Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Some weeks ago, as some of you may know, Kritzerland has released a new CD of Casino Royale.
But the HDAD version (High Definition Audio Disc) released 11 years ago by Classic Records is still in print.

The differences between both editions are :
is presenting the film version + the LP program in CD standard definition
is presenting only the LP program in high def/master tape sound (only playable on DVD hardware).

My main interrogation about those 2 concurrent releases is : does the studio sell a different licence for 2 different audio formats like CD and HDAD ? That would explain why the 2 labels can have their own version of the same soundtrack...

which one sounds better?

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer

Obviously the Classic Records sounds much better. It's as if you were playing the master tapes in your living room...

Um, no. You really mustn't believe the HYPE you read on a CD. The Classic Records release was mastered from the Varese Sarabande CD. They had no tape. Furthermore, there is no copyright information on that release, which sort of brings into question its legality. Just because something is mastered at a high bit rate doesn't mean it sounds better, especially if the source material is less than it should be. The Kritzerland release sounds much better than any other CD release for reasons that are gone into extensively in the booklet. The tape was damaged by Varese. We fixed many problems in our mastering and it sounds 1000% better. And we give you a straight transfer from a pristine LP because that's the only way you can ever hear that sound again. Funnily, the dropouts that were on the Varese CD were obviously on the original master tape, because they're on the LP. We fixed each and every dropout and therefore the film presentation of the score sounds incredible and many have said better than the LP.

Mr. McFly, have you even heard the Kritzerland release?

I haven't heard Casino Royale sound this good… ever. Two great presentations of a classic album.

I have to check my old Varese CD this weekend (unfortunately, not an easy task since it has some scratches -- that's why I replaced it with the 2002 version in the first place), but there's one thing about the DVD that tells me that it's IMPOSSIBLE that it has been mastered from the Varese CD (the same digital source perhaps, but not mastered from the CD as such). I don't want to settle myself at this time, but I'll compare all the CR disks I have this weekend...

As far as I can tell, Classic Records would not have had access to any tape source, so the only alternatives are they mastered from the Varese CD or an LP. I just don't see any other scenario.

I wasn't able to secure a copy of the Kritzerland release but I do own the Classic Records High Def disc and I can tell you that this disc is incredible! Even after all these years I still use it as a demo to show off my sound system when friends come over. The depth and imaging on this recording are phenomenal. Although it is playable on regular DVD players you need a DVD-Audio player to get the full effect. It plays fine at full high resolution on my BD player through it's multi-channel analog outs too.

I'm still trying to track down the Kritzerland release but it doesn't look like I'll be able to get one! Damn!

Cheers,
Harry

I think I have to confirm my suspicion: I don't see how the DVD Audio could have been mastered from the Varese CD. There's tape print-through before/at the start of several tracks. While the same print-through may be on the DAT that Varese created when mastering the CD, it is not on the final product because the tracks fade in later. Is it possible that the DVD has been released before MGM took over distribution of CR and thus doesn't know anything about this release (licensed from the prior copyright holder)?

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Film Music Man