The Velvet Forum

After VU&N they have released the 3rd album in high resolution.
See: https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file ... l&id=10394

Or have a look at the Vinyl & HR section over at avax...

Some HD Tracks recordings are still too loud, blocky, lego-ed out, if you know what I mean. But the VU 1st album as 24/192 sounds incredible. I would highly recommend it. As an aside, HD Tracks Otis Redding releases are also incredible. Some of the best recordings I have ever heard. I now run nearly all of my music off of my pc, with an entry level external DAC that works really well.

I understand that their HD files come from various sources. Some, I believe, are from the SACD mixes (or that other super cd format, with a name that now escapes me). Those, I find, are usually, but not always, pumped up too loud. IMO needle drops usually beat the SACD and even quite a bit of the HD Tracks issues. But it is a pretty subjective.

schnittstelle wrote:After VU&N they have released the 3rd album in high resolution.
See: https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file ... l&id=10394

Or have a look at the Vinyl & HR section over at avax...

Thanks, schnittstelle. Interesting 2nd link. I can't see anything but a note about the band on that http://www.hdtracks.com page, though.

Which mix is this? What does it sound like?

I'm all for better quality audio (although I suspect that the DAC in my laptop does not make playing HD files worthwhile at the moment). But I wish more companies would detail the exact provenance of the stuff they're putting out. We need to know. I think more people want to know as our understanding of audio processing, mastering and mechanical reproduction process grows.

You are right with complaining about the lack of information given on the HDtracks releases. I can't even understand why they can't add a nicely designed pdf as a digital booklet.
I have read good and bad about HDtracks. Sometimes the quality is good, in some worst cases they just sold files that were upsampled from a regular 16/44 release. I think it very much depends on what the record companies decide to give to HD.
I can't yet comment on the sound quality of this one as my download hasn't finished yet. But my guess is that it is just the regular Valentin mix.

The thing I found interesting was, that the VU already have put a foot into this niche market.

P.s: @ iaredatsun. Does this work better for you? https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file ... 2537260393

I have no personal experience with them, but here is an interesting and insightful discussion on HDTracks: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1404247/hd-tr ... ad-service

These are newly mastered from the original tapes. The sound engineer who did it talks about the process here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20JYLKpq7Ak

schnittstelle wrote:You are right with complaining about the lack of information given on the HDtracks releases. I can't even understand why they can't add a nicely designed pdf as a digital booklet.
I have read good and bad about HDtracks. Sometimes the quality is good, in some worst cases they just sold files that were upsampled from a regular 16/44 release. I think it very much depends on what the record companies decide to give to HD.
I can't yet comment on the sound quality of this one as my download hasn't finished yet. But my guess is that it is just the regular Valentin mix.

The thing I found interesting was, that the VU already have put a foot into this niche market.

P.s: @ iaredatsun. Does this work better for you? https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file ... 2537260393

Thank-you - that link works!

re. Valentin or Closet. You see? They could tell their customers which they are getting. It's simple.

I'm out to lunch on the whole HD quality debate. I certainly don't trust people on the internet who may be trying to play them off a computer that can't stream them quick enough. The quality of the remastering is another thing. That seems to be up to the technology, the equipment and then the audio engineers' approach. But in this case at least there they are talking about how these have been transferred from the master tapes, so at least that's clear.

nick257 wrote:These are newly mastered from the original tapes. The sound engineer who did it talks about the process here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20JYLKpq7Ak

Thank-you Nick! I think that interview tells us quite a lot.

Kevin Reeves did the (imo) good remastering on the 6CD Super Deluxe boxset of VU&N. It is that album that he is mainly talking about where he discusses the VU in the youtube clip. His discussion of his approach sounds like he wants to get this stuff sounding like it did originally. So if he is talking about that album in the clip, it suggests a VU&N HD download to come.

If he did VU&N and the 3rd is already in the bag, we could suppose that it is likely the whole VU catalogue has been prepared and is ready for release as HD and physical format*. If so, I really hope that a full White Light White Heat re-issue is ready to go, too.

*Maybe unrelated, but I did see a webshop listing that appeared to foretell of a new release of 3rd on vinyl just before xmas. Anyone else seen anything?

VU&N HD is already out (it was put out before the 3rd album was), and it is the mastering of the HD VU&N that he is discussing in the interview. Link to VU&N HD is below:

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file ... 2537183654

Not sure why they dont make their site indexing better so things are eaiser to find. Im hoping for WL/WH next.

Thanks for the links. Didn't see VU&N before. Can't seem to navigate that HDtracks site at all.

nick257 wrote: Im hoping for WL/WH next.

Me, too. I always worry that WLWH will be the last thing anyone wants to remaster/re-release by the VU due to commercial/popularity factors.

HDtracks wrote to me (I described my poor experience with their site) and told me that this material is not available outside of USA. That is why i cannot see the stuff in the links.