Pink Floyd
1977-02-03
Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
***Contrast Clause***
This is a 'downmixed' version of the 6-channel recording detailed below, DIME torrent #429332.
The original flac files were converted to two-channel WAV files (at 16/44.1) with dbPowerAmp. The resultant WAV files were converted to flac files with Trader's Little Helper with the sector boundary correction set to 'fix'.
No other audio processing was applied.
***End Contrast Clause***
Original info file follows:
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Pink Floyd
1977 February 03
Hallenstadion, Zu�rich, Switzerland
DVDA1
set 1
1. intro
2. Sheep
3. Pigs on the Wing (part 1)
4. Dogs
5. Pigs on the Wing (part 2)
6. Pigs (3 Different Ones)
DVDA2
set 2
7. Shine On false start (technical difficulties)
8. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
9. Welcome To The Machine
10. Have A Cigar
11. Wish You Were Here
12. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)
encore
13. Money
This show was mixed live in quadraphonic (4.0 surround), captured by 3 strategically located tapers and mastered in 5.1 surround sound. This is the actual surround mix as heard at the show with nothing simulated or remixed.
Recorder 1 is closest to the stage and to the left. Stereo with 1 mic aimed at the stage and the other aimed at the left surround speaker stack.
Recorder 2 is closer to the right surround stack than the stage.
Recorder 3 is in the back directly in front of the rear surround speaker stack.
Sources:
Recorder 1
title: Zurich Master Speedcorrected (Recorder 1), source: cass(master) > cdr(?), stereo
Lineage is missing speed correction info.
Recorder 2
title: Zu�rich rec2/gen1, source: cass[1]>DAT[1]>CDR[2], mono but with stereo cassette transfer artifacts
Recorder 3
Dsto0-Pacco stereo master (BASF CrO2) > Nakamichi ZX-7 > Tascam HDP2 > 24 bit 96KHz wav
5.1 Master:
Protools HD2 for mastering
Serato Pitch n' Time plugin used for speed correction.
WAV -> MLP compression (SurCode MLP) -> DVDA disc image (DiscWelder Chrome)
DVDA is 24 bit 96KHz 5.1 surround sound
Sound quality: A- (Half of Dogs thru Pigs is B-)
General notes:
This project started when I first heard the 3rd recorder that Pacco posted. It was the most distant sounding recording possible punctuated with the most upfront bursts of tape effects and bits of solos that would suddenly fade up from the distance and back again. Obviously a recording from the back of the room and directly in front of the rear surround speaker stack. The 1st digital transfer of this was poor (distorted & mono). Neonknight was able to arrange a professional transfer of Pacco's tape and this project was on.
Tape Notes:
Recorder 1
This is well recorded and the creative mic positioning worked well. The louder parts and louder guitar leads start to distort the mics and/or tape. This copy has been digitized at only 16 bit, 44.1KHz and had further processing done (digital speed correction and possibly more) at that lower resolution. This exaggerates the distortion and makes for piercing painful listening. There are also artifacts from CD disc errors.
Recorder 2
This is poorly recorded. It is distant enough to be challenging in the first place. The recording is low fidelity with almost no capture of cymbals and other higher frequency details. There are wild speed fluctuations from a failing tape drive. This was digitized at 16 bit, 44.1KHz which does a poor job capturing the remains of sound quality this buried.
Recorder 3
This is well recorded and professionally digitized at 24 bit, 96KHz. You might have to study it for a moment to realize that because it's a recording of the very back of the venue. This captured the ambient sound along with a very discreet recording of the real surround speaker stack. The loudest parts distort the mic/tape a little or maybe the level was set too high for the direct surround parts which were quite loud compared to the ambience here in the back.
All 3 tapes are incomplete and rec1 is missing the entire 2nd half of the 1st set. Rec3 is missing the encore. The performance is complete between all 3 recorders.
set 1
00:00.000 R3 starts
00:26.960 R1 starts
01:23.050 - 01:29.746 R1 dropout
01:30.891 R2 starts
23:15.817 - 23:16.551 R1 dropout
23:24.894 R1 ends
32:45.564 - 33:07.342 R3 dropout
36:49.293 - 36:56.790 R2 dropout
47:32.328 - 48:17.412 R3 dropout
49:46.718 - 50:32.496 R2 dropout
52:26.208 - 52:33.458 R3 violent mic handling noises removed
55:20.967 R3 ends
55:21.318 R2 ends
set 2
00:00.000 R3 starts
01:15.409 R2 starts
01:22.309 R1 starts
08:07.325 - 08:13.746 R1 dropout
23:05.622 - 23:43.773 R1 dropout
43:59.363 - 45:01.403 R2 dropout
47:49.010 - 49:07.868 R1 dropout
52:20.268 R1 ends
52:28.466 R2 ends
53:07.545 R3 ends
encore
00:00.000 R2 starts
00:02.507 R1 starts
08:40.082 R1 ends
08:41.287 R2 ends
Mastering Notes:
The Serato Pitch n' Time plugin was used for speed adjustment in syncing these multiple sources together. This is the 1st digital speed/pitch adjustment to come along that is transparent, artifact free and sample accurate and is the core technology that made this project possible. The goal for positioning the sources in the speakers was to keep the source tracks in discreet speakers when possible while trying to arrange them to the correct perspective from the show. If the sync between sources was theoretically perfect there would be no harm from imaging the sources in any combination of speakers. These sources are synced together with a high degree of accuracy but are not theoretically perfect as the quality of the recordings and the current technology available to me simply doesn't allow 100% perfection. Keeping the different sources in separate speakers eliminates the possibility of any of the phase anomalies that could come up by the added complexity of mixing the sources together. Fortunately these sources fall into position very nicely in separate speakers. L - rec1(R), C - rec1(L), R - rec2(L*), Ls - rec3(L), Rs - rec3(R). *The L channel was best till the very end of HAC where it's overdriven for the remainder. The R channel was best for the rest. Recorder 1 was the sync reference for most of the show. Since this source was already digitally speed corrected accurately enough there was no reason to subject it to further digital speed processing. I kept rec3 in 24/96 and upsampled rec1 and rec2 from 16/44.1 to 24/96. There are a number of reasons for this choice with the ultimate goal being to preserve the integrity of the sources and present this master in a standardized format. Working with rec1 and rec2 in 24/96 allowed some necessary digital restoration work with a higher degree of precision than is possible at 16/44.1 (even though they were only recorded at 16/44.1). Keeping the master at 24/96 then insures no further harm however small from lossy digital compression techniques (eg. downsampling, bit reduction) and allows for lower dynamic levels to be accurately preserved without sacrificing the bit depth of the source.
Analog tape machines at their best have a lot of speed variation, much of which is imperceptible unless you look at it under a microscope. Sync reference points (ie. identical points in time in all 3 tapes) had to be identified on average every 2 to 8 seconds. In other words you could not use the same speed correction factor for more than 2 to 8 seconds at a time throughout the show. Recorder 2 had some wild speed fluctuations that were impossible to perfectly repair. The accuracy is very high but I expect there are a few slips that got past me.
Recorder 1 was very saturated at 5KHz. The louder the band and/or lead guitar, the more saturated this frequency band got. I attenuated this with dynamic eqing with the Universal Audio precision multiband compressor and manual automation. I was able to get a little high end balance back in recorder 2 so it didn't sound so unnatural (UA precision eq). I made one exception to the discreet source/speaker rule here and added some of the highest frequency band from rec1 (Lf) to rec2's channel (Rf) to help better center the image in front (so the cymbals aren't way over to the left). Rec2 had a lot of tape hiss that I reduced with broadband dynamic noise reduction. Rec3 was in good shape. The bass end was a little weak overall so instead of turning everything else down to make room I put the range I wanted to boost in the lfe channel.
Short dropouts in any recorder were edited/fixed with whatever manor of cheating was needed to authentically restore the spot in question. Imperfections in sound were kept whenever authentic repairs were not possible. Epic smacks of microphones and any loud claps and screams made inches from the mics have been edited out. When the recording is presented in full form, these sounds are no longer 'authentic' sounding but end up being exaggeratedly loud (like someone suddenly screaming full force right into your ear).
The goal was to present the music authentically as heard that night. The focus here is on the music of Pink Floyd as captured by the recorders and not on any audible non-PF events (eg. mic noises, screams, talking) happening to or around the recorders. Any sonic enhancements are limited to what can be done with no adverse effects. Most of the work was to smooth over the many distracting spots where one of the 3 tapes drops out.
Disclaimers:
Don't even consider selling this. This is a fan made recording of copyright material made for free trade among fans. And if you're one of those roio "labels" that, swear to Floyd, never sell anything but then grab only the reduced CD version (instead of the high res) to 'reissue', writing up new notes that omit all lineage and mastering info but claim 'new transfer' and 'best sounding' and read like a used car salesman script� Honestly, what's up with that?
A multichannel 5.1 home theater system with either a DVD player that plays DVD Audio or a computer and audio interface setup is required for playback of 5.1 surround sound.
Please do not convert to lossy formats like standard DTS, Dolby or MP3 to redistribute. Someone down the line will thank you.
If you want to transfer this to DTS HD Master Audio (the new lossless format) or Blu-ray lossless audio, please make sure the transfer is perfectly lossless and remains in discreet 5.1.
JFE 2011
DVDA (DVD Audio) & Surround Sound Information
WHAT IS DVDA?
DVDA is the first and most widely supported disc format for lossless high resolution stereo and multichannel (surround sound) audio. DVDA is delivered either as a standard DVD disc or electronically as a disc image file (xxx.iso). This document focuses on audio only. DVD is the most widely supported format for video as well. If designing a system for both audio and video, you will need to make appropriate choices for both.
WHAT IS HIGH RESOLUTION AUDIO AND SURROUND SOUND?
High resolution audio is superior to CD audio and refers to any resolution (number of samples in a second and the size or bit depth of each sample) above that of CD (44.1KHz, 16 bit). 96KHz, 24 bit is a commonly used size and is comparable in sound quality to a very high end vinyl system (like a $10,000 system with the best quality albums). Contrary to popular belief, CD audio doesn't come very close to this. CD is also limited to stereo (no surround). Surround sound refers to a system with 4 or more speakers surrounding the listener (front and back). Quadraphonic (4 speakers) was the first surround system in the early 1970's. Today the common format is 5.1 - front left, center and right and rear left and right speakers along with a subwoofer (lfe).
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
A "home theater" system with 5 speakers and a subwoofer is required to listen to surround sound. An old-school 4 speaker quadraphonic system can be used for quad (4.0) program. You cannot listen to surround program with only 2 speakers. 2 speaker "surround simulations" or down-mixes generally don't work well; they don't resemble the original very much. There are 3 choices of 'media players' as follows. I recommend option 2 if starting from scratch but you may find the other options useful for existing equipment (that means without spending more money).
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PLAYER OPTION 1 - Old-school hardware DVD player
Compatibility:
Even though DVDA is the most widely supported surround format; format wars, paranoia over copy protection and budget line products have made it confusing and unaccessible to many. You need a DVD player that has high resolution digital converters and supports DVD Audio. Some budget machines will not play high resolution audio. No Sony machine will play high res audio from a DVDA disc as they compete with the format. If you ended up with one of these players, you will need to upgrade or switch to option 2 (see next) to eliminate these restrictions.
Required Equipment:
A hardware DVD player that supports DVD Audio discs.
Instructions:
MAC: Double click the .iso file to mount it to the desktop. Launch Disk utility. Select the mounted disk image. Click BURN.
WINDOWS: You will need to install an app to burn a DVD from a disk image (.iso file). ImgBurn is a free open source app for this. Select 'Write image file to disc', select the .iso file for the source and click 'write'.
Play the disk in your DVD player.
Pros: Easy to use when your media is supported.
Cons: Weird incompatibilities and disabled features depending on which formats are currently at war. Grossly overpriced for the quality of analog outputs typically found. Often riddled with copy protection schemes that degrade functionality and performance. No digital outputs for multichannel surround outputs.
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PLAYER OPTION 2 - Computer and audio interface
Compatibility:
Stereo playback (including high res) has strong support. There are a wide range of software media players to use. There are currently no media players for multichannel surround sound however - we're on the cutting edge here. You must use a DAW (digital audio workstation) application - the type of software used to mix multiple tracks of audio - to send the individual channels of audio to their respective speakers. This is not hard and requires no audio engineering skills.
Required Equipment:
An audio interface with at least 6 channels of output.
Required software:
DVD ripping app (DVDAExplorer is free open source)
DAW (digital audio workstation) app for multichannel playback
Equipment example:
The Presonus Firebox is a $160 option*. This has 6 balanced outputs and comes bundled with Cubase LE DAW software. Moving up the ladder, Apogee's are nice if you can afford them. Minimum specs should be 6 balanced analog outputs, firewire interface and 24 bit, 96KHz capable. You will not save much money by compromises like unbalanced outputs, fewer than 6 outputs or a USB interface (instead of firewire). Any DAW software will handle playback of 6 channels and most interfaces sold come with free software. Caution: At this time GarageBand and Cakewalk have high resolution (anything above 16/44.1) disabled; they're free for a reason and should be avoided.
Instructions:
Step 1: Mount the disk image
MAC: Double click the .iso file to mount it to the desktop.
WINDOWS: You will need to install an app to mount a disk image. WinCDEmu is a free open source app for this. Right click (control click) on the disc image file and choose 'Select drive letter & mount' from the menu.
Step 2: Rip the audio to wav files
You will need to install DVDAExplorer. This is an open source app available for both Mac & Windows.
In DVDAExplorer, browse to <mounted disc>/Audio_TS/AUDIO_TS.IFO and open it. Select the tracks to rip. Select the output directory and be sure to check the 'split groups' box for surround program (this gives you individual mono files for each speaker).
Step 3A: Set up a surround sound 'media player' with a DAW (this is initial setup the 1st time you run the DAW)
A DAW program lets you load the individual mono audio tracks that make up the surround program and send them to each appropriate speaker. This will be no different than loading stereo pairs of tracks into an audio editor other than more channels. There will be 6 channels for 5.1 surround and 4 channels for 4.0 quadraphonic. Note the first extension in the file name: L for Left front, C for Center, R for Right front, Ls for Left surround (rear), Rs for Right surround (rear) and Lf for Low frequency effects (subwoofer).
See your software manual but it will basically go like this:
You will need a 5.1 output in the DAW that is assigned to your audio interface. Take note of the channel assignments so you know which output is which on the interface. Add a 5.1 (or 4.0) audio track and assign it to the 5.1 output. Name the audio track "5.1 media" and the output master "5.1 main out".
*If using 5 full range speakers and subwoofer skip to step 3B*
*Bass management setup for 5 small satellite speakers and subwoofer*
If you have small satellite speakers you need to do what is called bass management. This is the process of routing the low bass frequencies from the 5 main channels to the subwoofer along with the Lf channel. Your subwoofer will not only be reproducing the Lf channel but also the low bass from the 5 main channels as well. You need to set this up on the DAW mixer. To do this you will need an additional 5.1 bus (with 5.0 and Lf subpaths available) and a mono bus. Add a 5.0 aux (named "main tops") and 2 mono aux tracks (named "Lf track" & "bass manage") and assign the outputs of all 3 to the 5.1 main output. Assign the 5.0 subpath (5.1 bus) to "main tops" input. Add an aux send to the mono bus on this track and send it to "bass manage". Set the input of "Lf track" to the Lf subpath of the 5.1 bus. Insert a high pass eq on "main tops" and a low pass eq on "bass manage". Set an identical sharp rolloff for both with the same frequency (depending on your speaker system this could be anywhere from 80 to 200Hz but is usually around 100 - 130Hz). Reassign the 5.1 audio track you 1st made to the 5.1 bus (not the 5.1 main out). Set all levels (media, main tops, the aux send, Lf & bass manage) to unity (0db).
You can now save this as a template to use for every 5.1 album. Save each 5.1 album as it's own session for easy recall.
Step 3B: Load tracks into DAW session
Load the surround tracks to the "5.1 media" track. See your DAW manual but usually if the extensions have the expected R,C,L,Ls,Rs,Lf you can just drag the group of tracks from a finder window to the DAW track edit window.
Step 4: Play the music
Pros: Best sound quality for the price (by a very wide margin). Fewer format restrictions. Ability to manage and backup your music collection.
Cons: Some software setup and a little learning curve required for surround sound.
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PLAYER OPTION 3 - Proprietary computer audio interface
Compatibility:
There are a few proprietary systems available for the computer. This type of system does NOT use standard audio protocol on the computer (ie. Core Audio). These systems consist of a PCI card and proprietary audio interface and software media player.
Required Equipment:
Proprietary audio interface
Required software:
included with interface
Equipment example:
Soundblaster products.
Instructions:
Step 1: Mount the disk image
MAC: Double click the .iso file to mount it to the desktop.
WINDOWS: You will need to install an app to mount a disk image. WinCDEmu is a free open source app for this. Right click (control click) on the disc image file and select 'Select drive letter & mount' from the menu.
Step 2: Play the music
Your media player will respond as though you just loaded a DVDA disc.
Pros: Easy to use with a media player style app for multichannel surround sound.
Cons: Does not use standard audio protocol on the computer. Not upgradable for future formats or better digital converters. Grossly overpriced for the quality of analog outputs typically found.
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A note about high resolution audio and consumer stereo equipment.
On a quality playback system, high resolution audio (eg. 24 bit, 96KHz) will sound stunningly better than CD audio (16 bit, 44.1KHz). I have found this scenario is going on with inexpensive consumer gear: CD's actually have a smaller dynamic (loudness) range than vinyl records (best case on high end gear). MP3's are even smaller by a magnitude. Consumer electronics eventually took advantage of this as these formats became popular. Since there were no longer big dynamics to reproduce, the quality of the analog outputs in consumer electronics was lowered considerably to save costs. The analog output circuits on some inexpensive gear are now so bad that you can tell no difference between high resolution audio and CD or even mp3.
The good news is that while the home stereo industry was working on new and bigger ways to suck and get away with it, the home recording industry started making interesting products (like the interface mentioned above) aimed at musicians. This allows you to build an extremely high quality sound system on a reasonable budget and take complete control of your music collection.
A note about speakers.
It goes without saying that you need reasonably good speakers to take advantage of high resolution audio. If you're on a budget, you should again turn to the home recording industry. A pair of KRK RP6 powered monitors ($320) will sound better than most speakers found at the consumer electronics store. This is as cheap as you should go if you're being half way serious. The quality of your system will depend on first the speakers and amps and next, the audio interface. If you're just starting out, 6 of the KRK RP6's plus a subwoofer and the Firebox would cost about $1300. An Apogee interface and 6 Genelec's and a sub would be... much more.
DISCLAIMER:
Any products mentioned by name are for example purposes only. I do not work for any of these companies or officially endorse any of these products. The information here is accurate to the best of my ability. Recommendations are based on available products and formats circa 2010 and my personal opinions. Please do your own research.
* Any prices mentioned are found by aggressively working eBay - you can always pay more.
I should mention this...
There's a reason you don't see configurations of equipment and computer as I've suggested sold at your local consumer electronics store. The record label "powers that be" absolutely panic at the sight of a computer. So the industry currently goes out of it's way to make things difficult. Rather than combat piracy however, this ends up preventing the delivery of these new and exciting audio formats to the consumer. I find the current "popular" options offered completely unreasonable for price vs performance.
Other formats:
Look for DTS HD Master Audio. This is lossless and would give the ability to have easily downloadable stereo files for surround tracks (as in 1 file per song). It is not currently being implemented in this way.
Blu Ray audio supports 8 channel (up to 7.1 surround) lossless. This format is just beginning to be available for the computer but progress is slow because its creator is against such development.