America S/T Who did the Mastering?

The US vinyl of the follow up album, Homecoming, was done by Artisan Sound in California. They worked for Warner's and others. Maybe they did America too ?

 

Despite my poor English, I try to clarify a few basic things for you...

After the songs were recorded and mixed, they were put on a media tape, called master-tape.

The content of the master tape, word that defined the backing on tape in which the artist had taped all his songs, was transferred by a process called lacquer-cutting and by a specific instrumentation (namely the cutting-lathe), through which it is possible to work on a level of equalization and compression, on a disc called lacquer: it is an audio container which looks very similar to any normal vinyl record as you can find in shops, but in reality it is made by a lacquer-coated aluminum disc.

In this phase the mastering-engineer plays a key role as, when we will rest the stylus of our record player on the vinyl record, in reality we will hear the result of the work done by the person who took care of the mastering: in particular, the equalization and the compression are decisive in this process since the sound that will come out from our stereo’ s loudspeakers depends directly from them.

The original master tape could be very well used for more than one cutting, that is to cut more than one lacquer; anyhow the tendency was generally to limit the use in order not to degrade the quality: so the standard process was that a copy would be made in a rather short time; such a copy was useful for the following cuttings, based on the market request for that specific album. The first copy of the original master tape is generally referred to as second generation master; the copy of the original one’s first copy will be the third generation master and so on.

The original tape was therefore used generally for a limited number of cuttings: such an event, that by itself could seem absurd, was a simplification for those people whose job was mastering in not recent times: in fact while the mastering engineer let the original master tape turn on the cutting lathe, another support on tape was let turn to record that specific version of the album with the equalization and compression programs already set up; this copy of the original master tape with all the programs already ready, was referred to as Cutting Master, while the real original tape was then put aside because it was no more necessary to use it. In this way, every time that a new cutting was needed, the Cutting Master, with equalization and compression already set, was used without having to reset everything over and over again. Also the Cutting Master could be used only a very limited number of times so that it could be copied again.

The lacquer, once it has been cut, is put in baths and electroplated with nickel; this coating, once removed from the acetate itself, reproduces a metal “plate” (that has some “bumps” instead of the usual grooves), or as to say the two matrices (whose technical name is “fathers”) which are electroplated again giving so origin to the mother plate that generates, as consequence of a further plating process, the stampers. In reality, there were two lacquers for each single album: one for the side A and the other for the side B: the lacquer was cut only on one side, while the other stayed untouched: for this reason, there were also two matrices, one for each side of the vinyl record.

The stampers, once they are mounted on hydraulic press, press the actual vinyl records for the world distribution (one single stamper usually can press about 1.000/3000 records before that an excessive wear will degrade the quality of the final product).

The lacquer, being on its own composed of extremely fragile material, is almost always damaged during the process of creating the first matrix becoming unusable for any future purpose (apart from pure collecting): in order to make any other matrix after the first one, it is necessary the cutting of any following lacquer. On the other hand, the matrix, being composed of metallic material, is far less perishable and from each matrix is usually possible to create about ten mothers before it starts wearing out with use. From every mother it is possible to create about ten stampers so reaching the production of many tens of thousands copies all starting from the same lacquer: wishing to make a realistic approximation, we can state that from a single lacquer about 100.000/300.000 records can be made, keeping in mind that it was not and it is not rare the event that some matrices, mothers, or even lacquers had to be thrown away right at the beginning because of their flaws: as a consequence, either the number of the copies that could be pressed starting from that specific lacquer could be below average, or the cutting of the following lacquer would immediately become necessary: for this reason, an inequality of the progressive numeration (A1 B1 B2 etc.) between the two sides of the record could be often found since the “productivity” among the various lacquers could differ a lot.

In reality, it is technically possible to mount the matrix directly on the hydraulic press instead of the stamper, without having to follow the process above mentioned: as a consequence, though, we will have to face the fact that a single matrix cannot, due to the progressive wearing effect of overuse, press more than one thousand vinyl records, exactly as much as a stamper: therefore this method which would be the most logical and the fastest one, doesn’t turn out to be a practicable way if not for small quantities and of a much higher quality than the standard one.

In order to make foreign countries be able to press the record, the standard way was to send them some copies of the original master tape, but never the original tape itself which was jealously safeguarded by the record labels: also here, willing to enter into details, the original master tape was stored in a climate controlled environment to facilitate an optimal preservation through the years.

I hope this helps you, even if we still have not found out who mastered the 1st USA pressing...

 

My copy of Homecoming has the Artisan symbol. I don't think there was an Artisan cut of the first America album which they recorded in London where they were based at that time, before resettling in California for Homecoming.

 

Wasn't a dumb question at all

 

That is exactly what I was going to say!

JG

 

I just checked Discogs and they have a US pressing listed with BH in the deadwax. I do know that Bobby Hata worked at Warner Brothers mastering.

JG

 

Too bad George Martin ruined Ventura Highway on the greatest hits. A great song that did not need his tinkering.

 

Stefano G.
Truly appreciate the detailed explanation of the processes and limits involved in producing a popular record
and, you are correct that the goal of uncovering who it was that did the great original mastering job on the USA pressing is still elusive.

My other puzzlement is, when Cutting Master tapes are used to make subsequent lacquers, it seems the ID markings of the original mastering engineer get left off and other engineers get involved, the trail gets muddied at that point

 

Which one r#?

 

If the mastering engineer did not sign the set of lacquers, it's really very difficult to go up to him. The only one possibility would be to see a pic of the master tape used to cut the first USA press: the tape usually shows the name and the mastering notes of the engineer.

 

Caveat: theres mixing/mastering of the final product (to make the final tape or digital master) -- and mastering processes when the master source (or copies thereof) get transferred into the physical media that will be sold.

 

http://www.discogs.com/America-America/release/5320492
JG

 

Thanks
That's probably it, although it is really an EH, not a BH but you have to get it pretty magnified to see that clearly

 

This is not the 1st USA pressing...

 

I guess no one has created a Discogs entry yet for the first U.S. copies without "Horse."

 

Checked a few greenie copies: original releases without 'Horse' - Santa Maria with 1A & 1B lacquer codes, the other by Terre Haute, both have the initials BH. Very tiny. Santa Maria copies having the side 1 re-cut (adding 'Horse') do not have any apparent initials, but side side two has BH.

Makes me wonder if the EH you speak of is really a BH. Depending on the pressing the B can appear to be an E.

 

Bobby Hata

 

I know, but this version has BH in the deadwax which the poste was enquiring about!

JG

 

I have the white label promo.


It's a Columbia Santa Maria pressing, the matrices both sides end with -1A. Everything in the deadwax is handwritten, including the faint backwards "S" that designates Santa Maria. The matrix handwriting on both sides looks very similar, as if it was likely etched by the same person.

Side one has a tiny symbol, it looks to me like a "K" in a circle. There's also "B1", that is the substamper code. No "BH".

Side Two has a tiny "BH", and "A1" for the stamper code.

I couldn't photograph the "BH", but it looks very much like the example in the Bobby Hata Discogs entry.


http://www.discogs.com/artist/384610-Bobby-Hata

 

Thats the same as a commercial olive label copy I have. The little K in a circle. My WLP is racked right now so I didn't check it but its a Santa Maria too, so I'm sure its the exact same. No doubt Hata just didn't scribe side one - ?

The Terre Haute copy I have of this release has 39997-1-I scribed on side one. That does have his 'BH' initials.

 

I have a Terre Haute copy with side one matrix -1-2 and it has the "BH" etching on that side.

Right now, I've got five early pressings of America including the WLP. Each copy sounds really good. Three are CSM and two are CTH, two of the CSM's are without "Horse With No Name". I just took a quick look, and to my eyes the deadwax handwriting on all of them appears to be the same style. There's a good chance the mastering was all done by the same person, Bobby Hata.

 

Thanks all for checking - Mine looks much like the pic associated with the Bobby Hata listing.
The stems on the B are incomplete but could certainly be a B vs E. it's so small I can imagine it was hard to make perfectly.

Obviously side 1 was remade after adding Horse so it make perfect sense that it would fall off of that side but stay on side 2.

Is anyone planning on listing a 1st press with BH on both sides and Bobby Hata as Mastered By credit?

 

However, I still have not figured out if the original Trident tape was used by Peckham or by Hata.

 

IIRC there is answers in the sacd AF reissue thread.

 

Here is that thread:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...by-america-on-sacd-for-audio-fidelity.326497/

SH posts that the tapes are in Burbank.