Tom Fine wrote:
> The whole problem with these non-standard copyright limits is that the
> major music companies use the U.S. standard with their vaults. So, sure
> you might be able to buy some two-bit semi-pirate version of something
> elsewhere in the world but it's a POS made off a dub of a commercial
> release and it's not even worth owning due to the crap sound quality.
> For instance, compare the old Bix/Tram/Big Tea stuff on the Mosaic set,
> which is properly remastered from the best sources available, to the
> junk floating around cheap outside the US (most of it obtainable via
> Amazon). The other versions aren't worth owning if you care about sound
> quality.
The above argument may apply to some material and to some reissuers, but
it does not fit well in the world of classical recordings. When dipping
into their vaults, the major publishers have a mixed history seldom
reaching competence (but occasionally delivering excellence). On the
other hand, some engineers have achieved remarkably fine results working
from released copies. The Naxos historic series is one example - and is
clearly marked not for sale in the U.S.. I would rather cite Ward
Marston's work for his own label, Marston Records. Another approach on
even older material (e.g., Bettini cylinders) has been highly successful
for Chris Zwarg at TrueSound Transfers.
The major labels habitually provide fancy packaging on releases which
are incorrectly pitched, oddly equalized and inappropriately denoised.
Frequently, they choose titles for marketability without concern for
musical value. Indeed, their processing is so poor that occasionally
listeners come to me for help in making CDs from my 'catalogue'
recordings - 32 Kbps MP3 - because my own amateur efforts sound better
than commercial reissues.
Mike
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