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    clayv
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    The complete Portland Memorial Coliseum show from 5/19/74

    6 LP Set
    180-gram Vinyl
    Limited to 7,500 copies
    Release Date: September 7th, 2018

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  • daverock
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    Waste of Vinyl-TJPD2

    I'll admit it does seem crazy to have only one 6 minute song on a side. This could have been condensed greatly. But I have found myself playing this album more than any other Dead show this year. It's hardly picture perfect...but I keep getting drawn back to it. Far more than I am to Dave's 34 -even though, logically speaking, that is a better show and recording.

  • TJPD2
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    Waste of Vinyl

    Why would you pick this lousy recording for vinyl release.

  • icecrmcnkd
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    Jawknee

    There is nothing wrong with the vinyl mix, it’s the same mix that is on the CD.
    Vocal drop outs, etc, are on the master reels.

  • jawknee
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    Slack tracking!

    I am deterred from buying this release mostly because they have chosen to track this show onto 12 (twelve!) sides, which is just ridiculous. It can be very easily packed into 9, saving one entire disk, without interfering with its running order or making any one side longer than about 24 minutes. Vinyl is already inconvenient - making you change a disk every 10 minutes (or 6) even more so! Reading the mix issues many are talking about just confirms my belief that I don't need this. Too bad - hot show, love vinyl.

  • fourwindsblow
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    5/19/74 (6-LP)

    Just picked this up

  • daverock
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    The same thing-Misfit

    I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but.....

    On the other hand, you have just bought yourself a fantastic record of The Dead at the absolute peak of their powers.

  • misfit1970
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    I have the same issues with…

    I have the same issues with vocals on side C for the vinyl box set. Is there a remedy offered for this or did I get screwed out of $100?

  • fourwnds
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    Ah man c'mon side C

    At least I'm not alone. Those songs are vocal ones or at least its a big part of it. Oh well. Never perfect

  • Brewrow
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    Train...You are correct, Sir!
    Let me first remove the egg from my face. Train, you were correct about my system. It IS faulty. My left speakers volume is really low and it turns out my receiver’s speaker connection is bad!!! Can’t wait for my new receiver so I can hear this show proper!!! Sorry for the bad info everyone.
  • Dragoneye
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    Side C Vocals
    I'm just getting started. Listened to A and B last weekend and didn't notice a problem. This morning started with C and am a little concerned. The vocals are there somewhere but out of anything close to balance with the instruments. I'm hoping it is due to original tape and not the mastering and/or pressing of my set.Fingers crossed :-(
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The complete Portland Memorial Coliseum show from 5/19/74

6 LP Set
180-gram Vinyl
Limited to 7,500 copies
Release Date: September 7th, 2018

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more Dead vinyl on the way!
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It is exciting. I will get this one. I will add here, with all due respect, that I have absolutely no idea in the world what this statement means: Limited to 7,500 copies
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… that it meant just that, only 7500 copies will be pressed. I ordered and will put on the side and hope my kid can sell someday for profit. I really need to set my stereo back up so I can do side by side sound test of vinyl and cd. Seems like these would be the combo to test with, completely remaster by all the magic processes available and from 500 track tapes (where every note gets it's own track!).
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I'm really looking forward to this release; however, did it really need to be a 6-LP set? With Side D under 10 minutes, and Sides I & L at under 7 minutes each, seems like we could have saved some cost by fitting this on 5, or maybe even 4 records.
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I would assume it is to not interrupt the flipping and require listeners to find the sides and put them in order as they were enjoying the show. I'm all for it! Keep the flow and my cash :)
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You listen from side A to side B, then side C to side D etc. If they used the full time on each side to reduce the total number of LP's in the set that is 22 minutes per side they would have to re-organize the song sequence from the show to utilize all the appropriate space (now limited to save LP pressings). That would require the listener to catch one song here then go find the next song and so on. Either song sequences or jams would have to be altered or cut in the middle to reduce the total number of LPs in the set. And that for most of us is tantamount to sacrilege. Cheers!
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We get that, we're not idiots here. And it's more like 23-24 minutes per side. Cheers
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I like Jeffrey Norman's mastering work a lot. However, the moment he put 'Plangent Process' into the mastering chain when cutting from his lathe was the moment I cut bait. Not sure who made the call (Jeffrey? Members of the Grateful Dead? David Lemieux?), but why put a 'historical document' that is already on analog tape which is destined to be on an analog format like vinyl through the digital domain when mastering? It just makes no sense. And before anybody tells me about 'tape flutter noise', all tape has always had tape flutter noise since the dawn of mastering. For the CDs (which I happily purchase), sure, the tape is bound for a digital format so why not use something like 'Plantent Process'? Have at it. But for the analog purists like myself (when I listen to analog), I dont need somebody throwing the master through the digital tunnel and then selling it to me as 'analog'. I'll just buy the CDs for that. MESSAGE TO JEFFREY NORMAN, DAVID LEMIEUX, and MEMBERS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD: Please abandon Plangent Process in the mastering chain for your vinyl releases
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I love vinyl but I may have to hold out for the variant color version in 2019. I'm still waiting for the Veneta vinyl re release. I won't chase an original Veneta one like I did in trying to obtain the Cornell LP. Re release them all, let them flow
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Ok I'm sorry no need to get snappy...why did you quote me with a "huh"? Feels like that is implying a request for an explanation and I have no idea your age or experience with records, it's the internet...Im guessing here. The timing doesn't seem like it would work out even with your extra 1-2 minutes.
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The positive is that it presents the music in the way it was played on the night. The downside is that this means we are being presented with 4 albums worth of music on 6 albums. So, I am not sure about buying this one. I've bought the cd box set. You can't judge a show by its set list-but to basically buy a show twice-it has to have something extra special-and I'm not sure this one has. I am normally drawn by Dark Star, Playin' and The Other One-which are all conspicuously absent on this set. I guess I'll give it some more thought-check what the Taping Compendium says about it, and go one way or the other.
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Having just checked with the Taping Compendium and my copy of Deadbase-10 from 1995- this show looks very special indeed. All the shorter songs get praised, with Greatest Story being singled out as one of the best versions. The jam following Truckin' sounds great too, with its inclusion of the Mind Left Body jam. My copy of Deadbase has this show as the 4th best of the year-with only 28th June, 18th June and 19th October ahead of it. 19th October was considered the best show of the year, which I am not sure I would agree with.But it was a list complied 23 years ago.
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I would like more information on the process used to master the vinyl. I need to know if this is a digital recording put on vinyl or analog. I try to not buy any digital releases on vinyl because it undermines the whole rational for having the vinyl. RSD was great because all the concerts were recorded and released in analog. Neil Young Wilco The National David Bowie Lou Reed And the Dead.
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4 records would require reordering of songs which I believe no one would want, or making some longer than optimal sound quality and audio levels
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From my understanding, Plangent converts analog to digital to do its job. Therefore Any vinyl release that uses Plangent is not analog. The complete dead boxset with the orange slipcase was done by Chris Bellman analog and the MOFI Workingman's Dead and American Beauty are analog also. Its better to buy the hi rez downloads when Plangent is used. I saw a talk here in Denver by David Glasser and he explained the process so that's where I got my info. Take care.
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LP1 = 22:54 & 23:27LP2 = 22:56 & 9:39 LP3 = 14:11 & 22:11 LP4 = 18:24 & 16:12 LP5 = 6:38 & 20:50 LP6 = 18:51 & 6:10 currently the longest side is 23:27 (side B) D (LP2,B) & E (LP3,A) combine to 23:50 and H (LP4,B) & I (LP5,A) combine to 22:50. If the audio quality difference between a 23:27 side and a 23:50 side is as negligible as it appears, "MissingJerry" has a point. Also, the first 3 LPs could be reconfigured to : 16:09/15:58/21:56/20:25/18:39/22:11 without altering the song order. Doesn't reduce the number of discs, but looks a little more elegant to my eye. As it is, I hope for the audiophiles that sides D, I, & L play at 45rpm (and I hope for the stoners that they don't! "Woah, dude, what's wrong with Jjjjjeeeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyy?").
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I would lay my money down that all the vinyl reissues and RSD releases you mentioned used hi def digital for the final mastering (with the exception of the Mofi releases). A majority of the reissues on vinyl are using digital sources, although some are more transparent than others. The Bruce Springsteen vinyl reissues explicitly state they are mastered from digital. Even Mofi occasionally uses digital sources when the analog is not available, but they are transparent about it and release those titles on their Silver Label series. I have many of these. They sound really good. That being said, we are not talking about simply pressing a CD master to vinyl. When digital sourcing is used, is has been sampled at higher rates to digital, and then that hi res digital source is used for the vinyl. The net of what I am saying is the vinyl pressed from hi res digital still includes more information than a CD, and it still sounds damn good if you enjoy the sound of vinyl. I own all of the special edition live GD vinyl releases. They all sound really great, and I have no regrets about dropping the scratch for them, even the ones I already have on CD. I also own the GD re-issues of the WB albums. Again, no regrets, even though I feel pretty confident they are all mastered from a digital source. My point is I wouldn't necessarily be too persnickety about whether or not digital sourcing has been used. If you enjoy the sound and experience of vinyl, you will be happy with releases sourced from hi res digital. I pay more attention to the pressing plant used as a few plants use better wax and have higher standards for QC than others. Also, the engineer who did the mastering is important (Chris Bell, as was mentioned, is a solid engineer).
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How is this tool that much different than someone using an outboard processor to run effects? The Plangent process playback system is a hybrid hardware/software package combining state of the art contemporary analog electronics coupled with unique digital signal processing. It begins with an ultra-wideband low-distortion custom reproduce head and subsequent associated hand-wired preamp, followed by proprietary DSP that provides total speed stabilization and wow and flutter correction. This unique combination of integrated hardware and post-processing provides the archival mastering and preservation community a level of playback quality never before possible.
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I would like to clarify that I absolutely believe in Plangent. When I was able to hear side by side comparisons of Dead tracks with and without Plangent, it was an obvious improvement when Plangent was used. At times you would swear it was a remix of the tracks because details that you couldn't hear before were brought forward in the mix. Plangent was able to remove the distortions that obscured these details for so long. My preference for vinyl is to be all analog, that's all.
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Why is this $100 on pop market?
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But on my rig at home (EAR 912 Pre-amp, Quicksilver Horn Mono amps, restored Garrard 301 turntable, AMG arm, Dynavector cartridge, restored Quad ESL 57 speakers, etc), I can hear pretty deeply into recordings....warts and all. If you went to the Smithsonian and walked up to the one and only US Constitution only to see a beautifully acid-etched digital copy on wonderful Japanese paper, you would probably ask some questions. How about the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum? What if there was instead a beautiful piece of gray plastic, that looked 99.99% identical to the original? Again, you would probably furrow your eyebrows. The nice thing about both those examples above is that they might actually 'look better' than the originals. Hmmmmmm.....I'd like the option to not have my 'historical documents' muddled with, thank you. As much as I like hot sauce, I try to take at least one bite of my meal without hot sauce (just to see how it stands on its own). That is what the CDs are for. Throw the magnetic tape through a digital prism and enjoy the final product with a digital to analog converter in your CD player, on your computer, or on your phone (it is just like eating your meal drenched in a very enjoyable hot sauce). Heck, I'm ordering the CDs for that exact reason. I'm not afraid of the future, or a lot of hot sauce, and I'll walk my talk. But take me back to the days (just briefly) when music was not 1s and 0s, and keep it purely in that form as a commercial offering in 2018. Respect the 'historical document' aspect of tape, the analog waveforms, and all of the 'perceived' frequency limitations that come with them, and I'll snap up a copy just as quickly as I pick up the CDs too. If you think I'm just blowing smoke on this, listen to any of the releases from the Beatles mono vinyl collection that came out a few years ago. The all tube mastering system used, along with a well maintained lathe, cutting head, etc - resulted in a time machine experience. I've been buying the Dick's Picks on vinyl re-releases from Brookvale Records that Norman masters WITHOUT plangent processing, and they sound absolutely superb. Yes, the Hampton 79 vinyl release (which Norman admits comes from a lowly cassette source) still sounds decent. It might even sound better if it had been run through plangent process, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist that will make chickenshit out of chickensalad (as evidenced by the 100+ shows I was willing to sit through and pay for from 1992-1995). Let me emphasize my position on the subject again: Keep plangent process in the mastering chain for the digital releases. Expel plangent process from the mastering chain for the vinyl releases. Do it for me. Do it for the history. Do it for the children. :)
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...Plangent has nothing to do with mastering, but rather the playback of the tapedeck and it's relationship to the computer during the transfer to digital. Then the mastering EQ/Compression/Level matching is done by the mastering engineer after all tapes are transferred. I don't pretend to understand Plangent completely as it's pretty complicated but you can find out more here (https://audiophilereview.com/analog/plangent---a-better-way-to-transfer…). While decent sounding, all the Brookvale records are cut from digital files as well, but do not employ this process during the transfer. Seems to me like if it's gotta be digital to vinyl, this process is a viable way to go, as it's applied at the tape transfer stage. As long as they use hi-res digital files to cut the vinyl, it can actually sound superior to the CD, as CD is dithered down to only 44.1kHz 16bit, where the raw digital files are probably 96kHz 24bit. The Cornell vinyl sounds spectacular and presumably was cut from hi-res digital. Anyways, happy listening!
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Greengo72 - I like your style, but I disagree (or have been informed differently) on a few things that you brought up: #1 - My understanding is that a Mastering Engineer is responsible for taking the original studio or live recording(s) (or a 'safety master' if that is what is available) in whatever condition or form they appear in, whether it be analog or digital, and converting or 'mastering' it into a format that can be mass-produced for a commercial release when the mastering engineer's final product is then sent off to the LP or CD manufacturing facility. In the mastering engineer's studio he will typically have reel-to-reel playback machines, digital rigs, and a lathe in order cut records from digital or analog sources. Of course there are many other components in the studio too, but historically the mastering process from analog tape playback to cutting a record on a lathe does not have a digital tollbooth (like plangent process) in the signal chain. #2 - Plangent, as I understand it, is fantastic at reducing what is known in the mastering engineer industry as 'tape flutter' noise, but it has to do it in the digital domain for it to work. So we have our good ol Grateful Dead's analog signal from original tape running along nicely on a reel-to-reel player, the analog signal goes into a digital Plangent box, hangs out in the digital domain getting 'processed', and then spits out as a digital signal to be fed to the lathe in order to cut the record. This whole process is overseen by the Mastering Engineer (in this case, Norman), though he may have marching orders from his customers that specify what gear he is supposed to use (or not). #3 - Not all Brookvale Dick's Picks reissues were cut from digital. In fact, I believe that only 2 out of the 7 reissues used hi-rez digital sources. Thankfully, Brookvale has been very transparent about what sources they have used, and sadly, it was completely and utterly out of their control for their first two releases (i.e. - Dick's Picks Vol. 1 and Dick's Picks Vol. 2). Why? Because the masters for Dick's Picks #1 and #2 have friggin' disappeared! Yup. That is right. Dick (or somebody) totally dropped the ball after using those tapes for the commercial CD releases in the 1990s. They're gone! So Brookvale had worked out the details with the GD organization to reissue, on vinyl, the first two Dick's Picks...and then the analog tape was MIA. Wow. A huge loss (given that those releases / shows totally slay!). However, the Brookvale Dick's Picks #3, #4, #5, #6, and #8 on vinyl all use the original analog masters. BTW - there is no Brookvale reissue of #7. I'm pretty sure (like 99.99% positive) that Plangent was not used by Norman in the vinyl reissues of 3,4,5, and 6, but the jury is still out on #8. I'm working on finding out. #4 - You are absolutely correct about the hi-rez advantages, when it hits vinyl. I have not heard the Cornell vinyl release on my system, but I heard it on a friend's system (which is pretty good), and it sounded magnificent. But there is just some weird part of my lizard brain that likes to be both an analog fetishist and historical stick-in-the-mud. So I took a pass on purchasing Cornell on vinyl, but OF COURSE I bought the big CD box set and enjoy them thoroughly through my digital rig...even though they are 16/44. But all plangent griping aside let me be clear on something... I want everybody to enjoy as much Grateful Dead as possible, in any format they can get it. My preferences, while rooted in a traditional adherence to format continuity, are certainly not blind to the experience of musical ecstasy and transcendence. Happy Listening to you, sir.
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All different. As an audio recording, mixing and mastering engineer for most of my life I have a little insight about the confusion of all this, so will attempt to share a little of what I know for everyone out there who loves their vinyl or may be curious. Transfers of analog tape to digital format. Could be the mastering engineer, his assistant, or third party like plangent. Digital clocking, conversion process and amount of samples per second has improved in quality significantly since our early CDs were transferred, sometimes from inferior sources, as we know now. Mastering is the most confusing item as it could include a few things. It sorta changed when the CD came out. It used to be the mastering engineer did cut vinyl from the tapes, but when vinyl was going away it became about assembling digitally everything for the album, doing EQ/Compression/Leveling, and creating a Master disc to be duplicated. That process is still much the norm these days, with the final product being digital files. A good deal of vinyl today (and since the 90s) is cut from this digital master, especially the big label issues. Cutting refers to the creation of the master lacquer on a cutting lathe used for making vinyl. There are a few more steps in between this and pressing, but not relevant here (creation of mother, stampers, etc). Pressing refers to the process of making the actual thousands of records in a pressing plant One thing that labels do that's a little misleading is say "remastered from the original analog tapes" or "painstakingly remastered for vinyl from the original tapes" (as Brookvale has said). That just means they did new transfers from tape to digital and remastered it (EQ, compression, leveling), but does not necessarily mean they cut the lacquers for vinyl directly from tape. If they have cut straight from tape they will usually make a big deal about it because it takes a special tape machine and outboard equipment, with a cutting lathe to do that, and is a more expensive process. I don't believe Norman has that capability or experience with a lathe. He either transfers the files to digital himself or receives the digital files from whoever transferred them (ie plangent), masters them, then a plating specialist cuts the lacquer for pressing. For many Dead releases it has (luckily for us) been Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman's place in Cali. Then they are pressed at a pressing plant of choice, or whoever is not so backed up to make the release date. I don't believe any of the modern day GD records have been cut directly from tape, but all from hi-res digital. That doesn't mean they can't sound great or be a whole lot of fun to hold in your hands. Even the "One from the vault" vinyl sounds great to my ears. Doesn't hurt that it's a phenomenal show! SIDE NOTE: Bellman has also done the Phish releases and did in fact cut the first 3 albums straight from the tape, while rift was cut from a DAT, as they never mixed it to tape. The band made sure in press releases to let us know this. Many 90s albums were only mixed to DAT as tape was going away. I do get what is being said about just let the tape play and capture that raw source for archiving, so I'm not dispelling that desire. I might actually prefer that too, but will have to go with what they give us, which has traditionally throughout the Dead's history, been to elevate the listener experience with the quest for hi-fidelity, whether it be in the amps, speakers, guitars or effects that the band used. Gotta love them for that! Oh and the music..... (sorry about all the parenthesis!!) Peace
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Yes I purchase these LP sets to spin an a gatherings and parties. I must say you did a much better job splitting the jams on this than 2/27/69(No one wants to flip the record after Mountains Of The Moon, you want to hear the segue into Dark Star uninterrupted.) The problem with the side splits on this are WRS and Wharf Rat, a great place to switch records, but it would work much better if they were on 2 different records, so I could segue to the next part of the jam from one record to the next on 2 turntables uninterrupted. Having to flip the record makes this impossible. Small potatoes to most, but it is a major disappointment to my enjoyment and purposes. Please consider this in the future. The Jam after Truckin' and The NFA are split on separate records...and that is gonna be just exactly perfect! That said I am thrilled with this choice as a release, it is one of my favorite shows.
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there are three sides with less than 10 minutes each on them, it would be nice if you filled these disks up
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Spectacular! I'm on side C and this is by far the best sounding vinyl Dead release. I completely understand the purists that want an all analog transfer but even if this was from the digital master, it's outstanding. To all who purchased, enjoy!
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What a dilemma. I'm happily waiting for the box set, which will arrive in about 3-4 weeks, and while doing so I keep casting my beady eye on Amazon, where this is available for delivery tomorrow. Its recently dropped in price, too. I have bought a few vinyl albums of the Dead this year, and been pleased with all of them. But I am not a sure about this one-even though it is from one of my favourite years. What's putting me off is the fact that only three sides-the ones with China Cat-Rider, Weather Report Suite and Truckin-jam actually seem to feature much jamming. It seems quite a song based set. And as TD says below-three sides have less than 10 minutes music on. Plus-I am already expecting it on cd in the not too distant future. I have bought several Dead albums earlier on that I already had on cd-but those were cds I had had for years-decades in some cases. Maybe I should sit this one out. But I might change my mind at any minute.
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Anyone else notice low vocals on Side C during Jack Straw and on through the rest of the tracks on Side C? Is this an artifact of the original recordings or a result of the restoration/mixing/mastering/pressing process? The instruments are all great sounding during these tracks- clean and clear, so it isn't just a bad pressing (IMHO). I've not finished listening to the whole show yet as it just arrived in the mail yesterday. 1st 2 sides were good and I'm listening to Side D now and it sounds normal. Curious- please comment if you have this vinyl...either way. Thanks, Keith
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Hey Now- Another Wharf Rat here. Did you see my comment I just posted on Side C vocals? Curious to hear your results. Agree on the sonic quality of the show, but Side C has me wondering... Cheers, Keith
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Is definitely spectacular!
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Bought the boxset in Oslo Norway yesterday, now on side D and the vocals are back to normal. Most of side C vocals can hardly be heard, but music is good and clear. Can hear someone, Weir, saying something about technical problems before El Paso. But the vocals are not back properly before side D.
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Bought the boxset in Oslo Norway yesterday, now on side D and the vocals are back to normal. Most of side C vocals can hardly be heard, but music is good and clear. Can hear someone, Weir, saying something about technical problems before El Paso. But the vocals are not back properly before side D.
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Took delivery from Amazon on Friday, got to Side C and returned it as 'a bad pressing'. Received the replacement this morning (well done Amazon) It is EXACTLY the same. There is a comment here that says Side C is good. Is there a bad batch? I struggle to believe that this level of sound would be passed by quality control. I have heard many better sounding bootlegs. Please Grateful Dead, look into this and let us know. Are Side C vocals really not meant to be heard?
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I haven't cracked mine open, but the box set is due to arrive tomorrow. I will listen to my side C and compare with the CD version of the tracks and report back.
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Just checked the CD out-- same sound issues as the LP-- must be an original recording problem
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Took a few songs(like always) to "dial" in the sound. After a Bobby heavy(guitar mix) few songs(like 9 1/2) and a Jerry vocal drop out(during Sugaree) the mix continues to frustrate with Keith now taking over the sound and a Bobby, Jerry and crew absence of vocals during Jack Straw, It Must Have Been the Roses and El Paso(where Phil's bass shows up). Loose Lucy and Money Money brings back the folks vocals with a mix that is still Keith and Phil up front. Where's Jerry's guitar!?!?!? He's barely heard. Only during Chincat(kinda)does his guitar(more so with Bobby's) begin to emerge. But still, where the freak is Jerry!!! Sounds as if he's playing in an empty pool next to the rest of the band. First set completed. Hope they've "dialed" the sound for the second set! Can't wait!!!
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Promised Land second set opener continues with everything BUT Jerry's guitar somewhat in the mix. Ouch! I can sorta hear him in there. Bertha doesn't improve the inclusion of Jerry's guitar and neither does Greatest Story Ever Told. Again, I can hear the goodness in there, but Mr. Garcia's guitar is simply reeeeeeally low. Ship of Fools is when Jerry's guitar starts(STARTS) to be one with the rest. Weather Report Suite is Jerry guitar quiet again. This same ol' technical difficulty continues through Peggy-O and Truckin'. The band is SMOKING!!! Just wish Jerry's noise was turned up a bit. They build it up in Truckin' then groove. Damn it, turn up Garcia! Keith is bouncing! Then just when you think it's done, a little bit more! Will someone PLEASE turn Jerry up! Truckin' jam and then...Not Fade Away comes in uniquely familiar. Digging Keith's keyboards with Phil and Billy. Kidd, turn up Jerry. Goin' Down and grooving big time!!! Then rock and roll with Saturday Night and a blazing US Blues! That's how my vinyl sounded...REALLY SMOKING but, as I have frequently stated, turn up...you know who. LOVE THIS SHOW! First time I've heard it sound this good...but :) and my vinyl copy had zero issues!
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How was this box set sold to us without any heads up regarding the obvious mixing issues? I understand that it took some time to get the PA "right" and that's pretty standard, but to have an entire Side C with basically no vocals?? Some great songs on there! The sonic quality of the instruments is fantastic and really love how the Wall brings such clarity and separation between the members but I have to say I am very disappointed with how this was released with no information given about the mixing issues. 6 LPs sounded like a steal for the price but not when you consider the Side C mess along with all of the other mixing issues (Jerry's guitar not loud enough the entire first set...!!!!!). Really hoping next time they take into account that we would like to know of these issues before purchasing. After all, we are pretty intense listeners...
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5 years 10 months
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you know who you are - the incessant complainers who drone on and on about the vinyl not "really being analog" or not really sounding better that CDs, or that it's too expensive, or that you don't like how they tracked the lps, or that it shouldn't be a limited edition, or will complain when they reissue because it's supposed to be limited edition and on and on and on. All I can say to each of you is that I got my beautiful box o' Grateful vinyl yesterday and when I got home after an 11+ hour grind in my own version of the Cumberland mine I smoked a bowl, put side A on the turntable, slipped the headphones on and when the first crisp notes of Mississippi 1/2 Step kicked on, not a single word of all your complaining meant a damn thing :)
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6 years 4 months
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I am not hating, but I have not purchased yet, and do have some concerns with the audio quality of side C that some have mentioned. Did you happen to make it to Side C last night. Genuinely curious about your opinion of it as you seem to be laid back otherwise? I am sure I will purchase regardless..... Thanks KCJ Edit: Just purchased for a total after tax and shipping $109.40 from a Barnes & Noble Vendor. Will hold off on listening to this show from the CD box set. Will listen to the vinyl first and then compare.
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5 years 10 months
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Yep, I got through the first 3 lps last night and yep, the vocals on side C were WAY low in the mix (but not gone entirely). And yeah, maybe a disclaimer could have been made or something. But I don't know - Im an old man who got tunred on and became a Head in the pre-CDs era, in the middle of the true taping culture. Im used to a little slop on my live Dead recordings and it simply doesn't bother me. Its a beautiful package, something Ill be enjoying for years, and something physical Ill be handing to my kids. And on an even simpler level there just aint no time to hate anyway!:)
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7 years 4 months
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The vocal issues are simply the way it was mixed that night. Obviously this is what the masters contain and it really didn’t bother me. On the box set I’m on the second disc of Vancouver 74 and track one of the first disc the vocals and instruments are manipulated throughout the first song as Kidd Candelario was adjusting everything. It’s part of the magic. All twelve sides were perfect. No warping or surface noise. Just exactly perfect.
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16 years 9 months
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Sorry. I am 68. I have followed that Dead for more years than I can remember inc carrying a very big box of cassette bootlegs around to listen to in the car. This issue falls WAY below acceptable standards. Refund and re issue please.
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5 years 10 months
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Still find all the negativity and nitpicking about both the vinyl and the PNW box set to be pretty tired - because for me personally, I just got through sides E & F and that lp alone gives me joy worth the price of admission. The China > Rider on vinyl with the headphones on and turned to 11 is bliss
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5 years 10 months
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How do you like the vinyl and how do you think it compares the same show on CD from box set?
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6 years 4 months
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SteveGold- As mentioned I purchased vinyl from B&N 3rd party vendor for a discounted price. Bad part is shipping might take a little longer. I’ve used this vendor in the past and it took two weeks. In the mean time I lost patience and listened to the CD version today. The CD does have the same issues with the voice fall out on 3 songs which correspond with sides C. Jack Straw, It Must Have Been The Roses, and El Paso. Jerry’s voice is a little low in the mix in Loose Lucy, but after that all is good. Due to this mix it does surprise me a little that they chose this as the show for the LP Box, however maybe it’s because the playing is spectacular and other than this small mix issue this show is about perfect. Even during the mix issue the playing is excellent. Corresponding songs with the LP version...Side A & B are Grate, and I have not found many Loose Lucy’s or China Cat > Riders that I don’t like, side F is also perfectly played classic dead, but the Weather Report Suite > Wharf Rat really does it for me (too bad they did not have enough space to put both on the same side) not too mention the incredible Truckin > Jam. Nice and slow version of Peggy O, and I am also a sucker for pretty much every GDTRFB. Honestly, I can’t really find anything to complain about with this show, especially when you consider that this recording was made as an after thought to a live event almost 45 years ago, by folks who very well could have been psychedelically challenged. Bravo good sirs & ladies....sorry I was late to the party! KCJ Edit: i mention only 3 songs that were affected by vocal dropout...for got to list Sugaree which is good at the beginning and then vocals drop out. I am not deterred...I have listened to all 6 shows at least twice for each show and Portland 74 is definitely my favorite, at least for now, and IMO the sound quality is slightly better on all of the 74 shows, perhaps due to the WOS? Edit #2: just received Vinyl...OMG sound is phenomenal....significantly more warm and crisp than ripped Cd version. I can hear every note of every instrument. If you like vinyl don’t delay! Love Jerry’s back up vocals on Bobby McGee...
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