https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:53:41 +0000 Mon, 11 May 2015 11:20:47 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.07 360 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=743 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum//images/Top-40-Music-on-CD-Forum-Logo.png https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43595&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43595 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 743
Posted: 11 May 2015 at 11:20am

If a few peaks hit 100%, it's no big deal. If a LOT of peaks hit 100%, it gets to be problematic. I'm talking about cases where the song is just too loud, so that peaks consistently hit 100% for a portion of the song.

For most of the Time-Life, Warner Special Products, and Rhino collections that I encounter, it's never really an issue.

For some of the collections on Priority Records, they're mastered way too loud, and show lots of clipping. A lot of the Priority discs really don't sound that bad, but given a choice between two similar-sounding discs that only really differ by a volume change, I'll choose the one that keeps its levels under the 100% value.

Modern mastering for CD has gone overboard using added compression/limiting to make the track as loud as possible. (Google the expression "loudness war".) Some other forums use the term "brickwalled" to describe the shape of the waveform, and to describe the mastering technique itself that adds the excessive compression/limiting. I'm not a fan. Again, most or nearly all of the Time-Life, Warner Special Products, and Rhino collections that I encounter don't have this problem.

Edited by crapfromthepast]]> Mon, 11 May 2015 11:20:47 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43595&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43595 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43594&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43594 Author: EdisonLite
Subject: 743
Posted: 11 May 2015 at 10:33am

If a song isn't compressed for CD (often when clipping occur) and is simply "normalized", which analyzes for the highest peak in the song and then raises the whole song so that that peak is at 100%, is it possible that a few samples afterward will be at 100% before dropping (and also perhaps 2 or 3 100% peaks during the song)? If such is the case, I would never consider a song that has been normalized as clipped, but certainly ones that are compressed have that potential.]]> Mon, 11 May 2015 10:33:07 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43594&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43594 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43588&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43588 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 743
Posted: 10 May 2015 at 6:18pm

The Arista Al Stewart stuff is recorded really well. The versions I've heard range from very good to excellent; it's hard to go wrong with any of these.

"Clipping" occurs when the volume level would have exceeded 100%. Sometimes the volume level stays at 100% for a few samples until the source level drops below 100%; sometimes the volume levels are handled a little more elegantly.

In most cases, you won't hear much of a degradation if there's only a minor amount of clipping.

Edited by crapfromthepast]]> Sun, 10 May 2015 18:18:29 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43588&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43588 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43587&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43587 Author: sriv94
Subject: 743
Posted: 10 May 2015 at 5:42pm

It's funny--I have the song from a K-Tel comp called 70s Folk Rock Hits, and I don't hear a tape glitch at (4:56). Sounds nice to my ears, but I'm not
sure what you mean by "clipping."]]> Sun, 10 May 2015 17:42:31 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43587&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43587 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43580&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43580 Author: crapfromthepast
Subject: 743
Posted: 10 May 2015 at 11:47am

The LP version runs 6:41 and sounds great on Songs From The Radio The Best Of (1992), with great dynamic range, nice EQ, and no hint of noise reduction. There's a slight tape glitch at 4:56, but overall the song sounds quite nice on Radio. The same analog transfer is used for:

• Priority's Seventies Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 6 FM Hits (1991; not sure how to reconcile the release dates; this one is a bit louder and clips a tiny bit; there's no clipping on Radio)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 5 1978-1979 (2000; differently EQ'd digital clone of Priority disc)

There's a different analog transfer on Sandstone's Reelin' In The Years Vol. 4 (1991), which runs a few seconds shorter than Radio. Great dynamic range, decent EQ, no noise reduction, and has the tape glitch at 4:55.

The version on Greatest Hits (2004) is compressed/limited.

The 45 version can't be edited down from the LP version,as noted above, because the intros are different.

The 45 version first appeared on Silver Eagle/MCA's 3-CD Shades Of Love (1989), where it runs 4:36. I have a personal soft spot for this collection because it was one of the first light-rock compilations I owned. Overall, to my modern ears, the whole collection sounds good, not great. However, this one track quite good on Shades, almost as good as Radio, despite a whole lot of hiss on the fade.

The version on Heartland/Silver Eagle's 2-CD Night Songs (1994), which reverses the left and right channels. In addition, the balance between left and right is a little off, which pushes the vocals away from the center. The same analog transfer is used for these two discs, both of which have their left and right channels reversed:

• Time-Life AM Gold Vol. 25 1978 (1997)
• Time-Life's 2-CD Classic Soft Rock Vol. 11 Sweet Freedom (2000; differently EQ'd digital clone of AM Gold)

My recommendations:

For the LP version, go with Songs From The Radio The Best Of (1992).

For the 45 version, go with Silver Eagle/MCA's 3-CD Shades Of Love (1989).

Edited by crapfromthepast]]> Sun, 10 May 2015 11:47:58 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=43580&title=time-passages-al-stewart#43580 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=34655&title=time-passages-al-stewart#34655 Author: Jody Thornton
Subject: 743
Posted: 16 July 2012 at 7:17pm

Paul Esch wrote: I don't think you can create the 45 version of "Time Passages" from the LP version. The LP version intro starts with the electric-piano- type keyboard, then a harpsichord-type keyboard plays briefly before the drums start up in the second part of the intro. The electric piano plays behind the harpsichord. On the 45, it starts with the harpsichord (with no electric piano behind it), then immediately into the section of the intro with the drums. If you can extract just the first two seconds of the 45 and graft it onto an edited LP version, that would be the only way to re-create the 45.

I was able to use Goldwave to sample a half-second of the keyboard before the harpsichord, and then I used the noise reduction tool (treating the keyboard as "noise") to simulate the 45-rpm disc intro. I came PRETTY close.


Edited by Jody Thornton]]> Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:17:16 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=34655&title=time-passages-al-stewart#34655 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=34633&title=time-passages-al-stewart#34633 Author: Santi Paradoa
Subject: 743
Posted: 14 July 2012 at 5:48pm

The 45 version of "Time Passages" also appears on a budget Rhino 2011 release not currently in the database: Billboard Series: Mellow Rock (R2-528952), subtitled 10 Hits From The Hot 100. ]]> Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:48:23 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=34633&title=time-passages-al-stewart#34633 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=10409&title=time-passages-al-stewart#10409 Author: TomDiehl1
Subject: 743
Posted: 23 June 2007 at 6:18pm

I've seen promo copies of Year Of The Cat that were mono/stereo but i dont remember anything about them as i havent come across them in the antique shop i frequent, in a while. Is there any difference between either side of the promo and the stock copy (aside from the promo having the tune in mono, probably a fold down of the stereo) ?

Edited by TomDiehl1]]> Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:18:24 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=10409&title=time-passages-al-stewart#10409 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=10408&title=time-passages-al-stewart#10408 Author: sriv94
Subject: 743
Posted: 23 June 2007 at 3:39pm

Not to hijack this thread, but as long as we're talking about Al Stewart, were the 45 and LP versions of "On The Border" different?]]> Sat, 23 Jun 2007 15:39:35 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=10408&title=time-passages-al-stewart#10408 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=10407&title=time-passages-al-stewart#10407 Author: eriejwg
Subject: 743
Posted: 23 June 2007 at 10:05am

I have the 45 versions of both "Year Of The Cat" and "Time Passages" from Time-Life AM Gold. Year of The Cat is on AM Gold 1977 and Time Passages is on AM Gold 1978.]]> Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:05:52 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=743&PID=10407&title=time-passages-al-stewart#10407