Led Zeppelin 2014/15 Remasters -- THOUGHTS?

Any lovers of Classic Rock here think that the new remasters will be any good?

I've been following this news since it was first reported in 2012, but I still have my doubts about how the newly-remastered mixes will turn out. The only benefit of the doubt that I'm giving these new reissues is that Jimmy Page initially saw them being released last year, so I'm hoping this implies that he's taken a more audiophile-like perspective on the catalog for these reissues.

The albums were listed in search results on Amazon's UK page yesterday, but were soon removed after Led Zeppelin fanatics (like me) starting spreading the news before an official press release could be made. I'm not some basic fan that only relies on U.S.-published news, so I was just eager in general to see them begin getting listed at all. :p

Still, I'm on the fence. I've heard 2008's Japanese-imported remasters, and the mixing is too damn cold. The 2008 issues are also only slight decible tweaks of the early '90s remasters that I've also stayed away from, because multiple people have said that the channels of some songs from those '90s releases were reversed (how no one in the studio notices that, I have no damn clue).

That's why I only listen to the first CD master releases that were made in the 1980's, because they copy the same warm, analog sound that the original vinyl pressings have, and all of the song's channels remain in their original positions. Those '80s CDs only had SLIGHT signal processing done to them, and that's why they're the most-preferred amongst fans. My only hope is that Page has kept this in mind for when these new remasters are released worldwide on JUNE 2, because the trick to remastering is not only using the original master tapes, but also using as little signal processing as possible to keep the original sound intact.


What are your predictions, guys? Rock 'em out below, I'll give 'em a read.
\m/ -_- \m/

I hope they didn't mess these up. If these are going to have a 24-bit release (on HDtracks or some other store), we will be able to truly appreciate the work done on the remasters. Fingers crossed!

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Originally Posted by wizfrikiman

I hope they didn't mess these up. If these are going to have a 24-bit release (on HDtracks or some other store), we will be able to truly appreciate the work done on the remasters. Fingers crossed!

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The rumor going around is that the catalog is being remastered from new and direct digital copies of the analog master tapes, and NOT the tape source copies that have been played 20-30 times that were used to make the previous reissues. If this is true, then these remasters should be promising. :D

As for HDtracks, I'm hesitant. It wasn't too long ago where I was trying to find a lossless CD-ripped copy of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" that comes the closest to having the sound the original vinyl pressings did. I was downloading every release from every country possible to see which copy had that certain sound (it was the West German version because it had the original mix and mastering, but that's besides the point). :p When I found out about HDtracks, I downloaded their lossless copy of "Rumours" and compared it with the West German version.

Although the HDtracks copy didn't leave the album sounding forward, the mixes of the songs were a pinch on the bright side, and it left the sound boxy, meaning it was like the sound was trapped in a box. Whether or not HDtracks does this mixing process to all of the albums they receive, I'm not sure, but if they ever offer these new remasters on their website, I'll be comparing their lossless copies to my Diament/Sidore ones, and we'll go from there.

\m/ -_- \m/

As far as I'm concerned, HDtracks does not touch the files they receive at all. They're just sellers.

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Originally Posted by wizfrikiman

As far as I'm concerned, HDtracks does not touch the files they receive at all. They're just sellers.

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The only real problem buyers have is that they have no idea which album release HDtracks is sourcing when they encode it in high resolution. I'll go back to "Rumours" for my example. On the original release of the album, the track "Gold Dust Woman" fades up, while the later reissued/remastered versions of the album have the song open with a cold start.

HDtracks' version of the song has a cold start, meaning they sourced from a reissued version of the album, and not the original release.

That's why I don't keep "mastered" albums from HDtracks in my external hard drive. There's just too much discrepancy and hesitancy.



I'm not chewing you out, just trying to keep you and everyone else informed. :D

New Jimmy Page interview regarding the reissues. http://www.musicradar.com/news/guita...ssues-600187/1

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Originally Posted by wizfrikiman

New Jimmy Page interview regarding the reissues. http://www.musicradar.com/news/guita...ssues-600187/1

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I read it yesterday, but I thought it was one of the best articles covering the remasters project and release, to be honest.

Also, as a Led Zeppelin fan, I am 100% happy and relieved that Page is finally speaking out against Plant's reunion bullshit talk that he's been doing for decades, especially the fact that he called Plant out on the line of shit he said during his Australian 60 Minutes interview (skip to 13:43).

http://youtu.be/AT-diR6gPAw?t=13m43s

As fans, we know Page, Jones, and Jason would love to do reunion shows/tours as Led Zeppelin again, or at the very least remain open-minded to the idea like they have for so long. I truly commend them for that amount of dedication to their music and their fanbase, because it's not an easy thing for former band members to do after having so much success.

I've waited SO long for at least one of the three other guys to point the finger at him, so whether or not Robert Plant ever agrees to another reunion performance, or even admits to the games he's been playing, I'm happy that Page said what he said.

Well, my weigh-in is finally here...

As I've stated up to this point, the only versions of the Led Zeppelin albums that were deemed with the highest quality sound, range and natural projection to them, both by myself and other diehard listeners, were the CDs mastered by Barry Diament and Joe Sidore in the early to mid '80s. However, a major factor in those high praises from audiophiles has been because of the reviews of later remasters that have been released in decades past, both in terms of mastering processes and the multitude of variation between pressings. Essentially, until the release of these HD remasters, we had been unknowingly settling for what we deemed to be the best sound, and not what the actual sound should have been, though we never knew.

The emphasis on those CDs has always been the warm, analog sound, thus giving a high listening experience. This was due to the fact that when the albums were first mastered for CD, the master tapes were not used. They were instead sourced from previous vinyl releases, hence the vinyl-like quality to them. Because of this, it was more difficult to hear John Paul Jones' bass guitar since the CDs had bass-like sheeted sound on them due to vinyl's dynamics limitations. We no longer have to deal with this because of the reissues' tighter grip. So, in comparison of those early CDs to the 2014 reissues, it's no contest. The 2014 reissues are the best editions by a landslide.

What's most noticeable on the first three albums of this extensive reissue project is that there is new life breathed into John Bonham's drum tracks, giving a sincere and distinct quality unheard before. But here's the kicker: the newly-enhanced drum tapes do not overtake any of the songs' remastered mixes. Every song now has a more harmonious and balanced punch than what we've previously heard on past releases. The resonance of the analog master tapes is still present in the reissues, yet thankfully not overpowering for the sake of this enhanced sound and modernized quality. Jimmy Page's guitar presence now has more depth than what we've been accustomed to hearing, giving off a more rich experience. All of these elements are now completed by Robert Plant's newly-spacious vocals resulting in an entirely different listening experience for both Led Zeppelin fans and audiophiles alike.

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As a treat to all of you, I've uploaded all three of the reissued 2CD Deluxe Edition albums in FLAC-HD for you to enjoy, straight off the HD download cards from each respective album package. Each album download is at least 1.6GB in size, and comes with a high-res photo of the reissued album art. I've tagged all songs by hand to include precise metadata, including punctuation and composer citation. All songs are also tagged with a comment section, in which I've included each album's record label and catalog release number information. Just click any of the album's artwork, and you'll be brought straight to its download page. I've also directly provided each album's label and catalog number below the artwork in this post so you can see which FLAC-HD edition was sourced. YOU'RE WELCOME. ;)

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http://oi58.tinypic.com/2s7xvlu.jpg
Label: Atlantic/Warner Music Group
Catalog #: 8122796457


http://oi59.tinypic.com/2vcvk91.jpg
Label: Atlantic/Warner Music Group
Catalog #: 8122796453


http://oi62.tinypic.com/14y8y9j.jpg
Label: Atlantic/Warner Music Group
Catalog #: 8122796449

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ENJOY!! :D

Great stuff Tyler, thanks for these. I'm a huge Zep fan, and they're a major part of why I got into the guitar industry.

I'm a little curious though... I wonder what's up with the noise spike at 29Khz. Where did it come from? I wonder if it's something added from the mixing console, cause I don't think the source tapes would contain frequencies that high.

Thank you Tyler, have you compared them to the "Mastered for iTunes" versions?

This. Is. The. Best. Post. I've. Seen. This. Year.

Thank you Tyler! I see a great list of tracks to keep me going for the rest of the year.

.
.
...........BIG thanks for these

my broadband internet isn't real fast..I figure it's
gonna take me eight or nine hours to get these..
that'll keep me out of trouble for a while..
totally worth it?

I really want to hear it.
I give thanks immensely for your work and your time.
Thank you very much.

OKAY NOW...

My apologies to all of you for the delay in all of your inquiries/praises. Hopefully you all know me better than to see me walk away from my posts. :p Either way, here we go...

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Womac911

I wonder what's up with the noise spike at 29Khz. I wonder if it's something added from the mixing console, cause I don't think the source tapes would contain frequencies that high.

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The frequencies are more than likely present on the Led Zeppelin source tapes. At best, they would've been called "noise hikes" when initial mixes of the songs were first being made in the studio during their respective recording times. This can also be a possible factor in giving some vinyl records unique and distinctive sound, but that's besides the point.

When these remasters were assembled, the songs weren't just simply sampled at a higher rate. What you are seeing at (and past) that frequency is what's known as "AC bias", which regards how then-present noise and distortion on the analog tapes are removed from the sound recordings by use of applying inaudible signals on the audio, due to the magnetic playback of the tapes from their respective reel-to-reel recorders. It's especially present on the remasters because digital and firsthand copies of the master tapes were used for the project. So, the AC bias reaches enhanced limits of about 44.5kHz on the FLAC-HD files past the standard 29kHz of the actual unaltered tape to achieve the broadened dynamic range that we can all finally enjoy.

(Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed writing this lengthy reply.) :p

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Originally Posted by Rhye999

Have you compared them to the "Mastered for iTunes" versions?

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No, and HOW DARE YOU?! :p Mastered for iTunes (MFiT) is one of the leading causes of death in the digital music market. Why? The content is high quality, but low bitrate. Think about it for a second. In order for Apple to claim that their products can hold an approximate "X" amount of songs, and for iTunes Store to get those song purchases to your device as fast as possible, does anyone REALLY think that the music files they're downloading are of FLAC/FLAC-HD bitrate and quality, or at least lossless? They shouldn't. An audio download from iTunes comes lossy, not lossless. What you end up purchasing is something that has a lower fidelity, weaker sound quality, and a compressed dynamic range. Whether you're an audiophile like me, or just a regular person who wants to appreciate their music in its purest form, only use iTunes for music downloads as a last resort.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by burntscarr

This. Is. The. Best. Post. I've. Seen. This. Year.

Thank you Tyler! I see a great list of tracks to keep me going for the rest of the year.

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Thank you, and Led Zeppelin keeps me going every week anyway, so win-win. :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gillbates

my broadband internet isn't real fast..I figure it's gonna take me eight or nine hours to get these..
that'll keep me out of trouble for a while..
totally worth it?[/COLOR]

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Depends on how much time's on your hands, or how evil you're feeling for the day. :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lauryy

I really want to hear it.
I give thanks immensely for your work and your time.
Thank you very much.

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Thank you, and you won't be disappointed. :)

BREAKING NEWS: The reissues of The Fourth Album and Houses of the Holy are set to be released on October 28. (No word on whether this is the UK or international release date, as this is an early report).

\m/ -_- \m/

UPDATE: As I suspected, the next reissues are slated for October 27 in the UK, and October 28 in the United States.

I've never been a huge zeppelin fan, but i'd be really curious to hear this...

http://oi58.tinypic.com/2cco2v9.jpg
Label: Atlantic
Catalog #: 8122-79644-6

http://oi58.tinypic.com/k0hy5e.jpg
Label: Atlantic
Catalog #: 8122-79582-1

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ENJOY!! :D

The reissue of Physical Graffiti is set to be released on February 23 in the UK. :)

UPDATE: The USA reissue date will be February 24, commemorating the album's 40th anniversary. :D

http://oi62.tinypic.com/2s838np.jpg
Label: Swan Song Records



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ENJOY!! :D

I'm having trouble unpacking the archive. I cannot unpack tracks 16, 18, 20 and 22.

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Originally Posted by wizfrikiman

I'm having trouble unpacking the archive. I cannot unpack tracks 16, 18, 20 and 22.

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I just updated the photo with a new link. Sorry for the delay and inconvenience. I'm thinking that it might have been the quotation marks in the file names.

Perfect, works like a charm now!

UPDATE: In case no one else has read the news, the last three album reissues consisting of Presence, In Through the Out Door and Coda will be released globally on July 31st. :D

http://oi58.tinypic.com/2i7lspj.jpg
Label: Swan Song Records


http://oi62.tinypic.com/2q37szc.jpg
Label: Swan Song Records


http://oi58.tinypic.com/5vwxgm.jpg
Label: Swan Song Records

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EXTRA INFO: All of the bonus tracks that were added to Coda's 1993 CD re-release were again included in this 2015 re-release except:

White Summer/Black Mountain Side [Live at Playhouse Theatre - June 27, 1969]

However, I've decided to copy the CD-resolution (.M4A) file of the track and include it as a part of this 2015 re-release by placing it where it would have fallen (before "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do"), and editing the track's metadata accordingly. This inclusion will be the only instance of a track within this re-release campaign not presented in FLAC-HD, but is understandably justified as to not leave any studio material behind for Led Zeppelin fans.

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ENJOY!! :D