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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Oct 3, 2018.

  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I'm not a giant fan of that record so I can't help you. I have my old US LP, stereo.
     
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  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    One was on our jazz label the other our regular label. I think there was a price reduction, hence the new number. Sammy was a very sensitive guy, glad I got to know him a little bit before he died.
     
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  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    They just didn't know how to bake a tape at RCA then and panicked. Silly, I think they dumped it instead of baking it.
     
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  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Engineer turning the echo knob on and off with each 2 bar measure. Simple trick but quite effective!
     
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  5. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    There never was a record cut with the master tape, not once. A cutting LEDO tape (duped with EQ) tape was created to cut lacquers for the first Doors album. This tape was always used until it just wore out. Those Scotch 200 series tapes really sucked big time.

    I did a remix from the four track as did Mr. Botnick. I think my mix of LIGHT MY FIRE was used on an AF album somewhere (at the original recording speed) and TAKE IT AS IT COMES remix I used on the AF Best Of SACD..
     
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  6. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I've not heard it, sorry. Those Bell Sound dupes sound really terrible but I'm sure Doug did his best.
     
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  7. danielbravo

    danielbravo Senior Member

    Location:
    Caracas. DC
    Hello Mr. Hoffman. I have read some post for the forum and I know that you really like guitars
    what is your favorite electric guitar?

    Is there a recording of a guitar that you consider your favorite?

    Thanks for your time !
     
  8. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I have not heard the more recent MoFi releases, sorry. They forgot to send me review copies.. :^)
     
  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Any and all!
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Last five albums I listened to?

    The Cheap Trick album with SURRENDER on it. The Cheap Trick album with I WANT YOU TO WANT ME on it (blue motorcycle cover). Beethoven Emperor Concerto, Clifford Curzon Decca UK. Beatles RUBBER SOUL British Parlophone stereo LP. 4 Non Blondes BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER MORE!.

    I'm always blown away by music.
     
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  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    My personal favorite? Fender Stratocaster. Buddy played one, Jimi played one and I play one (unfortunately not as good as Jimi but possibly a bit better than Buddy).

    A recording of a guitar? Hmmm, I'll have to think about it..

    Edit: Maybe "Hendrix In The West."
     
  12. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    Hey there — I'm interested in your opinion about the opportunities to do more mass-market audiophile vinyl mastering. Obviously a lot of LPs are being reissued to keep up with the demand of the vinyl revival, but not many attempt to be a definitive reissue like a boutique DCC/MoFi/AF release. I know you and Kevin Gray did some great work for Rhino, like the Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison releases, which are both commonly available and affordable, and in my opinion the best issues of those LPs.

    Is there a demand for audiophile grade AAA mastering outside of boutique labels in the reissue mass-market, or is this just a lucky accident? I just think it's cool you can grab such great LPs easily at such low prices, and would love to see that become a trend.
     
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  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    We wanted to do the Pretenders album, one of my favorites of all-time.

    We didn't want to use the same Equalized and Compressed cutting dub that everyone else used to cut this. With a connection at Rhino (I think) we got some of the original mixes from the UK. A few didn't have the final effects or whatever on them and we were supposed to add them in post. At any rate, we did that over at Capitol and something happened, everything got sonically compromised in some way during manufacturing and that was it.

    Every other version since then (so I've noted) has gone back to using the same worn out USA EQ dub again!
     
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Just an accident.

    A note: Stephen Marsh is recreating a vintage Westrex/Scully cutting system in his studio. When up and running we will be able to cut 'em just like they used to in the Golden Age. Stay tuned!
     
  15. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    Hi Steve,

    Would you remaster the White Stripes’ cd’s if the opportunity arose? They sure need it IMO and you would be the perfect person to do it :)
     
  16. spice9

    spice9 Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Can you elaborate a bit? This is very interesting. Band members wanted to use that mastering? As opposed to what, the original tapes? Why would they want remastering of something that was already mastered?
     
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  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    They got their catalog back from Sony and mastered everything to digital, badly. That's what they wanted to be used from then on. We didn't want to do that so no deal.
     
  18. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Of course I would!
     
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  19. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    I have walked out of at least three live concerts over the years do to the sound being ridiculously loud, to the point that you could not even hear the person next to you, even if they were almost yelling. These were not "rock" concerts, but pop or country. I will not risk damaging my hearing for the sake of seeing a performer in a live setting, even if it is someone I really like.
     
  20. ajawamnet

    ajawamnet Forum Resident

    Location:
    manassas va 20109
    These?
    - I posted this on a metal thread... that's the actual packaging on the right,
    [​IMG]
     
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  21. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Use plugs. I do. Who cares what you look like?
     
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  22. g.z.

    g.z. Senior Member

    Are you passing on some of your "tricks" for future music consumers?
     
  23. ajawamnet

    ajawamnet Forum Resident

    Location:
    manassas va 20109
    Should go to Wolf Trap here in DC... one of the few (if only) fed run music facilies...
    Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts - Wikipedia

    "Nevertheless, Wolf Trap became and remains the first and only U.S. National Park dedicated to the performance arts."

    See this - dB SPL Venue Policy?

    "
    I am head audio at Wolf Trap, a shed in northern Virginia that holds about 7500 hundred. We have here a very concerted policy regarding spl and coverage here, to the point of requiring acts not only to keep it to 95A, but also that they have to use our PA systems. Now that usually isn't a problem in that we have a large v-Dosc system and have excellent secondary distribution throughout the venue. That part of advancing gigs goes very fast. What is usually a far longer conversation is in regards to the decibel limitations.
    One of the main things I tell engineers is that our system is very musical. Our Leq (time measurement window) is 30 seconds. Our system measures in windows of 30 second increments and averages spl A-weighted over that span of time.

    If you average more than 95A for 30 seconds, you get a warning. If you average over 95A for three consecutive measurement windows, you get a violation.

    I believe that this sytem takes into account the dynamics in music and is a far more workable than some of the other systems I have seen and worked with that are Go/NoGo systems. (SLAM comes to mind with a 0 second Leq setting)

    Chastain Park in Atlanta is an example of an spl policy that is absolutely unforgiving in this respect. (I think it is 89A at the mix position. Anyone know for sure??)
    This simply forces and engineer to brickwall limit their program and take all dynamics out of their band just to get anything done.
    With our policy at the Trap, an engineer can have dynamic peaks far above the 95A limitation and never even get a warning.

    Now that being said, please bear in mind I am NOT the sound police. I just make sure the rig is running nominally and keep the measurement equipment properly calibrated. I am not the guy to tell anyone to turn it down"


    From what I "hear" the sound police are a bit more strict...
     
  24. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Why not? You mean neither catalog will get a good remaster from anyone?
     
  25. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    Yes indeed, where you see a certain act can make a huge difference. I saw Faith Hill in Las Vegas some years ago as a solo act and then saw her agin with Tim McGraw there and the sound was fantastic. Right after the first Vegas show, I saw her again at a local theater where I lived at the time in Southern California, and I had to walk out of the concert with my entire family. Those Vegas showrooms usually have pretty phenomenal sound and they rarely let the sound get out of hand, at least back in the old days.
     

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