AudioShake Stems Help Remaster Whitesnake's "Time and Again"

AudioShake
November 7, 2024

In celebration of over 40 years of iconic music, multi-platinum-selling Whitesnake recently unveiled the “Intro The Light” Box set and Vinyl Remixes and Remasters of some of their most beloved albums, including Into the Light (2000) and NorthWinds (1978) and WhiteSnake (1976). Originally, three David Coverdale solo albums that have been remixed, remastered, and rebranded as “Whitesnake.”

This special project brought back some early fan-favorite tracks like "Lady" and “Time and Again,” giving them a modern sound while preserving the timeless quality of the original recordings. Behind the scenes, Whitesnake frontman and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, David Coverdale, and veteran audio engineer, Tom Gordon, worked tirelessly to bring these remixed and remastered tracks to life. But from the start, there were big challenges: many of the original recordings were stuck in outdated formats, and crucial multi-tracks were missing or never existed to begin with.

For decades, audio engineers have faced the challenge of remixing or remastering older tracks when the original multi-tracks—the isolated audio tracks for each instrument and vocal—are no longer available. Without these multi-tracks, remixing a track while preserving its original integrity can be nearly impossible. To overcome this hurdle, Gordon and Coverdale turned to AudioShake, an innovative AI-driven technology that has gained significant recognition for its ability to separate and extract stems from fully mixed recordings.

AudioShake, known for its powerful AI separation tools, was the perfect solution to unlock Whitesnake's legacy tracks. "For some reason, on “Time and Again” off of “Northwinds” in 1978, the vocal was recorded on the same channel as the Rhodes. As great as that vocal performance is, DC has never been happy with the Rhodes part," said Tom Gordon. "We tried a number of stem separation tools to separate the two but there were way too many artifacts to be usable.”

AudioShake's separation technology made it possible to craft these remixes, allowing new instrumentation to shine without losing any of Coverdale’s powerful vocals.

“AudioShake not only ended up having a separation tool that got us a usable isolated vocal to add new strings and piano to, but the team at AudioShake were great with their communication and eager to find a solution. That combination stands out these days," said Gordon

David Coverdale was thrilled with the results. "It’s incredible to see how far technology has come," Coverdale said. "You helped us with your magic technology to separate my vocal from my piano playing! A thousand thanks!”  

In an era where music production technology is constantly evolving, AudioShake has become an essential tool for artists, labels, and engineers looking to preserve and enhance classic recordings. By providing high-fidelity stem separations from fully mixed tracks, AudioShake opens up new creative possibilities for remastering, remixing, and re-releasing iconic music—giving listeners a fresh take on beloved songs while preserving their historical significance.