Beatles to release expanded "Red" and "Blue" compilations in Dolby Atmos, including brand new song "Now and Then"

[jberq]

Sgt. Pepper has been available in Atmos on streaming services for years. In fact, there have been 2 different Atmos mixes. The current version being better than the original.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, the Atmos mix information in the official announcement has some discrepancies. For example, The White Album has never had an Atmos release, so if the mixes are indeed from 2018 they were previously unreleased. Presumably Giles created Atmos and 5.1 mixes at the same time and the Atmos mix was never included in the super deluxe box or released to streaming.

Not sure I can buy he mixed the White Album in Atmos in 2018 and they never released it to physical media or streaming (see Sgt Pepper & Revolver, Atmos never released on physical media but is available streaming).

 

[admsh]

Not sure I can buy he mixed the White Album in Atmos in 2018 and they never released it to physical media or streaming (see Sgt Pepper & Revolver, Atmos never released on physical media but is available streaming).

Yeah, I think the labeling is only true for the stereo mixes. Some of the atmos mixes labeled 2015 are definitely new, and I bet others are as well.

 

[bookofsaturdays]

Compare the Atmos mix of Eight Days a Week from ‘1’ and the new Red album version, you’ll instantly hear the difference.

On the ‘1’ version all I hear is hand claps in the rears, and really they don’t even make it fully to the rears, they sound more brought in the middle of the room.

 

[Blackwood]

I’ve been waiting for this to hit their website after reading it in the magazine. I’ve said before I just want an honest reason why you can’t make an Atmos disc for release of any title where the mix exists.

Apple Corps answers:

One of us (JCA) has been asking this question ever since Apple Music's Dolby Atmos debut and has rarely received a straight answer. Jones—the Apple Corps CEO—provided one. In the past, higher-quality Atmos files (and other multichannel formats) were stashed on Blu-ray discs in a few deluxe edition box sets, including some of the earlier Beatles 50th anniversary "super deluxe" boxes. Jones's news: Those Blu-ray discs are going away. Why? Because they raise costs hence the retail price, and, as Jones put it, "very few consumers care." The streaming version of Atmos spatial audio, Jones said, "made the Blu-ray obsolete." Neither the new Beatles tune nor the new remixes will be available in high-quality Atmos. What you stream on Apple Music is what you get.

I know they must think about it, but this guy gives the impression that the only option is to include the disc in a box set.

And I so completely disagree with it. Try it... put out a standalone Bluray of the Beatles in Atmos and see what happens. Pick a price and go for it. Go ahead and squeeze us for $40 or something. Or allow it to be downloadable (I know... that won’t happen) or partner with SDE.

As for “very few consumers care”, it seems to be working for the labels who continue to put out physical releases. What do they know that Apple Corps doesn’t?

Ugh. I’m letting this really annoy me and I shouldn’t. If they don’t want my money, I should just let it go.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/beatles-last-stand

 

[tezzalavell]

I’ve been waiting for this to hit their website after reading it in the magazine. I’ve said before I just want an honest reason why you can’t make an Atmos disc for release of any title where the mix exists.

Apple Corps answers:



I know they must think about it, but this guy gives the impression that the only option is to include the disc in a box set.

And I so completely disagree with it. Try it... put out a standalone Bluray of the Beatles in Atmos and see what happens. Pick a price and go for it. Go ahead and squeeze us for $40 or something. Or allow it to be downloadable (I know... that won’t happen) or partner with SDE.

As for “very few consumers care”, it seems to be working for the labels who continue to put out physical releases. What do they know that Apple Corps doesn’t?

Ugh. I’m letting this really annoy me and I shouldn’t. If they don’t want my money, I should just let it go.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/beatles-last-stand

As a straight forward 5.1 guy ( No atmos, no streaming etc etc) I gave up when the Revolver box set failed to provide a blue ray.
So I started making my own surround mixes using a simple AI, HitnMix RipX ( gives me 6 stems and they are pretty good and discrete especially on vocals and drums ). I just bought the Red Blue SHM cds from CD Japan and I am overjoyed with my surround mixing so far. If my old ears think my results are OK what could the guys at Abbey Road do.
As Blackwood said standalone blue ray is an easy option, thousands of takers I'm sure . Oh well

 

[jimfisheye]

Haha. As a guy very into 5.1 and now 7.1.4... As a guy who also has the MFSL box I gave up after hearing volume war mastering style compression and shrillness in the Peppers and White remixes. I checked out a couple copies of this new track - what appeared to be official 24 bit releases. It's more extreme volume war garbage. The entire sound is crushed to the point you'd never notice the rough vocal. Unless that was intentional camouflage? Sounds like straight cheapness.

Maybe an Atmos release will at least be free of the crushed/hyped thing if nothing to write home about? Kind of like that new Rolling Stones.

 

[ted_b]

ushed/hyped thing if nothing to write home about? Kind of like that new Rolling Stones.

Clearly we have established that the cds (at least the 2 channel streams) are very compressed and NO COMPARISON to the much more dynamic Atmos streams. What I don't understand is why so many people feel the Atmos mixes are no big thing, or are "nothing to write home about". I feel most of them are revelatory. My $.02

 

[humprof]

I’ve been waiting for this to hit their website after reading it in the magazine. I’ve said before I just want an honest reason why you can’t make an Atmos disc for release of any title where the mix exists.

Apple Corps answers:



I know they must think about it, but this guy gives the impression that the only option is to include the disc in a box set.

And I so completely disagree with it. Try it... put out a standalone Bluray of the Beatles in Atmos and see what happens. Pick a price and go for it. Go ahead and squeeze us for $40 or something. Or allow it to be downloadable (I know... that won’t happen) or partner with SDE.

As for “very few consumers care”, it seems to be working for the labels who continue to put out physical releases. What do they know that Apple Corps doesn’t?

Ugh. I’m letting this really annoy me and I shouldn’t. If they don’t want my money, I should just let it go.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/beatles-last-stand

I'm glad that Austin and Fine tried to hold Jones's feet to the fire, at least--and that they've gone public with their complaint about the larger issue--namely: low-res/low-bitrate Atmos streaming--in a (relatively) high-profile venue.

But jeez: Jeff Jones--what a dope. He's not doing anything to combat the stereotype that music industry CEOs are dolts who don't actually care about music, is he? As Austin and Fine write:

Jones is probably correct: Few consumers care. Streaming Atmos is good enough for most folks. Older audiophiles have lived long enough to remember previous generations of record executives telling us that no one cares about better sound. We, of course, are those "very few consumers." We do care.

Jeff Jones doesn't speak for the whole music industry. One suspects, though, that the opinion he expressed is widely held....

 

[stereoptic]

Clearly we have established that the cds (at least the 2 channel streams) are very compressed and NO COMPARISON to the much more dynamic Atmos streams. What I don't understand is why so many people feel the Atmos mixes are no big thing, or are "nothing to write home about". I feel most of them are revelatory. My $.02

The 45 has more dynamics than the hi-res

 

[jimfisheye]

Yeah ya know, when there are mixes released that are truly astounding and yours isn't, all you have left is excuses like "Well, no one cares so we just didn't do a good job because we know that no one cares!"

I'm not so much ignoring streaming as just not jumped onboard yet. I'm aware of lossless stereo now. Was planning to bide my time and wait for the software spoofing over Atmos to die down before looking into the streaming version.

Seeing the unmolested looking stereo stream audio above is sure a positive sign I wouldn't have guessed at though! So is the "Atmos" audio there just stereo source and only using Atmos as copy protection or is that an Atmos binaural downmix from a multi channel mix source? If a downmix, what channel format is the original and what does that look like?

 

[GOS]

OK, so here is how out of the loop I am. Too many posts, pages....blah blah.

Are both Red and Blue streaming on Apple right now?

 

[PurpleMoustache]

OK, so here is how out of the loop I am. Too many posts, pages....blah blah.

Are both Red and Blue streaming on Apple right now?

That they are

 

[lukpac]

And as I said earlier, they restored the harmonica during the intro of From Me To You that was originally inserted directly onto the mono mix down.

The harmonica wasn't done live on the mono mix. The intro vocals and intro harmonica were 2 separate second generation twin-track overdubs. The stereo version simply used the vocal take, while the mono mix had the vocal and harmonica takes sync'd up for the intro.

There's a major problem with the new remix in the intro. I don't know if they tried to extract the harmonica from the mono mix (why?), or if there was some other problem, but the harmonica has a weird flutter on it. That doesn't exist on the session tape, which can be used to produce a perfect stereo mix. Utterly baffling.

 

[GOS]

That they are

Excellent, my morbid curiosity is getting the best of me. I'll flag those and listen later. Thanks

 

[bookofsaturdays]

The harmonica wasn't done live on the mono mix. The intro vocals and intro harmonica were 2 separate second generation twin-track overdubs. The stereo version simply used the vocal take, while the mono mix had the vocal and harmonica takes sync'd up for the intro.

There's a major problem with the new remix in the intro. I don't know if they tried to extract the harmonica from the mono mix (why?), or if there was some other problem, but the harmonica has a weird flutter on it. That doesn't exist on the session tape, which can be used to produce a perfect stereo mix. Utterly baffling.

Thanks, you’re always so knowledgeable. I’m eternally grateful for your Frank Zappa Album Versions Guide.

 

[lukpac]

Thanks, you’re always so knowledgeable. I’m eternally grateful for your Frank Zappa Album Versions Guide.

Thanks, although that's just hosted on my site. David Goodwin is the admin for the Zappa Patio.

 

[Blackwood]

So I started making my own surround mixes using a simple AI, HitnMix RipX

Nuts. That post is probably going to cost me some money.

Might be worthy of its own thread as there’s been talk before about tools to pull apart songs for remixing.

For me, I just like it when trying to learn songs and want to separate instruments. I’ve used all sorts of tools over the years but the demo of this one is pretty nice and something I might just buy.

 

[bookofsaturdays]

Thanks, although that's just hosted on my site. David Goodwin is the admin for the Zappa Patio.

Then please pass on my kudos to David. So interesting reading up on the different versions and so much fun trying to collect them all!

 

[watsontr]

So can anyone confirm if the new Red and Blue CDs are as heavily compressed as the Now and Then example shown elsewhere here? There's no physical store within 100kms so would like to know if I get the chance to travel!

 

[nickleb474]

So can anyone confirm if the new Red and Blue CDs are as heavily compressed as the Now and Then example shown elsewhere here? There's no physical store within 100kms so would like to know if I get the chance to travel!

The CDs are slightly more compressed than the Atmos mixes, but the difference is not nearly as extreme as with Now and Then.