Glitch on New MFSL Gold CD of Sinatra's "Only the Lonely"

I recently purchased the Mobile Fidelity release of Frank Sinatra's "Only the Lonely" and love it. Unfortunately, there is a problem near the end of track 12, "One for My Baby": at about 3:56, the level of the background noise goes up for about 2 seconds. The music's level doesn't change, just the background noise.

I contacted MoFi and they claimed to be unaware of the problem while suggesting it was a defective disc. I recall another member posting about the same issue. Have any others experienced it?

 

It is on my copy as well. Never noticed it before but it wouldn't spoil my enjoyment of the disc.

Seem to be more than a few probs with discs these days from MOFI.

 

I recall the same thing but it doesn't really bother me too much.

 

It was discussed here already.
As far as I remember, there was something spliced in from a different tape because of a drop out. I thought MFSL was aware of that? Wasn't it their explanation??
Some wondered why it isn't audible on the MFSL-LP...

Martin

 

Whatever the particulars, it's not a defect with your disc.

It's wonderful that the source is still in such fine condition and a treat to hear it sounding so good. In my humble, the brief "flaw" whatever the cause doesn't get in the way and I'm very happy these came out at all.

 

See [post=3939207]post #314[/post] in the thread, [thread=159900]New Mobile Fidelity Frank Sinatra Gold CD's[/thread].

 

Other than the Band (Big Pink) and Sinatra, what other Mofi discs have problems?

 

Former Night Gort™ Dave is the forum's resident authority on MoFi CDs. Perhaps he can answer that question.

 

MoFi Responds

I again inquired (more insistently) of MoFi regarding this issue. The mastering engineer responded:

"While auditioning the master tapes for this title, it was discovered that there were approximately 3 seconds of missing audio in the middle of "One For My Baby". Luckily, there was a safety copy of that song at the end of the reel. In the interest of providing as much of the master tape as possible for the listener, the three missing seconds were spliced into the master from the safety, so that you only hear it for those 3 seconds. Hence, the greater hiss level at that section. However, other than those 3 seconds, what you are listening to is the master."​

So, that seems to settle it. I can certainly live with it, but I wonder if they couldn't have disguised it a bit better. Oh, well...

 

I raised this same issue months ago, and posted feedback from MoFi. I think the thread may have been deleted by the powers that be.

The hiss anomaly during "One For My Baby" apparently doesn't exist on the Mofi vinyl -- just the gold CD. Mofi explained that they used a dub copy of that song for the Lp. For the CD, they used the master, but digitally inserted coverage from the dub copy for the missing seconds.

So, technically, One For My Baby on the Mofi vinyl is a dub, not a master recording.

 

Hmm, wasn't aware of the problem with Big Pink. I was listening to that last night and didn't notice anything, but I'd never heard the album before. Off to do a search...

 

my Ronstadt "hasten down the wind"; the laser on my player struggles to begin a song, it takes about 10 seconds, if it succeeds....I played it tonight, the disc played....but it struggled

 

Many are reporting "clicking noises" on the redbook layer of the Bands Big Pink MFSL. SACD layer appears to be fine.

Mofi claims the clicking noises heard on the redbook layer and not on the SACD layer are just anomalies heard on the master tape, despite the fact that the clicking is not in the old MSFL CD.

 

Here's Mofi's questionable response on the Band SACD:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=4735268&postcount=311

 

That's the same note I received back in February from Mofi. Looks like they did all they could to repair the missing information and simply inserted coverage on the gold CD from the back up tape. I wonder why the 3 seconds was missing. Perhaps tape stretch, break, dropout or erasure? Some have speculated the version of this song on the Mofi vinyl however is the entire safety dub for the duration of the song, hence no increase in hiss is heard during those 3 seconds like on the CD. The only other explanation of why the One For My Baby hiss it is not on the vinyl Mofi is that the master tape damage occured after the vinyl transfer. However, I have no evidence for this, and accept the premise that the version on the vinyl is entirely from the back up dub.

 

Here's an entire thread on the clicks on The Band redbook layer:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=182217