TheTwins are Here -- The Rolling Stones, Mono 15 CD & 16 LP, 180g Box Sets

[vintage_tube]

Lookie what just showed up to complete my collection -- the 16 LP 180g box set to match the mono 15 CD set received last week.

I usually don't care about number schemes as I am somewhat opinionated in how numbers are assigned after pressing --anyways -- it's 433/10,000.

Best sir,

Bob



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[GeAllan70]

[j3brow]

I saw this box set available for download in DSD format over at acoustic sounds for $185.

I wonder if this is a DSD conversion from hi-res source or are the DSD files the source for the vinyl and cd?

Anyone have any idea the provenance of the mono collection? I believe the ABKCO years vinyl box set was sourced from DSD files .... I assume created form the analog tapes when the SACDs were produced.

If the mono sets also stem from an analog to DSD source, then I would be very interested in purchasing the DSD download.

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by j3brow

I saw this box set available for download in DSD format over at acoustic sounds for $185.

I wonder if this is a DSD conversion from hi-res source or are the DSD files the source for the vinyl and cd?

Anyone have any idea the provenance of the mono collection? I believe the ABKCO years vinyl box set was sourced from DSD files .... I assume created form the analog tapes when the SACDs were produced.

If the mono sets also stem from an analog to DSD source, then I would be very interested in purchasing the DSD download.

Michael Fremer reports:

"The Rolling Stones in Mono box set was sourced from the original analog tapes transferred to DSD (single bit, 2.8224 MHz sampling rate digital) and not produced like The Beatles mono box¬—put up the tapes, cut lacquers all-analog— you’ve probably not carefully considered the differences between the two catalogs."

"The production chain here started with Restoration Producer Teri Landi, who supervised the sound restoration by The Magic Shop’s (RIP) Steve Rosenthal and Ted Young. You can be sure that these old tapes probably had some issues in need of correction. Fortunately, after listening through the entire set, it doesn’t sound to me as if “sound revision” was on their menu.

Landi also gets credit for the analog to DSD transfers (with the ubiquitous Gus Skinas serving as DSD consultant) as well as for tape archives research. No doubt ABKCO got everything on tape and that includes outtakes and alternative takes that had they made it to record instead of the ones on the original records, would prove embarrassing—and that’s happened many times in the reissue business.

The transferred files were then sent to Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering for final mastering. What does that exactly mean? It means final file “assembly” and spacing for lacquer cutting as well as making EQ choices when necessary and whatever else Ludwig felt was needed to be done to produce coherency within each record, just as was done to produce the originals. However, Ludwig was not required to attenuate the bottom end, or squash dynamics so that the records would play on kiddie phonographs. He did confirm the major sonic discrepancies from track to track, because of the many recording venues. He emailed this, with permission to share:

“Yes, unlike the Beatles where it was all recorded and mixed basically at EMI and was quite consistent, the Stones were recorded and mixed all over the place and there was very little consistence from track to track. There was one Stones track I worked on that had massive amounts of low frequency rumble from foot stomps and of course the public has never heard it because every time it was mastered it was something that obviously needed to be filtered out. Also, not one bit of echo was added to anything, ever!! It was always there on the mix to be revealed or hidden”.

Once the files had been mastered they were sent (probably over the Internet) to Abbey Road Studios where Sean Magee and Alex Wharton cut lacquers from the DSD files. As best as I can determine, at no time were the DSD files converted to PCM or in any way decimated.

Conclusion

As I write this, the YouTube video you can watch and listen to below has attracted many comments and people seem to like the original of “Play With Fire” over the reissue. I completely disagree! One person said the reissue sounds “muddy”. Yes if your system can’t cope with the prodigious bass and others think it sounds “cloudy”. I can only tell you that in my system and to my ears, overall the reissues have far wider dynamic range, much better bass, greater transparency and are overall much better."

https://youtu.be/FbmkqjTZPcE

Best,

Bob

[j3brow]

Awesome, Bob. Thank you kindly Sir for digging up that info ..... looks like the DSD download is a worthy purchase!