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GEEK HELP, please? Beatles Box Set
vanity | February 2, 2010 | Lancey Howard

Posted on 02/02/2010 10:26:59 AM PST by Lancey Howard

I am hoping somebody can help/advise ...

I picked up the new Beatles box set and loaded the first CD onto ITunes. (I like to burn my own compiliations.) Here's the problem: When I play it back, the vocal tracks sound like they are in the background. The vocals are overwhelmed by the instrumental tracks.

I have heard this effect before (though rarely) and it usually seems like if the channels were reversed, it would sound right. In other words, it sounds like if the tracks coming out of the left speaker were coming from the right speaker and vice versa, the overall sound would have the right vocals/instruments balance.

Does anybody know anything about this, and is it possible to load CDs from this set with the channels reversed? (No, switching the speakers won't do it, ha ha. Pffft.)

These are stereo recordings originally made in the early '60s, when stereo tracking was a relatively new art form for producers and engineers. I mean, producers would have distinct tracks totally separated between the stereo channels back then. If you ever listened to old stereo records from the era, you might remember that if you played with the balance knob on your receiver you could hear totally different tracks from the same song from speaker to speaker.

Thanks in advance to anybody who can help with this problem. I have been looking forward to these remastered recordings and am disappointed that they don't sound right.

By the way, I tried loading the CD using my NERO program and had exactly the same problem.

FRegards, LH


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1 posted on 02/02/2010 10:26:59 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Lancey Howard
This is series.

Silly question #1: does the CD play just right by itself?

2 posted on 02/02/2010 10:28:50 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (governance is not sovereignty [paraphrasing Bishop Fulton Sheen].)
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To: Lancey Howard

Do the CDs sound okay in a regular CD player?


3 posted on 02/02/2010 10:29:28 AM PST by smokingfrog (You can't ignore your boss and expect to keep your job... www.filipthishouse2010.com)
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To: Lancey Howard

You should carefully read the literature that comes with that Box set. The recordings are unedited analog recordings, some of them before mixing effects.

The set is meant to capture all the flaws and mistakes and “live recording” feel of the original recording sessions.


4 posted on 02/02/2010 10:30:08 AM PST by SpinnerWebb (mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves)
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To: Lancey Howard

What hardware are you using? And, just like another FReeper asked, does it play okay, playing from the CD, and not just from the downloaded tracks?

And are you hearing this through an iPod, a desktop, or what? [basically at “what stage” of the process are you hearing this kind of a “result” that you see as “something is wrong”)?

:-)


5 posted on 02/02/2010 10:31:57 AM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: the invisib1e hand
This is series.

I advise not looking directly at the sun while attemping to play.

Problem solved!

6 posted on 02/02/2010 10:32:45 AM PST by Focault's Pendulum (He's just a clueless hump. A dangerous clueless hump.)
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To: Lancey Howard

I had something similar to this happen once, when I was listening to Monday, Monday by the Mamas and the Papas. I had one speaker turned off for some reason. All you could hear was the female vocal parts. Kinda cool, actually.


7 posted on 02/02/2010 10:33:29 AM PST by CharlieOK1 (Stop Breathing, the EPA says you are poisoning me)
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To: Lancey Howard

I’ve had luck in the past creating a MP3 version of problem tracks, takes the edge off so to speak.


8 posted on 02/02/2010 10:34:18 AM PST by UB355 (Slower traffic keep right)
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To: Lancey Howard
Is this the "Box Set" you're talking about... (if so, I can check it out for you and see if I get the same problem...) :-)

The Beatles Stereo Box Set [FLAC]


9 posted on 02/02/2010 10:34:33 AM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Lancey Howard; Swordmaker

Some “iTunes help” for a FReeper by some Mac-sters... maybe?


10 posted on 02/02/2010 10:35:45 AM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Lancey Howard

Did you contact iTunes support? Sounds like the problem could be on their end.

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html?form=account&topic=iTunes%20Store%20Account%20and%20Billing&subtopic=Billing%20Inquiries


11 posted on 02/02/2010 10:36:31 AM PST by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: Lancey Howard

If the tracks seem reversed - Swap your earbuds..DOHHHH


12 posted on 02/02/2010 10:36:50 AM PST by Waverunner ( "Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too." Voltaire)
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To: Lancey Howard

I have also “rerecorded” some tracks at different sampling rates. Send me Freepmail if you want details.


13 posted on 02/02/2010 10:37:16 AM PST by UB355 (Slower traffic keep right)
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To: Star Traveler

Yep, that looks like the same set.


14 posted on 02/02/2010 10:38:07 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Lancey Howard

Do you mean you have the CDs? ie, you didn’t download the set from iTunes?


15 posted on 02/02/2010 10:43:47 AM PST by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: Star Traveler
And, just like another FReeper asked, does it play okay, playing from the CD, and not just from the downloaded tracks?

Not just "another Freeper", thank you.

16 posted on 02/02/2010 10:44:11 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (governance is not sovereignty [paraphrasing Bishop Fulton Sheen].)
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To: Lancey Howard

George Martin, the Beatles producer, was legendary for using this “wall in the middle” effect. It’s quite possible that these tracks are historically correct but will sound like crap through headphones. The MP3 remix might be your best bet or just torrent them.

Goo goo ga choob...


17 posted on 02/02/2010 10:44:20 AM PST by ProfoundMan (Time to finish the Reagan Revolution! - RightyPics.com)
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To: Lancey Howard

Try playing them backwards. Let us know what you learn.


18 posted on 02/02/2010 10:45:09 AM PST by the invisib1e hand (governance is not sovereignty [paraphrasing Bishop Fulton Sheen].)
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To: smokingfrog; the invisib1e hand
Do the CDs sound okay in a regular CD player?

I will check that out. Unfortunately, my car CD player is broken but maybe I can dig up a walkman. I tend to listen to most of my music on my computer, and believe it or not the sound quality is excellent.

I have eighty bajillion songs in my folders and they all sound great. Anything I load onto ITunes I convert to MP3 (128 bps). In this case, though, the Beatles CDs don't sound right (as described in original post) no matter how i load them.

Again, I am pretty sure the problem would be corrected if simply the channels (left-right) were reversed.

19 posted on 02/02/2010 10:45:27 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: the invisib1e hand
Try playing them backwards. Let us know what you learn.

All I get is "turn me on dead man", and "I bury Paul", but I don't know what it means..

20 posted on 02/02/2010 10:47:16 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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