Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality: "Come Swing with Me" (1961)

Matt, now try a clip with the download folded vs. straight. See if the piano's image shifts when they alternate.

 

nah, the piano is definitely slightly to the right on the other recordings I've heard. on the HD, that chord is dead center.

 

MLutthans,

Do you have the entire track for this new HD "Paper Dolls?" After listening to those clips a few times, I think there's an edit that occurred in the spot you're referring to but I'd like to compare it with another part later in the song to be sure. Like, I think I'm hearing a fraction of a second that's been removed entirely from the HD version.

 

I'm on headphones at the moment and it's very hard to hear with the clip completely out of context

 

basically all the spots where that chord occurs in the song. it seems to me, based solely on what's up on PSM and in the clips you posted, that a minute (size, not the unit of time) slice has been removed at around the 0:12 mark where the brass and piano fall, maybe corresponding to somewhere between an 1/8th note and 1/16th's note's worth of time. I am curious if this happens elsewhere.

 

I think you're right, though it's not the case on all songs. But on quite a few of them there's a sense that there's just slightly too much vocal in the right channel and it's pretty annoying.

 

something that's worth looking at wrt "Paper Doll" is that on my UK CD and the clip you posted of the MFSL, there is an artifact that occurs in the left channel during the spot we've been discussing. do you know if that's tape damage? if so, that could account for why some editing (necessary or otherwise) was done there. the artifact is not present on the new HD release.

 

Overall, "...the more things change, the more they stay the same."

 

if you're listening to the UK Capitol box, it happens at 0:12...it's especially evident on headphones in the left channel. it was also on the MFSL clip you posted.

 

Maybe that's what I'm hearing, and noticing off-center.

 

Very strange indeed. At first I wasn't too bothered by it, but listening to your comparison clip, yeah, something is off. Almost sounds like that left-channel section was digitally replaced (right channel copied to left) to cover up some potential defect (thus creating a near MONO effect at the piano hit). Maybe the oxide flaked at that point on the tape and a quick digital scalpel was employed???

 

MLutthans,

Did you end up taking the plunge on the hi-res release?

 

lol, fair enough. I bought the other two new ones but I'm not yet convinced it's got anything to offer that's better than my UK box...but I may still cave.

looks like Markus is the only one on this forum who's admitted to buying the new CSWM and I've not seen him offer his feedback on it yet.

 

I apologize for asking this if you've already posted it, but which of the recent Sinatra hi-res releases would you consider worthy of purchase?