Mingus Ah Um 6-Eye Stereo vs Mono

In anticipation of the upcoming MoFi 1-Step release of Charles Mingus's brilliant album Ah Um, I pulled out my 1st press 6-eye mono and stereo pressings.

My mono copy is flawless. My stereo has a few ticks and pops, but nothing serious.

To get to the end first, the mono is the way to go in terms of the 6-eye pressings. First of all, the mono is direct from the single microphone recording whereas the stereo is reduced from the 3-track session tapes to a stereo master.

I like the spaciousness of the stereo. It's easier to hear the individual instruments and lines. But the mono is more impactful. Mingus's bass is more solid and has more presence. The overall compositions make more sense. I find the presentation tighter and more compelling.

I imagine that MoFi will do something special with this. Perhaps they'll have gotten permission to use the 3-track session tapes and mix directly onto the lacquers. One can only hope.

On the stereo, Mingus's bass is in the right channel. That's not optimal. It's better in the center for an LP.

Anyway, in case anyone might be curious, I thought I'd post what I heard.

 

Listening to the Mosaic Jazz Workshop Concerts box while reading. Keeping my eye out for this.

 

I agree with you about the bass not being centered in the stereo. The mono wins. However, if you have hardware or software that allows you to reduce slightly the center of the stereo image, the stereo mix is vastly improved.

 

I'm listening to an LP through an analog phono stage.

 

Then there is hardware you can use.

 

I have the Classic 45 rpm set, which is my go-to copy for the stereo mix. This was always a bright recording. The mono Six-Eye is the way to go if you want to hear the record in a better balance between bass and treble.

 

The mono is still a bit bright, but the bottom end has so much weight and authority compared to the stereo.

 

Could someone explain what is meant by "reduce slightly the center of the stereo image"? What hardware or software would do this?

I fully agree that the stereo version would sound better if the bass was not panned to one channel, but either centered or moved toward the center. I don't know of any hardware or software, however, that can do this other than a mono switch or balance control which would alter the whole recording not just the bass track.

Any thoughts or ideas?