not.

Brokewax · Post by **Brokewax** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 3:59 am

Nah man, I don't believe they did...they mixed it down on 4 track cassettes, making it "Hi-fi" would ruin much of what's great about it.

vaporized2 · Post by **vaporized2** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 6:51 am

DJ HONDA II has got way too much bass and treble and not enough 'middle'. IMO. also the track "when you hot you hot" is faulty, if you listen to it carefully there's a weird glitch all the way through it, that becomes more evident if you listen on headphones.and its on the recording as opposed to a CD problem.

apart from that I cant think of any others.

step one · Post by **step one** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:22 am

Brokewax wrote:Nah man, I don't believe they did...they mixed it down on 4 track cassettes, making it "Hi-fi" would ruin much of what's great about it.

Im pretty sure RZA said something to this effect.

I never really had any issues with the Jeru album though. I think alot of the people that want things remastered are people that rock stuff on Ipods nowadays, so maybe some things that sounded fine on tape/vinyl dont translate to digital too well.

I'd say alot of stuff on Relativity needs re-doing though - all that early Beatnuts, Common, Fat Joe etc could sound alot better.

PatBC · Post by **PatBC** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:26 am

For some reason, D.I.T.C. album always sounded badly mixed

Too much treble

Wouldn't mind hearing it remastered 10 years later

damms · Post by **damms** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:05 pm

the funcrusher plus reissue from 2009 wasn't really necessary

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:11 pm

step one wrote:
I'd say alot of stuff on Relativity needs re-doing though - all that early Beatnuts, Common, Fat Joe etc could sound alot better.

I feel like it's more a matter of volume than quality for these.

clark bent · Post by **clark bent** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:59 pm

ive yet to hear a remaster that sounded appreciably better than the original album....seems like they just slap that on there to move it...to me the remasters have really been special edition releases that include extra songs and remixes that werent on the og album but dont sound a lot better

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 3:05 pm

clark bent wrote:ive yet to hear a remaster that sounded appreciably better than the original album....seems like they just slap that on there to move it...to me the remasters have really been special edition releases that include extra songs and remixes that werent on the og album but dont sound a lot better

You apparently missed out on many of the great Traffic reissues a few years back. They did a great job at remastering and including many of those "extra" songs you're looking for for many of the Cold Chilln' releases.

Brokewax · Post by **Brokewax** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:52 pm

never got a chance to peep those traffic reissues, they seemed to go out of print as quickly as they were made. I'll probably have to hunt some down now. I'll agree that the Relativity records do sound very low, but if they "remastered" just to make them louder they might suffer the same fate as Ready To Die.

Conversely, I think a few hip hop albums from the 90's had downright great mixing/mastering, 2001 being a prime example. Technically, it's in the red at some points, but the arrangements are sparse and it's done tastefully to where (IMO) it didn't destroy the record. I feel the same way about a lot of Death Row era stuff as well.

william g. · Post by **william g.** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:02 pm

My OG cd copies of "Breaking Atoms" "Dah Shinin" and "Enta Da Stage" all are very low in sound quality.

I'm sure there's other early 90's cd releases like that but those 3 stand out.

It's cool to own OG copies but the sound is awful on all 3 of those.

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:35 am

They reissued the Main Source albums. No bonus tracks but its sounds better if you care.

clark bent · Post by **clark bent** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:55 am

Philaflava wrote:They reissued the Main Source albums. No bonus tracks but its sounds better if you care.

the cold chilin stuff you mentioned i didnt get cause i didnt care enough in the first place so you may be right about them...but the improvement in the main source sound quality was negligible

kartman · Post by **kartman** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:53 am

the large pro album reissue was actually a nice try
i've got mecca and the soul brother, ironman and resurrection reissues, not really satisfied with the sound quality

i want to buy breaking atoms reissue but i'm a bit hesitant, does anyone have an actual cd copy? is indeed the sound better than the original?

Kool Max Power · Post by **Kool Max Power** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:32 am

kartman wrote:the large pro album reissue was actually a nice try
i've got mecca and the soul brother, ironman and resurrection reissues, not really satisfied with the sound quality

i want to buy breaking atoms reissue but i'm a bit hesitant, does anyone have an actual cd copy? is indeed the sound better than the original?

Try the P-Vine reissue with lots of bonus tracks (including "Time" > http://www.discogs.com/Main-Source-Brea ... ase/718269). Sounds okay although the mastering is different at some of the added tracks, plus they faked the funk by editing some intros.

If you're interested in it, I can upload it the next weekend.

I also have a copy of the late 1990s or early 2000s reissue sandboxautomatic used to sell but never listened to it, so I can't really tell you about the sound of it. I guess you'll find it here: http://www.hqhiphop.net/2010/09/main-so ... -1997.html

By the way, a remastered version of the first Chill Rob Gee album would be nice, too.

clark bent · Post by **clark bent** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:59 pm

Kool Max Power wrote:
kartman wrote:By the way, a remastered version of the first Chill Rob Gee album would be nice, too.

i think that album sounds pretty good...certainly dated sounding but in terms of sound quality i thought it was fine

id like to see youngest in charge and legal done right

step one · Post by **step one** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:01 am

clark bent wrote: id like to see youngest in charge and legal done right

Yup

Dap · Post by **Dap** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:56 am

i've got a lot of albums that are FUCKED UP quality wise. at the same time, i'm pretty sure i wouldn't appreciate any remaster unless it was fucking AWESOMELY DONE N SHIT YOOOOOOOO

kartman · Post by **kartman** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:44 am

Kool Max Power wrote: Try the P-Vine reissue with lots of bonus tracks (including "Time" > http://www.discogs.com/Main-Source-Brea ... ase/718269). Sounds okay although the mastering is different at some of the added tracks, plus they faked the funk by editing some intros.

If you're interested in it, I can upload it the next weekend.

Yes, please.
Thanks for the info, thumbs up.

Joneski · Post by **Joneski** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:42 pm

Jungle Brothers - 'Done By The Forces of Nature'

Gangstarr - 'Step In The Arena' & 'Daily Operation'

LL Cool J - 'Walking With A Panther' & 'Mama Said..."

a lot of late 80's-early 90's joints are hella quiet and thin-sounding and could greatly benefit from a nice Re-Mastering job. Boost the levels - more volume, more dynamics. Make it jump out of the speakers more.

damms · Post by **damms** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 6:02 pm

kartman wrote:resurrection reissues

anybody knows what year the LP reissue with catalog nr 88561-1208-1 is from ?

that's what I have and it sounds great

IRISH_CRAIG · Post by **IRISH_CRAIG** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:30 pm

Joneski wrote:Jungle Brothers - 'Done By The Forces of Nature'

Jungle Brothers 'Forces' had a shitty sound, an almost tinny quality, and it was the same across all formats, even the CD.

truthaddict · Post by **truthaddict** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 10:16 pm

kartman wrote:the large pro album reissue was actually a nice try
i've got mecca and the soul brother, ironman and resurrection reissues, not really satisfied with the sound quality

There is a remastered version of Ghostface's Ironman? When was this released?

Kool Max Power wrote:By the way, a remastered version of the first Chill Rob Gee album would be nice, too.

This needs to happen ^.

IRISH_CRAIG wrote:
Joneski wrote:Jungle Brothers - 'Done By The Forces of Nature'
Jungle Brothers 'Forces' had a shitty sound, an almost tinny quality, and it was the same across all formats, even the CD.

They released a remastered Straight Out The Jungle last year, that sounds really good. I hope they do Forces too.

The Beastie Boys remasters are fucking vital... I play everything through an ipod these days, so hadn't listed to License or Paul's Boutique for years.

I want the whole Def Jam Public Enemy catalog remastered, and with bonus tracks like they did the Beastie Boys albums, but something tells me this won't happen.

All EPMD (I think they have only done Strictly Business)
All Slick Rick (I think they have only done Great Adventures)
All Eric B & Rakim (They have only done the first two)
All Digital Underground (They've only done Sex Packets)

Have they done the first two Cypress Hill albums?

kartman · Post by **kartman** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 5:22 am

truthaddict wrote:
kartman wrote:the large pro album reissue was actually a nice try
i've got mecca and the soul brother, ironman and resurrection reissues, not really satisfied with the sound quality
There is a remastered version of Ghostface's Ironman? When was this released?

I was talking about the vinyl reissue, check:
http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/ ... C=EK7955LP

KITFUNK · Post by **KITFUNK** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:35 pm

Dunno about "classic" and necessarily TROY, but I'd sure like some of the old Brooklyn Academy shit to be remastered. The mixing on those projects are just atrocious, which is a shame cause the rap is dope.

Kool Max Power · Post by **Kool Max Power** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 3:25 pm

kartman wrote:
Kool Max Power wrote: Try the P-Vine reissue with lots of bonus tracks (including "Time" > http://www.discogs.com/Main-Source-Brea ... ase/718269). Sounds okay although the mastering is different at some of the added tracks, plus they faked the funk by editing some intros.

If you're interested in it, I can upload it the next weekend.
Yes, please.
Thanks for the info, thumbs up.

Main Source - Breaking Atoms (P-Vine Reissue)

Link deleted, because the CD is still available at http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Atoms-Ma ... 560&sr=1-5

Sorry, didn't know about that...

kartman · Post by **kartman** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:12 pm

Thank you kind sir!

AlienNationRadio · Post by **AlienNationRadio** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:46 pm

Phoenix Orion asked Jizzm to remaster ZX-I. He gave us a copy but I honestly like how the original sounds compared to the remastered version. We also have the demo version of ZX-II but the mastered version that's floating around online is much better. I'm not sure who mastered ZX-II.