SH Spotlight I'm asked stuff: Favorite mastering engineer, best BOSTON CD, best TRAVELING WILBURYS CD, etc..

Weren't there turntables made for a brief time that used lasers to read the groove? Would probably be hard to track one down but it could be a potential solution.

Great question, I really hope you're able to get this sorted for your dad.

 

I don't George, but I've made digital transfers of my old US LP's, those were just examples as of now. Was looking for a few others out of curiosity. This stems back to 'Rio'. Pretty much the only title I'd like to see get a little help

 

Nothing beats the Japanese 20P2 Back In Black.

 

Sheesh! I do have it, and it does sound great, but ...

 

Pretty much all that early AC/DC stuff sounds great on the original vinyl. It was, IMO anyway, very, very well recorded.
But then, I think Led Zepp II is great

 

Yes, Neil Young Harvest has a analog'ish sound to it, like a pure flat transfer from the masters.

But I disliked it when I bought it in the mid 80's. It sounded dead compared to my brothers first Lp edition. But that was my impression for most of my first edition CDs at that time. I more preferred re-mastered CDs, they sounded more "alive". I think my playback system was mainly the reason. CD players in the 80s and first halv of the 90's was not very resolving. My first Sony SACD player bought ca year 2000 was a revelation in digging deep into my CD's and each pit and sample was more accurate represented. My taste for those re-mastered CD's I once liked has changed, and today I seldom play these.

My perfect digital version of Harvest would be the same tape used for the original CD, same tape deck, same everything, except for a very high resolution DSD transfer, instead of a 15-16 bit PCM signal.

 

If Steve isn't able to help, @drh may have some tips for you. He's reachable by PM.

 

Here's a tip: I see that CD in thrift stores fairly frequently.

This is the one you want:

 

Steve, when you're (re)mastering an album (non-compilation) and there's one or two stand-out songs that everyone knows, do you spend extra time on those songs? Or do you master the album as a whole? Or maybe it depends?

 

Thank you! I just ordered one of these on eBay.

 

Hello Steve,

What is your listening preference between original Mono or Stereo UK vinyl for;

1. Aftermath
2. Between The Buttons
3. Their Satanic Majesties Request

& what do you feel about the US track listings of the first 2 titles?
(Interesting to me as i am not American so did not grow up with them as my starting point!)

Thanking you in advance.

 

Sticky Fingers is one of my favorite albums. Some people prefer the Canadian pressing; have you heard it? Also, how to identify a UK first cutting?

 

Isn't that just the Diament mastering?

 

Do you have a preferred CD of Get The Knack?

 

I found a picture of Steve's car.

 

I have the Atlantic CD from the 1990. The Japanese issue bests it in every aspect. I don't know if this mastering is shared among other pressings. I actually hope it does since it presents the music beautifully.

 

Is that the Dr Haber working on reading record grooves with a camera?

 

There was a topic some years ago on the forum here:
Whatever happened to optical playback of vinyl?

Also these papers from mid-2000's
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/20641329.pdf
https://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=itbinfocon


Laser turntable
Laser turntable - Wikipedia

Haber's LBL IRENE system at Library of Congress
http://irene.lbl.gov/

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