[Qualifying Note: This is an article based on discussions in the Steve Hoffmann Audio Forum and his view on his attempts at 're-mixing' Whilst his quote is obviously as he says......other comments are not accredited to members to protect their privacy. They are simply used to illustrate the alternative views.]
As I continue to sort of 'forensically'study the Four Seasons catalogue[sad music detective that I am!] and criticising how bad some of the past product has been I was struck bySteve Hoffman'spost recently regarding re-mixing. Back in 2009 I probably would have agreed with him.
“In the 1980s I was working on reissuing the third Mamas & Papas album "Deliver" and having a long distance admiration affair with Diana Reid Haig, my counterpart in Nashville. I was playing the music for her and told her in my opinion that it was about the worst stereo mix I had ever heard, ever! She agreed it was terrible. I said "What I wouldn't give to be able to remix this album so it sounded good but the multi-track tapes were destroyed by ABC so they could make room for Pat Boone tapes so it can't be done."
She said a surprising thing to me. She said, "Good, I'm glad you can't do it."
Why, I said? She stated:
"Because the original mix is the original mix, the published version, that's the only version that is legitimate. The only version that counts."
I said it was terrible! She said "That's the breaks! Anything else is just not right."
I scratched my head at this but I never forgot it. She told me that "my remixes, although sounding in better fidelity, were not real. Not authentic, not anything but an exercise in playing God. She said that if something out of the past sounds less than wonderful, then it sounds less than wonderful but the music comes through, and the vibe of the era comes through and the energy of creation and the authentic feel of the era comes through and to change that is basically to laugh in the face of all the people who worked on the music to begin with, and that includes the songwriters, musicians, producers, engineers and everyone else. You can't wipe that all away for the sake of a change in fidelity or to reveal a hidden lute or to make the Celeste louder. It's not legitimate.
Now, I didn't agree with her at the time, but her words totally stuck with me, even all these years later (obviously), and I began to change my tune (pun intended.)
Some engineers can claim "I can match the exact mix but with better fidelity or something."
They can't. I can't. I've tried for 30 years and it's not possible. It comes out as a new creation, enjoyable, but it's no longer the original album anymore and anyone who says it is, has never tried doing it.”
One of the problems with such mixes is that they have been re-issued and even streame in some cases and labelled as 'THE ORIGINAL'
Steve makes a good point here and that is why my late sound engineer friend Stefan Wriedt and I agreed back in 2009 that the Four Seasons 1960s catalogue[particularly 1962 to 1966] is largely in pretty poor to ordinary 'wide panned' STEREO fidelity. 'Authentic'….yes[but only where it matches the MONO].......but only the MONO delivers their great track with the full drive and impact as that is what was intended and what we heard on radio and our record players back then.
That was why we started the MONO Archive of every A and B side from 1962 to 1970. I completed it in 2016. It remains my fave playlist of their songs. I couldn't see anything other than the MONO Mix being 'the business'.Well it still is but there is another way of looking at it........there is a new mix full of detail to complement[not replace!] the old STEREO as I've said before.
Other forum members responded to Steve and an interesting conversation followed which again puts the Four Seasons 60s catalogue into context.
“The concept of stereo was foreign for about the first 10-12 years in pop music, at least until 1968. Even then, they made a lot of sloppy, slap-dash mixes that barely resemble what I'd call "acceptable, balanced stereo." In particular, the 2-track "vocals on one side/instruments on the other" are awful to listen to. There are actually cases where the mono mixes have a lot more power and are more enjoyable to a point.”
With no multi-tracks [which is the feed-back we have re the Four Seasons catalogue] the case for 're-mixing'the STEREO Masters was a limited argument even a couple of years ago. The MONO rules!!!!!........But there is an additional alternative as another response to Steve put it.....
“History respected, sure, but as long as you don't augment an original recording with re-recorded portions of the music, I don't see any issue with repositioning poorly done stereo mixes. Everybody knows that back then, recording hits was purely a financial thing. Time was spent recording the stuff and (if done on a multi track machine) the mixing to mono was more carefully paid attention to. Often, the stereo mix was almost an afterthought.”
“Most remix producers worth their salt attempts to remix poor stereo mixes to match the mono version as closely as possible. Most of the time, when faced with a 2-track sounding mix (vocals on one channel, etc.), the remix producer center the vocals more in tune with what most of us consider better sounding stereo mixing.”
Some respondents agreed that perhaps the best way forward is to have both....” to the point that I have been buying several Japanese reissues where they offer the mono AND stereo versions of the same album on one CD. Let's face it, back in the 1960s the majority of album (and virtually all singles) were envisioned and mixed to mono. The stereo versions where usually created by a different engineer and primarily to make an extra dollar from fans.”
“If you look at the Billboard summary of record sales in 1960 mono LPs outsold stereo 3 to 1..and remember people were in a stereo frenzy in those days wanting to count how many tweeters and bass speakers were in each enclosure. Even by 1966, Mono albums were still outselling stereo almost by 2 to 1. It was in a year or two later that Columbia eliminated mono product causing an industry wide action. So yes, I applaud anyone who reissues a mono original, especially many of the ones that have not been issued in the digital era.”
That is what we asked for from Snapper Records as they approached Bob Gaudio re the contents of the forthcoming BOX SET[see our previous blog posts] , covering all their albums and singles. ALL THE MONO please!
But today things have changed and I no longer fully agree with Steve Hoffman. The reason is simple.......TECHNOLOGY......well more importantly …...SOFTWARE. And I am not the only one. The latest users of Spectral Audio Extraction see it differently.
“Since I really like doing stereo conversions & remixing even more, I totally disagree with Steve Hoffman's new view of mixing. I just try to get the best possible stereo sound out of any song I work on & some may agree with this approach & some not which is fine with me. As I wrote in another post, I much prefer the lead vocals & bass always & drums usually in the center to more clearly hear the rest of the stereo image better on the sides IMO. Many stereo songs even back in the early 60s were mixed this way & I greatly enjoy those songs without any need for any remixing. However, the songs that had the vocals and/or bass on one side just sound so unbalanced to my ears & even more so as I have gotten older. Maybe this is an issue with me but I do know most older people over 60 have trouble hearing things that are not centrally located in real life which I think extends into the stereo world also. I notice a big positive change hearing vocals much clearer in the center instead of the sides just like bass & drums.”
It really isn't an age thing it is just the appreciation of a 'balanced sound-stage'
Digitally Extracted STEREO from any era MONO[or channel limited STEREO] can be brought to life in an unbelievable way as collectors of ERIC Record releases know.But you have to be careful that the engineer has produced a genuine DES mix with no 'artifacts'[eg wandering vocals between channels/ghost harmonies etc]
I've also featured some samples in earlier blog posts by a top DES engineer and the case for creation of NEW STEREO creations from MONO only releases is such a no-brainer as NO STEREO version exists. Here is one set of great sounding examples.which are perhaps 'what the producer would have done today'.
It is not a case that there is a 'Best Mix'.There is room for all three mixes in our lives[MONO/Authentic STEREO/NEW DES]. I will be tackling getting this done for us Seasons fans as we continue our research. But ultimately fans want every chance to hear the detail of the recorded mixes........in both STEREO and MONO. And with todays software they can have it. But it is simply a case of a skilled engineer spending the time and developing the detail of the recording.
Check out this current Rhino Box Set version of 'Beggar's Parade' from the STEREO Master
And then click this sample of the NEW proposed DES mix......
The detail and structure of the arrangement can be fully appreciated in the new version. I know which I prefer.
As is this version of 'Believe Me'
It is an interesteing debate and we will continue to develop DES STEREO versions of the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Catalogue to complement the ORIGINAL MONO and STEREO versions. All valid 'Best Mix' contenders.
Ken Charmer - September 2019
Recent Comments