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Paul, it has nothing to do with noise reduction devices. It has also very little to do with the media on which the recording took place – would it be LF, tape or digital file. Audio it is about expression of musical spirituality through the semi-barbaric methods of electronics, mechanics and artificial acoustics. Re-mastering is no different from orchestration of original event – where the awareness of the person who do re-mastering is responsible for the sound of the final recording. It is fine to dig out not yet completely destroyed tapes, play them on a good machine into a good AD converter and re-posses it into a genetically-comfortable sound by different digital toys. It produces OK Hi-Fi result, good enough to thrill the Morons at trade shows but it is not the “serious sound” that I would like to see or be interested in.

The reality is that is that re-mastering of a serious recording has very difference with re-composition of re-performing of the paces. If a recording and performance was “loaded” then the analyses and assessment of recording’s various expressive means become itself a deeply creative process. Here is where the new definition of Audio Quality is born. Audio Quality is not an abstract temple of sonic prejudges but rather the apply set of benefits for a given musical reading.  Audio Quality is not the properly of equipment but the properly of human consciousness, no different than better musical interpretation is a property of person instead of property of instrument.

So, where I was saying that HDTT does not operate in the “other definition of quality” it was that HDTT is pretty much care about the external, facade, audio transparency – something that the industry have presold to the Moron-audiophiles. There is however another level of definition of quality – the cultivating of Sound that is broken-in to the specific artistic expressiveness.

HDTT does not operate at this level.  As I said above HDTT has not tools to do it. Bob I hope have learned already that any DSP alternation of digital file essentials’ ruins the “fine core” of program and diminishes the subconscious impacts that music delivers to us. So, to intrude to sound creatively it is necessary to go full analog, with RL equalization (at least the Passeq level or much better) and use a very different level of techniques and evaluations methods. Frankly speaking it is something that I would be very interested to do but there is one little gulch in all of it there is no market and need for it.

If the HDTT’s Bob spends as much time and efforts as it are truly necessary to spend for proper re-mastering (like building custom filters for each recording and mechanical removing of pops from LPs) then he would need to sell each CD for $500. There is not market for it and there are VERY FEW people who would appreciate it. So, I do not blame HDTT that they do what they do but I would also would keep belong myself the rights to call the HDTT as non-serious re-mastering. To keep the thinks honest I have to tell that I know no one company or label today that do what I call serious re-mastering. In 90 the EMI and DG did some serious re-mastering for a short time but it is gone now…

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