The Difference Between Remastered, Reissued, and Repressed Vinyl LPs | Talking About Records
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- čas přidán 1. 02. 2023
- Remastered. Reissued. Repressed. These can be confusing terms, especially if you're new to the hobby of record collecting. In this episode of Talking About Records we do our best to define each, and discuss the differences between these critically important steps in the vinyl manufacturing and production process.
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This is a tough topic to cover as most of these production terms do not have a definitive definition and vary depending on context and situations. G.I. did a great job for the most part in explaining the general differences. As G.I. noted, mastering involves the technical process of cutting a record from an analog or digital source. Remastering involves performing this process again. I think it's important to point out the five major steps in the record creation process. First, there is cutting the master lacquer. Second is creating the negative or father from the master. Third is creating positives or mothers from the father. Fourth is the creation of stampers from the mothers. And finally, the fifth step is creating vinyl pressing from the stampers. The lacquer, mother and vinyl record are playable versions in these steps and the father and stamper are mirror images of the other three. Of course there are many additional and specific details in each step that are important and details change from one project to another.
You'll note that I mentioned mothers and stampers in the plural. This is important in the typical definitions and differences in represses and reissues. However, other logistics and the business end of the process can commonly effect the definition of a reissue. Early on when pressing plants were plentiful, it was common for labels to schedule pressing production from more than one plant. Therefore, multiple stampers would be created, often from multiple mothers. Multiple stampers would be used in the initial pressings and in some cases, multiple mothers. All of these initial pressing can be, in a sense, labeled as original pressings. Repressing are simply reorder pressings from the same mothers or fathers, as the initial order runs out.
A reissue is tricky to define in black and white. Typically, a reissue is the revised version of the original pressing, sometime subtle, sometimes not so subtle. There may or may not be technical revisions like remastering or remixing, or changes in the packaging or the vinyl. There may be the inclusion or exclusion of the recording content. And in a lot of cases, the label or recording ownership or distribution may change, resulting in a mass restructuring of a label's catalog or price tier. There changes can be in the form of new branding, label styles and changes in the catalog numbers.
Appreciate your insights!
I asked a seller on EBay essentially the same question and he was kind enough to answer me and believe he said essentially the same thing. He also clarified that OG means "original".
A point to consider, OG doesn’t mean first pressing, which some sellers ambiguously insert into the buying process. I heard a seller at the Austin Record Convention assert to an inexperienced buyer that OG = first pressing = “an original”.
@@davidcurry8440 Thank you for that clarification.
Excellent point... OG means original issue, not original pressing.
Best explanation of these terms I have ever heard. Thank you for do this. Just subscribed recently to your channel and really enjoy it.
Thanks so much!
Same Waveform signature/finger(audio)print
Exactly the questions I had were answered in full.
Awesome!
Really love these educational videos , just would like to learn more about identifying these thing from reading the label or cover when it comes to this topic , would be nice if you can make a video and learn us more about identifying the copies we have in our collection , from desifering labels and such . love your content . keep up the good work
Right here for ya…
How To Identify a Vinyl LP and Determine Value | Talking About Records
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I had some confusion in a used record store lately, the label the store put on the album said 2008 but the sleeve and the record label both said 1977. I asked about it and after what sounded like confusing double talk (I'm sure I just didn't understand) the clerk pointed to the bar code on the back of the sleeve and said that was the easiest way to tell it was not a 1977.
barcodes on lps started around 1979, i believe
This was a valuable lesson. Since I restarted my vinyl collecting , whenever I start on a artist , genre or band I previously haven’t collected , I check if they are available in remasters/presses/issues in the stores or online first. I just completed AC/DC , upgraded Led Zeppelin from OG and are currently working on The Meters. Others , like Mike Oldfield , I’ve followed since the beginning in -73 and are currently replacing 90’s CD’s with ”1st time on vinyl” remasters/reissues , but keeping the ones I bought from the beginning.
right on. Good luck on The Meters! So many of those are tough to come by.
im going in the exact opposite direction. remastered = digital. digital = buy the CD. if you’re selling your og’s id be interested.
@@jsngallery : I’m sorry , but I don’t have the heart to sell the OG’s , but you’re doing right by asking. We never know when or where an opportunity presents itself.
Great stuff man. Keep the education coming.
Thanks, will do!
Great Information 👍🏽🤘🏽
I’m kinda “new” to record collecting and this exact question had me very confused but after adding to around 300 albums into my collection, new and old, I haven’t been disappointed in any new albums I’ve got. They sound fantastic with no hiss or crackles and are in pristine condition where as some albums I couldn’t find new or got original copies from the 70s/80s are hit and miss because they have been loved and enjoyed for years and the sound quality does diminish, so far I guess I’ve been lucky to not buy a shitty copy of a remaster/reissue but at this stage I have now worries at all buying something that is brand new regardless of “what issue” it is
Remastering has, for the last thirty years, been synonymous with brick wall compression for the loudest possible result to satisfy the portable market. There is absolutely no excuse for this type of abuse for vinyl records and yet it happens regularly.
I made the mistake of buying a 2019 remastered version of Kate Bush’s album, Never For Ever, allegedly done in conjunction with Kate herself, according to the label. On taking it out of the sleeve I found the music groove reached precisely two thirds of the way across the vinyl surface on each side. Of course the dynamic range was hugely compromised and I sold it immediately and bought a near mint first UK press. Normal service has been resumed!
On the other hand, the Bernie Grundman Tone Poet Coltrane release last year is sensational. Just goes to show, if it’s done well a remaster can be a joy, but unfortunately it’s the exception.
YES!!! finally someone else besides me gets it!! tk you for this, i thought it was me. 😅
Thank you for the explanation. My question is: How does the average buyer know if the record is a repress or reissue? I know Discogs often tells you, but how do the Discogs users stating this info, know? The record companies don't really tell you. Is there an easy way to know if they made the record using the existing stampers or if they made new ones? Thank you
It's not always easy to determine and sometimes information is just not available or verifiable. Some reissues are easy to identify, especially if previous issues have been "retired" and is reissued with a modified catalog number, issued by a different label, remixed or remastered, etc. But sometimes the differences are not obvious which is usually the case with represses. This is where obscure details on the jacket, sleeve, label and the record runoff can come into play. This minutia can sometimes provide us with specific information as to the location and time period a record was pressed. Funny looking initials, codes, symbols, and even remarks etched or stamped in the runoff or dead wax between the recorded content and the center label is the evidence us pressing sleuths use to build an often overwhelming amount of information found on Discogs and other resources. Over time, all the combined efforts and experiences from countless folks has helped make sense of this evidence. It is definitely far from complete and always being scrutinized and revised for accuracy.
This is a Legit description nice!
Thanks!
I respect your knowledge on everything related to this wonderful hobby, so I’d like to ask your opinion on represses. Do you believe that the original run of a particular reissue (let’s say a 2015 release) has better sound quality than that same album being repressed in 2018 and 2022? Even though it’s the same exact pressing? You seemed to kind of hint at that in the video when talking about the stampers used.
You’ll love our next video.
The answer is, it depends. Every pressing is different.
@@NTXVinyl Haha, a cliffhanger! Looking forward to it!
Great video G.I. A more layman’s term explanation of these terms.
Thanks so much for watching!
I typically don't purchase remasters. I don't care if it is a good remaster or not. My philosophy is that no matter what I think of the original cut, THAT is what the recording artist listened to, along with the mastering engineer, and signed off on. Remastering (wo the artist's input) is simply a matter of opinion by the mastering engineer. Doesn't make any difference if it is Grundman or any of the top-notch engineers, it is their opinion. I do purchase some remasters if the original artist has input on the project, but I still will own the original pressing for reference. I do purchase represses if they are rp's within the original release yr. I do purchase reissues if they are all I can get at the time, but I replace them (or rather add to them) if I can find an og or rp. Just my 2cents. :))
You're not kidding when you say it's confusing. Personally, I don't get hung up on whether a record is remastered, reissued or repressed - what I would like to know is what, if anything, has changed from the original and which version is best...although that will largely be down to individual taste.
Giles Martin, the man behind The Beatles remixes explained it like this. A remaster is like washing a dirty car and then polishing it. A remix is like taking the car apart piece by piece, and then putting it back together, washing it, and then polishing it.
just show everyone what they’re missing (compression, loss, etc) with an LP that’s digitally sourced compared to an original release (pre-digital of course). feed it into one of those computer music programs. but really all you have to do is compare the run out on an original and a remaster and see the difference. the digital will have more run out because of the loss.
Most of the time the packaging is changed on a reissue. Sometimes it's by a boutique label. What would you consider a record club version since the UPC code is altered but most likely the music and all the rest is the same?
In most cases and with most clubs, either they were licensed to press the release or they obtained stock copies from the original label or distributor but were rebranded. These can be classified as reissues. In some cases, the license allowed them to distribute as is with no identifiable distinction.
I just got Smashing pumpkins MCIS. Can i assume it is a repressing of the 2012 reissue?
From your personal experience what's the overall best when it comes to the sound quality many thanks!?
That's not really a question that can be answered with a blanket statement. Every album differs. The pressing, mastering, source etc are all unique.
Hi! If an album is reissued say 5 years later, what date would appear on the cover? Would the original release date appear say 2015 or the date of the reissue say 2020? Thanks!
It all depends. Every pressing and album is different. Many times the actual year of the pressing is not reflected on the jacket.
HERE'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE...& I'm sure a lot of others would like this too. So many vinyl people on here are doing videos comparing original pressings with these ultra expensive audiophile lps which often cost between $100 and $150. They've become a true investment. The preference is usually in favor of the audiophile pressing. They routinely say it sounds clearer or more open or cleaner, but they fail to convey the "degree" of improvement. Which doesn't help anyone's buying decision to part with that kind of money for a record. Why doesn't someone creatively stand out from the crowd and do this...Get a turntable with a removable headshell (there's lots out there). Have 2 phono cartridges, maybe a $300 one which is on par with what a lot of audiophiles would be using, and then also have a $2,000 or $3,000 phono cartridge, which you can easily snap in or out. Play the audiophile pressing with the cheaper cartridge. Then play the cheaper standard issue lp with the real expensive phono cartridge. The audiophile pressings that sound better with the cheaper cartridge, than the regular pressing with the expensive cartridge would obviously be the real standout pressings to buy. If you can afford it. A lot of audiophiles have an idea of the difference between $300 cartridges and cartridges in the thousands of dollars range. This would give people an idea of the "degree" of improvement on the much higher priced lp, and if they are worth it.
As many know, there was a big Mobile Fidelity scandal months ago about them failing to reveal that they were pressing from digital DSD recordings for the most part, and not the actual master tape. Probably the one Mofi that people were after for sound quality, that was out of print was Abraxas by Santana. Guess what? It was a another Mofi DSD recording. Yet still; digital gets no respect.
Even audiophiles will tell you there's diminishing marginal returns for each "improvement". I never saw much wrong with digital but the vinyl revival mostly hinders around showing a 12" product over a 5" product. People used equalizers back in the day; today that's a dirty word. When you hear phrases like "that's what the artist intended" and "you could hear the air in the room", realize that you ain't missed much. The cd was standard for two decades before instagram and youtube. Hmmm...I wonder why.
It's all one's taste and opinion and therefore subjective. Any attempt to gain favor from another on these topics is futile, imho. I never try to convince anyone that A sounds better than B and I usually take another's attempt to persuade me with a grain of salt. I will offer and definitely accept an opinion but it is still always a gamble whether they or I agree or not. I'm not really one who seeks out the best sounding ever pressing of anything. I mostly gravitate to versions that excite the nostalgia in me, usually originals. Not so much because of the sound quality but other aspects of the release. However, when I do come across a subsequent pressing that blows my mind, I'm like everyone else and quick to offer my recommendation. It's up to them if they take it or leave it. I don't think lesser of anyone if they don't.
And CDs are now making a comeback, so they say... as well as cassettes... my brain aches. 🤯
Where has the world gone. In the seventies, eighties and even the nineties you just went to the record store and bought what you were looking for. The prices gradually rose for albums from $3.99 to $11.99 but no one was dissecting every aspect of the actual vinyl itself. The process hasn't changed. They still slap a glob of material onto a press and squeeze it together. Somehow the industry is contextualizing complicated jargon in order to justify some of the outrageous prices they are charging. I always thought the whole vinyl resurgence was a vendetta against people for the period when everyone downloaded music for free.
Hmmm, interesting take... Vengeance is mine sayeth the Music Moguls! 😏
It's evolved just like everything else. Do you still make a phone call the same way you did in the 70s/80s/90s? Still play a movie the same way? Nope. Industries and hobbies evolve. Go look at sports cards, or the shoe market. Drastically different these days even though the basic products themselves are still essentially the same.
Always so interesting! Thanks 😊
wrong
Remastered usually sound worse. Loudness war.
If it’s not done properly, sure. But good engineers who remaster specifically for vinyl aren’t in it to make things louder. I work with one for my label, and that’s never the goal.