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J. Williams & LSO, The EMPIRE STRIKES BACK AUDIOPHILE EDITION - Restored & Remastered Score (Released) — Page 15

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A note about remastering

Well, planning to take a crank at two Indiana Jones soundtracks I was brought through my researches on the site of the master engineer Steve Hoffman (DCC releases) and found his "lessons" for EQs and so for audiophiles.

I was glad to see my whole process matched with the one he recommands, in "cheapest" , so I can only invite anybody interested to read that:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/


Now I must say I feel a little like a ant in front of his knowledge. Of course I surely don't have such an equipment he recommands.

To make it short about my own process, I use a first digital equalization to make the sound the more precise possible (through an old version of Nero, on a damn precise sounding very old computer - a Bull one), ignoring any kind of enhancements, what results in a flat sound. I call that: "make my table clean". I burn this work on a CD and check out on my Marrantz CD player if it sounds equilibrated, with bass & treble at 0 (though I use to leave the loundness function enabled as I'm used to it)...
... Please note: I haven't said "good"... But "equilibrated".
To notice also: I use to lower the volume on this first stuff.

Second step goes with uploading this new stuff, and find the precises points where to model my sound, and my way to do this matches quite well with S. Hoffman's ways.
BTW, when he says "never add, just subtract what is there already", I can only agreed.

I use the exact same graphic equalizator on this step cause I don't have other equipment nor I have a precise parametric equalizator. However I keep on modeling and thinking in curves and rare are the occasions when I break one.


A serious and well equiped audiophile may have worked at such restorations than the one attempted here with cheap equipment,  and I'm sure it would have given a better rendition. Never forget that digital processing only imitate the analog ones, and the word "digital" should be relied to the final format and to a couple of tools for accurate checking, but not to a quality guaranty ( - "Digitally remastered" ! ).

Anyway, just thought sharing those informations may be useful for people like Hairy Hen working at audio mixes enhancements.

 

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A B C said:

A note about remastering

Well, planning to take a cranck at two Indiana Jones soundtracks I was brought through my researches on the site of the master engineer Steve Hoffman (DCC releases) and found his "lessons" for EQs and so for audiophiles.

I was glad to see my whole process matched with the one he recommands, in "cheapest" , so I can only invite anybody interested to read that:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/


Now I must say I feel a little like a ant in front of his knowledge. Of course I surely don't have such an equipment he recommands.

To make it short about my own process, I use a first digital equalization to make the sound the more precise possible (through an old version of Nero, on a damn precise sounding very old computer - a Bull one), ignoring any kind of enhancements, what results in a flat sound. I call that: "make my table clean". I burn this work on a CD and check out on my Marrantz CD player if it sounds equilibrated, with bass & treble at 0 (though I use to leave the loundness function enabled as I'm used to it)...
... Please note: I haven't said "good"... But "equilibrated".
To notice also: I use to lower the volume on this first stuff.

Second step goes with uploading this new stuff, and find the precises points where to model my sound, and my way to do this matches quite well with S. Hoffman's ways.
BTW, when he says "never add, just subtract what is there already", I can only agreed.

I use the exact same graphic equalizator on this step cause I don't have other equipment nor I have a precise parametric equalizator. However I keep on modeling and thinking in curves and rare are the occasions when I break one.


A serious and well equiped audiophile may have worked at such restorations than the one attempted here with cheap equipment,  and I'm sure it would have given a better rendition. Never forget that digital processing only imitate the analog ones, and the word "digital" should be relied to the final format and to a couple of tools for accurate checking, but not to a quality guaranty ( - "Digitally remastered" ! ).

Anyway, just thought sharing those informations may be useful for people like Hairy Hen working at audio mixes enhancements.

 

While it is true that subtraction is better than addition when using EQ, a carefully placed addition can do just as good so long as it doesn't harm the music.

If you search through Mr. Hoffman's site, there are many examples of where he has added EQ instead of reducing. Don't be afraid to play around with EQ.  :-)

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MasteringJedi said:

While it is true that subtraction is better than addition when using EQ, a carefully placed addition can do just as good so long as it doesn't harm the music.

If you search through Mr. Hoffman's site, there are many examples of where he has added EQ instead of reducing. Don't be afraid to play around with EQ.  :-)

 Yeah, I like that.

Actually, if you take my samples into consideration, I haven't been afraid of anything. The SE or the Anthology are not subtle recordings and my settings - mostly for the 1st one - were real mountains !

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There's a reason EQ is available on most receivers, that is what is great about Hoffman's approach to audio recordings, preserve what is there and let your audio system do the work for you, not the other way around just because many people have bad listening conditions available. The only thing such great mastering jobs need from you is that you fiddle a little on your own system.

We want you to be aware that we have no plans—now or in the future—to restore the earlier versions. 

Sincerely, Lynne Hale publicity@lucasfilm.com

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Well - I gave a listen to A B C's "ESB:AE" work and I must say that it is brilliant work considering what he had to work with! I know many, many engineers with multi-thousand dollar set-ups in high end facilities who can't do what A B C did.

Well done sir!

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Believe it or not I've just stumbled across this thread. I've been checking out orignaltrilogy.com on and off for some time, but have never registered for the forums until finding this thread. I'm familiar with fan edits (thanks to first discovering Adywan's work, and then others), but this is the first I've noticed re-mastered fan audio. 

Please don't tell me it's too late to get in on this Audiophile Edition of ESB. Out of all the Star Wars OTS CD's I have (and I have them all) I have been waiting for a top quality set like this to be released and of course it never is. It's kind of a shame that fans have to take these issues into their own hands to get the quality they deserve. Although on the other hand, it makes for an amazing project crafted from nothing but love for the material and the quality and that really isn't such a bad thing. 

I'm dying to listen to this beginning to end. Who do I have to beg to get a copy of this audiophile quality album? This needs to be in my collection! The praise of the music and the graphic quality of the inserts is just too impressive to not have a copy I can spin for myself.

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Syd Stryfe said:

It's kind of a shame that fans have to take these issues into their own hands to get the quality they deserve. Although on the other hand, it makes for an amazing project crafted from nothing but love for the material and the quality and that really isn't such a bad thing. 

 

 I like how much these two points are precisely true !

 

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JediMasterFisher said:

I really would love to hear this. I really enjoyed the earlier releases :)

Count this as a "me too!" I've been following this thread with interest, seeing as I have the original RSO LP (played maybe three times total) and would love to hear how A B C has cleaned it up and enhanced it. =) The positive feedback from everyone so far has my interest piqued!

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fishmanlee said:

 i would also, and i also enjoyed the earlier Optimum/Salvage releases 

 Meaning no arm, may I ask you avoid making bad edits & mp3's demonstrations with it, please Fish ?... Just a wish.

 

blitter said:

The positive feedback from everyone so far has my interest piqued!

 I'm glad: it makes me right to have been a little annoying with the feedbacks matter ;)

... Check your pm's.

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- SW Trilogy NPR Radio Drama - (Request)

I'm not making a request thread for the moment but I've just bumped a thread in the fan edits forum for that. I've listened the Empire NPR Radio Drama recently and there are a couple of music bits in it that I would love to have extrated (in lossless) for further restorations, perhaps more based on the session mixes than the album ones ...

If anyone has this I will be able to point the exact timings of the passages I may be interested in. There should be no more than 10 or 15 min, though I don't know if there may be more in the bonus from the limited edition version.

Thanks to pm me if you can help.

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A B C said:

msycamore said:

There's a reason EQ is available on most receivers...

 Mmmhh... I don't have EQ's.

Maybe I formulated myself badly, I didn't mean that you have to own your own studio with parametric EQ. Most modern receivers today can make the audio from records suited to your own listening enviroment. Some EQ is always needed of course, I just think the final touches should be made by yourself on your own system instead of the music industry doing it for you in the re-mastering process by limiting and altering the material by trying to found a good middle ground for the average lazy listener who don't even care to turn the treble or bass knob...

We want you to be aware that we have no plans—now or in the future—to restore the earlier versions. 

Sincerely, Lynne Hale publicity@lucasfilm.com

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Mmmh... I see. When remastering, I try to make you lazy as possible for you don't even have to turn trebles or bass... I wonder if it works. :)

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Got a chance to listen to it this weekend. Sounds amazing! Great job.

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Thanks.

So, did anyone succeed in building a nice set with the arts ? (I even not built the simple ones for myself for now...)

 

 

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So far I've only had a chance to listen to this on my Mac - sounds amazing! I want to listen to this on my stereo, but I'm out of CD-R's to burn it.

Speaking of CD-R's, does anyone have any recommendations for high quality discs - the kind this set deserves? I'm not looking for the cheap Memorex stuff you buy at Target or Best Buy, I'm talking the type of discs those in the audio industry would use. Any insight would be appreciated.

As far as the CD case, I'm planning out the best way to print this package. I'm going to work on some sketches and figure out how I would like it to go together. I would like to avoid adhesive sticky-back printing, so I'm exploring how this could be printed on one piece of card and assembled into a three CD book. If I come up with a layout that works, I'll share it here.

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satanika said:

Taiyo Yuden CDRs are generally considered the best.

 Where to you find such stuff ? Is it Japaneese ?

I found myself a place where I can get Intenso (Germany) CDR's. I've been explained that they don't have special codecs like Sony or so wich look to evolute with time. The specialist who send these only sells that label, and they're not expensive.

Any more comment about this subject is welcome.

 

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TY's should be easy to find online, if you're in the EU/Europe there a place called nierle for example.

Special codecs?? Sorry, I don't fully understand that sentence.. AFAIK Intenso is just a label, not a manufacturer - meaning intenso discs could be for example ritek or prodisc.. You should always look for the manufacturer, not the brand/label..

The Monkey King - Uproar In heaven (1965) Restoration/Preservation Project

Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (1979) BBC 1.66:1 & Theatrical 2.35:1 preservations

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satanika said:

Special codecs?? Sorry, I don't fully understand that sentence.. AFAIK Intenso is just a label, not a manufacturer - meaning intenso discs could be for example ritek or prodisc.. You should always look for the manufacturer, not the brand/label..

 Yeah, I know. I shouldn't try to repeat what I'm told by specialists... But indeed, I've been told about a matter of codecs, in the way the CDRs are programed.

Anyway, what I can repeat the better from what I've been told is that the Intenso CDRs - no matter the manufacturer (I mean the guy knows the manufacturers anyway... not me) -are made following the most rudimentary and essential book of specifications, on the contrary of Sony ones for instance wich may have a few things added.

I'm just repeating though, once again.