Versions & edits
Remaster
A remaster reprocesses an existing recording — level, EQ, sometimes noise reduction — without changing the performance. Nothing is re-recorded and nothing is rearranged; only the presentation changes.
In practice
Same performance, different presentation — and usually louder. Gain-match it like any other record.
Prefer the remaster for club use where one exists, because it will sit better against modern records, but listen first: some remasters are squashed to the point of losing the punch that made the original worth playing. Keep only one version in the working library to avoid loading the wrong one, and note that a remaster of a track you already own will not inherit its cue points or grid — it is a different file and the analysis starts again.
Same
The performance
Louder
Usually the level
New analysis
What it needs
Where these come from: Release practice and library consequences. The measured era-by-era loudness climb, which a remaster is read against, is on the LUFS page. For what we can measure, see why remasters are louder.
Why it matters
For a DJ the practical fact is that a remaster is usually louder, sometimes considerably. Dropping a remastered reissue into a set alongside an original pressing means a level difference that has nothing to do with the music, and it is exactly the case gain exists for.
It also means older catalogue becomes mixable. A record originally mastered quiet and dull can arrive as a remaster with modern level and top end, which is often the difference between a classic you admire and one you can actually play at peak time.
Frequently asked
Is a remaster better than the original?+
Usually louder and often brighter, which helps in a club. Some are squashed enough to lose the punch that made the record worth playing, so listen before replacing.
Do my cue points transfer to a remaster?+
No. It is a different file, so the analysis, grid and cues all start again.
Is a remaster a different recording?+
No — the performance is identical. Only the mastering changed, which is what separates it from a re-recording or a remix.
Related terms
Loudness war
The loudness war is the decades-long trend of mastering records progressively louder so they stand out against whatever plays before them. It is measurable across eras and it cost dynamic range to achieve.
Gain
Gain sets how hot a track arrives at the channel before anything else touches it. Most club mixers label the same control trim. It is a correction for how a record was mastered, not a volume control for the room.
Original mix
The original mix is the producer’s own primary version of a track, as distinct from remixes and edits of it. On dance releases it is usually the longest and most DJ-friendly cut on the record.
Dynamic range
Dynamic range is the distance between a track’s quietest and loudest moments. A wide range means the drop hits because the build was restrained; a narrow one means everything arrives at the same level.
Explore: LUFS meter · Loudness war · Gain · All DJ terms