I came across some edits where the editor is removing the SACD layer from a Hybrid SACD and changing the remaining layer format from “Hybrid SACD (CD layer)” to “Hybrid SACD.”
This seemed wrong to me, but I did some digging before voting it down to make sure I was doing the right thing. The guideline is pretty clear that the single-medium style is okay if the tracklists are the same, but you should not remove a medium if it was entered in 2-medium style. Style / Release - MusicBrainz
That was pretty clear, so I voted ‘No.’ Then I checked to see if this editor had done this before, and I found that they had, and got ‘Yes’ votes from experienced editors. So now I’m wondering if there’s been a change in policy that I missed, and the guideline hasn’t been updated?
BTW, the only edit notes the editor provides are links to Discogs which, I believe, doesn’t show these layers.
So I just want some confirmation/correction of whether I’m doing the right thing by voting ‘No.’
What is weird with this is often the other layers have different length tracks. And if there are quad and stereo layers then obviously different recordings. Clearly should not be removed in those cases (like in this example you link)
Discogs rules do not allow them to say what is on a disc, only what is listed on a cover. I have seen a number of Discogs users heading this way trying to use Discogs editing rules here.
Experienced editors/voters are not perfect - they sometimes are going fast, miss things, aren’t familiar with every guideline, or even don’t agree with guidelines… as long as you are happy to have a discussion, please don’t be afraid to vote against the current
Just speculating, but wouldn’t this be related to the way Red Book CD’s handle gaps?
Possibly the more recent SACDs do it differently. Red Book was developed in different times.
The example I remember was Dark Side of the Moon. The quadrophonic layer was certainly different lengths, but I think someone also measured their SACD stereo layer and spotted variations. Don’t know for sure as I may own SACDs, but nothing to play them on.