Stonking Jazz Album

[Scroobius]

Well I don't know how this album escaped my notice but I have just got hold of The Gifted Ones by Count Basie/Dizzy Gillespie today and absolutely no doubt about it - it has gone straight into my all time greatest 10 Jazz Albums (but not sure which one it has displaced yet!!!!). What an awesome album. I always loved Dizzie but when you add in the Count magic happens. Well it does for me anyway - its all about the notes NOT played really just superb.

Good sound quality as well - the symbols playing as they should do thanks to NOS1.

 

[manisandher]

Ordered! Thanks for the recommendation.

But as usual, there seem to be a number of CD releases of this 1977 recording. It seems the first was in 1996. The CD I've just ordered from Amazon is a 2000 release - couldn't find the 1996 release. There are a few on eBay though... Which version is yours?

Mani.

[hwk]

Gents,
CD Wow, 8,99 Euro (incl.transport)
greetz, HW

[christoffe]

http://groovenotes.org/2010/03/06/1000-jazz-albums-you-should-hear-before-you-die-the-first-500/

[christoffe]

couldn't find the 1996 release.
Mani.

Hi Mani,

release 1996

http://www.amazon.com/Gifted-Ones-Count-Basie/dp/B000000Z27/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1320135117&sr=1-1

Joachim

[Scroobius]

Hi Mani - Its the "Original Jazz Classics" Pablo Records originally issued Feb 3 1977 and remastered and re-released 1996.

Hope you like it.

Paul

[manisandher]

Well I paid just over €2 (yes, two) for a brand new 2000 release of this. I may 'splash out' and order the 1996 release... but it's gonna have to be great music if I'm gonna part with €5 of my hard-earned money 

Kind of reminds me what a great philosophy Peter followed when creating the NOS1: Forget hirez, get redbook right instead - there's just infinitely more great music available. And isn't this what this hobby's all about???

Mani.

[Scroobius]

Mani - Check out the last track "Ow" drums and symbols being played right here in my room right in front of me. Ow is now my new demo track to impress unsuspecting visitors.

I have a reference system I sometimes listen to, to check out how a real Jazz set should sound. It is called "The Stan Tracy Quintet" and they play live at the Bulls Head in Barnes (going there tonight as it happens to hear my cousin perform a Steely Dan set - if anyone lives nearby come along). Always strikes me how real life symbols sound - very loud in the mix and just so much detail.

Right here at home and in front of me right now is the best reproduction I have ever heard of symbols. They STAND OUT LOUD & PROUD and that's the way they should sound. Maybe only NOS1 does that in the world of sound reproduction - I certainly have not heard any other front end produce this level of detail.

Rockin good sound Peter - (note to self - try to contain enthusiasm as Peter is bound to come up with further improvements and then you will have run out of superlatives he he).

P

[christoffe]

Hi,

I'm on a journey through Apples Itunes where you can find nearly all older (and new) releases for a price < € 10,00.

The tunes are transfered as compressed *.m4a files, that can be converted to lossless wave back.

It's a bargain.

Joachim

[manisandher]

It's a bargain.

Haha... I came back home yesterday and waiting for me in the post was the 'The Gifted Ones' CD I ordered. It's actually the original 1996 release (not a 2000 release as indicated on Amazon). So I paid just over €2 for a brand new original release of this CD. Now that's a bargain! (Oh and yes, Scroobius is right - it's great music!)

Also, I don't trust downloads at all. Many hirez downloads are proving to be sourced from redbook in reality. And as for 16/44.1 downloads... how do we know that these haven't just been ripped from physical CDs by a summer intern working at the record company? I really wouldn't be surprised if this is common practice. Also, we wouldn't know which CD release they used. All in all, I much prefer buying the physical CD and doing the rip properly myself. My experience with buying CDs off Amazon and eBay is that if ordered within Europe, they're in my post box with 2-3 days.

And there's no substitute for knowing that you have the physical disc should anything untoward happen with your HDD.

Mani.

[christoffe]

Comparision between a ripped file (dBPoweramp) and an iTunes File.

The files are nearly identical. There is a small time shift in upper channel of appr. 0,0001 sec.

The left curve is the iTunes file.

The question is, what file is genuine.

[christoffe]

And there's no substitute for knowing that you have the physical disc should anything untoward happen with your HDD.

Mani.

Hi,

please be careful, some of my oldest CD's cannot be ripped due to unreadable frames.

http://www.enotes.com/science/q-and-a/what-lifespan-cd-rom-disc-289144

http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec4.html

Joachim

[Scroobius]

I have to agree with Mani and now I just rip CD's where possible. It really does seem that now with NOS1 USB the important thing is not the resolution of the recording (ie 44 96 192 etc) but the actual quality of the recording and mastering is REALLY the most important thing.

I have great recordings in 16 44 and The Gifted Ones is one of the best examples of the best quality recordings I have heard on my system. And I have other recordings in "hi res" that are just poor. But there again I have 24 96 recordings from Itrax that are just superb but I have to think that it is more because of the quality of the recording techniques, microphone placement and production than due to hi res.

BUT what about the bit depth of the recording - well that should matter the calculations would indicate that 24bit should be much better than 16bit for dynamic range if the system will play it. Although 16 bit should be good for 96db surely that is enough. I would be interested in what you guys experience is in that area. 

My ears are telling me that 16 44 is good enough or at least there is a whole lot more recording engineers can do to improve recording quality before they even start to think of higher res.

When Mani came to my place I played him a CD of music written played produced and mastered by my cousin Chris and his group. Chris is a professional musician. He recorded the album in his garage (OK converted into a recording studio) and created a digital master on equipment that cost him £800. I think I am right in saying that Mani was surprised at the recording quality. I have to say that my cousin Chris is not technically minded but one thing he did which he did not realise is a very good thing is to record straight to 16 44 - he did not first create a 24 96 master and then down sample to create a 16 44 master (which obviously requires the use of a potentially sound quality killing brick wall filter) maybe the big studios just do not think about the really simple things that can be done to create good sound quality - I suppose "recorded straight to 16 44" just does not sound as sexy as "recorded in 24 96" which of course is irrelevant on CD.

When the revolution comes maybe we will be able put mainstream recording engineers up against the wall and shoot them he he.

P

[christoffe]

I have to agree with Mani and now I just rip CD's where possible.
P

Hello P,

iTunes is the only store to my knowledge to get OLD records with releases around the 1970s from Crosby, Stills & Nash, James Taylor, Cream, Blind Faith, Jack Bruce (Harmony Row), Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Ray Brown  etc. with a 24/44 bit depth, which are not easily to buy on a CD anymore.

The quality of the iTunes files seems to be congruent with the CD rippings. A save storage of the "bits and pieces" should not be a major problem nowadays. What I'm missing are the covers.

Joachim

[juanpmar]

I´d like to know the process, step by step, that some of you use to rip cds to be  played later in XXHighEnd.

This is what I do:

1- I rip the cd in my laptop using EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and save the files in a 1Tb WD Elements SE HDD. Always I use WAV files. I use this HDD because it´s like an USB flash drive, very little and easy to carry, with USB3.0 it is fast also.

2- Once the rip is done I copy the files from the WD Elements to another bigger (2Tb) WD external HDD to make a back up copy. I use this WD just for back up.

3- I take the WD Elements and copy the WAV files to the PC where I have XXHighEnd and the music HDD

4- Once the copy is finished I erase the WD Elements and all starts again.

I wonder if to make a copy from one HDD to another HDD it is not the best way to do it. Could I loose something in the process?.  Maybe I´m too picky because I only use the music PC just to play music, the same way like the typical transport. I don´t use it for anything else, not even to rip cds.

Juan