question: How does music of dead/retired musicians get remastered?
comment: If you have individual vocal and instrument audio tracks from the original recording, you can process them separately with more modern technology. Suppose one of the tracks was noisy or had limited sound quality due to the technology at the time. You could replace the track or filter out the noise. You could make it more on-tune with auto-tuning technology. Mix all these processed tracks back and it will be remastered. It gets more complicated if you don't have the individual tracks. There are some ways of isolating the human vocal tones away from the instruments but depending on the type of music, this may be hard to separate. Even more future technology will allow you to synthesize a person's voice given enough samples. This is still in progress but it will open up a whole lot of issues with ownership of the voice and its use in deep fakes (forged audio or videos).
passages: In 2001, "Chequered Past", a compilation CD was remastered with participation by the band and their original producer. Although released by Fantasy Records, it ignored the band's fourth album and their unreleased material.
  
  The last release, "Traxx," was a new album of unreleased "lost" tracks from 1987-1988 recording sessions. At the request of MelodicRock Records, Melodicrock.com’s Andrew McNeice, the band went back into their archives and pulled out 11 songs from 1987-1988, which were remastered by the legendary JK Northrup (Billy Thorpe, Paul Shortino, Northrup, King Kobra).
   BULLET::::- Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes: I Don't Want To Go Home/This Time It's For Real (2013) Guitar
  
  BULLET::::- Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes: Playlist The Very Best of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes (2013) Producer, Composer
  
  BULLET::::- Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes: Live 1977 at the Bottom Line NYC (2015) Guitar
  
  BULLET::::- Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes: The Fever—The Remastered Epic Recordings (2 CD) Original recording remastered (2017) Guitar
  
  Camel
  
  BULLET::::- Camel: Pressure Points: Live In Concert (1984) Composer
  
  Serge Gainsbourg
  
  BULLET::::- Serge Gainsbourg: Love on the Beat (1984) Bass, Programmation of drums, Guitar
   BULLET::::- Technical
  
  BULLET::::- Don Fleming – producer
  
  BULLET::::- John Agnello – engineer, mixing
  
  BULLET::::- John Siket – engineer
  
  BULLET::::- Bill Emmons – engineer, mixing on "The Age of Innocence"
  
  BULLET::::- Juan Garcia – assistant engineer (Magic Shop)
  
  BULLET::::- Todd Parker – assistant engineer (Sear Sound)
  
  BULLET::::- Greg Calbi – mastering
  
  BULLET::::- Michael Halsband – photography
  
  BULLET::::- Philin Phlash – photography
  
  BULLET::::- Jody Lee Thomas – photography
  
  BULLET::::- Barbara Longo – CD package design
  
  BULLET::::- Reissue
  
  BULLET::::- Bill Crowley – reissue producer
  
  BULLET::::- Bob Frank – executive producer
  
  BULLET::::- Drew Lavyne – remastering
  
  BULLET::::- Jeff Chenault – reissue art director
   BULLET::::- Tracks 1-16 Mixed at Crystal Lake Sound Studios in Glendale, CA, by Bedros the "Sunrise" Man
  
  BULLET::::- Tracks 1-16 Mastered at Ocean Way in Hollywood, CA, by Alan Yoshida-ian
  
  BULLET::::- Tracks 1-16 ReMastered at Buzzbomb Studios in Anaheim, CA, by Paul Miner
  
  BULLET::::- Track 17 Additional Music Written, Programmed and Mixed by James Euringer & Reproduced by the James Sisters
  
  BULLET::::- Track 18 Reconstruction & Mix Translation by Bill Laswell, Engineered by Bob Musso at Orange Sound Studio in Orange, NJ & Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtle Tone Studios
   BULLET::::- Johnny Mathis – vocals
  
  BULLET::::- Box set
  
  BULLET::::- Johnny Mathis – executive producer; liner notes
  
  BULLET::::- Didier C. Deutsch – producer (box set and discs 12 & 13)
  
  BULLET::::- Tim Sturges – producer (discs 12 & 13); mixing and mastering (discs 12 & 13)
  
  BULLET::::- Jim Lane – project director
  
  BULLET::::- Mark Wilder – remastering (discs 1–11)
  
  BULLET::::- Maria Triana – assistant remastering engineer
  
  BULLET::::- Matt Cavaluzzo – archival transfers
  
  BULLET::::- Edward O'Dowd – art direction and design
  
  BULLET::::- Mike Panico – archival assistance
  
  BULLET::::- Tom Tierney – archival assistance
  
  BULLET::::- Che Williams – archival assistance
   BULLET::::- 2010: The Lost Atlanta Tapes – Piano Red, Landslide Records
  
  BULLET::::- 2011: Ain't No Grave: The Life and Legacy of Brother Claude Ely, Various, Dust-to-Digital
  
  BULLET::::- 2011: Luk Thung: Classic & Obscure 78s from the Thai Countryside - Various, Parlortone/Dust-to-Digital
  
  BULLET::::- 2011: Never a Pal Like Mother: Vintage Songs & Photographs of the One Who's Always True - Various, Dust-to-Digital
  
  BULLET::::- 2011: Funky Rob Way - Rob, Analog Africa
  
  BULLET::::- 2011: ...i listen to the wind that obliterates my traces: music in vernacular photographs 1880-1955 – Various, Dust-to-Digital
   BULLET::::- Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch – 1996 remastering
  
  BULLET::::- John Kellogg – 2000 5.1 remix production and mastering (at Magna Vision Studios, Santa Monica, California)
  
  BULLET::::- Paul Klingberg – 2000 5.1 remix engineering, mixing, and mastering (at Magna Vision Studios, Santa Monica, California)
  
  BULLET::::- Mark Chalecki – 2007 remastering (at Capitol Mastering, Hollywood)
  
  BULLET::::- Paschal Byrne – 2008 stereo remastering (at The Audio Archiving Company, London)
  
  BULLET::::- Andy Pearce – 2011 remastering, 2014 remastering
  
  BULLET::::- Matt Wortham – 2014 remastering
  
  BULLET::::- Jakko Jakszyk – 2014 stereo and 5.1 mixing (at Silesia Sound, Hertfordshire)
   BULLET::::- Jay Messina - remastering
  
  BULLET::::- John Jansen - assistant
  
  BULLET::::- Ed Thacker - assistant
  
  BULLET::::- Richard Anthony Hewson - arranger
  
  BULLET::::- Fabio Nicoli - cover design
  
  BULLET::::- Paul Wakefield - cover design
  
  BULLET::::- Dick Ward - cover design
  
  2002 A&M reissue
  
  The 2002 A&M Records reissue was mastered from the original master tapes by Greg Calbi and Jay Messina at Sterling Sound, New York, 2002. The reissue was supervised by Bill Levenson with art direction by Vartan and design by Mike Diehl, with production coordination by Beth Stempel.
   There are alternative recordings of the song, instrumental as well as vocal, reggae to classical crossover, from artists as diverse as American country music band Alabama, Chris De Burgh, West End theatre star Michael Ball, Marcia Hines, Engelbert Humperdinck, James Last, The London Symphony Orchestra, Christian artist Russ Lee, Rhydian, John Tesh, Russell Watson, the London Community Gospel Choir, the Newsboys, The Isaacs, The Katinas, Japanese singer Kaho Shimada, Italian band Dik Dik and Michael English.
   In the 1980s, Paul began working with Atlantic Records producer Joel Dorn and Atlantic Records engineer Joel Kerr to restore and remaster the recordings of rare live performances by famous artists. This led Paul & Kerr to form DB Plus Digital Services, an independent mastering studio which operated in New York City from 1987 to 2009. In 2010, he became Chief Mastering Engineer at G&J Audio, a mixing and mastering studio for major and independent labels focused on reissues and new recordings, alongside Kerr and engineer Jamie Polaski.
  
  Section::::Grammy Awards.
   BULLET::::- The Carpenters
  
  BULLET::::- David Cassidy
  
  BULLET::::- Harry Chapin
  
  BULLET::::- Cher
  
  BULLET::::- Chicago
  
  BULLET::::- Joe Cocker
  
  BULLET::::- Natalie Cole
  
  BULLET::::- Paula Cole (BTM2)
  
  BULLET::::- Sean Combs
  
  BULLET::::- Alice Cooper (remastered in 2010)
  
  BULLET::::- Counting Crows (BTM2)
  
  BULLET::::- Creed
  
  BULLET::::- Jim Croce
  
  BULLET::::- David Crosby
  
  BULLET::::- Sheryl Crow
  
  BULLET::::- The Cult
  
  BULLET::::- Deep Purple (second original "Behind the Music: Remastered" episode)
  
  BULLET::::- Def Leppard (remastered in 2010)
  
  BULLET::::- John Denver
  
  BULLET::::- Depeche Mode
  
  BULLET::::- Neil Diamond
  
  BULLET::::- Celine Dion
  
  BULLET::::- Dixie Chicks (BTM2)
  
  BULLET::::- DMX
  
  BULLET::::- Snoop Dogg
  
  BULLET::::- The Doobie Brothers
  
  BULLET::::- Dr. Dre
  
  BULLET::::- Duran Duran (remastered in 2010)
   Section::::Restoration.
  
  New sound restoration techniques developed for the "American Epic" film series were utilized to restore the fourteen recordings on the album. The 78rpm record transfers were made by sound engineer Nicholas Bergh using reverse engineering techniques garnered from working with the restored first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s in "The American Epic Sessions." This was followed by meticulous sound restoration on these 1920s recordings, by sound engineers Peter Henderson and Joel Tefteller, to reveal greater fidelity, presence, and clarity than had been heard before.
  
  Section::::Release.
   Cooley remastered the soundtrack for the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man", which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2013. 
  
  He's also mastered Ziggy Marley's "Fly Rasta", which won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2014 and M83's "Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming", which was nominated for Best Alternative Album for the 2012 Grammys. 
   BULLET::::- 2012 "The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note", Dave Douglas
  
  BULLET::::- 2013 "Caine/Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue", Uri Caine
  
  BULLET::::- 2014 "The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint", Ambrose Akinmusire
  
  BULLET::::- 2015 "Love is a Pendulum", Joe Locke
  
  Section::::Selected compositions.
  
  BULLET::::- 1997 "Men in Black" alien language for soundtrack
  
  BULLET::::- 2001 "DNA" for voice, piano, guitar, vibraphone, bass guitar, and percussion
  
  BULLET::::- 2001 "None of the Above" for voice, piano and vibraphone
   BULLET::::- Strings on track #5 arranged and performed by Phil Peterson
  
  Section::::Personnel.:Production.
  
  BULLET::::- Tracks #1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12 and Tracks #14, 15, 16 from Deluxe Gold Edition produced and engineered by Adam Watts and Andy Dodd at Red Decible Studios (Orange, CA).
  
  BULLET::::- Drums recorded at Sonikwire (Irvine, CA); Drum Tech: Mike Jackson; Assistant engineer: Alex Bush.
  
  BULLET::::- Tracks #2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11 and Track #13 from Deluxe Gold Edition produced and recorded by Aaron Sprinkle at Compound Recording (Seattle, WA).
  
  BULLET::::- Drum Tech: Aaron Mlasko
   ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke
  
  ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke is a 2019 documentary film about Sam Cooke, the artist and activist, and the circumstances and controversy surrounding his murder.
  
  Section::::Premise.
  
  On December 11, 1964, at the age of 33, Cooke was shot and killed by Bertha Franklin, the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California. "ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke" explores the mystery behind the murder through interviews with family, friends, journalists and academics as well as archival footage.
  
  Section::::Cast.
  
  BULLET::::- Sam Cooke
  
  BULLET::::- Quincy Jones
  
  BULLET::::- Smokey Robinson
   BULLET::::- "The Firebird Band – Say Hello EP digital" (2010) – City at Night Records
  
  BULLET::::- "The Firebird Band – Green EP (2011) – This Year is Better Music
  
  Section::::Discography.:Digital only releases.
  
  BULLET::::- "The Firebird Band – Another Incarnation" (2006) – City at Night Records (unreleased as of now)
  
  BULLET::::- "The Firebird Band – The Setting Sun and Its Satellites Reissue and Remastered" (2010) – City at Night Records
  
  BULLET::::- "The Firebird Band – The Drive CD EP Remastered" (2010) – City at Night Records
  
  Section::::Previous members.
   BULLET::::- Various Artists - "The Art of Peace - Songs for Tibet II" album (2015)
  
  BULLET::::- Kate Bush - "KT Fellowship presents Before The Dawn" album (2016)
  
  BULLET::::- Jennifer Crook - "The Year, She Turns" album (2016)
  
  BULLET::::- Brand X - "But Wait... There's More! - LIVE" double album (2017)
  
  BULLET::::- Edward Reekers - "The Last Forest" album remastered (2017)
  
  BULLET::::- Pieter Nooten - "STEM" album (2018)
  
  BULLET::::- Brand X - "Locked & Loaded - LIVE" album (2018)
  
  BULLET::::- Brand X - "Live at RoSfest 2018" CD and concert Blu-ray (2018)
   BULLET::::- "Rhino Hi-Five: Ian Matthews" (2007) Rhino / Elektra/ Apple Music (5-track digital EP)
  
  BULLET::::- "Collected" (2011) Universal (57-track 3CD career retrospective, all tracks chosen personally by Iain)
  
  BULLET::::- "If You Saw Thro’ My Eyes (remaster)" (2012) Esoteric / Cherry Red
  
  BULLET::::- "Tigers Will Survive" (2012) Esoteric / Cherry Red (original album remaster + bonus track)
  
  BULLET::::- "The Art Of Obscurity" (2013) MK2 Records / Omnivore Music / Fledg'ling
  
  BULLET::::- "Stealin’ Home" (2014) Omnivore (original album remaster + 9 live bonus tracks recorded at Texas A&M University in November 1978)
   BULLET::::- "All Wrongs Reversed" (CD - Evangeline Records, 2003)
  
  BULLET::::- "All Wrongs Reversed" (CD - High Noon Recordings, 2005)
  
  BULLET::::- "All Wrongs Reversed" Remastered and Expanded Edition (CD - One Little Indian, 2014)
  
  BULLET::::- "World On A Wire" (CD - Evangeline Recordings, 2005)
  
  BULLET::::- "World On A Wire" (LP, CD, DVD - High Noon Recordings 2006)
  
  BULLET::::- "World on a Wire" Remastered and Expanded Edition (CD - One Little Indian, 2014)
  
  BULLET::::- "Dust Of Rumour" (LP, CD, High Noon Recordings, 2009)
  
  BULLET::::- "Dust of Rumour" Remastered And Expanded Edition (CD- One Little Indian, 2014)
   A 24 bit 192 kHz High Resolution version of the album was released by HDTracks in 2014, and in the same year a hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD) version of the album was released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.
  
  Another 24 bit 192 kHz High Resolution remaster of the album was released through Pono in 2015, remastered by original engineer Bruce Botnick.
   BULLET::::4. Using software to adjust the volume and equalization;
  
  BULLET::::5. Processing the audio with digital and analogue techniques to reduce surface/wideband noise;
  
  BULLET::::6. Saving the file in the desired format (WAV, MP3, FLAC, etc.).
  
  The source of the information for these steps is available from various websites and the help files for the software employed in the process.
  
  Section::::Record cleaning.
   BULLET::::- Concert video mastering – David Glasser at Airshow Mastering
  
  BULLET::::- CD mastering – Jeffrey Norman
  
  BULLET::::- Audio restoration – Jamie Howarth / Plangent Processes
  
  BULLET::::- Audiovisual research – Mike Johnson
  
  BULLET::::- Archival research – Eileen Law / Grateful Dead Archives
  
  BULLET::::- Cover art – Kelley
  
  BULLET::::- Art direction – Steve Vance, Scott Webber
  
  BULLET::::- Package design – Steve Vance
  
  BULLET::::- Pop-up art – Scott McDougall
  
  BULLET::::- Liner notes essay "A Venue for Recollection" – Alan Trist
   Their double album "Communion" was released in November 2008. After a tour of the US the band announced that they were working on their next record "Throw It Into the Universe". In October 2010, the band announced it would be releasing their first 'best of' compilation entitled "Golden Greats no. 1". According to a statement on their website: "The band has spent much of the summer of 2010 in Svenska Grammofonstudion where they remastered the original recordings and in part picked up nuances that somehow went missing. With the carefully restored and remastered versions we are invited to TSOOL classics in a way we never heard them before."
   BULLET::::- Akon
  
  BULLET::::- Tori Amos (BTM2)
  
  BULLET::::- The Animals
  
  BULLET::::- Anthrax (remastered in 2011)
  
  BULLET::::- Backstreet Boys
  
  BULLET::::- Bobby Brown
  
  BULLET::::- Bad Company (remastered in 2013)
  
  BULLET::::- Badfinger
  
  BULLET::::- The Bangles
  
  BULLET::::- Barenaked Ladies
  
  BULLET::::- Fantasia Barrino
  
  BULLET::::- Bay City Rollers
  
  BULLET::::- Beck (BTM2)
  
  BULLET::::- Pat Benatar (remastered in 2011)
  
  BULLET::::- The Black Crowes
  
  BULLET::::- Mary J. Blige
  
  BULLET::::- Blind Melon
  
  BULLET::::- Blondie (remastered in 2012)
  
  BULLET::::- Blues Traveler
  
  BULLET::::- Bon Jovi
  
  BULLET::::- Sonny Bono
  
  BULLET::::- Boyz II Men
  
  BULLET::::- Brandy
  
  BULLET::::- Toni Braxton
  
  BULLET::::- Meredith Brooks (BTM2)
  
  BULLET::::- Bobby Brown
  
  BULLET::::- Lindsey Buckingham
  
  BULLET::::- Bush (BTM2)
  
  BULLET::::- Glen Campbell
  