Hello.

Some time ago i posted a thread in which i stated my aim to do a total digital restoration of Zeppelin's final concert in Berlin, 1980, and share the results here at the Trader's Den. There was a sufficiently positive response from various traders to give the project the go ahead; however, having studied Wavelab's analysis of my Berlin source i began to doubt if the lineage was in any way accurate. I was determined that my first public Remaster would be from this 1980 tour for two reasons: firstly i wanted to work on a double CD rather than Zeppelin's usual triple disc set, and secondly because Zeppelin played a bit of everything on this tour (pretty much something from every album). I scrapped the Berlin idea because of my doubts regarding the lineage, and just recently i came across the 06-17-80 show in Dortmund on another trading web site, and I'm glad it all happened this way because this show is really amazing for its energy, wildness and power. Black Dog is so abandoned that it's crazy, Since I've Been Loving You is the best version I think I've ever heard, Kashmir is meaty as hell, and it's all good fun.

The lineage of the version that I downloaded is as follows (it is of course the bootleg that many of you will be familiar with):

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Date: 1980-06-17
Location: Dortmund, Germany
Venue: Westfalenhalle
Source: Soundboard
Lineage: 1st gen cassette>Dat(1)>Cdr(1)>eac>wav>flac.

I decoded the FLAC files to WAV, then loaded them into Cubase SX2. The FX Chain on the Audio Track was as follows: Waves X-Noise>Waves MaxxBass>Steinberg Multi Band Compressor>EQ Filter.

The FX Chain on the main desk was: PSP Vintage Warmer>EQ Filter.

Please don't be alarmed by the initial noise-reduction or the Mult Band Compressor on the Audio Track; both were tastefully applied. I used a noise sample from the beginning of the tape and only took out what was necessary to get a cleaner product. The Multi Band Compressor was assigned only to frequecies below-and-up-to 12HZ (ultra sub bass frequencies that have no use in rock music (ie: stage rumble leaking into on-stage microphones). The MaxxBass plugin was used to restore some of the natural bass that was lost on the original tape source; it was not used to produce a huge boom that bares no resemblance whatsoever to Zeppelin's true live sound). The EQ Filter on both the Audio Track and the main desk was set to cut all frequencies below 88Hz (again these are frequencies that, whilst making Aphex Twin a lot of money, have no use in rock music).

The remastering process was done with a lot of love, and i think it shows. The source was not flawless; SIBLY cuts in after a couple of bars, and sadly the end of RnR is missing. Also, half way through Heartbreaker the right channel drops out completely for a while; I corrected this as best I could using the Steinberg Stereo Expander (it is still an obvious change but it makes far better listening that the way it was before).

The finalised mix was then rendered into 24bit WAV, then normalised in Wavelab 6, rendered once more into 24bit Wav then encoded into FLAC for your enjoyment.

So... the correct and full lineage for the show that i am sharing with you is as follows:

1st gen cassette>Dat(1)>Cdr(1)>eac>wav>flac>wav>Cubase SX2>Waves X-Noise>Waves MaxxBass>Steinberg Multi Band Compressor>EQ Filter>PSP Vintage Warmer>EQ Filter>24bit wav>Wavelab 6>24bit wav>FLAC.

For those of you who are familiar with this bootleg, it's my opinion that you will not believe what you are hearing when you download this; it is most definately to be considered a major upgrade. For those who have never heard this concert, I don't think you will ever want to hear another version.

In short: this is as close to an official release as this gig is ever going to sound.

The Setlist is as follows:

Disc One:
1. Train Kept a'Rollin/Nobody's Fault But Mine
2. Black Dog
3. In The Evening
4. Rain Song
5. Hot Dog
6. All My Love
7. Trampled Underfoot
8. Since I've Been Loving You
9. Achilles Last Stand.

Disc Two:
1. Black Mountain Side/Kasmir
2. Stairway to Heaven
3. Rock 'n' Roll
4. Whole Lotta Love (inc. Heartbreaker).

I am going to be Remastering the classic Zeppelin 3-Disc shows soon, probably beginning with 'Chasing the Dragon'.

Finally, it's my wish that this Remaster is shared exclusively on The Trader's Den because it's the only place on the internet that i give a damn about.

Thanks, enjoy, and please leave me your feedback.