When old music tracks are remastered, what is actually happening? How do they make the new version sound better than the version from 1976?
In: Technology
Sometimes a new copy is made from an earlier generation tape. When audio tapes are copied for replication, the signal loses some fidelity with every transfer. The original master is kept in a vault and records are made from copies of it.
The sound engineer applies equalization which boosts or cuts part of the spectrum making the overall character of the sound brighter or warmer, and may bring forward certain instruments. Sometimes perceived deficiencies in the mixing equipment are corrected, such as too much bass because the speakers used at the time didn’t have enough. The adjustments are subjective and a record may receive this treatment multiple times for different tastes.
A previous master may contain errors such as an early abrupt ending or reversed channels, which can be corrected.
Often the average loudness is increased to make the recording work better on low power consumer equipment, which can’t reproduce a wide range of volume levels. With another master this might not be done, and then the recording can be enjoyed better on big speakers.
The publisher may find additional tracks that didn’t make it to the original album for whatever reason, and tack them onto the end for added value.
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