Essential Barry Diament masterings

Hi jh901,

The upcoming release, by Markus Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn features drums but perhaps not the type you are thinking of. Markus plays Haitian percussion and his main drums look more like congas as opposed to snare-tomtoms-bass-cymbals drums. (Some time in the next couple of weeks, after I get the mastering done, I'll put some session photos up on the Soundkeeper site.)

For Work of Art, there is "Lift", a mostly acoustic (with some electric) set recorded direct to stereo on Soundkeeper and, if you'd like to hear a Reggae cover of "Whipping Post", check out the more electric -with full drums- "Waves" CD (here or here).

Regarding Genesis, shortly after I left Atlantic, I started remastering the entire Genesis catalog. I completed a number of the early albums ("Selling England..." was much better sound than the copy I have; as though the proverbial veils had been lifted) along with "Abacab" (great, punchy mixes, which the standard release, in my view, doesn't remotely begin to reveal). I don't know why but those remasters were to my knowledge, never released.

For rock drums, there is a future Soundkeeper release planned with Helldorado. The current plan is for me to go to Norway next Spring to record it. That will be "power" rock, with vocals, recorded "live" (no audience), direct to stereo, with no overdubs, no mixing and no processing (e.g. compression). It is the type of project I've been wanting to do for a long, long time.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

I just received Barry's Bad Company "Straight Shooter". Amazing how a hard rock recording can sound so smooth compared to other masterings. The drums on it are one of the best of his mastering jobs.

 

Frank...are you my long lost brother ???

 

Looking at the first post- those Bad Company albums are some of my fave titles!

 

In my wife's car, Watermark seldom leaves the CD player. In my car, I have Bad Company 10 From 6 which I picked up cheap because I was never into the band. I agree with Rose River, the sound is outstanding and as a result the band is growing on me. I am interesting in picking up Babylon By Bus next as I always loved Bob Marley Live.

 

Well, just received Barry's Led Zeppelin II (took real good care of it Hatfield ! Thanks again )...and all I got to say is da-am !!! Sunday I learned here that my vinyl of this timeless Classic is a George Piro, so the thunder was fresh in my memory, this being only 3 days later, and Barry nailed it !!!
I won't toss the Page/Maino remaster, but guess which one ole Mikey likely plays from now on ?

 

I don't know about that but our ears seem to work on the same wavelengths!

 

Ok, so is there anyone who knows which of these is Barry's mastering of U2's War? I've recently received the P35D and I feel like the cymbals are a bit much on "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Maybe this is a mastering thing and maybe it isn't, but I'd like to buy a copy of Barry's version to compare, but can't tell which one Barry did...

 

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Hi Warren,

If I had to guess, it would be the fourth column (Island USA). But a guess is what that is.

Is there any more information in the thread that table came from originally?
(I wonder if I guessed the same thing.)

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Barry- if u click the arrow beside the quoted name, then the original thread will open....that chart is from 2008.....so u can look thru it and see if u posted....

(i learned this recently...LOL)

 

Hi jh901,

Cool! Thanks.
Looks like my guess is consistent with the guess I made back in post 560 (and elaborated on in post 563).

Hard enough remembering posts from two years ago, let alone mastering jobs from more than two decades ago.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Well, I'm glad that's your guess, because that's exactly what I bought (I hope) on eBay the other day. For what it's worth, I'll report my impressions (but nothing else like conjecture or theory, since my knowledge is... limited...) once I get the disc.

Thanks Barry! (Now I'm off to find those other posts where you guessed two years ago that the US Island CD was yours...

 

Another thread reminded me that I did a couple of Michael Schenker Group CDs for Chrysalis, I'd guess some time between '87 and '98. Don't recall much else though.

There was also some nice jazz work for Musical Heritage Society/Jazz Heritage Society. Don't remember titles but there was one by Duke Ellington and one by Benny Carter.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Here are the EAC levels for the Foreigner Target CDs I have:

Foreigner S/T
Track 1 89.1%
Track 2 89.1%
Track 3 89.1%
Track 4 89.1%
Track 5 89.1%
Track 6 89.1%
Track 7 89.1%
Track 8 89.1%
Track 9 89.1%
Track 10 85.1%

Foreigner 4
Track 1 84.8%
Track 2 85.8%
Track 3 81.6%
Track 4 68.4%
Track 5 79.7%
Track 6 82.9%
Track 7 80%
Track 8 80.4%
Track 9 70.2%
Track 10 76.7%

Anyone have something different?

 

89.1% for all except the last one? YIKES!

 

The eponymous Foreigner CD is not my work.
I believe that was done by Warner in LA, before I started mastering CDs at Atlantic.

(Seems like there might have been some heavy handed limiting on the source tape.)

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

I knew it!!

 

Barry never did Led Zeppelin IV???

 

That would be correct. I forget who did it, though.

 

That would be Joe Sidore.

 

I'm guessing Barry did the original cd release for Too Fast For Love? The list (page 1) shows Hip-O-Records or Motley records which would have been the remasters at various times throughout the 90's. My original from the 80's is
Elektra.

 

Yeah seems odd he did the entire catalog but that one release

 

Just got Head Games in the mail (others are on the way) and am just wrapping up a listening session. So far, I'm liking it a good bit more than the remaster. Granted, the remaster isn't bad to start with, but I Barry's version definitely edges it out. Unfortunately, it's kind of a weak album, (both sonically and musically) so I won't be doing these comparisons for much longer...