“Lament” is the seventh studio album by British band Ultravox, released in 1984. This album signifies a profound evolution towards a more electronic and pop sound, while still embracing the band’s characteristic new wave elements. Among its tracks are some of the band’s most iconic songs, such as “Dancing with Tears in My Eyes”, “One Small Day”, and the eponymous “Lament”. The album received widespread acclaim from critics, praising its innovative sound and sophisticated production. Commercially, it was a triumph, ascending to number eight on the UK charts and solidifying Ultravox’s place in the pantheon of influential 1980s bands.
This album is a very interesting example of how mastering has evolved over 40 years.
1 – Let’s start by comparing the original version and the version remixed by Steven Wilson.
By analyzing the spectra below, we can see that the original version is limited to around 20kHz, while the background noise of the magnetic tape is clearly visible. This is due to the use of digital processing during the album’s mastering. Steven Wilson started out with multi-track, so he doesn’t have this limitation that comes from mastering. Digital processing was a marketing argument in 1984, but it’s clear that we weren’t yet into high-resolution.
2 – Another case of mastering.
More common these days, we find that the remastering of the original version, although in 24-bit 96 kHz, has been compressed in dynamic with its DR6. A pity not to respect the original, when Steven Wilson’s stereo mix has a DR11!
3 – Mastering differences between Streaming and Blu-ray.
A comparison of Steven Wilson’s stereo mix shows that the Streaming version is more dynamically compressed with DR8 than the Blu-ray version with DR11. Once again, Blu-ray marks a step forward in terms of quality.
4 – Mastering the 2024 vinyl record.
Spectrum analysis shows that the vinyl record comes from the same master as the remastered stereo version. Is it the dynamically compressed version that has been used?
Given the discrepancies between the original vinyl and the remastered vinyl, it certainly is, but it’s difficult to confirm this, except with a tape recording test that seems to confirm it (to understand the principle of dynamic expansion of analog media, you can refer to this test “Does analog media force a dynamic on music?”).
Spectrum analysis shows that the vinyl record comes from the same master as the remastered stereo version. Is it the dynamically compressed version that has been used?
Given the differences in waveform dynamics between the original vinyl (or CD) and the remastered vinyl, this is certainly the case, but it’s difficult to confirm, even if the tape recording test seems to confirm it (to understand the principle of dynamic expansion of analog media, you can refer to this test “Does analog media force a dynamic on music?”).
For this review, you will find 10 versions tested: Vinyl and CD 1984, Tidal, bluray 2024, Steven Wilson mix, Dolby Atmos, DTS HDMA 5.1.
Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.
The album is composed of 8 tracks:
- White China
- One Small Day
- Dancing With Tears in My Eyes
- Lament
- Man of Two Worlds
- Heart of the Country
- When the Time Comes
- A Friend I Call Desire
The test covers the 8 original tracks on the different versions of the album.
Summary, scoring and Samples
Ed 1: Vinyl – 1984
Presentation
The vinyl record is composed of 1 LP in 33.33 rpm, the vinyl record containing 8 tracks (ref:206175).
Waveform and Spectrum: DR12
The waveform of the vinyl record shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR12.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal above this frequency (white arrow) containing musical information and distortion due to the vinyl record’s operating principle.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl – 1984 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1984 (blue curve).The 2 spectra overlap perfectly up to 15 kHz, and above this frequency (yellow zone), the vinyl level rises, with an accentuation of up to 5 dB at 20 kHz.
Synthesis and listening
The original vinyl record is similar to the 1984 CD version in terms of sound balance and dynamics. It has the sound of the 80s, with a very good pressing.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 2: Vinyl Deluxe – 2024
Presentation
The vinyl record is composed of 1 LP in 33.33 rpm from a box of 5 LP, the vinyl record containing 8 tracks of the orginal album (ref:840401700013).
Waveform and Spectrum: DR11
The waveform of the vinyl record shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR11, but is still inferior to the original 1984 version.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal above this frequency (white arrow) containing musical information and distortion due to the vinyl record’s operating principle.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl Deluxe – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Vinyl – 1984 (blue curve).The two spectra overlap from 300 Hz to 3 kHz. Below 300 Hz, the vinyl 2024 version (green zone) is amplified by up to 6 dB below 100 Hz. Above 3 kHz (yellow zone), the vinyl 2024 version is attenuated by a few dB. The remastered vinyl version will have a different tonal balance, with greater emphasis on the lower end of the spectrum than the original. We find the same behavior when comparing the Tidal remastered 2024 and CD 1984 versions.
Synthesis and listening
A very fine edition of 5 vinyl discs, with quality pressing. Dynamics are a little lower than on the original version, but the tonal balance has been reworked to meet today’s mastering requirements, resulting in a more modern sound.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 3: CD – 1984
Presentation
This is the original CD producted in 1984 (8 tracks) ref : 610 151.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR12
The waveform of the vinyl record shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR12.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises to 22 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above this frequency (white arrow) due to the CD’s 44.1 kH sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Tidal Deluxe – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1984 (blue curve).The two spectra overlap from 300 Hz to 3 kHz. Below 300 Hz, the Tidal 2024 version (green zone) is boosted by up to 6 dB below 100 Hz. Above 3 kHz (yellow zone), the Tidal 2024 version is attenuated by a few dB. The Tidal remastered version will have a different tonal balance, with more emphasis on the lower end of the spectrum than the original version.
Synthesis and listening
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:
Ed 4: Tidal Deluxe – 2024
Presentation
This is the Tidal Deluxe Max (volume 1) presented in FLAC 24 bits 96 kHz. Only the 8 tracks of the original album is tested.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR8
The TIDAL max 24 bits 96 kHz shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR8.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with little signal above 30 kHz (white arrow) .
Synthesis and listening
We find the same rendering as the remastered stereo Blu-ray version.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●ooo (2)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 5: Tidal Atmos – 2024
Presentation
This is the Tidal Dolby Atmos presented in Dolby Digital Plus or AC-4 (link). Only the 8 tracks of the original album is tested.
Spatialization:
The spatialization of Tidal Atmos – 2024 version varies from track to track, with values between 8.5 and 9.1.
Spatialization : ●●●●●●●●●o (8.8)
Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR14
The Tidal Dolby Atmos shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR14.
The spectrogram of the Tidal Dolby Atmos track downmixed in 7.1 is limited to 20kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding, which is a lossy encoder that limits bandwidth to optimize data size for a bit rate of 768 kbits/s. The LFE channel is used with 120 Hz cut-off frequency (green arrow)
The graph below represents the spectrum of the Tidal Atmos – 2024.
The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The yellow arrow indicates the 24 kHz high-frequency limit due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.
Synthesis and listening
The Tidal Dolby Atmos version, with Dolby Digital Plus compression at 768 kbits/s, is no match for the blu-ray with track in Dolby Digital TrueHD, which is much finer in terms of sound reproduction and spatialization.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●●o (8.8)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 7.1 Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :
The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and Save Audio As and play it with an external player.
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed 2.0) :
Ed 6: Bluray Steven Wilson Stereo Mix – 2024
Presentation
This is the PCM track of the Steven Wilson mix presented in PCM 24 bits 96 kHz of the bluray (ref:840401707739). Only the 8 tracks of the original album is tested. This blu-ray is part of the SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio collection.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR11
The waveform of the bluray Steven Wilson stereo Mix track shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR11. The DR is better than the Tidal Delux Steven Wilson Mix (DR9)
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal up to 30 kHz (white arrow) .
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Bluray Steven Wilson Stereo Mix – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Bluray stereo – 2024 (blue curve).Steven Wilson’s remix also offers a rebalancing of the original version, with an accentuation above 400Hz (green zone) of up to 5 dB, and also an accentuation above 7 kHz (yellow zone) with almost 15 dB more at 20 kHz. But what’s really interesting is to see that the original version is attenuated above 20 kHz, unlike Steven Wilson’s Maxage, which is based on multi-track tapes. This is due to the use of digital processing to master the 1984 version, which reduced the bandwidth.
Synthesis and listening
For this version, Steven Wilson has gone back to the multi-track tapes and brought in a new dynamic mix and mastering with a modernized tonal balance. But it has a narrower soundstage than either the original version or the Dolby Atmos version downmixed in stereo.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 7: Bluray stereo – 2024
Presentation
This is the PCM track presented in PCM 24 bits 96 kHz of the bluray (ref:840401707739). Only the 8 tracks of the original album is tested. This blu-ray is part of the SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio collection.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR8
The waveform of the bluray stereo track shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR8, like the Tidal MAX.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with little signal above 30 kHz (white arrow) .
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl Deluxe – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Bluray stereo – 2024 (blue curve).The two spectra almost overlap across the entire spectrum, showing a very fine cut of the lacquer from the digital master.
Synthesis and listening
This remastered version uses the original master tape with a new tonal balance that enhances the bass for a more modern sound, but unfortunately with a compression of dynamics. But it has a narrower soundstage than either the original version or the Dolby Atmos version downmixed in stereo.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●ooo (2)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 8: Bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2024
Presentation
This is the DTS HDMA track presented in 5.1 24 bits 96 kHz of the bluray (ref:840401707739). Only the 8 tracks of the original album is tested. This blu-ray is part of the SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio collection.
Spatialization:
The spatialization of Bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2024 version varies from track to track, with values between 3.3 and 4.2.
Spatialization : ●●●●o (3.9)
Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR13
The bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR13.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal up to 30 kHz (white arrow) .
The graph below represents the spectrum of the Bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2024.
All channels are used at a similar level, thus exploiting spatialization. Frequencies rise above 20 kHz. The bass channel (LFE) also shows little filtering.
Synthesis and listening
The 5.1 version is always present as an alternative, with mixes by Steven Wilson. This 5.1 version is an extension of the very successful stereo version, bringing beautiful spatialization and very fine restitution with DTS HDMA lossless format in 24-bit 96 kHz.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Spatialization: ●●●●o (3.9)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 5.1 24 bits 96 kHz:
The sample is in 5.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and Save Audio As and play it with an external player.
Ed 9: Bluray Atmos – 2024
Presentation
Ths is the Dolby Atmos track resented in Dolby Digital TrueHD (lossless) of the bluray (ref:840401707739). This blu-ray is part of the SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio collection.
Spatialization:
The spatialization of Bluray Atmos – 2024 version varies from track to track, with values between 8.3 and 9.4.
Spatialization : ●●●●●●●●●o (8.8)
Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR14
The bluray Dolby Atmos shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR14.
The spectrogram of the Atmos downmixed in 7.1 version of blu-ray shows that the signal goes down to 24 kHz (yellow arrow) and that there is no signal above this frequency (white arrow), due to the 48 kHz sampling frequency used. The LFE channel is used without 120 Hz cut-off frequency (green arrow)
The graph below represents the spectrum of the Bluray Atmos – 2024.
All channels are used at a similar level, enhancing spatialization. The maximum frequency is 24 kHz (yellow arrow), due to the 48 kHz sampling frequency used with Dolby Digital TrueHD Atmos.
Synthesis and listening
Dolby Atmos in TrueHD is much more precise in terms of sonic finesse and spatialization than Tidal’s Dolby Atmos version (or other streaming versions from Amazon and Apple). The stereo downmix offers a more open stereo version than the remastered stereo versions. Steven Wilson’s Dolby Atmos mix is a great success, making full use of all the channels and successfully distributing the instruments and choirs in space, bringing the tracks to life even more. Steven Wilson perfectly masters the balance between respecting the original while bringing coherent spatialization to the music.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●●o (8.8)
- Restitution: ●●●●● (5)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 7.1 Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :
The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and Save Audio As and play it with an external player.
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed 2.0) :
Ed 10: Tidal Delux Steven Wilson Mix – 2024
Presentation
This is the Tidal Deluxe Max Steven Wilson Mix (volume 2)presented in FLAC 24 bits 96 kHz. Only the 8 tracks of the original album is tested.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR9
The Tidal Delux Steven Wilson Mix 24 bits 96 kHz shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR9, lower than the bluray edition.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal up to 30 kHz (white arrow) .
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Bluray Steven Wilson Stereo Mix – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Tidal Delux Steven Wilson Mix – 2024 (blue curve).Parfaite superposition des 2 spectres qui sont issus du m me master mais avec une compression de dynamique plus importante pour la version Tidal.
Synthesis and listening
This version is similar to the one available on blu-ray, but with greater dynamic range compression.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3)
Sample : “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” 24 bits 96 kHz:
The 40th anniversary of this album is an opportunity to rediscover the original version with the 1984 cd and vinyl editions, which are still the best versions if you want to keep the original sound. Today, you can re-discover the album opened with a new mastering and even remixing with the versions of Steven Wilson which brings dynamic and a new equibre sound actuality. It’s the blu-ray edition that stands out, containing Steven Wilson‘s mixes in stereo, 5.1 and in particular a magnificent Dolby Atmos TrueHD version that brings dynamics, spatialization and energy to this album. The original remastered version is also available on this medium. Blu-ray is the reference medium for this anniversary release. There’s also a beautiful 5-disc deluxe vinyl edition that’s a great success, but a step down from the blu-ray version.
Dynamic Range measurements are shown below.
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Measurements
Dynamic Range comparaisons
Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. The target is to compare the dynamics of the music and not of the media (CD, digital files or vinyl).
For our 10 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :
| Vinyl – 1984 | Vinyl Deluxe – 2024 | CD – 1984 | Tidal Deluxe – 2024 | Tidal Atmos – 2024 | Bluray Steven Wilson Stereo Mix – 2024 | Bluray stereo – 2024 | Bluray DTS HDMA 5.1 – 2024 | Bluray Atmos – 2024 | Tidal Delux Steven Wilson Mix – 2024 | |
| Global | DR12 | DR11 | DR12 | DR8 | DR14 | DR11 | DR8 | DR13 | DR14 | DR9 |
| Min | DR10 | DR11 | DR11 | DR7 | DR13 | DR11 | DR7 | DR11 | DR13 | DR8 |
| Max | DR14 | DR12 | DR15 | DR9 | DR15 | DR12 | DR9 | DR15 | DR16 | DR10 |
| White China | DR14 | DR12 | DR15 | DR8 | DR15 | DR11 | DR8 | DR14 | DR16 | DR8 |
| One Small Day | DR12 | DR11 | DR12 | DR9 | DR13 | DR11 | DR9 | DR13 | DR13 | DR8 |
| Dancing With Tears in My Eyes | DR12 | DR12 | DR12 | DR7 | DR14 | DR11 | DR7 | DR13 | DR14 | DR8 |
| Lament | DR13 | DR12 | DR13 | DR8 | DR15 | DR12 | DR8 | DR13 | DR14 | DR8 |
| Man of Two Worlds | DR12 | DR11 | DR11 | DR8 | DR14 | DR11 | DR8 | DR13 | DR14 | DR8 |
| Heart of the Country | DR13 | DR12 | DR12 | DR9 | DR14 | DR12 | DR9 | DR13 | DR14 | DR9 |
| When the Time Comes | DR13 | DR12 | DR13 | DR9 | DR13 | DR11 | DR9 | DR13 | DR13 | DR10 |
| A Friend I Call Desire | DR10 | DR11 | DR11 | DR8 | DR13 | DR11 | DR8 | DR12 | DR13 | DR8 |
As a reminder, the scale goes from 0 to more 20, but the dynamics are considered good from 12, quite good between 10 and 11, and deteriorate below 10.
Detail of the ratings :
- Dynamic :
- Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
- Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
- Correct piece DR >=10
- No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
- No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
- Spectrum :
- Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
- Spectrum cut at 15 khz
- Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
- Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
- Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
- Surface noise (only for vinyl):
- Continuous audible noise
- Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
- Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
- Low surface noise, very good quality
- Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
- Spatialization :
- Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
- Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
- For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
- Restitution :
- Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
- Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
- Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
- High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
- Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.
A great analysis!
Thanks !
Very good job.
THANKS
Thanks!