If you'd take the time to read back through this blog you'll see the reason I'm not posting FLAC sets is because I have some hope the record label will take up this project and actually manufacture it. Posting FLAC sets would defeat that purpose.
With the time and attention to detail we've taken to make Recycle happen, there's a thought process behind every step/decision. If you have some prejudice against iTunes, that's your own issue - not mine. There are plenty of other programs that will play AAC just fine, and the AAC format sounds better than MP3.
This is a project by the fans, for the fans - not for the hoarders who just want free music.
Any further comments asking for FLACs or generally insulting the format will not be published.
Well said!
ReplyDeleteYou keep doing what you're doing, I think it's great. Don't listen to the haters.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate what you're doing here but I'm going to respectfully disagree that by posting the FLAC's you'd render any singles box meaningless. I don't know a single fan who would be happy with FLAC's instead of professionally pressed cds w/ original artwork. I don't fuck with FLAC because if I want something lossless, i'll buy it. I just don't think it's accurate at all to think by posting FLAC's you're killing the market for the singles box set. FLAC and AAC are still just digital files.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone involved in the project.
As I said before, it never ceases to amaze me how you can offer certain people something for free, and the first thing they do is complain.
ReplyDeleteActually, it's a matter of preserving *your* work in the digital transfer and re-mastering at the highest possible quality. It's about ensuring that the high frequencies you're pulling from these pieces of vinyl and old CD's are intact. The main places it is possible to hear the degradation of compression is in the very high end of the hi-hats and cymbals, as well as in the reverb trails. I also don't believe it'd diminish the desire/need for a proper New Order singles box if you posted these in a lossless format. Fans are fans, they buy things.
ReplyDeleteThat said, post what you will. Just know that you're doing your own work a disservice by not archiving it losslessly. As for whether you're doing the rest of us a disservice, well, that's individual opinion.
Thanks for these, in any event.
Our work *is* preserved - I have FLAC sets, as do several other people. I'm choosing not to make them public at this time.
ReplyDeletealso not puttting in flac means there will be a hell of alot of bootlegging going around and this way keeps it down to a low.
ReplyDeleteAlot of people have been scammed beacuse somone put flack lossless online and somone just found the graphics and cd type fonts boom there is 500 bootlegs saying there the real deal going for a ton of money.. Example (depeche mode freelove cd-r)
I fully understand the reasoning and am just glad you are sharing these like you are and even in AAC they sound fabulous, keep up the great work. :)
ReplyDeleteThought I'd take this opportunity to say a HUGE THANK YOU to you 50. I've been a huge New Order fan since 1987 and I can't tell you how much I appreciate this effort of yours. Everything from the remastering to the artwork to your notes and the restorer's notes is top-notch and should put the record company to shame. I've purchased nearly everything they've ever released (that I could get my hands on), but something like this would, to me, be the holy grail of New Order music.
ReplyDeletePlease don't let a few unappreciative folks make you think that that majority of us feel as they do. While I wouldn't object to FLAC, I'm more than happy to have these incredible works in any format you deem fit. It's your project, your hard work, your time, you get to call the shots!
Thank you again. I'm eagerly anticipating whatever's next!
just wondering if the flac moaners can actually hear the difference between 256kb AAC and lossless. You need quite a good system.. you certainly wont hear it coming out of an iphone into white earbuds! Too many people with audio nervousia.
ReplyDeleteanyway big thank you for this project!
i actully i hear quite a difference in the formats
ReplyDeletebut yes i doan excellent sound system
no ipods and iphone will not let you hear the difference due to the patch they put out a few years ago cuzz people where going Deaf
Thank you so very much for doing this - For all of the hard work and love that everyone involved has poured into this. It is greatly appreciated by those of us who share the passion for New Order and Joy Division, yet do not have the technical ability or time to do this. It is absolutely, incredibly awesome. Forget those who obviously have no appreciation for someone else's labor of love and wonderful generosity.
ReplyDeleteI agree that making FLAC sets of all the Factory singles available would render any future official release worthless.
ReplyDeleteAfter last years re-mastered album debacle, your FLAC releases would obviously be by far the superior 'product'!
I am extremely grateful that you've made the time and effort to do this project.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for this amazing project! Your work is bringing me much joy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your hard work.
Screw the naysayers. You are doing god's work here.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank you for this project.
ReplyDeleteIf the band, or probably more accurately, the big bad record company bosses* can't be bothered then this is the best we can hope for. It's not an original product and for that reason it doesn't matter that these files aren't lossless.
For what it's worth I agree with you £50 note, making them available in FLAC would impact on any offical release.
*I read somewhere ages ago that they'd looked into doing a singles box set on CD but that manufacturing costs were £350 or that it would cost that to buy it. Not many people would have that sort of cash spare.
@twosheds £350 pounds can't be an accurate figure.
ReplyDeleteDuran Duran did 2 singles boxes earlier this decade - one with 13 CDs, the other with 14 - that I paid maybe $80/£40 apiece for.
Morrissey has a box of his first 10 singles that I paid less than $100/£50 for in 2000.
The current Smiths singles box holds 12 CDs and sells for $80/£40.
The Clash's singles box holds 19 (!) CDs and retails for $70/£35 new.
Manufacturing a set of 20 CDs in the slipcases we've designed, with an outer box and possibly a book would cost about $20 each and could sell for 5 times that. It's not cost-prohibitive.
Hello 50
ReplyDeleteIf I understand, you are going to sell the originals to the record label? Well, good luck!
Perhaps once you are done, you will consider doing the same valuable work to Joy Division's sometimes ropey concerts?;-)
Best wishes
@Joy Division - we wouldn't SELL the work we've done, but we'd happily turn it over to the label free of charge providing they agree to our guidelines about mastering the CDs and printing the artwork. It would suck to have done all this work and have a physical box set see the light of day, only to have the CDs brickwalled and the slipcases printed poorly or on shoddy material. There would need to be some oversight.
ReplyDeleteHey £50 Note, I'm someone who posted a note about FLAC. First off, I sincerely hope I didn't come across as sounding like I was entitled to lossless versions. I'm not entitled to anything here but am obliged to your good graces. This is a herculean job and you guys have done us all a favor, so let me say I am grateful.
ReplyDeleteI happen to be almost perpetually doing this kind of work as I have a lot of albums that I'm slowly archiving in digital format. I learned a bit of your process which I hadn't been doing (namely doing noise reduction on the side channel) and for that I am eternally grateful.
Being a huge New Order fan myself and have every FAC release on this site as well. I'm also a musician so I think a freely downloading tracks you have never paid for can't be life-sustaining for musicians, so given that I wouldn't even download these AAC if I didn't already own them (however I don't feel too bad if people swap remixes that aren't available to buy anywhere and don't have a lot of sympathy for record labels who won't put them up for purchase). I think my comment was more lamenting the fact that in order to have archival-quality I would have to rip my own. Just a loss of time really and I probably won't do as good a job as you guys have.
Guys...what can I say. I have just discovered yr site thru 'Everything On My iPod' and boy what a great job you have done. I used to have the 12" but over time they have gone. I was lucky enough to have seen JoyDiv/New Order play live numerous times (one advantage of being an old bastard LOL!) but I must mention a gig that they played @ Heaven in London...this as far as I remember was the first London gig and the second ever. The moment when Barney sang "How I wish you were with me now" from 'In A Lonely Place' and he looked upwards and I swear there was not a dry eye in the house!
ReplyDeleteCongrats and thanx again...
Regards/