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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ben Adams, Jul 14, 2022.

  1. Joe Stark

    Joe Stark "Sad wanker" - Michael Fremer

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    I don't have the Wisdom of Solomon to answer your question on what it will take to put this to rest, but I do know we're only what, 2-weeks into this? This will be litigated and re-litigated in these circles for years.
     
    xj32 likes this.
  2. MonkeyTennis

    MonkeyTennis Billie Eilish style

    Location:
    Manchester
    I’m really annoyed and, honestly, I don’t want anything from MoFi. I make every effort to avoid patronising any company who engages in consumer fraud. Were there a complete change of either ownership or leadership (so that they effectively became a new company), I would reconsider. But that isn’t going to happen.

    Given that I won’t buy from them again, I don’t really care what they do. However, I will say that they should - as with all record companies - ensure that their copy is factually accurate. I think clarity regarding the provenance of the record should be included on the sleeve, and, if not the sleeve, then a hype sticker.

    I think, in order to remain viable, they will need to lower their prices or reduce their runs significantly. I cannot imagine that they will continue to sell 10k of digitally sourced OneSteps at $125 pop moving forward. If they don’t radically adjust their pricing structure, they will no longer be viable I suspect.

    I’ve been watching eBay for the past week or so and it is now flooded with MoFi releases at lower prices than any time I recall. That, I suspect, is the bottom falling out of the secondary market. It may correct itself moving forward, but, I suspect it is a sign of things to come.
     
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  3. Tunnelofaudio

    Tunnelofaudio Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    I think most would accept Jim Davis performing seppuku on a live YouTube video hosted by Mike E.
     
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  4. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    I re-read the very interesting article about Kevin Gray and his methods by Sasha Matson in the May issue of Stereophile mag. In this article, Kevin Gray brought up two points that I thought should be considered here due to the Mo-Fi-gate debacle. The first point which he states in the first paragraph on page 113 is this..
    " When i got into the business, mastering was cutting a phonograph record. Now there's sort of 'mastered for digital' and 'mastered for vinyl'. ---- "on a lot of new projects , people send me, quote, "premastered " digital file, which means that typically it has gone through all the compression and everything else they do for either CD or hi-rez download.I've been able to work with two or three clients who really get it, at other mastering houses. I ask them to do two passes for me. Do your first pass with EQ and whatever, but don't do the heavy compression , and send me those files to cut the phonograph record from. Then do your other pass to do whatever they want to do with that for digital release. And they've gotten on board with this."



    Then we have this little tidbit on page 119 when SM asks this question: SM: " Sounds delicious! What do you do when you put up a tape and you realize you are dealing with something that is no a master, that is one or more generations down?" And KG answers: " Record companies don't want information out there. I was told as early as 2005 by the big three labels " Do not reveal sources unless we publicize it, and then you can reiterate that". Because they don't want it to affect sales. People never know what they're getting."

    Overall a very interesting article to read, and one that I suggest forum members read if they are at all interested in the mastering process.

    No excuses for what MoFi did(ethically) , but it may indicate that they were handcuffed by the labels!
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2022
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  5. tdcrjeff

    tdcrjeff Senior Member

    Location:
    Hermosa Beach, CA
    Blue was recorded same time as Tapestry, not Court & Spark.
     
  6. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    I think you answered your questions in the preamble to your post-- different perspectives on this, depending on who is talking. If you took one extreme, which I think is never going to happen, a lot of people want to see the price of One Steps reduced and to get a fresh copy of Abraxas.
    I think one thing most people agree on, no matter their position, is that MoFi should be transparent, but I also sense a lot of skepticism about whether they can play it straight.
     
    Mac B, DaveyF and xj32 like this.
  7. Wounded Land

    Wounded Land Forum Resident

    For me, it would take an admission of guilt, an apology, and then an act of good faith to start to restore trust. That could be offering refunds, putting out a fantastic-sounding DSD-sourced LP at a more affordable price, letting an audio writer or two sit in on a mastering session, etc. Anything, really.

    I do not want the company to go out of business. I do think that somebody needs to lose his job because of this. I hesitate even to say that but I’m not sure how else MoFi can show its sincerity.

    Personally, I don’t want financial restitution. As I said in an earlier post, I have already gotten rid of those MoFi albums that I didn’t want. I do think a punitive lawsuit is important because of its capability of deterring future malfeasance.

    Anyway, those are my thoughts.
     
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  8. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Yup, you're right!

    Well, it sounds better than Tapestry, too. Unfortunately I missed the DCC remaster of Blue...
     
  9. ZippyPippy

    ZippyPippy Forum Resident

    With of these recent updates apparently being updated again, do they need to start putting an * and saying “update subject to change”?
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2022
    OldSoul and Beach House like this.
  10. slop101

    slop101 Guitar Geek

    Location:
    So. Cal.
    To make actual AAA vinyl.

    If they can't, just say so, and why.
     
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  11. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Poor analogy. We are talking about the best production method, which is a basic part of the whole thing. What you then use to listen to it is not relevant.
     
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    They can, they just don't want to.
     
  13. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Well, this contretemps has now made Wikipedia, for whatever that's worth (under the entry for "Mobile Fidelity"). Mike Esposito is mentioned, as is Geoff Edgers (the WaPo reporter, see fn. 6), along with @Randy, whose name has been misspelled.
     
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  14. guy1

    guy1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Well that's not what i said, and i enjoy vinyl thanks. No matter what anyone comments on here people will interpret it in their own way.
     
    batman144144 likes this.
  15. DaveyF

    DaveyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    La Jolla, Calif
    MoFi have stated in the WAPO article that ALL releases going forward will be sourced from DSD. Presumably they cannot get access to the original AAA master in most cases. I would think that as time goes by, the studios/labels will NOT want any of the AAA masters going anywhere.
     
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  16. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    That wasn't an analogy.
     
  17. Gordon Johnson

    Gordon Johnson Forum Resident

    Location:
    You are here
    While the "mumbo jumbo" was exposed a number of years ago!

    It really is no longer a valid question unless you choose to be mislead.
     
  18. dolstein

    dolstein Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlingon, VA
    What's your point - that Mobile Fidelity is being held to a higher standard? You don't think that charging $125 for One Step releases perhaps warrants behind held to a higher standard? Have you bothered to look at MoFi's description of its "GAIN 2 ULTRA Analog" LP cutting system? That's not marketing mumbo jumbo. It a pretty specific description of an all analog LP production chain that, in reality, has only been used for a small percentage of their LP releases during the past 10 years. Perhaps they just forgot to update their web site.
     
  19. Pizza

    Pizza With extra pepperoni

    Location:
    USA
    Why do they want/accept compressed files for the digital release, or do they simply not ever handle the digital release?
     
  20. Randy

    Randy Never Complain About The A/C On A Private Jet

    Location:
    New York City
    Misspelled? Sheesh! Do you have a link?
     
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  21. They need to get out in full view and talk directly to us. Tell us why they feel their DSD process is the best possible solution for the records they are releasing. Be assertive about it all. I would love for them to stop this silly one step box thing at $125 and do more like their Super Vinyl (Desire) for $69 tops. Even lower prices would be ideal.

    Update their website into the 21st century and come up with some sort of 6 month to a year release schedule. Stop these last minute drops.
     
    indyalden, JoFr, Twinsfan007 and 15 others like this.
  22. MonkeyTennis

    MonkeyTennis Billie Eilish style

    Location:
    Manchester
    Just a tip - this is the value in completing your equipment profile, as per the request of our host. At the moment, it’s not clear that you own a TT and so there is little way of knowing your interests and preferences.
     
  23. dolstein

    dolstein Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlingon, VA
    Not true. Mobile Fidelity cut lacquers at half-speed for decades without using digital. Of course, it helps if you have Stan Ricker.
     
  24. dolstein

    dolstein Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlingon, VA
    So are you suggesting that MoFi's One Step customers deserved to be lied to? Because that's what it sounds like.
     
  25. bbanderic

    bbanderic Forum Resident

    All recordings are not created equal
     

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