Just got my copy today from hmv Japan. Listening to it now. Very intense quad experience!!!
Dan in Spokane
Dan in Spokane
Tomita
- Thread starter rustyandi
- Start date
Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:
Doh! Congrats to you but I see my order is still in a holding pattern. Still waiting for one more title to show before they ship. I'm half tempted to cancel the straggling title, but I figure if I'm going to order from Japan I might is well make it worth my while. I ordered a few other Japanese only DVD-A titles (all classical, of course). You know a format is lacking for titles when I start ordering classical imports, but I digress... :|
Okay, I finally got my order from HMV Japan, including the Tomita Planets 2003 DVD-A. I must say that I am quite disappointed with this disc.
I was assuming this was going to be brand-new recording of Tomita's unique interpretation of the classic Holst' composition. Unfortunately, it is not. It is simply the original quadraphonic recording from 1976 reissued on DVD-A. This fact is not troubling in and of itself, since I love the recording and would certainly have bought it as a reissue. But with the new packaging and the new title, it is very misleading.
The fact that it is not a new recording but is instead a "stealth reissue" is just a minor quibble. What really bugs me is that this DVD-A seems to have been mastered from a CD-4 quadraphonic LP! Yep, that's right, as great as this disc sounds, there are many tell-tale signs that this was mastered from an LP. There are numerous examples, but if you listen to the first track between 2:25 and 2:45, you will clearly hear the pops and clicks associated with an LP. The minor pops and clicks permeate the entire recording.
<strong>I urge anyone who has the recording to listen for this and report back your findings! I just want to make sure I just haven't gone bonkers.</strong>
I really wish I could read Japanese. Perhaps the booklet describes why this was done. As it is, I can only assume that the master tapes were lost or destroyed. I thought maybe the noise I was hearing was on the master tapes, but I really doubt it. I know vinyl noise pretty well and I'm 99% certain that this disc was mastered from LP.
I was assuming this was going to be brand-new recording of Tomita's unique interpretation of the classic Holst' composition. Unfortunately, it is not. It is simply the original quadraphonic recording from 1976 reissued on DVD-A. This fact is not troubling in and of itself, since I love the recording and would certainly have bought it as a reissue. But with the new packaging and the new title, it is very misleading.
The fact that it is not a new recording but is instead a "stealth reissue" is just a minor quibble. What really bugs me is that this DVD-A seems to have been mastered from a CD-4 quadraphonic LP! Yep, that's right, as great as this disc sounds, there are many tell-tale signs that this was mastered from an LP. There are numerous examples, but if you listen to the first track between 2:25 and 2:45, you will clearly hear the pops and clicks associated with an LP. The minor pops and clicks permeate the entire recording.
<strong>I urge anyone who has the recording to listen for this and report back your findings! I just want to make sure I just haven't gone bonkers.</strong>
I really wish I could read Japanese. Perhaps the booklet describes why this was done. As it is, I can only assume that the master tapes were lost or destroyed. I thought maybe the noise I was hearing was on the master tapes, but I really doubt it. I know vinyl noise pretty well and I'm 99% certain that this disc was mastered from LP.
Thanks for the warning Cai!<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT="">
I was seriously considering getting this.....big Tomita fan!
But, I think I'll stick to the original quad. reel now, it may be closer to the master than the DVD-A!!
QuadBob
"> I was seriously considering getting this.....big Tomita fan!
But, I think I'll stick to the original quad. reel now, it may be closer to the master than the DVD-A!!
QuadBob
A
ArmyOfQuad
Guest
yes, I noticed clicks too. I'm glad someone else noticed them, I thought I was hearing things or that there was something wrong with the disc or player. Now I'm going to have to get a DTS transfer of the reel.
Yeah, I was wondering that if for some reason they couldn't use the master tapes, then why didn't they go with the 7" reel? Maybe Tomita doesn't like a little tape hiss? I mean, <strong>IF</strong> the disc was mastered from a CD-4 LP, they did a great job. I'd sure like to know what equipment they used. However I still have to ask the question, why didn't they clean up the pops and ticks in the digital domain? They are sparse and isolated enough that they could have easily edited them out with pinpoint accuracy, leaving the recording itself virtually unchanged. This release just doesn't make any sense. I would really, really like to get the full story.
Yes, I don't get it either. The fidelity is outstanding. Could it be a damaged tape, or spurious noise in the mastering stage? If CD-4 sounded this good, wow. I agree, a little time on a digital workstation would have cleaned it right up. Maybe this is why it is so hard to find, it is a defective product? I guess someone should get the Steel program fired up to make a corrected copy.
Dan in Spokane
Dan in Spokane
B
BiggerzBetter
Guest
I guess it wouldn't surprise me that a record company would be deceptive about a release, but I'm still not sure that <span style="text-decoration:underline">The Planets 2003</span> is simply the old quad recording (which I've never heard) ported over to DVD-A. The mix on the DVD-A isn't the same as the original stereo mix, but I think everyone agrees on that. Someone else mentioned that the sonics of this DVD-A are certainly <em>quite</em> impressive if this <strong>is</strong> just a simple port.
Not helping matters is the DVD-A info posted on the back:
LPCM(MLP) / 4.1ch / 96kHz / 24bit
I guess that could be accurate if referring to equipment used to import the old quad info into DVD-A, but it would be uncategorically deceptive.
I was wondering if this wasn't a new production using elements from the original. I still love the sound on this disc, so perhaps it's all moot.
Not helping matters is the DVD-A info posted on the back:
LPCM(MLP) / 4.1ch / 96kHz / 24bit
I guess that could be accurate if referring to equipment used to import the old quad info into DVD-A, but it would be uncategorically deceptive.
I was wondering if this wasn't a new production using elements from the original. I still love the sound on this disc, so perhaps it's all moot.
Is Tomita still around and releasing new stuff? If so, you would think he would be raring to get into DVD-A. Getting his "classic" stuff out should be a priority for RCA.
I mean, they went through the trouble of releasing those Dolby Pro Logic Surround CDs a while back, a DVD-A should blow those away. I wonder how they mastered those PL CDs. I actually have one (Snowflakes), and it is no where near the Q4 I have (that I am finally converting to DTS as we speak)
:-jon
I mean, they went through the trouble of releasing those Dolby Pro Logic Surround CDs a while back, a DVD-A should blow those away. I wonder how they mastered those PL CDs. I actually have one (Snowflakes), and it is no where near the Q4 I have (that I am finally converting to DTS as we speak)
:-jon
There is no doubt in my mind that this is the original quad mix (with an extrapolated LFE channel thrown in for good measure).
