Roots Archives Forum

Mick Sleeper wrote:I finally got a CD copy of Sound Doctor and started noticing the "too slow" criticism almost right away. I was curious, so I ripped three tracks (Oppression, Key Card, and Different Experience) and then compared them to digital recordings of the original vinyl in Wavelab. Seems that the tracks on Sound Doctor all average 20-25 seconds longer than the vinyl.

Hey Mick, please can you advise does the cd version sound a different speed from your promo version?

That would surely point to some error.....

My promo version was a set of MP3s, before they were cleaned up and remastered, so they weren't a very good indication of the final product. (Pressure Sounds used to send actual CDs as promos, but now just provide me with a link to download a set of MP3s, which makes total sense)

I was curious about the speed issue, so I contacted Pete, and he tells me that records and compilations can sound different depending on how they were mastered. So something on a CD compilation taken from a master tape might be slower/faster than the original vinyl, depending on how it was mastered for release in the first place.

Any time a track is mastered, people have the option of changing the speed (Pete tells me during the On U Sound days, engineer Kevin Metcalfe used to threaten to throw them out of the studio if they didn't stop "fiddling" with the tracks he was mastering).

So it could very well be that Lee Perry tweaked these tracks back in the day - the most famous example is "Return Of Django", which has been sped up quite a bit compared to the original "Sick And Tired" by Neville Grant - yet we perceive "Sick And Tired" as slowed down because we're more familiar with the faster speed of "Django".

Working from master tapes, Pressure Sounds often have options when it comes to different takes and slightly different mixes of songs; they simply choose which one sounds best.

So many of the tracks on Sound Doctor do sound odd to my ears (and many of your ears too), but this doesn't seem to be an error, just the way the mastering on this particular release was handled.

Thanks Mick for that thoughtful and insightful reply, it has definitely helped with my understanding.

It was a mistake on the Tinga one that's for damn sure. It sounds so much better sped up.

I quite like the slower different experience track, but overall I prefer it faster also.

I under stand with regards to the sick and tired v django, but I still think they may have accidentally slowed many of the tracks down

In other words the mastering of this release is off the expectations of the punters, otherwise this thread wouldn't exist.

Like someone said earlier they arn't about to refund everyone and repress the CDs etc. They're not going to change their position and I won't change mine.

All that said I still like this release and I've listened to it quite a bit since I bought it, but I do have a slightly lower regard for PS now, which saddens me.

I'm entertaining thoughts of "re-mastering" my CD, but I think I have better things to do!

Mick Sleeper wrote:I'm entertaining thoughts of "re-mastering" my CD, but I think I have better things to do!

It didn't take long to speed up my version of the Tinga track and its dub, I haven't bothered speeding up the others

Can anybody tell me, if there's a difference in speed between the vinyl and CD issues?

It seems not, since I've been referring to the vinyl and Mick Sleeper to the CD. I can't remember but Congo Bunny may be referring to the mp3, so that covers all formats.

yup mine is mp3 (cheap and cheerful)

The promo mp3 files are the same as the final CD

the Tinga Stewart track has exactly the same speed as the original jamaican 45.


Perry changed the speed of many many tracks he produced, so if it is slow or too fast to some peoples ears, it how Perry wanted the record to sound.