Due to compatability issues between format of the analogue to digital transfers(176.4Khz,32-bit) of the Klaatu albums, and the equipment of engineer Steve Hoffman, Hoffman has backed out of the Klaatu remasters project. The project(on the group's own label) is still going to happen with another mastering engineer. That last fact isn't mentioned on Hoffman's forum, and if anyone tried to mention it , no doubt, Hoffman's censors would swoop down fast and delete it. Don't expect any bonus tracks. The outtakes that the 3 (slightly feuding) members(of the long-defunct group) could agree on releasing, were already issued on the group's archival CD projects "Sun Set" & "Solology".
Personally, I have no complaint about the sound quality of the previous remasters on the Bullseye label, though, I'm aware that 500 consumers got a defective pressing of the group's debut album "3:47 EST" , with the song "California Jam" accidentally mastered in mono sound. Luckily, the song is in stereo on my CD.
The reason for the remasters & reissues is primarily because the Bullseye label went out of business.

Who needs another version on CD? I already have 10 different CD releases of the first album.

But I'd love to have the high resolution files available to purchase as downloads, like McCartney did with his archival releases.

My 24 bit, 96 kHz transfer from sealed vinyl sounds great, but it would be interesting to hear 3:47 E.S.T. from the original master tapes in even higher resolution, and without dynamic compression applied.

The Justin CD is my go-to pressing for this album.

Heh... that's a lame excuse. It's an uncommon digital resolution but I'm sure LA has a couple studios or rental companies where he could get a hold of something that could play the files.

Doesn't Grnat record everything to 32 bit? Couldn't he just ask him to dither it down?

David Bradley, the webmaster of the Klaatu fan website indicates that the remasters have already been mastered....without Steve Hoffman. Funny, Jaime that you'd want to see Hoffman get the mastering gig, since you were long ago banished from Hoffman's forums(as was I).

The fact you two (and countless others) were banned at sh.tv doesn't negate the fact that SH usually does a good job on remastering projects, plus you know somewhat what to expect from him. Now, it could be compressed and no-noised to hell.

I have the Daffodil LP and the Justin CD so I'm set for this album.

I haven't been a fan of Steve's recent mastering work (hence my banishment). His new style is unflattering to the music. He's also not doing enough to fix problems that should be addressed like lack of clarity and muddiness (among other things). None of his old stuff was this flat.

It still seems like a lame excuse to turn down a gig. He's been losing work left and right to Kevin Gray and George Marino. If he really wanted to do this remaster he could've easily found a way. I wonder if there's a story behind the story.

I thought the exact same thing.

This brings up a good point.

Were Kevin and Steve not kind of a team at Acoustech?

Now they seem to be working independently, Kevin at Cohearent and SH at Stephen Marsh Mastering.
A falling out? And what happened to Acoustech?

It may have been Acoustic Sounds (Chad Kassem), and Kevin Gray that built Acoustech on the RTI pressing site and when RTI started to get real busy with Warner Bros. and Mobile Fidelity and other labels, Chad became just another customer with them. Then last year the business relationship of Acoustech, RTI, and Analogue Productions broke down and Acoustech closed. Kevin Gray opened Cohearant Mastering near his home using the Acoustech gear. Maybe SH was actually an employee at Acoustech and nothing more.
Chad still uses Kevin Gray and Cohearant for his mastering, or at least he did.

Steve is no longer doing the Music Matters Blue Note LPs and George Marino seems to be doing all the Analogue Productions releases. Is Steve's only remaining gig doing half the AF gold CDs?

And why does he hire Stephen Marsh to do his mastering work for him? I've never heard of that before. I suspect Stephen Marsh runs all that newfangled Pro Tools stuff while Steve H. sort of conducts the session. Hoffman used to do a lot his his work at home. I wonder why there was a change.

And Jamie throws a big ol' gopher ball right out over the middle of the plate...

Haha... I didn't even think about that.

I've read enough of your posts to know when you say something like that you have an answer already in mind that you're not writing because you don't have any proof. So please say it. Inquiring minds want to know!

No one will flog you here like they will at sh.tv. We're allowed to speculate! I got so used to being censored by that awful Steve Hoffman and his cronies that I was beginning to think I was only allowed to have one thought ("Steve Hoffman is God"). A cult if there ever was one. Not even of personality.

Got the 3:47 EST remaster today. You guys won't like it. Bah!! Stick with your Justin and Attic CDs or Daffodil vinyl.

Agreed. I was hoping for an improvement, but alas, no.

This is so sad; I read this on the Hoffman board as well that this was a disappointment. This was their shot, meaning Klaatu to get it together. What a shame, I was so looking forward to it.

Kym/Jamie, was it to too compressed or "loud"? Any further comment would be welcomed.

Rick A.

It sounds pretty compressed and the EQ is a bit much, especially on the top end. It's more remastered-er.

This was a great recording/mix. I don't know why they did so much to it.

Thanks Jamie, my thoughts exactly. Basically the sound initially captured on master tape just needed a simple sprucing, not an equing.

Rick A.

I actually thought it sounded pretty good, but very different from the other releases. One thing though, some of the songs seemed slower to me. I posted this fact on a Klaatu facebook page and Terry Draper actually sent me a message telling me he was going to look into it. Does Calling Occupants for instance, sound slower to you guys that have the 2011 remaster? Overall, I think it sounds good but it's different enough for me to keep the Bullseye issue as the one I'm used to.

There are some minor pitch differences between the new CD and the older CDs/original vinyl.

Did you see the reply on the Hoffman board from Bullseye about the remastering complaints? Whoa...


Quote:
Originally Posted by bullseyecanada
So turn the volume down. The remaster is not distorted...so what's the issue?

Turning the volume down won't eliminate the clipping caused by the limiter or restore the dynamics lost from the hyper compression.


Rick A.