View Single Post
  #42  
Old 2007-05-11, 12:43 AM
Audioarchivist's Avatar
Audioarchivist Audioarchivist is offline
Recording/Mastering Engineer
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Re: Are mp3 master recordings allowed @TTD???

I guess that bloating an mp3 as is to over 10 times it's original size to share as FLAC/APE/SHN=WAV is as pointless as upsampling those dat tapes in the future to 128bit/256kHz or whatever crazy digital format we'll come up with in the future.
Here's a thought : what about if the mp3 file needed audio restoration work, as many old tapes do, and one performed lots of different post processing things that it needs at 32 bit floating point 96 kHz internal processing, and the resulting file it spits out was (now enhanced at "our" sample rates) cleaned and polished, and now properly mastered...
I know I've performed near miracles on many recordings. Things like adding reverb to a dry soundboard tape to match approximate room acoustics, multiband compression to punch up weak basslines without killing dynamics in vocals, etc...
The resulting file seems like new, and the additional information from the post processing stuff 'pads out' the missing information somewhat.
I'm not saying the original information that was left out will come back, but other similar relevant information would take most of it's place. Heck, some of that info is probably better than it's missing original info!
Case in point, I recently posted a dual MiniDisc audience matrix recording I made of Robert Plant in 2005. Both original recordings had flaws and distortions, but I was able to radically eq and multiband compress (as well as simulate a pass through a HQ tape source in a digital plug-in and run the signals through a tube preamp to further change the signal to a more analog sound) processing at 32bit float at 192 kHz then combine the 2 sources to a 16/44.1 mixdown file...
The results sound like it did to me when I was there, but the original files all sound like crap!

I don't know exactly what I think of am MP3 master. I think just upsampling them to wav is bloating. I think TTD should be free of inferior mp3 trades that could have been lossless and came from lossless. I also think an original recording at mp3 that was properly remastered could very well be as good as anything if it's the best source available (ie the only recording from those mics in that room that day).
Just to say 'never an mp3 no matter what' is elitist, and equivalent to audio racism.
Lots to think about...
__________________
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
- Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005)
Reply With Quote Reply with Nested Quotes