F&L&A: Mastering for CD in 1988, Europe vs USA.
Posted: 01 Apr 2014, 10:28
I was testing out some new old hi-fi and decided to spin my rarely played Elektra CD. To my surprise, the sound seemed somehow different to what I'm used to hearing on the old European pressing. So, I loaded up the European CD (Manufactured in Germany by Record Service GmbH, Alsdorf) and, yes, the sound is different. The European CD seems to have a heavier low end, a more pronounced/thicker bass, and some unpleasant rumbling on Eldritch's vocal. In contrast, the USA is a little leaner on the bass and has slightly more detail on the high end. Eldritch's vocal is lifted ever so slightly out of the murky swamp, and a consequence of this is that more delicate aspects of the instrumentation - the tom-tom battle in A Rock And A Hard Place, the piano on Nine While Nine - aren't as hidden.
I decided to do some computer analysis on the discs to see if what I was hearing was correct. The results seem to indicate that the European and USA discs do contain different masterings: the European disc is louder than the USA, the track lengths are slightly different, and the EQ'ing is different.
First I looked at peak levels and timings for the tracks using EAC, here are the results:
Next, I used Audacity to perform a frequency analysis. Here are the results for Black Planet. The most notable difference is that the European CD drops off sharply just after 20,000Hz, whilst the USA keeps going way passed 21,000Hz. The USA also slopes more naturally, whilst the Europe has a lot of bulk between 3,000Hz and 11,000Hz. I think this accounts for the differences I was hearing in the low end on the Europe CD, vs the high end on the USA.
I decided to do some computer analysis on the discs to see if what I was hearing was correct. The results seem to indicate that the European and USA discs do contain different masterings: the European disc is louder than the USA, the track lengths are slightly different, and the EQ'ing is different.
First I looked at peak levels and timings for the tracks using EAC, here are the results:
The above information applies to all European and UK releases, 1988. There were a few, I think this is the first pressing. The catalogue number uses the Merciful Release font (as opposed to a generic font on other pressings), and the disc is black on silver, rather than black on grey/matte as found on other pressings.Europe 1988 (Peak level / track lenth) wrote:01 Black Planet 99.3% / 4:41.25
02 Walk Away 100% / 3:26.30
03 No Time to Cry 99.3% / 3:59.13
04 A Rock And A Hard Place 96.9% / 3:35.27
05 Marian 100% / 5:44.65
06 First And Last And Always 94.5% / 4:14.03
07 Possession 100% / 4:38.05
08 Nine While Nine 99.2% / 4:11.07
09 Logic 100% / 4:49.28
10 Some Kind of Stranger 94.7% / 7:16.40
98.39% average peak level.
The most dramatic peak differences can be seen on: Black Planet, A Rock And A Hard Place, Possession, and Nine While Nine. Some Kind of Stranger is the only instance where the USA is louder (by a fraction) than the European CD. Possession, Logic, and Some Kind of Stranger have the most notable timing differences.USA 1988 (Peak level / track lenth) wrote:01 Black Planet 90.1% / 4:41.13
02 Walk Away 100% / 3:25.65
03 No Time to Cry 98.2% / 3:59.25
04 A Rock And A Hard Place 81.9% / 3:35.37
05 Marian 95.9% / 5:44.10
06 First And Last And Always 92.2% / 4:15.10
07 Possession 79.3% / 4:41.70
08 Nine While Nine 91.8% / 4:10.33
09 Logic 92.8% / 4:53.62
10 Some Kind of Stranger 95.9% / 7:21.38
91.81% average peak level.
Next, I used Audacity to perform a frequency analysis. Here are the results for Black Planet. The most notable difference is that the European CD drops off sharply just after 20,000Hz, whilst the USA keeps going way passed 21,000Hz. The USA also slopes more naturally, whilst the Europe has a lot of bulk between 3,000Hz and 11,000Hz. I think this accounts for the differences I was hearing in the low end on the Europe CD, vs the high end on the USA.
So, there you go, the two CDs released in 1988 - the album's debut on CD - have different masterings. Interestingly, Floodland, released on CD a year prior, has identical masterings in Europe and the USA. We'll probably never know why they are different, but someone (I'm inclined to think in the USA, as it seems to be an improvement over the European disc) obviously decided that one of the versions wasn't good enough!Audacity wrote:Europe frequency analysis: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ac34xx5uzqomjev/BP%20EU.png
USA frequency analysis: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hzpu0h4dcr4n6i0/BP%20USA.png
was asked about different versions of FALAA in an interview a longer time ago. He must have said something like: "They [don't know whether he was referring to elektra or WEA in this case] took the masters they have found". Can anybody confirm that?
