Sound quality on Joy Division reissues

Any word on how good the remasters are?

I've heard reports of clipping. Feeling kinda tentative about buying them.

Well the obvious answer is "no better than the originals". first rule of audio engineering....you can't put back what's not been recorded.

Doctor? wrote: Well the obvious answer is "no better than the originals". first rule of audio engineering....you can't put back what's not been recorded.

Yeah, I always kinda questioned in my mind the whole idea behind remasters. How do you improve something without rerecording it?

I guess I figured maybe there was better technology now to get a digital transfer from the original multitracks than there was when they made the first CD masters some 20 years ago. I don't know enough about sound to know if that's possible, though.

Either that or somehow clean up the sound from the tapes... which, again, I'm kinda ignorant about, but if I understand it right would seem impossible. i.e. you can't separate a musical element from noise once it's on the same track.

Useful background info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remastering

Personally, I think the remastered vinyl sounds slightly more open than the original factory pressings, although I have to concentrate to notice any real difference.

Not played the CDs yet. Bought them mainly for the revised packaging/extra discs.

Bloody skint now...

:\ohwell:

Not an audio expert myself, but my DM and Cure remasters *braces for backlash* sound hells of a lot better than the CD-Rs I've made from less-than-legit interweb sources.