How can I tell if my version of DSOTM was mastered with pre-emphasis? Options

[godrick]

Per http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....st&p=810470, I looked at my CD of Dark Side of the Moon, and looked at the tedious but uninsightful discussion at http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=264920 , and still can't definitively determine if my CD has pre-emphasis or not. Any advice appreciated!

My CD is labelled on the top as:
Stereo
CDP 7 46001 2
DIDX 226
Made in the U.S.A.
Manufactured for Capital Records, Inc.
1973 The Gramaphone Company Limited
1973 Capital Records, Inc.

Around the inner ring on the top:
DIDX 226 111A6

Around the innermost ring on the top:
Made in USA - Digital Audio Disc Corp.

On the back of the CD case, upper right:
CDP
7 46001 2
DIDX 226
Barcode 0 777-46001-2

Cover of the booklet has the pyramid and prism spectrum graphic, and in the upper right a circle around "Pink Floyd the Dark Side of the Moon"

On the back of the booklet, upper right:
CDP
7 46001 2
DIDX 226

I bought it new in the 1980's for what it's worth. I used dBpoweramp to rip it and it did not detect pre-emphasis. The images shown on the first link above on discogs are exactly as on my CD, with two exceptions:

- my CD has DIDX 226 on the inner ring of the disc itself which discogs specifically precludes from the version it is defining.
- the outlined section on the left of the top of the CD image on discogs shows a second row of just "Made in the U.S.A.", while my version has "DIDX 226 | Made in U.S.A."

moderator: please add "version" after "my" in the thread title - thanks!

This post has been edited by godrick: Oct 4 2012, 02:35

[greynol]

I just verified that my copy of DTSOM is the same one indicated in this site:
http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-The-Dark.../release/667546





I extracted the disc using iTunes and CUERipper, which are both supposed to recognize pre-emphasis from the subcode even if it isn't present in the TOC. iTunes did not apply de-emphasis to the extracted data and CUERipper did not indicate pre-emphasis in the cue sheet. Furthermore, I was able to verify that the disc itself plays back without de-emphasis on my standalone player by comparing it against a copy ripped without de-emphasis applied (they sounded the same).

At this point I really must call into question the integrity of the information from the link I gave.

Here is a sample of some unmolested data from the disc:
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....ost&id=7134

This post has been edited by greynol: Oct 14 2012, 19:03

[mjb2006]

I just verified that my copy of DTSOM is the same one indicated in this site:
http://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-The-Dark.../release/667546



[...]
At this point I really must call into question the integrity of the information from the link I gave.

Well, the artwork on your disc face is different. In Discogs, we consider any printed (with ink) differences like this to warrant a separate entry, so whatever info has been entered for the one you looked at should not be taken as definitive for your edition. No one has yet submitted this particular variation that you have; probably they just see the entry you looked at (which I created, based on my own disc) and say "close enough" and mark it as being in their collections. So you should submit yours as separate entry.

Normally, matrix differences aren't important for distinguishing releases on Discogs, but when it comes to DSOTM, we can take them into account, at least to the extent that they identify different masterings, although usually the artwork alone is sufficient. The existing release in Discogs has "CDP 7 46001 2 31C3 TO J" in the mirror band. The "31C3" can be expected to vary without consequence. The "TO J" suffix is the important part; it indicates that despite the inked "Made in USA", the disc was actually manufactured by Toshiba/EMI in Japan, and this correlates with the use of the pre-emph'd 1st Sony master.

The Pink Floyd Archives site has a much more thorough explanation of the masterings and a more precise system of cataloging these releases:

• Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon CD: Mysteries of the CD Masterings
• Pink Floyd United States Compact Disc Discography: Dark Side of the Moon

It looks to me like you have what they're currently calling the Capitol Records 18th issue, which of course would not have pre-emphasis. Can you verify this assumption against the details as given on that site? There are links to scans there, which should help. I would very much like to see every variation submitted to Discogs.

This post has been edited by mjb2006: Nov 30 2012, 19:23