Yes I know!!!…..the Snapper Music Box Set is a ‘landmark’ moment in the careers of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio [the ‘FSP’]….and it was originally labelled as the ‘Legacy’ Box Set. Well, whilst it was a privilege to compile it with Bob Fisher with Bill Inglot’s Tape search and it may be good to have all the albums and Bonus/Unreleased material included in a nice shiny Box, but unfortunately not all of the mastering has the Dynamic Range and sound quality I would like, namely some of the 1960s material [which is for us all an important personal listening choice],
So I have a NEW project which is based on the legacy left by renowned but little known Sound Engineer Stefan Wriedt. It was Stefan who conceived of a NEW set of Four Seasons and Frankie Valli Masters back in the ‘noughties’ after his ‘salvage’ work with Bear Records and other EU ‘independent’s to digitize all of Frankie Valli’s earliest records The result of his work as a professional sound engineer was the release of the earliest of Frankie Valli’s performances on CD with the RCA Four Lovers Tapes with Bear Records in 1989 and the First Fantastic Years on CD in 1995. All subsequent CD releases of pre Four Seasons tracks are taken from [or are inferior to] these German Studio ‘Masters’. He also brought us the Motown Bootleg ‘The Night- Inside You’ CD in 2000.
So my project is probably the last ‘sound quality’…... ‘Chapter’ of the recording career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. [Unless unknown Tapes surface….and they always do!] so I am starting my MEGA LIBRARY with those MASTERS salvaged from vinyl and the RCA Tapes to form my FIRST ARCHIVE Volume of the Pre-Four Seasons. But it doesn’t finish there.
"Discussing the CD Discography Ken Charmer and Stefan Wriedt at the Royal Albert Hall Concert 26th June 2012"
The CD discography [in this link] is Stefan’s work and it takes a critical view of the releases and ‘sound quality’ of CD Mastering since the advent of CD releases of the groups work from 1988 up to 2011, on the majority of CD original album issues in the US, and then EU [which then included the UK].
Back in 2009 as Charles Alexander says in the ‘Jersey Beat’ booklet…….”Millions of people from all walks of life have bought 4 Seasons recordings and attended concerts for decades- as loyal a group of followers as any artist could ever hope to have”. I quoted this in my blog back then and said....”they deserve to know ‘what are the ‘best mixes’ 'and where to find them. Maybe someday the whole catalogue will be re-mixed to the very best sound standards?”
Well we now have the Snapper Music Box Set as an ‘anthology’ reference point for the sound of the group and Frankie as recovered from tape and re-mastered in 2023, and it has taken awhile since Paul Bigelow was quoted in our blog saying in 1997… “I have never heard anything on CD by them (The Four Seasons) that I would call superlative…..(sound quality) The ACE reissues sound OK and look good, but I think they’re working from the same tapes Rhino worked from - just mastered better.”…..and I asked …..’So who will find that ‘Definitive’ compilation of the 60s “Sound Of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons” and should it be in MONO or STEREO.?’ ….But the real question re the 1960s is…...DOES GREAT SOUND FROM THE MASTER TAPES STILL EXIST?
Well the answer is ‘NO!!!!…We have seen all of the Tape Box Scans as marked up, but there are no multi-tracks….’Superlative Master Tapes’ do not exist [apart from 2 that we found at 24 bit 192Khz] and now we have proof and know the surviving Masters both MONO and STEREO for nearly all of the 60s tracks and the rest of the ANALOGUE TAPE period up to Streetfighter are 2nd to 5th generation SAFETY COPIES.
STEREO MASTERS from the 1962 to 1970 for all ‘album’ CD releases since have been digitised since 1988 and derived from these analogue tape versions as copied to storage during that period. The best STEREO mixes on tape where created from 1967 when vocals were centrally placed in most cases. This was due to the earlier in the decade technical limitations of 3 and 4 track recorders whilst 8 and 16 track tape decks were used after studio equipment upgrades by 1967 and from then Bob Crewe mixed them that way[only 2 songs at Atlantic Studios had the benefit of 8 track…..but that is another story]
Balanced STEREO recordings and releases on vinyl took over gradually from 1967 and now we have a ’reference set’ by Snapper Music to enable us to understand the status of what has survived.[in MONO and STEREO]. As Sound Engineer George Showerer told me of his saved Masters at Mirasound Studio in 1967...“Bill Inglot told me that when he received tapes from all the songs [in storage], he noted that in some cases the record company had destroyed the multi-tracks, thereby causing only the famous mix heard on the radio to be the defacto recording heard by everyone.[and that was the MONO]’
So most of the STEREO versions up to 1967 do not have the ‘balanced’ sound of later in the decade. The Snapper Set has now also provided the MONO Album archive for the first time on CD. It is simply what has survived, but still it is the original Mix from radio and LP. But with no surviving multi-track the evidence of Bill and Georges comments was clear re the STEREO. So in my project I am going to examine and answer the question whether the tapes transferred and Mastered in 2023 are in the same quality NOW as was achievedback in the 1980s for the first CD releases of the albums in STEREO?. What are the best STEREO Mixes?
Although 'incomplete', the Snapper Music Box Set 'Anthology' is a box set representing 98% of surviving MASTER transfers [to CD] that still exist [plus all of the salvaged 'unreleased' and LIVE shows we could find by 2021]. Now we have them re-mastered and presented in a beautifully designed and produced package with books and notes represents the best ever ‘comprehensive’ single box set of our fave groups work since 1961 when the Four Seasons brand was created. Re-mastering has been completed 'independently' by Snapper's sound engineer Peter Reynolds and we can relax and enjoy as consistent a set as is possible. Well maybe???. …...as indications are that the previous Tape Transfers for CD release in the late 1980s and 90s may be better masters of the 1960s safety copies.?.... Tapes deteriorate and flaws and mistakes happen and no mastering is the same.! Hence the need to collate and TEST the primary album releases on CD since 1988 in STEREO
So what should we make of the this important set of music given our sound tests analyses 12+ years ago in the midst of the 'Jersey Boys' phenomena?. Stefan’s CD reviews were always focused on an optimal Dynamic Range and this enabled us to set a ‘marker’ based on Stefan’s CD Discography and tests to verify what constitutes a ‘comprehensive library of the ‘BEST MASTERS’…[well…... as good as will ever be possible]….and I will collect them together in our FOUR SEASON UK APPRECIATION SOCIETY[FSUKAS] DIGITAL ARCHIVE
So in a series of Sound Tests these NEW RE-MASTERS and ALL of the album Masters I collected on CD over the period between 1988 and 2010 are being examined and tested against my own recently researched reference points[i.e.from both the vinyl and CD as much as is practically possible.] As Stefan passed away from cancer in 2015 the legacy he left is a method of testing CD quality. I am going to use these ‘digital’ sound evaluation tools and my ageing ears. My blogs since 2008 have been about the fans needs for a comprehensive catalogue including all of the rare and ‘unreleased’ and we have a lot now whilst still hoping we get to hear the rest of the MOTOWN UNRELEASED from Bob Gaudio and Universal Motown in the near future.
The evaluation through our METER TESTS can however can be seen by some as somewhat academic as ‘hearing’ experts know.....”Whereas a person in their twenties will be able to hear up to 17,000Hz or more, by their thirties this will have declined to about 16,000Hz. By the time an individual is in their 50s, their hearing range will usually have declined to around 12,000Hz. After 70 this will inevitably drop below 10,000 Hz. None of these changes are particularly problematic and are a normal part of aging.”
Therefore the full frequency of a recording as shown below is what should exist if the recording is a ‘true master’ [the brightest being the loudest/noticeable [red]
But in some cases much less sound exists due to the source limits...or poor mastering with sound cut-off at 16kHz or 11kHz so not reaching the as shown above FULL Frequency of up to 20kHz. Whether you can hear the higher frequencies depends on age and health. So we have taken a pragmatic view that whatever 'sound content' exists/survives we must use our ears and the criteria below.
Without getting too techy…...it is worth looking at these basics of ‘sound testing’ again even though re-mastering has moved on substantially since the advent of the CD and our expectations in 2010. Looking back we have found some clear definitions as we have always been the amateurs, relying mostly on Record Companies and as I have said [with other engineers in the past] not always with good results......”Basically, mastering is balancing, equalizing, compressing, and just trying to get the most out of a musical performance,” says Steve Hall, chief mastering engineer at Future Disc “It's smoothing out all the rough edges to make a polished, finished performance.” The idea, he explains, “is to make it as musical and exciting to listen to as possible. In the course of their work, mastering engineers have to do all kinds of sonic doctoring, including matching levels from song to song; adding shimmer to the top and punch to the bottom; adjusting the levels of individual instruments by using precise EQ (remember, they're working with a mixed master); goosing up the overall loudness; and much more.”
We used Steve Hoffman’s definition of a BEST Mix from 2009 as how we wanted the Four Seasons Catalogue to sound….
“Defining a good mix is ‘subjective’?......well perhaps but we think 80% of it……..is a mixture of technical…..and ‘feel’……”
Firstly the characteristics that make it sound great are……
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Clarity – that sharp clear shape to each element in the sound
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Content – the sound stage and it’s constituent parts
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Separation – the difference or space within the sound between the elements.
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Depth – the position of the sounds in terms of the distance they appear from the listener and each other. The last two can apply within both a MONO and STEREO mix
We believed back then that the definitive versions were being stored in the best digital form for future generations of collectors. Now in 2023, we know that has not been the case even though mastering has improved along with technology to process the sound. The Snapper project went back to the stored tapes in the clear hope we would be able to enjoy the Four Seasons sounding as never before? Well now we have our wish, with this reference set for Frankie and the group to compare with many ‘past masters’ that I own.
Back in 2010 we set up the CD Discography and our own SOUND TEST page on our web site. Stefan and Ihave added additional tools and tests since. The most significant achievement since the advent of CD releases in 1988, is that now we have new technology and software and both the MONO and STEREO albums from the 1960s to compare and assess the ‘BEST MIXES’. I am compiling the results of sound tests of dynamic range and loudness as was highlighted back in 2010…on everything whilst for others maybe ..”it is a case of your preference and mode of listening”. As one engineer put it….”A song that provides noticeable variations in level is almost always more engaging than one that stays pretty much the same from start to finish”.
It remains appropriate today to adhere to such standards as although technology and the change away from physical media storage continues, that is not for me and many music collectors. Streaming may be the easy and preferred mode of listening for many as listening has moved from predominantly speaker based listening to ear-pods and headphones…the resulting sound should be right for every output ...whilst for some it is back to vinyl for straight through ‘analogue’ sound. It is personal choice . Also ‘Digital Sound Processing’ [DSP] software is present in many apps today to enhance sound as individuals choose. The most significant test of all is human [your ears] and that is where you as readers can express your view via our blogs and FB discussion groups. You can share your own findings of the CDs available covering the original albums.
But MY ARCHIVE is drawn from the digital world of CD as a major ‘physical collecting method’ as we trawl the past for the BEST surviving WAV MIXES.
Bob Crewe back in the 60s had used the available compression tools to grab the listener on his 45 mixes [with big limitations as to what could be ‘squeezed’ into the grooves] on vinyl. With the advent of the CD format such limits were no longer there and as a result digital mastering by record companies [wanting 'hot' sounding discs] caused ‘abuse’ of such tools as 'compression' of Dynamic Range became prevalent. Such mixes became dominant in the 'noughties' and defined 'The Loudness Wars'.
In our search for the 'BEST' mixes of the Four Seasons we have always been looking for good 'Dynamic Range' [i.e. DR - the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds in a track]. From our sound test page we defined this using the 2009 software [Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1] which confirmed ‘a DR reading for 'pop music' of DR12 [as potentially best] down to DR9 [as adequate] with anything below DR8 too difficult to listen to for any length of time due to excessive 'compression' of the instruments and vocals. Major companies such as Yamaha have confirmed this general concept. Each track will depend on it’s style and musical content [dynamics] and the average for the 60s albums should be around DR10 or higher. Frankie Valli’s lead vocal should always be higher than the level of the instrumentation and the group. That is my reference point.
The other 'measure' essential to a CD set is the LOUDNESS [or RMS reading]. Experience shows that aconsistent level on all tracks should be peaking between -13db and -10db for easy long time listening.Similarly, sound volume [‘peaks’] must not exceed [on a minus scale] peak volume getting too close to -0.00db. Many CDs in the 90s and 00s hit this zero level which can cause distortion and/or ‘clipping’ of sound on some players.
The Peaks that the Snapper Music Box Set achieves is on average -0.75db which is a good level. Here is a link to one of Stefan’s evaluations of ‘Off-Seasons - Criminally Ignored Sides’ from 2001 which shows the problems we found and led to the Box Set we have today.
You can via our FB groups send us any comments re the past original albums[not the Hits Collections] as you wish as I continue such tests on ……
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the 25th Anniversary Box Set Masters [which is for many fans still the definitive first CD of ‘hits’ digitized by Bill Inglot from the FSP Master Tapes] …….. and the original albums since on CD from…….
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Rhino
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Japanese releases
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ACE Records
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Warner-Curb, Rhino and
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Collectors Choice
…….along with the Snapper Box Set Masters. I will test all I have which involves different mastering and maybe different tape transfers from tape.
Listening Tests of our full library of CDs will be conducted in the foobar2000 player at 50% volume on headphones for clarity/separation and depth evaluation. It is always about what you hear and the 'feel' of the music. My personal focus will be on ‘how close to the original vinyl sound do we get on CD?’ with some level of modernity as a result of the greater frequencies we got from the CD era and digital sound. CDs are digital sound at 16bit sample rate and a frequency of 44kHz, and whilst other digital formats [24 or 32 bit 96 kHz and 24/32 bit 192kHz] have been promoted in the last 20 years, generally consumers and many engineers accept the CD format as adequate. However there are increasing numbers of sound enthusiasts who favour the latter HQ formats for clarity and separation resulting in richer sonic textures with increased clarity and enhanced dynamic range. But we only have what we have and the archive will be constructed on the basis of THE BEST ‘Mixes’ digitally. [that you can hear comfortably – as I said already] and CD quality[wav files] are the main content apart from a few High Quality Mixes from a few tapes.
The other test included in my project will be comparison with the 'approved' list of tracks back in the summer of 2021 for the Snapper Box Set as the agreed [with Bob Gaudio ] 'Master Track List'. There are I know some errors in production of the Box Set. So this analysis will identify all of the known Masters found since 1962 and with your comments will input to the structure of my FOUR SEASONS UK APPRECIATION SOCIETY[FSUKAS] DIGITAL ARCHIVE as over the next year I evaluate the ‘true story’ of the Four Seasons Partnership’s MASTERS on CD
More soon…..Casey Chameleon - October 2023
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