'The Beatles' - The White Album Listening Thread - Your thoughts

[MrSmithers]

I listened to the White Album on my main system early this morning and think Giles did a wonderful remixing job [from 4 and 8 track multitracks] but it's still too HOT. Fatiguing after awhile. I never once experienced this sensation while listening to the LOVE album for its entire 81 minutes. I will vote a 9. The package itself is exceptional [a bona fide 10] and I've still to explore all the extras but I just received JT's THIS WAS and King Crimson's MELTDOWN: Live in Mexico [3 RBCDs/1 BD~A/V] today so the extras will have to wait.

You could put it in the fridge for 5 minutes before the next listen and see if it makes any difference Signore Raphael?! It does sound louder I have to admit but not felt fatigued myself...

Given that Giles worked on both I wonder if it's something to do with the codecs on the blu ray vs the DVD A? Glad you like it anyway, and it's gone some way to make up for your Pepper disappointment.

Maybe Giles is rubbing his hands at some of the vast Universal catalogue for his next projects?
https://www.universalmusic.com/universal-music-group-appoints-giles-martin-head-audio-sound/

 

[4-earredwonder]

You could put it in the fridge for 5 minutes before the next listen and see if it makes any difference Signore Raphael?! It does sound louder I have to admit but not felt fatigued myself...

Given that Giles worked on both I wonder if it's something to do with the codecs on the blu ray vs the DVD A? Glad you like it anyway, and it's gone some way to make up for your Pepper disappointment.

Maybe Giles is rubbing his hands at some of the vast Universal catalogue for his next projects?
https://www.universalmusic.com/universal-music-group-appoints-giles-martin-head-audio-sound/

I just think with Giles' relatively young ears he felt obliged to milk those masters for all they're worth, Master Smithers. And who knows what speakers they utilized to monitor the remixes. All I know is my system handles all types of 'bombastic' abuse and both Pepper and TWA ran HOT as hades. And if I do refrigerate or freeze both BD~A/Vs they'll probably rebel. Maybe I should've 'treated' them with Pumpkin Ale!

I do think The White Album is a definitive remix but the 'remastering' IMO leaves a lot to be desired especially if one chooses to play it at a ROBUST volume which I think this album demands. Of course, playing it at a lower volume reduces the 'Tizziness' but that's NO FUN, Smithers and I'm a fun guy....if I do say so, myself!

 

[wavelength]

I just think with Giles' relatively young ears he felt obliged to milk those masters for all they're worth, Master Smithers. And who knows what speakers they utilized to monitor the remixes. All I know is my system handles all types of 'bombastic' abuse and both Pepper and TWA ran HOT as hades. And if I do refrigerate or freeze both BD~A/Vs they'll probably rebel. Maybe I should've 'treated' them with Pumpkin Ale!

I do think The White Album is a definitive remix but the 'remastering' IMO leaves a lot to be desired especially if one chooses to play it at a ROBUST volume which I think this album demands. Of course, playing it at a lower volume reduces the 'Tizziness' but that's NO FUN, Smithers and I'm a fun guy....if I do say so, myself!

I read one review that said the Dolby True HD mix was recorded at a lower volume than the DTS MA mix. Would that make a difference in the "hotness"?

 

[4-earredwonder]

I read one review that said the Dolby True HD mix was recorded at a lower volume than the DTS MA mix. Would that make a difference in the "hotness"?

I did choose the Dolby True HD codec but did not compare it with the DTS MA track since my Meridian Pre/Pro 'prefers' the DOLBY True HD as it somewhat replicates MLP DVD~A which was invented by Meridian [MLP stands for Meridian Lossless Packing].

 

[kap'n krunch]

50 years, folks.. FIFTY YE ARS!!!!.. incredible just incredible... just babbling!

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

Maybe I should've 'treated' them with Pumpkin Ale!

You keep talking about that Pumpkin Bumpkin Ale, I’m going to have to go out and buy some.

 

[ar surround]

I listened to the White Album on my main system early this morning and think Giles did a wonderful remixing job [from 4 and 8 track multitracks] but it's still too HOT. Fatiguing after awhile. I never once experienced this sensation while listening to the LOVE album for its entire 81 minutes. I will vote a 9. The package itself is exceptional [a bona fide 10] and I've still to explore all the extras but I just received JT's THIS WAS and King Crimson's MELTDOWN: Live in Mexico [3 RBCDs/1 BD~A/V] today so the extras will have to wait.

I did some EQ in Audacity after ripping the 5.1. It was a pretty basic tweek...I reduced treble by -2dB and that took away much of the HOT. (A lot of the hot, fatiguing stuff is the first few tracks especially Prudence and Onion.) I also made volume / surround level mods on selected tracks as mentioned in another thread. I am so pleased with the results that I changed my vote from a 9 to 10.

 

[4-earredwonder]

You keep talking about that Pumpkin Bumpkin Ale, I’m going to have to go out and buy some.

Well, I HATE beer...always have and when I had a bottle of Pumpkin ale, I smacked my lips and said ......Mmmmm Mmmmm GOOD! It's usually only offered for sale during Oct/Nov so better hurry before it disappears.

 

[dr8track]

I've been away from the forum for awhile, mostly because I'm broke and don't want to be tempted. So imagine my shock when I logged on and saw all that had been released since my last visit. Hendrix, Lennon and the Beatles White Album!! I remember sitting in my bedroom as a teenager and playing this over and over again. My first Beatles album was Sgt Pepper and then the White Album (which I still have). After a relatively disappointiing surround mix of my fav Beatles album, Sgt Pepper, I was skeptical about what the mix on this one would be. So I said, what the hell? What's another $138 on the credit card? I pulled the trigger and ordered and it arrived today.. I've spent the evening listening and all I can say is, Fantastic!, Spectacular! Amazing! Holy Fxxk! The mix is wonderful. The clarity of the instruments is amazing. My fiance recently insisted on rearranging the living room and her priority was not ideal seating arrangement for surround. My main sitting area is now right between the rear speakers. I worried about how a surround mix would sound in this new arrangement, but it's so well mixed for separation that the new arrangement is actually great. I love the Beatles, I love this album and I love, love, love the surround mix. Can't wait for the next surround Beatles release. I hope Giles will be onboard for the remaining titles.

 

[wavelength]

My main sitting area is now right between the rear speakers. I worried about how a surround mix would sound in this new arrangement, but it's so well mixed for separation that the new arrangement is actually great. I love the Beatles, I love this album and I love, love, love the surround mix.

That's exactly how mine is setup too...the Wendy Carlos arrangement.

 

[rjpinca]

I finally received mine today from Deep Discount. The outer skin was slightly damaged [I took Jon's advice and carefully peeled the cellophane off but there WAS already a cut in that skin....no BIG deal] but when I went to play the blu~ray Audio/Video in my secondary system [An Older Oppo BDP~93] I could not access the multichannel layers.....when I tried to manually switch to DTS or Dolby HD 5.1, the TV monitor said OPERATION BLOCKED BY DISC [?]. Hopefully it'll play in my OPPO 205 and 105 without a hitch. Could be a firmware update issue with the 93.

Will listen to it in my main system tonight [hopefully without the aforementioned glitches].

I have an Oppo BDP-83. While the blu-ray is playing, if I try to change the audio track via the audio button on the remote, I also see the "operation blocked by disc". To change the audio track, I need to go to the top/main menu, choose "set up", and select a different audio track from there. I also have a Sony UBP-X800 player, and it behaves the exact same way - I cannot change the audio track while the disc is playing. I can only change it from the main menu -> set up.
So I think it is how the disc is authored, not the player.

Ray

 

[4-earredwonder]

I have an Oppo BDP-83. While the blu-ray is playing, if I try to change the audio track via the audio button on the remote, I also see the "operation blocked by disc". To change the audio track, I need to go to the top/main menu, choose "set up", and select a different audio track from there. I also have a Sony UBP-X800 player, and it behaves the exact same way - I cannot change the audio track while the disc is playing. I can only change it from the main menu -> set up.
So I think it is how the disc is authored, not the player.

Ray

I agree, Ray. My BD~93 usually has NO problems playing any of my BD~A discs but this one did pose a challenge. It played flawlessly on my 105 and UHD 205 but the 105 did have a few burps. It is strangely authored, IMO, not as intuitive as most BD~As [and I have over 200]. My BDP~93 even in set~up defaults to LPCM Stereo even though I chose either 5.1 options. Oh, well!

 

[dr8track]

That's exactly how mine is setup too...the Wendy Carlos arrangement.

For me it was the "fiance Mary arrangement", but yes, purely coincidentally it does emulate a Wendy Carlos setup. : )

 

[John Svensson]

To settle the important issue....Southern Tier's "Pumpking Ale", brewed outside Jamestown, NY is the absolute peak of pumpkin intoxicants.

 

[Raysdeathmachine]

To settle the important issue....Southern Tier's "Pumpking Ale", brewed outside Jamestown, NY is the absolute peak of pumpkin intoxicants.

 

[JonUrban]

I've been away from the forum for awhile, mostly because I'm broke and don't want to be tempted. So imagine my shock when I logged on and saw all that had been released since my last visit. Hendrix, Lennon and the Beatles White Album!! I remember sitting in my bedroom as a teenager and playing this over and over again. My first Beatles album was Sgt Pepper and then the White Album (which I still have). After a relatively disappointiing surround mix of my fav Beatles album, Sgt Pepper, I was skeptical about what the mix on this one would be. So I said, what the hell? What's another $138 on the credit card? I pulled the trigger and ordered and it arrived today.. I've spent the evening listening and all I can say is, Fantastic!, Spectacular! Amazing! Holy Fxxk! The mix is wonderful. The clarity of the instruments is amazing. My fiance recently insisted on rearranging the living room and her priority was not ideal seating arrangement for surround. My main sitting area is now right between the rear speakers. I worried about how a surround mix would sound in this new arrangement, but it's so well mixed for separation that the new arrangement is actually great. I love the Beatles, I love this album and I love, love, love the surround mix. Can't wait for the next surround Beatles release. I hope Giles will be onboard for the remaining titles.

Hey there, glad to see you back. Folks, this is QQ Member #29, a forum original! Took the White Album to get you back, eh?

 

[Marplot]

on a related note, 12 Sgt Peppers @Amazon Warehouse for $85 USD https://www.amazon.com/Peppers-Lone...F8&qid=1542470129&sr=8-4&keywords=the+beatles
I know it isn't the homerun that The White Album is, but decent price if you want one.

 

[jdmack]

Thanks to Jon making me aware of the MakeMKV software (thank you!), I was able to convert the 5.1 mix to something I could work with in Adobe Audition. So far, I've only worked with sides 1 and 2, but certain tweaks improved the sound quite a bit FOR ME (ymmv). First, I found that a parametric EQ setting centered at 2430 Hz with a Q of 16 and a reduction of 11 or 12 db really helped with the frequencies that were fatiguing my ears. Second, I reduced the center channel level from 100% to 80% to help the lead vocals blend with the music more to my liking. For "Dear Prudence" I did a significant treble reduction on the corner channels because those cymbals were killing me with brightness. For some of the songs with a loud harsh snare, I reduced the EQ between 4 K and 5.6 K by about 4 db in the front channels. The LFE for "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" is a lot louder than on any other song, so I reduced its level by 12 db. I muted the center channel completely for "I Will" as the vocals are plenty loud in front left and right channels, and I lowered the center channel in "Julia" by 14 db for the same reason.

On to sides 3 and 4!

 

[colman]

Thanks to Jon making me aware of the MakeMKV software (thank you!), I was able to convert the 5.1 mix to something I could work with in Adobe Audition. So far, I've only worked with sides 1 and 2, but certain tweaks improved the sound quite a bit FOR ME (ymmv)....

Thanks so much for this very interesting and useful post… I may not go to the same trouble myself, but it was very interesting to read about your efforts here.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[webvan]

Didn't remember I had an account here and my posts are so old they won't even show up.

Anyway I'm back in 5.1action after acquiring a jBL soundbar with wireless satellites and my first listen was TWA, not a bad restart! Not much too add to what more expert ears have already written but I'll just say I really dig the hooky tonk piano in Rocky Raccoon that pops out back right!