Muffled records phenomena

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Leonthepro, Nov 8, 2017.

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  1. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    True, the level of bass / midrange body is subjective, but purposely smothering details is pretty obviously wrong. Plus as you said many do like the uptick in treble (which IMO is due to dark systems). Either way, I think a lot of these issues can arise from pressings outside the master tape’s country of origin.
     
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  2. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    Good point. Im one who enjoys the low end more than high though, so when I say muffled it doesnt look good. One mans muffling is anothers crankable record however, and I do try to watch out for that easy mistake of playing too quiet, but on some records it doesnt help much.
     
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  3. A DJ passed on a compilation album to me. The best song on it is much quieter than the other tracks. It boggled my mind and I wondered if it was just wore out. If I turn up the gain it raises the noise floor.

    On the CD the volumes are consistent.
     
  4. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Probable reason - the CD was normalised.
     
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  5. Shak Cohen

    Shak Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Nursery Cryme original mix has always sounded quite nice on UK vinyl, particularly if it's played with a shibata stylus or moving coil cartridge.
     
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  6. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    Just to let people know, the Classic Records release of Foxtrot does not sound massively better than my cheap german copy. I used to think side 1 was just worn down heavily on my old one despite it looking NM. But the faults only become more evident on the Classic. Its like they let Joe Shmoe record and mix side A and got someone much better for Side B, its night and day, especially when it comes to Bass. But this goes for any release thats not the remix Im quite sure.

    Im surprised no one else seems to comment or just be aware of this.

    Wrote on it here:
    https://www.discogs.com/Genesis-Foxtrot/release/4401394
     
  7. Frosst

    Frosst Vinyl-obsessive kiddo

    Location:
    Sweden
    No, he's just the president (of this forum) :)
     
  8. Frosst

    Frosst Vinyl-obsessive kiddo

    Location:
    Sweden
    I'm from Sweden and I can safely say that it's not the case. What @Cassius says is ********.
     
  9. Frosst

    Frosst Vinyl-obsessive kiddo

    Location:
    Sweden
    Why if I may ask? Colored vinyl doesn't affect the sound at all, not more than black (which is usually colored Believe it or not). I do agree that it can be a gimmick but most of the time it serves as another aestethic advantage over other mediums.
     
  10. dartira

    dartira rise and shine like a far out superstar

    That very thing has been discussed here on this forum. Either Tony Banks or Phil Collins has also said something along the lines of: Genesis started sounding good on record somewhere halfway on Foxtrot. Sorry, I don’t have the exact quote, but you can find it in Amando Gallo’s Genesis book.
    SEBtP does sound a whole lot better, so I think your setup is telling you the truth.
     
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  11. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    Yes the whole “country of origin” theory is a good rule of thumb, but only that. Having inherited a fair bit of a Swedish extended family member’s collection, and shopped there on vacation multiple times I would say there is nothing particularly characteristic about a Swedish pressing of a foreign band vs that if any other country outside of the remarkable quality of the vinyl itself.

    In fact it’s actually likely that Sweden would be sent metal parts from another country. For instance my copy of “Night at the Opera” was pressed in Åmål (MÅ in deadwax), but the cut itself is a “Blair” so for all intents and purposes it’s equal to an OG UK press. Another example I have in my collection is the “Supremes greatest hits” which is actually a lot more detailed and forward, almost to a fault vs the US pressing.

    Of course when mastering an LP from a tape, dub or master a studio can have a house sound. One such studio that does abound is Scandinavia is STRAWBERRY, who polarize people on his forum. These records are very warm and a bit rolled off and on the wrong system can be dull. But after having heard a dozen or so cuts from them, I can’t blame it on the source.
     
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  12. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    We dont get tape copies? Did they actually send original tapes to Sweden?

    Tjena föresten ;^)
     
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  13. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    If only someone told me this 4 pages ago ;^D I kept thinking my copy hard worn grooves, or that my setup was not adequate somehow, as some suggested it.
     
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  14. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    I remember when finding a Swedish Queen second album that it had classic UK matrixes in form of YEX(Numbers). Guess that must have been pressed from imported UK metal parts.

    Agree about STRAWBERRY having a more low end sound as well.

    Realize I know a whole lot more now than when starting this thread.
     
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  15. lesterbangs

    lesterbangs Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Indiana
     
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  16. Cassius

    Cassius On The Beach

    Location:
    Lafayette, Co
    Again I can’t speak to what’s available in your market but if an LP is not cut from the master cutting reel and instead from a copy tape that pressing is already at a disadvantage sonically. This isn’t opinion, it’s scientific fact of analog tape duplication. There is no way to make 1:1 copies in the analog domain.

    Is your argument that there are plenty of lps that use the country of master of origin or that the science of basic analog tape recording is irrelevant?
     
  17. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    We do seem to have got sent a lot of metalwork from the UK. No idea about tapes.
     
  18. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    Just put on Machine Head from Sweden, its got UK matrixes as well.
    A-2U GL ?
    B-2U M 2

    Not bad, only second Mother and Stamper M for side B.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2018
  19. Cassius

    Cassius On The Beach

    Location:
    Lafayette, Co
    This is ultimately what you want: metalwork from the country that used the master tapes. To bring this full circle , for a country like Sweden to obtain metalwork it was likely a situation where time was of the essence. In other words this record is coming out in X number of weeks we need to have this market covered as soon as possible. Conversely if there was more lead time then it would certainly make sense for the record company to make a copy tape and send it along to the country/ market it needed to serve. From a purely procedural stand point it makes more sense to provide copy tapes of something to another country/market, as it will allow for additional cuttings to be made expediently as they are needed in the future, where as metal work will wear out much sooner. Sadly the copy tape approach is a much more prcatical /efficient way to service foreign markets even if pressing quality is compromised.
     
  20. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    AFAIK all Swedish first-run Queen albums use the UK metalwork which means you can pick up something sonically equal to the UK with an even greater pressing quality for like 100sek/$10usd , which is a great deal.
     
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  21. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    The latest reissue is just fine.
     
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  22. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I don't like gimmicks.
     
  23. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    But you like colors I assume ;^)
     
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  24. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Nothing against colors, but when I put a pointy thing on a spinning circle to create predetermined noise at equilibrium-disrupting volumes, then telling my neighbors to **** off when they complain, I would prefer that the spinning circle that the pointy thing lands on be black instead of a different color.
     
  25. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Sweden
    Even if they sound the same?
     
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