Youtube and Universal are remastering old classics

[Ashenden]

This, I feel is a good move in the right direction from YouTube to restore the classics. I hope they do something to improve their 192kbps audio stream.

YouTube Music and Universal Music Group change the way you see music

youtube.googleblog.com

 

[swamytk]

Thanks for sharing this. I listened to three songs available now in 1080p video + Hi-Res audio quality. They are damn good. They have remastered three songs of 10, 25 and 30 years old. Here is official announcement with link to videos.

 

[Ashenden]

Thanks for sharing this. I listened to three songs available now in 1080p video + Hi-Res audio quality. They are damn good. They have remastered three songs of 10, 25 and 30 years old. Here is official announcement with link to videos.

Yes, the videos look great. But audio stream is still 192kbps for 720/1080p and 128kbps for lower resolution (360/480p). They have not improved on that yet.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Sandeep, every single Universal audio remaster I have heard has left me dissatisfied and angry. They just take a lot of bottom end out of the recording to make it sound cleaner and crisper. That simply takes the soul out of the music. I much rather prefer the earlier RPG/HMV recordings. At a global level too, I keep comparing original and remastered versions on Tidal (not MQA, FLAC versions only). But almost every single time I end up preferring the original versions. A decent enough audiophile system resolves the older versions well enough and also highlights the deficiencies of the remastered versions. The only remastering I have liked and felt actually enhanced the original are the Rudy Van Gelder remasters of old jazz masters mostly for Blue Note label.

Haven’t heard Youtube’s restorations, but their music streaming is perhaps the worst sounding of all mp3 streaming services. So my concern is when these two companies join hands to restore music videos, what’d happen to the sound quality? But may be I am over-reacting. Do people watch music videos for the sound quality?

 

[Ashenden]

Sandeep, every single Universal remaster I have heard has left me dissatisfied and angry. They just take a lot of bottom end out of the recording to make it sound cleaner and crisper. That simply takes the soul out of the music. I much rather prefer the earlier RPG/HMV recordings. At a global level too, I keep comparing original and remastered versions on Tidal (not MQA, FLAC versions only). But almost every single time I end up preferring the original versions. A decent enough audiophile system resolves the older versions well enough and also highlights the deficiencies of the remastered versions. The only remastering I have liked and felt actually enhanced the original are the Rudy Van Gelder remasters of old jazz masters mostly for Blue Note label.

Haven’t heard Youtube’s restorations, but their normal fare is perhaps the worst sounding of all mp3 streaming services.

Yes, agree on that. Here they've improved on the video quality alone, that's what I got from the announcement, in the style of Criterion collection for movies. I hope something like that comes up for old RPG/HMV recordings as well which are now available only with a few Vinyl collectors/dealers and priced very high

 

[Ashenden]

but their music streaming is perhaps the worst sounding of all mp3 streaming services. So my concern is when these two companies join hands to restore music videos, what’d happen to the sound quality? But may be I am over-reacting. Do people watch music videos for the sound quality?

Let's hope that they try to improve on it. All it takes is Apple/Samsung to come up with a new iteration of their devices with a good DAC and amplifier and some good quality earpods bundled, rest of the pack will try to mimic.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

I hope something like that comes up for old RPG/HMV recordings as well which are now available only with a few Vinyl collectors/dealers and priced very high

Yes, especially if they are done sensibly and competently. RVG remastered the sound he himself recorded decades ago. So he knew what he was doing. Alolow me a bit of diversion from the original post. Here’s what RVG has to say about digital music. Interesting, huh?

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Let's hope that they try to improve on it. All it takes is Apple/Samsung to come up with a new iteration of their devices with a good DAC and amplifier and some good quality earpods bundled, rest of the pack will try to mimic.

Yeah, how far are we from artificial reality based mobile that delivers 8K and 7.1 experience right inside our skulls? That’s when music videos will truly rock our brains? And imagine walkthroughs into the 3D videos so you can get an immersive experience - almost interacting with the performers, with the sound directions changing as you do so.

 

[Ashenden]

Yes, especially if they are done sensibly and competently. RVG remastered the sound he himself recorded decades ago. So he knew what he was doing. Alolow me a bit of diversion from the original post. Here’s what RVG has to say about digital music. Interesting, huh?

View attachment 36513

That's interesting. I remember Paul McGowan of PS Audio also falling into this camp. But this digression here will bring in brickbats from Vinyl lovers here