Analogue Productions Vinyl: (Trying to master jazz classics at 45 RPM") Miles, Sonny, Evans, etc.

I've been spending this week trying to successfully master Sonny Rollins "Way Out West" and The Bill Evans Trio "Waltz For Debby" onto 45 RPM discs. "Tis a struggle folks! These recordings are VERY dynamic and very left/right heavy; doom for the mastering engineer.

Kevin Gray, who I feel is the best damn record cutter in the world today, has been tearing his hair out. And let me tell you, that's not a good idea...

However, we have nailed 'em! Thank goodness. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night otherwise.

The trick of making a good record, is to, well, make a good record. This means following certain "rules". Among them are the two most basic:

Rule one: The sound has to be louder than the noise of the vinyl.

Rule two: The sound can't be too loud or the groove will break.

End of old rules. New rules:

STEVE'S RULES:

I will not add ANY limiting or compression to our discs while cutting, even if the dynamic range on the master tapes is greater than the range of our VU meters (amazing, but true!)

I will not tamper in any way with the pure tonality of the original master recordings, even if one drum "thwack" is 10db hotter than the rest of the music floor.

Kevin and I will not cut too far into the record center at 45 RPM so that even an average stylus can track the groove with ease.

I will not let Kevin strangle me or kick my ass in any way, even though he wants to by now.

My point is, I think you will find that this new series of 45 RPM Jazz reissues from Analogue Productions (see my homepage) are going to be the most pure and dynamic recreations of the original master tapes we have ever heard yet.

If I seem a little short in my responses on the Forum this week, you now know why.

Already in the can: Miles Davis Quintet "Cookin", Miles Davis Quintet "Relaxin", "Monk And Coltrane", Rollins "Way Out West", Evans "Waltz For Debby".

Next week, on to Thelonious Monk - "Brilliant Corners", Ben Webster - "At The Renaissance", Bill Evans Trio - "Sunday at the Village Vanguard", Duke Ellington - "Duke's Big 4" and Count Basie - "88th Street"! Gulp.

I'll keep you Jazz lovers posted!

 

RDK,
Not necessarily a bad "Sophie's Choice"-type question, but perhaps a bit premature considering he still has 5 titles left to cut.

Regards,

 

They are indeed like my children. I can't single one or the other out!

 

Re: Re: "New Adventures In Mastering" (or, "Trying to cut records at 45 RPM")

John,

I don't use compression at all in mastering. Neither does Kevin Gray, unless specifically asked to by the client.

If we were mastering at 33 it would still be the same hassle, just with longer sides.

 

Is there a listing somewhere of all the '45 RPM Jazz Blues albums to be released?

 

Gary, subscribe to my Newsletter. It's in the latest!

If this series is successful, I'm sure Chad of Acoustic Sounds will commission a second limited edition series as well....

 

Thanks, Steve. Just discovered Hotmail was diverting the newsletter to the junk mail folder...

Yeeech, talk about misdirected mail!