Just thought I should add that the difference in sound level (volume) from the single version vs. the album version of
Startin' is
not because of encoders,
it's because of how the track was mixed and mastered for each release.
Every time a single or album is released, the tracks are always mastered for that specific disc and that specific master is usually not re-used for any other releases.
I.E. when Startin' was first recorded, the song was mastered for the single first. When "Secret" (album) was being prepared for release, they took the original studio recording of Startin' and re-mastered it for the album.
Record companies generally do this to ensure that an album sounds "uniform."
In other words, they wanted Startin' (album version) to mix well with the other Secret album tracks because if they hadn't remastered Startin' for the Secret album, most likely you'd notice the difference because it would sound louder, and more shrill/tinny, than the rest of the tracks.
This different mastering of individual songs for each release is partly why a lot of people don't like fan-made compilations of upcoming albums that contain previously released tracks (Ayu's "A BEST 2 -WHITE-" / Kuu's "Out Works & Collaboration Best") - because even though you may not be able to hear a difference, there
is a difference.
...plus, it's also a pain in the a** because the fan-made compilations are the ones most likely to be found/spread around since they were "released" first.
