SH Spotlight Nat King Cole "LOVE IS THE THING" (1956) in new multi-channel SACD & 45 RPM LP from Analogue Prods.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Jun 20, 2010.

  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    All 12 songs? Does it play mono?
     
  2. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    No idea. Just something I spotted on Ebay.
     
  3. The Killer

    The Killer Dung Heap Rooster

    Location:
    The Cotswolds
    I've got a 1993 Japanese mono version of this album. There's a W-824 number on the disc which is the number on the original 1957 LP, I don't know if it's the same mix, I don't have any other version for comparison. Anyone know anything?

    [​IMG]
     
  4. jimi55

    jimi55 Forum Resident

    How does someone get to members posting stuff for sale? I tried the link posted for the Nat King Cole SACD's in this thread but can't get to it.
     
  5. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I need to hear that, can you dupe it for me?
     
  6. The Killer

    The Killer Dung Heap Rooster

    Location:
    The Cotswolds
    OK, tell me what you want and I'll see if I've got the technology and the ability.
     
  7. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Can't believe we did this at all. Seems like a distant dream. Madness to attempt. Hope you have your 45 RPM version.
     
  8. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    It's OK, don't worry... Getting it from another source.. Thanks for making me aware of it.
     
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  9. The Killer

    The Killer Dung Heap Rooster

    Location:
    The Cotswolds
    Be interested to hear what you think of it.
     
  10. blue

    blue Mastering rules

    Location:
    sweet spot
    Steve, on the back (not only) of the Cole album the following is written:

    „Mastered for SACD by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at AcousTech Mastering, Carrillo, California.
    Authored for SACD by Gus Skinas on the SONOMA system of the Super Audio Center, Boulder, Colorado.“

    What does that „authoring“ of Gus Skinas mean? What is he doing if you and Kevin already mastered the album for SACD?
     
  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Putting songs in correct order. Leaving desired gaps between tracks, etc.
     
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  12. blue

    blue Mastering rules

    Location:
    sweet spot
    Thanks!
    And what are you doing differently when mastering the same album for vinyl and SACD if no compression is needed for vinyl (in cases except this special one where you made a special vinyl mix, which I assume is a big exception)?
     
  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I do nothing differently. The DSD feed is taken by Gus personally (in the room with us), he takes the raw music back to his man cave and makes an album out of it. I might have mixed a song four times and like the third mix. He notes it and uses that mix.

    When he gets it all together he sends me a check disk. The CD version Kevin took care of. Called "CD Prep."
     
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Here's a look at the monitor of Mr. Gus. Photo by Rick Hashimoto. You can see the three channels. _D2Z7441-86.jpg
     
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    The work station of Mr. G on the left. _D2Z7367-12.jpg
     
  16. blue

    blue Mastering rules

    Location:
    sweet spot
    Ah great insight, thanks!

    That’s what I expected, so if vinyl and SACD sound different, it must be the limitations or colorations of the individual playback gear or the limitations of the different production processes of SACD and vinyl that follow your mastering.
     
  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Correct. I never change my mastering style for one format over another. Always exactly the same.
     
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  18. blue

    blue Mastering rules

    Location:
    sweet spot
    So even if best care is taken for each compared playback gear (vinyl and SACD), if one still sounds better than the other, we’ll probably never know if the loss of the other is more due to playback gear limitations or due to more lossy production processes.
     
  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Nah, it's your playback gear. Production processes for the Nat Cole (among other of my projects) was refined enough to be able to compare all three formats with the 1/2" tapes to really do a fine comparison. The vinyl won for magic, the SACD won for most accurate (for once) and the CD won for trying its best to do it all (and it did, except for a very minor reduction in reverb).. All very close to each other in tonality with studio playback.

    But, on some systems I've heard (mainly at Audiophile shows) the sound varies dramatically between versions!!
     
  20. blue

    blue Mastering rules

    Location:
    sweet spot
    Yes, but unless the studio comparison wasn’t done on less resolving equipment, the show situation might have had no equally refined vinyl and digital gear.

    While I agree that decay loss is always quite obvious on CD‘s, I’m not sure why CD should have more magic then DSD.
     
  21. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    I’m in a constant struggle to convince myself that I don’t need (“need”) the 45 rpm sets because I have all the SACDs. Love Is The Thing might be the one case in which I fold and grab the 45s too because the SACD is just so magical. Every time I listen to it I think to myself “THIS is why I care about music so much,” especially on the first four tracks.
     
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  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Depends on the DSD converter. We found a great one, made a big difference.
     
  23. blue

    blue Mastering rules

    Location:
    sweet spot
    Oh, so you mean the converter that makes the redbook data out of the DSD...I see. So this can surely be different with masterings of others.

    Steve you also use the Directstream DAC and I“m sure you will have a decent vinyl rig, too.

    How’s the comparison between Vinyl and SACD ending on your private setup for you compared to what you heard in the studio?

    I think there are so many ways to influence a vinyl setup, from phono amp to cartridge, that it may vary from very similar to completely different/colored.
     
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  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I never compared at home actually.
     
  25. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Well, LOVE IS THE THING is my favorite so I have about 15 copies from all countries, all eras. But when I want to hear it, I play the SACD..
     
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