Use of the term “remastered” for strictly digital release

[Marian (I stand with Ukraine)]

I’m not a sound engineer, so I’m answering to the best on my knowledge. Anyone please fact-check me.

@Jazzfan_NJ

I’m also a bit confused by the use of the term “remastered” when labeling a strictly digital release of a recording. Vinyl is produced using a master but is there something similar used for produing a digital file?

In case of digital releases, the masters are the files themselves, as they are the finished product in the absence of buring/stamping/cutting/carving/chiseling/etc. physical media.

@Jazzfan_NJ

I doubt that many digital releases labelled “remastered” have even been remixed, let along remastered (whatever that means in the context of a digital recording).

Given the above, I think “remastered” and “remixed” can be used interchangeably in case of entirely digital releases. In any case, the results should be different from the original versions.

(BTW, since this is in [very] slow mode, it would be best to ask genuinely interesting questions in a different thread.)