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The Missing Octave(s) - Audacity Remastering to Restore Tracks


Chris A

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I've demastered both of them.  If you send me a valid email address via PM, I can access you to the demastered FLAC folders on Google Drive folders. 

 

EDIT: I've also demastered Even in the Quietest Moments, Crisis? What Crisis?, and Retrospectacle (Discs 1 &2).  I also have Roger Hodgson's In the Eye of the Storm and Open the Door...all demastered.

 

Chris

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  • 2 months later...
On 7/27/2016 at 9:04 PM, Chris A said:

3) The Cornwall has narrowing polars of the bass bin up to 800-1000 Hz, which will also form a disturbance with the midrange horn horizontal and vertical polars, in addition to the time misalignment of the woofer--midrange horn.  Its midrange-tweeter polar misalignments are similar to Khorns, La Scalas, and Belles.

 

Etc., etc.

This sure seems to cast a vote for the Ported Heresy as being the most phase correct of the Klipsch offerings currently.

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  • 1 year later...

So, I just discovered and read through this thread a few related ones.  All this makes sense to me as I've always suspected mastering shenanigans on the part of the record companies, especially all my favorite classic rock music that was mastered to sound "good" on FM car radios.  However, ripping and demastering all my music collection is going to be a gargantuan and time consuming effort.  It also won't help with the stuff I listen to on Amazon Music.  So, I was thinking of trying to do some demastering "on the fly" as I listen.  My first thought was maybe using the analog output from my Oppo disc player/DAC, taking that through a good quality graphic equalizer, and using an alternate analog input on my processor.  I'd use that path when I'd want to listen to obviously badly mastered recordings and do a rough demaster at listening time.  Anyone have an good recommendations on a good equalizer (or some other equalization device that I'm missing).  I was going to look at some of the old AudioControl eq's since they were designed to be low noise but I'm not set on that.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Also, if anyone thinks I should start a new thread for this question, let me know and I'll do that.

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38 minutes ago, MMurg said:

...So, I was thinking of trying to do some demastering "on the fly" as I listen.  My first thought was maybe using the analog output from my Oppo disc player/DAC, taking that through a good quality graphic equalizer, and using an alternate analog input on my processor.  I'd use that path when I'd want to listen to obviously badly mastered recordings and do a rough demaster at listening time.  Anyone have an good recommendations on a good equalizer (or some other equalization device that I'm missing)...Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You could look at the miniDSP 2x4 HD as an EQ-only device.  It has a mini-USB connection to a computer and an available IR remote that can used as a gain control (like a preamp).  The connections are RCA (unbalanced), or S/PDIF (TOSLINK).  This would give you a lot of control over the output in both graphic EQ and parametric EQ formats, it injects essentially no distortion or noise (except for the unbalanced RCA connections to/from the unit), and the price is right.  It's very small, and can be hidden away behind an equipment rack:

 

minidsp-2x4hd-dsp-room-eq-picture-jpg.12

 

Additionally, you can use the unit as a DSP crossover for any other loudspeakers needing to be bi-amped.

 

Chris

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3 hours ago, Chris A said:

You could look at the miniDSP 2x4 HD as an EQ-only device.  It has a mini-USB connection to a computer and an available IR remote that can used as a gain control (like a preamp).  The connections are RCA (unbalanced), or S/PDIF (TOSLINK).  This would give you a lot of control over the output in both graphic EQ and parametric EQ formats, it injects essentially no distortion or noise (except for the unbalanced RCA connections to/from the unit), and the price is right.  It's very small, and can be hidden away behind an equipment rack:

 

Additionally, you can use the unit as a DSP crossover for any other loudspeakers needing to be bi-amped.

 

Chris

 

Thanks Chris.  I assume that would require having a PC connected to use as an eq, correct?

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30 minutes ago, MMurg said:

I assume that would require having a PC connected to use as an eq, correct?

As a controller--yes, a Windows machine.  Low cost refurbished Windows laptops can be had for not a lot of money--if you don't have one already.

 

Chris

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2 hours ago, Chris A said:

As a controller--yes, a Windows machine.  Low cost refurbished Windows laptops can be had for not a lot of money--if you don't have one already.

 

Chris

 

OK, Thanks.  It's an option I hadn't considered but adds some complexity.  For the traditional graphic equalizer option, are there any quality ones that can be recommended?

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37 minutes ago, MMurg said:

 

OK, Thanks.  It's an option I hadn't considered but adds some complexity.  For the traditional graphic equalizer option, are there any quality ones that can be recommended?

 

Looks like Schiit is finally introducing the big brother to the original Loki…

 

This looks like a very interesting option for $$$ versus performance and you get a trial period..  

Schiit puts more of the engineering $$$ in parts and sound quality versus fancy packaging IMHO..

 

https://www.schiit.com/products/lokius

 

 

7027BA1F-3CAA-4830-84A5-0245255A2963.thumb.jpeg.fbc55c09694956207bafce6e4443d2e4.jpeg

 

D5790472-39D5-4350-B4A4-1483ED935C09.thumb.jpeg.29365297972697e065538b0be63bc33c.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find the McIntosh 8-Band EQ like my C50 has to be very beneficial on recordings needing compensation and very intuitive to use on the “fly”..

 

miketn 

 

E950AE16-CA44-4E55-877E-4871D795D7EB.thumb.jpeg.09fe3189e251ebada6abce77f043a34f.jpeg

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11 minutes ago, mikebse2a3 said:

 

Looks like Schiit is finally introducing the big brother to the original Loki…

 

This looks like a very interesting option for $$$ versus performance and you get a trial period..  

Schiit puts more of the engineering $$$ in parts and sound quality versus fancy packaging IMHO..

 

https://www.schiit.com/products/lokius

 

 

Yes, that does look interesting.  Looks like it's high enough quality and has a transparent bypass.  I could maybe put this between the pre-amp and amp for the L&R channels for tweaking all stereo material when I want.  Thanks.

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It's been a while since I posted an EQ curve in this thread I started in 2015.  I just managed to generate a useful demastering EQ curve for the following album (one size fits all for this album):

 

515LcdjNC9L._SY300_SX300_QL70_FMwebp_.jp

 

I've enclosed an Audacity demastering EQ curve in XML format here which can be imported under the "Equalize..." command:  The Black Knight and Bavarian Highlands Scenes.XML

 

A screen shot:

 

image.png.5a105c7b6cf8607e8e81f77751838e17.png

 

I've owned this disc for 10 years now and I just got my first chance to hear the embedded quality of this recording without the mastering EQ curve that the disc came with--which until today rendered it basically unlistenable (to my ears).  Now, I can hear all the voices without that overwhelming midrange/treble sound, the resonance around 100 Hz, and now being able to hear the double basses in balance.  It's a pretty good recording that's now enjoyable to hear.

 

If you own this album, give it a try in Audacity using the "Equalize..." command.

 

Chris

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 7/19/2021 at 11:45 PM, mikebse2a3 said:

 

Looks like Schiit is finally introducing the big brother to the original Loki…

 

This looks like a very interesting option for $$$ versus performance and you get a trial period..  

Schiit puts more of the engineering $$$ in parts and sound quality versus fancy packaging IMHO..

 

https://www.schiit.com/products/lokius

 

 

Thank you so much for pointing me to this product.  Got my Lokius a few days ago and I'm loving it.  I've been going through a bunch of old rock recordings where I love the music but don't listen to much due to the shrill recording.  For example, the Genesis album Wind and Wuthering sounds like it has little bass but it didn't take much bass boost and shelving down of the treble to make the bass sound pretty realistic.  (Sadly, I was also surprised to find a few where the bass seems to be truly absent and no amount of boost helped like Led Zeppelin IV.  However, I haven't found many of those yet.)

 

This may have been the best $300 I've spent on audio gear.  I've already ordered another one for my basement system and will likely get two more (one for my office system and one for my upcoming Heritage Jubilee system) in the near future.

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4 hours ago, MMurg said:

 

Thank you so much for pointing me to this product.  Got my Lokius a few days ago and I'm loving it.  I've been going through a bunch of old rock recordings where I love the music but don't listen to much due to the shrill recording.  For example, the Genesis album Wind and Wuthering sounds like it has little bass but it didn't take much bass boost and shelving down of the treble to make the bass sound pretty realistic.  (Sadly, I was also surprised to find a few where the bass seems to be truly absent and no amount of boost helped like Led Zeppelin IV.  However, I haven't found many of those yet.)

 

This may have been the best $300 I've spent on audio gear.  I've already ordered another one for my basement system and will likely get two more (one for my office system and one for my upcoming Heritage Jubilee system) in the near future.

 

I’m very glad to hear this is expanding your enjoyment of your music… 👍🙂

 

I like how you used the word “realistic” to describe the improvement because the reality is if your system doesn’t have the ability to sound realistic and thus also improving your emotional connection to the music then I have to ask what is a persons goal. Tonal imbalances of recordings when played back on otherwise highly accurate reproducing systems is very obvious and unfortunately the recording industry has very little standards and no shortage of badly engineered recordings and Highly Resolving Reproduction Systems IMHO require the ability to compensate for this fact..!!!

 

miketn

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