Single Reissues Campaign - Causing a Commotion - OUT NOW

[Would You Like To Try 9,416]

@Aiwa08what is your opinion in the virtualizer feature that lets you add a more spatialized audio to music have you heard of it? I used it with a specific eq on 80's music and it sounds amazing 

[Roy 7,900]

13 hours ago, MPowered said:

Superstar is kinda the worst song she ever recorded.

[Aiwa08 18,397]

4 hours ago, Would You Like To Try said:

@Aiwa08what is your opinion in the virtualizer feature that lets you add a more spatialized audio to music have you heard of it? I used it with a specific eq on 80's music and it sounds amazing 

I don't like it. I’m not a fan of filters that simulate a 3D effect or enhance instrument separation if the music wasn’t originally mastered that way. I tend to experience ear fatigue after listening to Q-Sound for a while.

  I prefer genuine surround sound, like 5.1 or 7.1, rather than the 'artificial' sound created by filters, as it doesn’t sound natural to me. I only need bass, mid, treble controls, and DBS for bass boost. All other filters seem unnecessary to me.

[Aiwa08 18,397]

5 hours ago, Would You Like To Try said:

For anyone wondering there are lot of apps to compress, remaster, limit the db of your music on the go on streaming apps and music players in case you wanted a bassy Like A Prayer, less loud American Life or MDNA or the old singles remastered but with giving Madonna streams!

You can't get a 'less loud' version of American Life or MDNA. The dynamic range is destroyed and can't be recovered. Yes, you can make them sound quieter, but they will still be compressed, with their dynamic range ruined.

[Aiwa08 18,397]

30 minutes ago, Roy said:

Don't worry. 'Superstar' is not the worst song. It's bad (only in my opinion) but it's not the worst. If you like it, enjoy it. Don’t let anyone ruin your experience of listening to 'Superstar.' 

PS: I love "I'm going bananas" and "Cry baby"...

[Anapausis 6,605]

Superstar is just a mess packed together to other messes. But all harmless messes. The tour that supported 'em though...

[Prayer 16,615]

15 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

You can't get a 'less loud' version of American Life or MDNA. The dynamic range is destroyed and can't be recovered. Yes, you can make them sound quieter, but they will still be compressed, with their dynamic range ruined.

I ADORE the "American Life" album but it's true the sound of it can be... a little bit too much. Somehow it's not a bigger issue there because of the nature of the production (that Mirwais hyper electronic sound) but it would have ruined any other kind of album, honestly. The "AL" vinyl sounds terrible.

As for "MDNA", I think we commented in the past but there were actually two masters for the album:

- The first one, used and uploaded for the iTunes pre-order only version (only available pre-release) and also for the vinyl pressing I think? 

- The second and final one, used for the CD versions and all digital versions since release date. It was even more compressed than the first one, like they did some final touches there or a new export with extra boost or something, wonder why.

Sadly the second one is the one most people got to listen to and the one available today.

That's why the original iTunes pre-order version and the vinyl were not as bad as the final product on every other format.

[Roy 7,900]

6 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

Don't worry. 'Superstar' is not the worst song. It's bad (only in my opinion) but it's not the worst. If you like it, enjoy it. Don’t let anyone ruin your experience of listening to 'Superstar.' 

PS: I love "I'm going bananas" and "Cry baby"...

Superstar is my go-to song for pepping myself up and it's such a cute lil song! 

[Aiwa08 18,397]

17 minutes ago, Prayer said:

I ADORE the "American Life" album but it's true the sound of it can be... a little bit too much. Somehow it's not a bigger issue there because of the nature of the production (that Mirwais hyper electronic sound) but it would have ruined any other kind of album, honestly. The "AL" vinyl sound terrible.

As for "MDNA", I think we commented in the past but there were actually two masters for the album:

- The first one, used and uploaded for the iTunes pre-order only version (only available pre-release) and also for the vinyl pressing I think? 

- The second and final one, used for the CD versions and all digital versions. It was even more compressed than the first one, like they did some final touches there or a new export with extra boost or something, wonder why.

That's why the original iTunes pre-order version and the vinyl were not as bad as the final product on every other format.

That's why I appreciate it when collectors share pre-mastering versions of recent albums. They're quite rare, but I enjoy hearing the songs with their full dynamic range, free from the compression present on the final CD or in streaming. Since MDNA, it seems Madonna eased up on the loudness war a bit, possibly due to her time at Interscope. However, now that she's back with Warner, she seems to have returned to the worst loudness war with singles like 'Gambler' and 'Everybody.

PS: This is the worst Madonna vinyl. The sound is truly awful: https://www.discogs.com/release/241972-Madonna-American-Life-Die-Another-Day

 

[Prayer 16,615]

9 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

That's why I appreciate it when collectors share pre-mastering versions of recent albums. They're quite rare, but I enjoy hearing the songs with their full dynamic range, free from the compression present on the final CD or in streaming. Since MDNA, it seems Madonna eased up on the loudness war a bit, possibly due to her time at Interscope. However, now that she's back with Warner, she seems to have returned to the worst loudness war with singles like 'Gambler' and 'Everybody.

It's sad how mastering can totally ruin an album, yes. "MDNA" has its own flaws, yeah, but I think it would be more appreciated with better mastering (or at least with the 1st master as the final and not the 2nd more compressed one).

From 2013-2014 loudness war died a little bit and producers and mixers generally tried to reach a less aggressive sound - also the change of tide in mainstream music from high energetic EDM to a more vibey relaxed sound forced them too in a way. Also, platforms like Spotify started to normalize all tracks so between that and radio dying, there was really no need to push for higher levels than everyone else to try to compete for attention.

I think the bad Warner remasters ("True Blue 35th", "Gambler", "Everybody") are just automatic/AI generated honestly. I refuse to believe a human ear did those and was happy with them.

But a human ear approved them, though. Depressing.

[Aiwa08 18,397]

2 minutes ago, Prayer said:

I think the bad Warner remasters ("True Blue 35th", "Gambler", "Everybody") are just automatic/AI generated honestly. I refused to believe a human being did those.

A human being approved them, though. Depressing.

What you're saying may very well be true. My other theory is that, since it's a product for streaming, it's being 'remastered' to sound louder on tablets and cell phones, without considering that there are already many high-end audio systems connected to these streaming services.

[Roy 7,900]

13 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

That's why I appreciate it when collectors share pre-mastering versions of recent albums. They're quite rare, but I enjoy hearing the songs with their full dynamic range, free from the compression present on the final CD or in streaming. Since MDNA, it seems Madonna eased up on the loudness war a bit, possibly due to her time at Interscope. However, now that she's back with Warner, she seems to have returned to the worst loudness war with singles like 'Gambler' and 'Everybody.

PS: This is the worst Madonna vinyl. The sound is truly awful: https://www.discogs.com/release/241972-Madonna-American-Life-Die-Another-Day

 

Is this a promo pressing or a test pressing?

[Aiwa08 18,397]

10 minutes ago, Roy said:

Is this a promo pressing or a test pressing?

No, it's a commercial release. 

[Roy 7,900]

18 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

No, it's a commercial release. 

How is it a horrible sounding release?

[Aiwa08 18,397]

1 minute ago, Roy said:

How is it a horrible sounding release?

Because I think it's one of those cases where they used a master with excessive loudness war instead of doing a proper vinyl mastering. Remember the Yellow CDs? Well, it's the opposite. Also, I believe it was a very rushed release for collectors.

[Prayer 16,615]

2 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

Because I think it's one of those cases where they used a master with excessive loudness war instead of doing a proper vinyl mastering. Remember the Yellow CDs? Well, it's the opposite. Also, I believe it was a very rushed release for collectors.

They probably took the masters for CD and pressed them on vinyl without even checking.

[Aiwa08 18,397]

2 minutes ago, Prayer said:

They probably took the masters for CD and pressed them on vinyl without even checking.

Surely that's what happened. The 7'' market was essentially dead, with releases only occurring in very rare cases for collectors. It's a shame because the B-side features an exclusive remix edit of 'Die Another Day' that’s only available on the 7''

[wtg1987 10,618]

I do worry about what these “ expanded “ releases are going to sound like - if we ever get them of course . I’m just glad I have my old CDs and wav rips from this pre-streaming era as it seems to be very hit and miss for some reason. I really hope Mike dean isn’t involved anymore - maybe Stuart price or Bernie grundman can be tempted ? 

[Prayer 16,615]

3 minutes ago, wtg1987 said:

I do worry about what these “ expanded “ releases are going to sound like - if we ever get them of course . I’m just glad I have my old CDs and wav rips from this pre-streaming era as it seems to be very hit and miss for some reason. I really hope Mike dean isn’t involved anymore - maybe Stuart price or Bernie grundman can be tempted ? 

Surely Stuart has taken over with the (ahem) reissues? I hope so.

[Aiwa08 18,397]

6 minutes ago, wtg1987 said:

I do worry about what these “ expanded “ releases are going to sound like - if we ever get them of course . I’m just glad I have my old CDs and wav rips from this pre-streaming era as it seems to be very hit and miss for some reason. I really hope Mike dean isn’t involved anymore - maybe Stuart price or Bernie grundman can be tempted ? 

I have some hope for reissues because, even though the recent streaming singles (pre-1989) are louder, their sound isn’t distorted. It would be a real shame if unreleased tracks were released and sounded awful on CD.

[BoyToyMark 682]

2 hours ago, Prayer said:

I ADORE the "American Life" album but it's true the sound of it can be... a little bit too much. Somehow it's not a bigger issue there because of the nature of the production (that Mirwais hyper electronic sound) but it would have ruined any other kind of album, honestly. The "AL" vinyl sounds terrible.

I'd love a remaster of the American Life album, it's my first Madonna album and it could sound so cool, especially on LP.

The CD has always sounded good, they just cooked the track indexing on the mastering from 6-10 which is wild, thats what test pressings are for!

[Aiwa08 18,397]

21 minutes ago, BoyToyMark said:

I'd love a remaster of the American Life album, it's my first Madonna album and it could sound so cool, especially on LP.

The CD has always sounded good, they just cooked the track indexing on the mastering from 6-10 which is wild, thats what test pressings are for!

American Life on CD (and vinyl) might be her worst-sounding album. The album doesn't need a remaster per se; what it needs is a new mastering for CD that isn't so compressed

[Arckangel 292]

2 hours ago, Prayer said:

It's sad how mastering can totally ruin an album, yes. "MDNA" has its own flaws, yeah, but I think it would be more appreciated with better mastering (or at least with the 1st master as the final and not the 2nd more compressed one).

From 2013-2014 loudness war died a little bit and producers and mixers generally tried to reach a less aggressive sound - also the change of tide in mainstream music from high energetic EDM to a more vibey relaxed sound forced them too in a way. Also, platforms like Spotify started to normalize all tracks so between that and radio dying, there was really no need to push for higher levels than everyone else to try to compete for attention.

I think the bad Warner remasters ("True Blue 35th", "Gambler", "Everybody") are just automatic/AI generated honestly. I refuse to believe a human ear did those and was happy with them.

But a human ear approved them, though. Depressing.

Spotify (desktop and mobile apps) has a volume normalization option that one can unselect. The web browser version and 3rd-party devices (e.g. speakers and TVs) don’t use loudness normalization.

https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/loudness-normalization/
 

Conclusion:

Personalizing your listening experience on Apple Music and Spotify can significantly enhance your enjoyment of music. By turning off ‘Sound Check’ and ‘Normalize’, you allow yourself to hear the music in its purest form, as it was originally mixed and mastered. This can lead to a more dynamic and authentic listening experience, though you might notice more variation in volume across different tracks.

https://mixandmastermysong.com/how-to-disable-normalize-on-apple-music-and-spotify/#:~:text=By turning off 'Sound Check,in volume across different tracks.

It is therefore possible to disable audio normalization, though I'm not sure most users do so.

 

 

[BoyToyMark 682]

8 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

American Life on CD (and vinyl) might be her worst-sounding album. The album doesn't need a remaster per se; what it needs is a new mastering for CD that isn't so compressed

That's what a remaster is, I think we're saying the same thing. :D

[Aiwa08 18,397]

6 minutes ago, Arckangel said:

It is therefore possible to disable audio normalization, though I'm not sure most users do so.

It's a waste of time to turn off volume normalization when the source itself already provides ultra-compressed music. And that's where the problem lies: if you think the music is too quiet, use volume normalization. There's no need to compress the source further to make it sound louder