Dick's Picks versus the Vault  

With so many live Grateful Dead CD's to review, I have been broken them into segments for comparison, as well as better navigation and faster page loads. 
Pig Pen Thru T.C.
Pig Pen Post T.C.
Keith '71 - '72
Keith '73 - '74
Keith '75 - '79
Brent '79 - '86
Brent '87 - '90
Hornsby Welnick
Compilations

Our category breakdowns took into account personnel, material, and major equipment changes that helped sketch out the unique Grateful Dead sound of the time. Also important is the number of live releases within the period to compare and review. Sure there are other ways to break down the eras in an academic sense. Stop by a Grateful Dead forum and we'll debate that subject. The grading of the live Grateful Dead CD's compare them from within each of the categories. 

Currently the Grateful Dead have three regular series of releases that they sponsor, Dick's Picks, Vault releases, and the View From the Vault series. The Dick's Picks and Vault releases are live performances that differ from the source of their recordings, and View From the Vault is a video series. In the April 2003 Dead.Net newsletter, Monthly Flash, the Grateful Dead tape archivist described the differences between the various releases as follows:

Dick's Picks versus the Vault Series 
"Question: What are the technical differences between the Grateful Dead's "Vault Release" series and the "Dick's Picks" series of audio releases?

Answer: The primary difference between these two series of audio releases is the source material. The "Vault Release" series is mixed from the multi-track master tapes, whereas the "Dick's Picks" series utilizes 2-track master tapes. What this means is that a "Vault Release" can be mixed and manipulated to create as optimum-sounding a release as possible, with each individual instrument and vocal having the ability to be mixed to create as good a sonic blend as possible. The "Dick's Picks" source tapes, having been mixed to 2-track tape live at the concerts, or using the stereo PA tape, cannot be manipulated and mixed in the same way, as what was mixed to this tape is the extent of what we have to work with. The most that can be done in the production of a 2-track tape is to "master" the tape. This may be "equalization" (overall tonal improvements), "compression" (control of excessive dynamic problems), and/or "editing" (connecting songs together) the tape to create the best-possible release. As a side note, the "View from the Vault" series of DVD releases uses the 2-track source audio that is on the video master, meaning the "View from the Vault" series is more akin to the "Dick's Picks" series than to the "Vault Release" series. The video portion of the "View from the Vault" series is what was shown live, on the big screens at the concerts."

David Lemieux
Audiovisual Archivist
Grateful Dead Productions

Dick's Picks?  
Below is the quote on the back cover of Dick's Picks Volume 1 that describes the series well.

Caveat Emptor: