Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality and General Discussion: "Where Are You?" (1957 album)*

I think Matt really needs a D1 mono LP drop. I'm not equipped to do it myself from my copy. It's a really good sounding record.

 

Matt, I should add that when Capitol was running the separate mono/stereo setups, it is my understanding that the stereo setup for a session was still prepared by the primary engineer. However, since (in this case) John Kraus couldn't be in two places at once, a second engineer would be assigned to then oversee things in the secondary (stereo) room after the initial setup, etc., during the session.

This is contrary to some of my earliest postings I remember making regarding such things in the archives, though I think I followed up later on to correct.

 

Matt. Thank you for all of you hard work.

 

Matt, I'll second that. Your website is a wonderful resource.

(Clever, too. I'm still chuckling at the Car 54 tie-in.)

 

Thanks again, Matt. A masterful exploration of WAY?.

Ben (bgilberti) has expressed, in the past, the most dissatisfaction with the NR used on the 3 disc Capitol Years box. To your ears, Ben, is Matt correct in assuming that the '91 Walsh WAY? has the same amount of noise reduction as the 3 disc set?

 

Thanks again Matt. You're doing great work and I'm making good use of the recommendations. I have a D2 Where Are You.

 

Matt, can't confirm for Where are You?, but I had always thought that Love is the Thing was done in Studio A not B.

 

As always...AWESOME WORK! Love the Car 54 pic. LOL!

 

I don't know either. I've never paid attention to things like paint and tile color.

The empty room is studio A, and the other image is B from a Tone Poems session.

 

It was the first recording in the brand new Capitol Tower (February 1956). Construction of Studio A was not yet complete, so they had to squeeze into Studio B. Here's a photo:

Source: mptv Images​

[Sorry for the image duplication; overlapped with Jordan.]

 

Thanks for posting the image without the MPTV logo, Bob. A much better look.

 

View from the control booth:

Source: mptv Images​

 

You're not mistaken, Matt.

 

That much, at the very least, is correct.

Part of the problem with identifying the Cole photo is that when it was included in the Bear Family box I labeled it as being from the Love is the Thing sessions. It is definitely with Jenkins and I did not think it as late as 1958 (The Very Thought of You.) Obviously, I could very well have been wrong about that.

 

The stereo LP samples sound like they are playing in mono.

 

The mono may have one more song, but I I like how this album sounds in stereo.

The mono sounds more pinched and possibly compressed? On the U.K. mono album, Sinatra's voice hits a sort of dynamic ceiling on his big notes, whereas on the stereo they soar.

I also think this is also one of Gordon Jenkins' best arranging efforts for Sinatra, and his lovely strings really glisten when heard across the stereo soundfield.

 

Oh, you're talking about the *album* Where Are You?

The thread title misled me.

 

Those 'I Cover The Waterfront" mono samples are interesting.

The MFSL sounds really natural and nice, the best of them all.
The D10 pressing is alright, except for some unattractive midrange 'honk.'
The Walsh CD sounds slightly synthetic.
The less said about the Norberg, the better.
British box set sounds harsh. Same for the Japanese CD, with an added metallic quality.

The green label SN is Duophonic? It sounds more like re EQ'd fake stereo to me, and switching it into mono doesn't reveal any more Duophonic trademarks. Pity, because from what I could tell, the stereo 'WAY' from the SN pressing sounds good (even here, playing in mono) it may wind up my favorite.