I've bought pretty much all the S Wilson remixes for Yes, Tull and King Crimson, thought I'd share some thoughts, and invite views.
Starting w Yes "Relayer".
Steve is rightly lauded as a bit of a protector of the prog flame, I love the guy.
But I'm having issues w the remix.
I have the original lp UK pressing plus Japanese one.
And yes,it's always been a challenging listen, so much crammed in, and an overly bright balance.
But no doubting the dynamics and power on vinyl.
So I eagerly put the new S Wilson remix cd on and was presented with:
Well, a weird schizo combination of vastly increased warmth and some extra detail and transparency (all good).
But also muted dynamics, almost a compression in verve and swing.
So I leant more about the soundstage, but less about the energy of the performance.
A real head scratcher.
Hi Spirit,
At a guess, I’d put it down to the fact that A) Steven Wilson has a very low opinion of mastering engineers (1); and/or, B) the potentially less likely possibility there’s been some noise reduction employed to minimise tape hiss from the original master tapes during transfer and/or mixing.
As to A); I get why Wilson does flat transfers from the mix to disc (i.e. with no compression, EQ or enhancement after the master buss on the mixing console - whatever comes out is what goes to disc), bypassing the mastering process altogether. But I’ve heard a number of non-classical/jazz releases that were not mastered for whatever reason, and personally, I continue to believe there’s a reason any good mastering engineer can be worth their weight in gold.
The first is perspective. Having another set of ears can be an invaluable part of the process that should never be underestimated in importance provided that additional perspective is one in which one has a degree of confidence. It’s really easy to fall in love with your own choices, and a trusted counterpart who understands what you’re trying to achieve yet can see things you may be blind to can only ever be a good thing. The horrible truth is that all mixes are somewhat studio dependent - part of the mastering engineer’s job is to ensure the final project works in places other than where it was mixed, and on gear other than whatever mains/mid-fields/near-fields were using by the mixing engineer.
The second is skill. There are lots of people who think that by chucking compression, EQ or various digital software at a project they can make it “better”, in the same way there are lots of people that think by sliding sliders around in Photoshop or Lightroom they can “improve” their image. My experience of having work mastered by others in the past is that the artist is almost always the defining variable, far outweighing the tools at their disposal. Yes, sometimes the tools reach a ceiling beyond which the artist finds themselves limited. But I would much rather a competent mastering engineer with limited tools work on something than a person lacking creative discipline with unlimited resources. Of course, from Wilson’s perspective, that chucking compression, EQ or other enhancements at a project can of course make the project worse (as many here and elsewhere can attest to given the vocal protestations re: the loudness wars) doesn’t make that process redundant in-and-of-itself -
the abuse of a tool does not necessarily mean that tool has no utility value - as always, it's the artist not the brush.
As to B), who knows? Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. In any case, we return to the same truism as above, and at the end of the day, the sole responsibility for the final product only ever lies with the creator, irrespective of tools at his or her disposal. That Wilson prefers to not submit his work to an additional layer of creative/sonic oversight and technological processing may confer him the title of purist or perfectionist (i.e. “control freak”), but that has nothing to do with whether of not the results produced will satisfy anyone other than himself and those present at the mixing desk once the product is played back in a domestic environment, especially when there is already an example of prior art for comparison.
Best,
853guy
(1) “I think people have been brainwashed a lot over the years that mastering engineers do something magical, almost like a black hat, and I think, actually, mastering is not necessary.”
https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/interview-steven-wilson-on-high-res-hand-cannot-erase/