Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has been cutting vinyl from digital since a long, long time ago...

66% won't buy One-Steps anymore.

 

It’s not vindictive to choose not to spend my own money on a luxury product. I am not wishing them to go out of business or for others not to continue buying. I’m just not giving them my business anymore, barring some measures I do not expect them to take that may help restore my trust.

 

If I were one of the current MoFi engineers, I would be checking out my options.....With so many labels backed up their expertise is in high demand. Look at Kevin Gray, the dude is booked for the next 1-2 yrs doing BlueNote releases and he is starting his own label with Cohearent Records. Cutting all analog is an artform, cutting from digital file is paint by numbers, so many do it. Not saying that MoFi is done (not yet) but the dark times are only starting....

 

Aren't the base supposed to keep supporting no matter what, call this the the worst witch-hunt in the history of everything ever, and send in monthly or weekly contributions?

 

Hopefully neither of you were also wearing white socks!!

 

Some seem preoccupied with setting standards for others to live by.

This is a personal choice which doesn't have to make sense to anyone but it should nevertheless be respected. Why should anyone care what others do with their own money?

 

Dont blame them.

I dont think we can say definitively that all of those are current One Step customers though. Not all of those may be "anyomore'rs"

Some may simply be saying: Yes, Ill purchase the regular Mofi's but I never have nor never will purchase a One Step."

I'll call it even and split the difference. 50/50. Seems fair.

No poll is perfect of course.

 

Yes, some apologists have suggested MFSL needs to be supported now more than ever and a recent one blamed us for believing what MFSL adamantly stated at every turn for 2 decades.

There are all types in this thread dishing some weird twisted so-called logic.

 

I understand but isn't a lot of the premium attributable to the unique plating process?
I have to admit that a quiet surface means a lot more to me than an additional step that does not change the quality of the sound. Makes sense right?

 

The pointless boxes also drive up the cost. If I really loved an album I might spend 50 or 60 on digital vinyl just to hear it assuming that originals were costly

 

If you ask people here who have real experience with that kind of stuff, they will tell you that one step might not be all its cracked up to be, especially pertaining to consistency and quality.

 

Yeah, I feel they are extending this out, like a drip drip drip and it's slow starting with newer titles. They know damn well when they started the digital mastering, maybe for just a few titles at first they had trouble with. When they felt it was better or were getting away with it they started to go all in. They need to make a formal announcement, like "We started to experiment with digital mastering back in 1998. We put out records XYZ in 1998-2001 and progressively started to do more in the digital domain. Here is a link to our archive page with all our titles that we will add the mastering description as we move forwards".

What they are putting out very slowly today of the newer records it shows me they were basically doing them all digitally. While they need to correct site and marketing info for legal reasons, so far they are ignoring setting up a page of OOP titles that their customers want to know about. In fact I feel they are doing a piss poor job just correcting the false advertisement in an expedient manner on currently listed records. This tells me more that they hope this all just blows over, and no heads will roll, business as usual.

 

Also, IIRC, our host has pointed out in the past it should cost less, because it’s less steps and less materials.

 

Completely different question but where are you hearing that they might have been using digital as far back as the early 80s? Ive seen you mention that here a few times.

 

If that is the case, then the price is not worth it for me. I was originally attracted to the description of the plating process resulting in a more quiet surface. I could care less about a digital step that does not change the sound of the LP in most cases.

 

didn't see a single reference therein-please show me what I've missed and thanks

 

Poll:
Other: I didn't buy their vinyl before this, nor am I going to do it now - too expensive

 

100%

 

There's one thing I don't get that keeps coming up in this thread. People want to compare the mastering for an SACD or a rebook CD to the mastering for a vinyl LP. I don't understand how you can say the mastering for one is better than the mastering for the other. How can you assume that your digital and vinyl playback is so close to identical that if there's a difference in sound, it's the mastering? How do you know the difference isn't in the playback chain, which is completely different? Does vinyl generally sound better on your system? You probably like the sound of your turntable better than your digital playback. Prefer digital? You probably prefer your digital playback chain to your turntable. Whatever results you're getting from your system, vinyl and digital is apples and oranges, isn't it? If I'm not getting something, help me out.

 

No point in adding that as the poll is about gauging how MFSL's sales will be affected post-scandal. Not buying anything before and after affects them in no way.

 

Maybe I missed it but I don't remember anything being mentioned in regards to the One-Step plating process affecting surface noise in a positive way. It was only marketed as bringing listeners closer to the master tapes by involving fewer processes, IIRC.

 

Hoffman explained his own feelings about it a while back here(200 pages ago?lol) Others here too who have experience and understand this whole thing greater than I have also posted reservations about why the having to go back every 500-1k pressings for a new cut can lead to variations in those different cuts. It will be interesting to see what happens with a One Step with forty thousand pressings and numerous cut lacquers used. That might be a quality control nightmare.

 

Here is what the MOFI site says about the plating process.
"The removal of two steps in the plating process (or two stages of generational loss) reveals more musical detail and a dramatic reduction of surface noise."
That description was what attracted me to the One Step LPs.

 

Eh Ive heard dead quiet records from non one steps. I think thats overselling that noise part a bit.

 

There was a linked quote from Matt in a Frank Sinatra thread that mentioned this. I bet if you put in the search above for "Sinatra Matt" in this thread youll find it. Also there was another article talking about 1998.

I probably should have marked both to reference, but so many folks were talking about it and as fast as this thread is moving I figured it was fairly common knowledge in this thread by now.