The stereo mixes on MIC can't hold a candle to Brian's original work!

[linusoli]

Was just listening to the MiC mix of "Do it Again" fondly awaiting that glorious and haunting organ swell in the first verse, so mysterious and inviting . And it was nowhere to be heard! Makes you wonder what the point of it all is. Reject glossy revisionism, respect the intent of genius with all its rough edges!

[pixletwin]

Is Do It Again not the first true stereo mix? I would assume then that maybe some features of the mono would not be availble to a true stereo mix.

[linusoli]

The organ's in there. If you listen to the mono it is gradually ridden up in the mix under the second stanza, blending with Carl's wordless backing and creating a strikingly murky effect. It is a reproducible detail , if the attention were paid

I respect a bit of mix variety in yet another round of rereleases, but the thought of these becoming definitive breaks my heart. So much artistry, soul and inventiveness went into the exact structural formation of those original mixes.

[drbeachboy]

The organ's in there. If you listen to the mono it is gradually ridden up in the mix under the second stanza, blending with Carl's wordless backing and creating a strikingly murky effect. It is a reproducible detail , if the attention were paid

I respect a bit of mix variety in yet another round of rereleases, but the thought of these becoming definitive breaks my heart. So much artistry, soul and inventiveness went into the exact structural formation of those original mixes.

I don't really like Brian's Baa, Baa, Baa's in the chorus so out front in the stereo version, but those are the variations between the mono and stereo mixes that make them interesting and different.

[alf wiedersehen]

Well, Mr. Desper says that part was Carl's idea.
So...

[Cabinessenceking]

Was just listening to the MiC mix of "Do it Again" fondly awaiting that glorious and haunting organ swell in the first verse, so mysterious and inviting . And it was nowhere to be heard! Makes you wonder what the point of it all is. Reject glossy revisionism, respect the intent of genius with all its rough edges!

ye, the MiC mix failed completely.

[bringahorseinhere?]

wow, can't believe this particular stereo mix in getting the 'shaft'......

I think it's one of the better remixes in the BB catalogue...along with Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Why Do Fools Fall In Love....

there you go...... from a muso's point of view, it's great to hear the clarity of the instruments and vocals that make up this song...

Thumbs up for me..

RickB

[HeyJude]

I normally love stereo remixes, stuff like "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" or the original 1996 stereo remix of "Pet Sounds." But most of the stereo remixes done from about 2001 on have been often if not usually drenched in WAY too much reverb. The stuff on the "Smile Sessions" box was generally okay. But the overuse of reverb/echo on the stereo remixes kind of negate the effect of spreading the sound out and letting it breathe, because the reverb muddies it all up.

After spending a lot of time listening to stereo remixes of stuff like "Please Let Me Wonder" and "You're So Good to Me", it was a weird revelation to hear the original mono mixes again. They actually sound more crisp and clear. Not even because they're punchy mono, but simply because a lot of those Brian mixes sound comparatively almost bone dry compared to the 2000's digital remixes.

[sockittome]

I definitely prefer the new stereo mix of Do it Again over the old duophonic mess! 

[SloopJohnB52]

After deconstructing the 7 session tracks of "Do It Again" on the Unsurpassed Masters Vol 20 boot, I've found that it IS possible to create a much more detailed wide-stereo mix than was done on MIC, without the harshness and compression that has ruined the more recent official stereo remixes (Good Vibrations, Wild Honey, etc).  That will be my next project when I find the time to attempt it.

[Micha]

I don't really like Brian's Baa, Baa, Baa's in the chorus so out front in the stereo version, but those are the variations between the mono and stereo mixes that make them interesting and different.

Well, Mr. Desper says that part was Carl's idea.
So...

What do you mean with "So..."? I don't think I get your point.

Anyway, the same melody line is played by Brian on the organ at the August 1967 Hawaii gigs over "Surfin'", so it is interesting to know Carl suggested Brian to sing that on "Do It Again".

[alf wiedersehen]

I don't really like Brian's Baa, Baa, Baa's in the chorus so out front in the stereo version, but those are the variations between the mono and stereo mixes that make them interesting and different.

Well, Mr. Desper says that part was Carl's idea.
So...

What do you mean with "So..."? I don't think I get your point.

Anyway, the same melody line is played by Brian on the organ at the August 1967 Hawaii gigs over "Surfin'", so it is interesting to know Carl suggested Brian to sing that on "Do It Again".

No, to have the organ interacting with the vocals was Carl's idea.
And by "So...", I just meant that it's not "Brian's original work".

[sea of tunes]

Not a fan of the stereo remixes either.  I respect the decision to do it, I just don't agree with it.  The Original Mono Mixes on the singles (for the most part) is the way to go.  For everything through about '69.  Some stereo mixes from the '62-'69 are actually quite good and very illuminating of the harmonies.  

For instance, the original stereo mix of a song like "Surfer Girl" or "The Warmth Of The Sun", to me those are THE mixes.  But for other songs like "Please Let Me Wonder" or "Kiss Me, Baby", the stereo remixes of recent years are but a snapshot of the authentic mono 45 mixes.

I'm pretty much anti-stereo remix, across the board but if pushed I would say harmony heavy songs, better in original stereo mixes.  With more textured productions, mono mixes all the way.

 

[brother john]

I normally love stereo remixes, stuff like "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" or the original 1996 stereo remix of "Pet Sounds." But most of the stereo remixes done from about 2001 on have been often if not usually drenched in WAY too much reverb. The stuff on the "Smile Sessions" box was generally okay. But the overuse of reverb/echo on the stereo remixes kind of negate the effect of spreading the sound out and letting it breathe, because the reverb muddies it all up.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they added more reverb for the stereo mixes, its just that being stereo the mixes are more transparent and the reverb, which was there all the time, is just more audible. I think sometimes it had a track of its own, which tends to be the case in modern mixes and to an extent must be true of some of the remixed BB tracks.

[Loaf]

Is there anyone buying the MIC box who doesn't already have the greatest hits somewhere else? The sales of MIC are going to be much lower than a Best Of, so i wouldn't worry about the MIC versions becoming 'definitive'.

I'd rather have a different (even if worse) mix on MIC than just a repeat of the same track i have elsewhere.

[HeyJude]

I normally love stereo remixes, stuff like "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" or the original 1996 stereo remix of "Pet Sounds." But most of the stereo remixes done from about 2001 on have been often if not usually drenched in WAY too much reverb. The stuff on the "Smile Sessions" box was generally okay. But the overuse of reverb/echo on the stereo remixes kind of negate the effect of spreading the sound out and letting it breathe, because the reverb muddies it all up.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they added more reverb for the stereo mixes, its just that being stereo the mixes are more transparent and the reverb, which was there all the time, is just more audible. I think sometimes it had a track of its own, which tends to be the case in modern mixes and to an extent must be true of some of the remixed BB tracks.

While there may be isolated cases where something like this is true, I think there is ample evidence that reverb is added to these stereo remixes. Listen to something like the drums/percussion on “You’re So Good to Me.” On the stereo remix, it sounds like, as I’ve often said before, someone hit the “Opera House” setting on an old digital receiver. On the mono mix, the drums/percussion is nearly bone-dry. If a hypothetical mono mix has elements that are bone-dry, remixing them into stereo shouldn’t result in more echo/reverb.

There is certainly some ambience and reverb/echo printed onto some of the multitrack tapes; particularly with some backing tracks. But if a stereo remix has about ten times more echo than the mono mix, that is not a result of revealing more of what’s on the multitracks. It’s *possible* that some amount of the additional reverb we hear is due to some stereo panning effects. But they’re going back to the multitrack sources for these things, and there’s no way those elements can be “wetter” on the multitrack than they are on the finished mono mix.

We have other evidence as well, as *some* of the elements heard on the “Sea of Tunes” and other studio sessions can sometimes sound pretty dry.

I’d also say the “Smile Sessions” ended up being relatively unscathed as far as excessive additional reverb because some of the backing tracks were already do murky and dark.

It may well even be that Brian is being consulted on these mixes and he’s asking for more reverb. Brian has never been a regular purveyor of super-dry recording and mixing. But I have no doubt the reverb is being added as these are tracks are being digitally remixed. It’s a shame, because a lot of the stuff as recorded did not sound so muddy and cavernous. This is an exaggeration, but it’s a bummer when the backing track on the stereo remix of “Please Let Me Wonder” ends up sounding like it was recorded at the same sessions as “Do You Like Worms.”

[drbeachboy]

I really like the stereo remix of Darlin'. Like the mono mix, the vocals jump right out at you and it is one of the few stereo tracks that retain the punchiness of the mono. The horns standout in stereo very nicely, as well.

[drbeachboy]

Take a track like When I Grow Up , the reverb, echo on the lead vocal must be on the master. Every stereo release has it thick. I doubt that Mark would add that, especially on the first verse, where it is worse than the rest of the song. Same for Here Today.

[sea of tunes]

My biggest problem with the remixing is the fact that there is a derth of truly well mastered ORIGINAL mono and ORIGINAL stereo mixes out there in print, easily accessible.  I'm not a fan of the 2012 reissues, don't want to start a flame war but they just lay there, sonically.

I will say that I feel like the mastering on MIC is actually really good.  There's an awesome video of Mark Linett discussing the use of Slate Digital products in capturing analag sound from analog masters in a digital state.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PveMm1yqo54

The non-remixed tracks sound terrific and do not seem to be heavily compressed in any way.  If the same principles were to be applied to other titles in the catalog, I could digress here but won't...  I think it would be an all around win.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

I normally love stereo remixes, stuff like "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" or the original 1996 stereo remix of "Pet Sounds." But most of the stereo remixes done from about 2001 on have been often if not usually drenched in WAY too much reverb. The stuff on the "Smile Sessions" box was generally okay. But the overuse of reverb/echo on the stereo remixes kind of negate the effect of spreading the sound out and letting it breathe, because the reverb muddies it all up.

After spending a lot of time listening to stereo remixes of stuff like "Please Let Me Wonder" and "You're So Good to Me", it was a weird revelation to hear the original mono mixes again. They actually sound more crisp and clear. Not even because they're punchy mono, but simply because a lot of those Brian mixes sound comparatively almost bone dry compared to the 2000's digital remixes.

That's what I love about the Do It Again remix. It's very dry [last time I checked], and actually sounds more vintage than a lot of the mixes.

[Wirestone]

dearth.

[brother john]

I normally love stereo remixes, stuff like "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" or the original 1996 stereo remix of "Pet Sounds." But most of the stereo remixes done from about 2001 on have been often if not usually drenched in WAY too much reverb. The stuff on the "Smile Sessions" box was generally okay. But the overuse of reverb/echo on the stereo remixes kind of negate the effect of spreading the sound out and letting it breathe, because the reverb muddies it all up.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they added more reverb for the stereo mixes, its just that being stereo the mixes are more transparent and the reverb, which was there all the time, is just more audible. I think sometimes it had a track of its own, which tends to be the case in modern mixes and to an extent must be true of some of the remixed BB tracks.

While there may be isolated cases where something like this is true, I think there is ample evidence that reverb is added to these stereo remixes. Listen to something like the drums/percussion on “You’re So Good to Me.” On the stereo remix, it sounds like, as I’ve often said before, someone hit the “Opera House” setting on an old digital receiver. On the mono mix, the drums/percussion is nearly bone-dry. If a hypothetical mono mix has elements that are bone-dry, remixing them into stereo shouldn’t result in more echo/reverb.

There is certainly some ambience and reverb/echo printed onto some of the multitrack tapes; particularly with some backing tracks. But if a stereo remix has about ten times more echo than the mono mix, that is not a result of revealing more of what’s on the multitracks. It’s *possible* that some amount of the additional reverb we hear is due to some stereo panning effects. But they’re going back to the multitrack sources for these things, and there’s no way those elements can be “wetter” on the multitrack than they are on the finished mono mix.

We have other evidence as well, as *some* of the elements heard on the “Sea of Tunes” and other studio sessions can sometimes sound pretty dry.

I’d also say the “Smile Sessions” ended up being relatively unscathed as far as excessive additional reverb because some of the backing tracks were already do murky and dark.

It may well even be that Brian is being consulted on these mixes and he’s asking for more reverb. Brian has never been a regular purveyor of super-dry recording and mixing. But I have no doubt the reverb is being added as these are tracks are being digitally remixed. It’s a shame, because a lot of the stuff as recorded did not sound so muddy and cavernous. This is an exaggeration, but it’s a bummer when the backing track on the stereo remix of “Please Let Me Wonder” ends up sounding like it was recorded at the same sessions as “Do You Like Worms.”

I've listened to  two YSGTMs mono and stereo mixes, and also imported the stereo mix into my DAW and listened to it in mono, and I wonder if what sounds like lots more reverb is really the effect of the more EQ - there is more bass in the stereo mix, and ML has a tendency to mix with more treble than we're used to, so I do think that what sounds like an 'opera' setting (lol) is just what was already there but wider, deeper and brighter.

[HeyJude]

I normally love stereo remixes, stuff like "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" or the original 1996 stereo remix of "Pet Sounds." But most of the stereo remixes done from about 2001 on have been often if not usually drenched in WAY too much reverb. The stuff on the "Smile Sessions" box was generally okay. But the overuse of reverb/echo on the stereo remixes kind of negate the effect of spreading the sound out and letting it breathe, because the reverb muddies it all up.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they added more reverb for the stereo mixes, its just that being stereo the mixes are more transparent and the reverb, which was there all the time, is just more audible. I think sometimes it had a track of its own, which tends to be the case in modern mixes and to an extent must be true of some of the remixed BB tracks.

While there may be isolated cases where something like this is true, I think there is ample evidence that reverb is added to these stereo remixes. Listen to something like the drums/percussion on “You’re So Good to Me.” On the stereo remix, it sounds like, as I’ve often said before, someone hit the “Opera House” setting on an old digital receiver. On the mono mix, the drums/percussion is nearly bone-dry. If a hypothetical mono mix has elements that are bone-dry, remixing them into stereo shouldn’t result in more echo/reverb.

There is certainly some ambience and reverb/echo printed onto some of the multitrack tapes; particularly with some backing tracks. But if a stereo remix has about ten times more echo than the mono mix, that is not a result of revealing more of what’s on the multitracks. It’s *possible* that some amount of the additional reverb we hear is due to some stereo panning effects. But they’re going back to the multitrack sources for these things, and there’s no way those elements can be “wetter” on the multitrack than they are on the finished mono mix.

We have other evidence as well, as *some* of the elements heard on the “Sea of Tunes” and other studio sessions can sometimes sound pretty dry.

I’d also say the “Smile Sessions” ended up being relatively unscathed as far as excessive additional reverb because some of the backing tracks were already do murky and dark.

It may well even be that Brian is being consulted on these mixes and he’s asking for more reverb. Brian has never been a regular purveyor of super-dry recording and mixing. But I have no doubt the reverb is being added as these are tracks are being digitally remixed. It’s a shame, because a lot of the stuff as recorded did not sound so muddy and cavernous. This is an exaggeration, but it’s a bummer when the backing track on the stereo remix of “Please Let Me Wonder” ends up sounding like it was recorded at the same sessions as “Do You Like Worms.”

I've listened to  two YSGTMs mono and stereo mixes, and also imported the stereo mix into my DAW and listened to it in mono, and I wonder if what sounds like lots more reverb is really the effect of the more EQ - there is more bass in the stereo mix, and ML has a tendency to mix with more treble than we're used to, so I do think that what sounds like an 'opera' setting (lol) is just what was already there but wider, deeper and brighter.

I don't think there's any way the reverb/echo would be that pronounced if it was just some EQ, extra treble, etc. I can't say it's anything as simple as just dialing a reverb plug-in up to 11 or anything. It may be accomplished by panning a more reverb-laden signal around the stereo image, etc.

But in any event, there's no way *that* amount of reverb is printed onto the multi-track tapes. No way. The "Sea of Tunes" stuff sounds even drier in many cases. A creative decision is being made when doing these stereo mixes to, in many cases, drench them by some means with a lot of reverb/echo. Some mixes are worse than others in this regard, and some recordings do have more inherent reverb/echo at the source than others. Some of the reverb sound may also be coming from mixing/panning, EQ, etc. But however it is being done, it is a choice being made that isn't printed onto the multitrack tapes in every case. As I mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised if Brian likes the sound. I don't think Brian likes his stuff to sound like Jeff Lynne mixing the Traveling Wilburys. I just personally don't like the effect in many instances, and I also feel it defeats the purpose of doing stereo remixes to make the stuff sound cleaner and with more definition.

I recall some of the homebrew stereo mixes of "Today" and "Summer Days" era material using the SOT CDs having way less reverb as well.

[mikeddonn]

Have a listen to "It's a Beautiful Day".  Unfortunately there's nothing beautiful about the added reverb on Mike's vocals.  Ruins a good song for me and what would have been a good mix.  Also, why is it only on Mike's vocals?  Same with "Wild Honey" live.  I can understand them taking some liberties with unreleased songs like YLTLF but not with the others which were perfectly acceptable to me.

[sea of tunes]

.