Remaster
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A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used.
In a wider sense, remastering a product may involve other, typically smaller inclusions or changes to the content itself. They tend to be distinguished from remakes, based on the original.
Mastering
A
A batch of copies is often made from a single original master recording, which might itself be based on previous recordings. For example, sound effects (e.g. a door opening, punching sounds, falling down the stairs, a bell ringing) might have been added from copies of sound effect tapes similar to modern sampling to make a radio play for broadcast.
Problematically, several different levels of masters often exist for any one audio release. As an example, examine the way a typical music
More master recordings would be duplicated from the equalized master for regional copying purposes (for example to send to several pressing plants). Pressing masters for
Thus, mastering refers to the process of creating a master. This might be as simple as copying a tape for further duplication purposes or might include the actual equalization and processing steps used to fine-tune material for release. The latter example usually requires the work of mastering engineers.
With the advent of
With digital recording, masters could be created and duplicated without incurring the usual generational loss. As
Remastering
Remastering is the process of making a new master for an album, film, or any other creation. It tends to refer to the process of porting a recording from an analog medium to a digital one, but this is not always the case.[citation needed]
For example, a
The process of creating a digital transfer of an analog tape remasters the material in the digital domain, even if no equalization,
Additionally, the earliest days of the CD era found
Master tapes, or something close to them, can be used to make CD releases. Better processing choices can be used. Better prints can be utilized, with sound elements remixed to 5.1 surround sound and obvious print flaws digitally corrected. The modern era gives publishers almost unlimited ways to touch up, doctor, and "improve" their media, and as each release promises improved sound, video, extras and others, producers hope these upgrades will entice people into making a purchase.
Music
Remastering music for CD or even digital distribution starts from locating the original analog version.[1] The next step involves digitizing the track or tracks so it can be edited using a computer. Then the track order is chosen. This is something engineers often worry about because if the track order is not right, it may seem sonically unbalanced.[1]
When the remastering starts, engineers use software tools such as a limiter, an equalizer, and a compressor. The compressor and limiters are ways of controlling the loudness of a track.[1] This is not to be confused with the volume of a track, which is controlled by the listener during playback.
The dynamic range of an audio track is measured by calculating the variation between the loudest and the quietest part of a track.[1] In recording studios the loudness is measured with negative decibels, zero designating the loudest recordable sound. A limiter works by having a certain cap on the loudest parts and if that cap is exceeded, it is automatically lowered by a ratio preset by the engineer.[1]
Criticism
Remastered audio has been the subject of criticism.[2][3] Many remastered CDs from the late 1990s onwards have been affected by the "loudness war", where the average volume of the recording is increased and dynamic range is compressed at the expense of clarity, making the remastered version sound louder at regular listening volume and more distorted than an uncompressed version.[2][3] Some have also criticized the overuse of noise reduction in the remastering process, as it affects not only the noise, but the signal too, and can leave audible artifacts.[4][5] Equalisation can change the character of a recording noticeably. As EQ decisions are a matter of taste to some degree, they are often the subject of criticism. Mastering engineers such as Steve Hoffman have noted that using flat EQ on a mastering allows listeners to adjust the EQ on their equipment to their own preference, but mastering a release with a certain EQ means that it may not be possible to get a recording to sound right on high-end equipment.[2][3] Additionally, from an artistic point of view, original mastering involved the original artist, but remastering often does not.[citation needed] Therefore, a remastered record may not sound how the artist originally intended.[citation needed]
Film and television
To remaster a movie digitally for DVD and Blu-ray, digital restoration operators must scan in the film frame by frame at a resolution of at least 2,048 pixels across (referred to as 2K resolution).[6] Some films are scanned at 4K, 6K, or even 8K resolution to be ready for higher resolution devices.[6] Scanning a film at 4K—a resolution of 4096 × 3092 for a full frame of film—generates at least 12 terabytes of data before any editing is done.[6]
Digital restoration operators then use specialist software such as MTI's Digital Restoration System (DRS) to remove scratches and dust from damaged film. Restoring the film to its original color is also included in this process.[1]
As well as remastering the video aspect, the audio is also remastered using such software as Pro Tools to remove background noise and boost dialogue volumes so when actors are speaking they are easier to understand and hear.[1] Audio effects are also added or enhanced, as well as surround sound, which allows the soundtrack elements to be spread among multiple speakers for a more immersive experience.[1]
An example of a restored film is the 1939 film
The cyan, magenta, and yellow records had suffered from shrinkage over the decades, and the software used in the restoration morphed all three records into the correct alignment.
Shows that were shot and edited entirely on film, such as Star Trek: The Original Series, are able to be re-released in HD through re-scanning the original film negatives; the remastering process for the show additionally enabled Paramount to digitally update certain special effects.[8][unreliable source?] Shows that were made between the early 1980s and the early 2000s were generally shot on film, then transferred to and edited on standard-definition videotape, making high-definition transfers impossible without re-editing the product from scratch, such as with the HD release of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which cost Paramount over $12 million to produce. Because of this release's commercial failure, Paramount chose not to give Deep Space Nine or Voyager the same treatment.[9] In 2014, Pee-wee's Playhouse was digitally remastered from the original film and audio tracks.[10]
Criticism
Remastered movies have been the subject of criticism. When the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Predator was remastered, it was felt by some critics that the process was overdone, resulting in Schwarzenegger's skin looking waxy.[11] As well as complaints about the way the picture looks, there have been other complaints about digital fixing.[12] One notable complaint is from the 2002 remastered version of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), where director Steven Spielberg replaced guns in the hands of police and federal agents with walkie-talkies. A later 30th-anniversary edition released in 2012 saw the return of the original scene.[12]
Canadian animator John Kricfalusi (of The Ren & Stimpy Show fame) has become a prominent critic of digital remastering, particularly in regards to its effects on Western animation. In his blog "John K. Stuff," he has admonished remasters for over-saturating colors and sharpening lines to the point of color bleeding (among other criticisms). He has gone on record in his blog to describe remastering as "digital ruination" and "digital destruction."[13][unreliable source?]
Video games
Remastering a video game is more difficult than remastering a film or music recording because the video game's graphics show their age.[14] This can be due to a number of factors, notably lower resolutions and less complicated rendering engines at the time of release. A video game remaster typically has ambience and design updated to the capabilities of a more powerful console, while a video game remake is also updated but with recreated models.[15]
Modern
More significant than low resolution is the age of the original game engine and simplicity of the original 3D models. Older computers and video game consoles had limited
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "How do they remaster CDs and DVDs?". howstuffworks.com. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ a b c Anderson, Tim (18 January 2007). "How CDs are remastering the art of noise". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Complaints with Remastering CDs". HowStuffWorks. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ Levine, Robert (December 26, 2007). "The Death of High Fidelity:In the age of MP3s, sound quality is worse than ever". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007.
- ^ Interview with Steve Wilson in Preston 53 Degrees venue, date 20/4/07.
- ^ a b c "Mission possible: Film restoration". news.bbc.co.uk. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ Warner Home Video. 2005.
- ^ "Kirk/Spock STAR TREK To Get All-New HD Spaceships". Aintitcool.com. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ Burt, Kayti (2017-02-06). "Star Trek: DS9 & Voyager HD Blu-Ray Will Likely Never Happen". Den of Geek.
- ^ 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' makes high-def debut, remastered and more colorful than ever (full home-video listings)
- ^ Vanhemert, Kyle (10 July 2010). "When Movie Remastering Goes Too Far". gizmodo.com. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Spielberg Repents for Replacing Those 'E.T.' Guns with Walkie Talkies". iwatchstuff.com. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ^ "John K Stuff: Digital Restoration = Digital Ruination – Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (1953)". johnkstuff.blogspot.com. 14 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f "Remastered video games: Good or bad?". CNET. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-241-39506-6.
- ^ a b "Hitman HD Trilogy review". Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer. February 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Review". IGN UK. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Review". IGN UK. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2013.