6-eye stereo? Not the one I heard. I'm not familiar with the Hemiola. The 6-eye mono is outstanding, and has aspects superior to all. Keep in mind that the 6-eye stereo is a generation copy further away than what you get from the UHQR, which was a live mixdown from the 3-track session tapes.
Our host, Steve, posted about high quality pressings of Kind of Blue, very late 6-eye pressings. Based on his advice, I picked up a copy back when it was relatively inexpensive to do so. My copy sounds excellent!
Well, I'm not surprised. And I've only heard one stereo 6-eye. But do you have, or have you heard the UHQR 45?
I purchased the Classic Records 45 rpm set upon release 20+ years ago. One disc, the first, was exchanged due to a pressing defect. I’ve written about how great it is for years now. The horns, in particular, are great. Some of the earlier pressings, as well as the original 2 track prerecorded tape, improve on the bass, drums and piano, but the horns on the Classic 45 are second to none in my opinion. The original 2 track only has the first side of the lp, the first three tracks, btw.
I am nowhere near as impressed with this UHQR (45 rpm) as some here. For example, far more impressed by the AP Ellington Masterpieces or some of those AP Verve 45s. Multiple other versions here, listened to this music a zillion times, and thinking about getting rid of it.
I think it's all relative. The Masterpieces By Ellington is one of the greatest sonic recordings of all time, and that it's a 1950 mono makes it more of a surprise. Kind of Blue, in contrast, is not a perfect recording (Bill Evans' piano can sound better in some other recordings). But some aspects are excellent. And the confidence, solidity, as well as the added transparency offered by the UHQR 45 of KOB is pretty impressive. So would I say the Kind Of Blue is a demo quality recording? Well, not to the level that is Masterpieces By Ellington. But you could show off a system pretty well, by the same token with it. And the UHQR 45 is a great mastering of a very good, although not a perfect recording. It's a question often posed - Should the audiophile reissue houses only do reissues of great recordings, or should they also try to make the best of merely very good ones, as well? I can understand, though, why you'd say that.
I’ll be too lazy to get rid of it, btw. My opinions aside, I think producers should definitely do a wide variance including lesser recordings. For ~$180 reissue, the bar is raised, however.
Because they mixed down to two track before cutting? Do we know that definitively? In any case, newer master. As I mentioned before, my 6 Eye is tubey goodness, yet nicely detailed. The Hemiola tape is a copy from the European master and has a bit more air and clarity than anything other copy I've heard. I will probably go through all this again when my new table is configured hopefully within the next three weeks. Enjoying the discussion, Robert
Always enjoy the discussion (or almost, anyway). Steve Hoffman has said that the 6-eye mono recordings are one step closer to the master tapes. The mono is produced from the mono session recording tapes, whereas they recorded stereo to 3-track, then reduced to stereo masters, then to LP from that.
I'm a Hoffman fan, but where did he get the information? In any case, I don't think I have a mono. Maybe the mono is better. Of the several stereo versions I have the tape is the best with the 6Eye second. We were discussing the stereo versions re the UHQR. At some point I will pursue the mono. Y'all have some fun, Robert
Pretty sure multitrack back then always had a reduction mix to create a stereo master for cutting Don’t know the history behind cutting directly from the multis like Bernie did here, but I suspect that started much later and is pretty rare a practice
This is all correct. In the days before computer-aided cutting lathes, there was enough work for the cutting engineer to do without worrying about mixing live too! So a mix was done, 1 (slight) generation down from the 3-track to a 2-track, and that would be the master. Only a few times has it really been done to go back to the three-track and cut directly from it, mixing on the fly. There's no time code and analog mastering consoles don't have automation, so it's really live. Most likely though, some practice with a copy tape and copious notes, plus very few moves during a track. So it's not the complicated maneuver it could be. Think also of how those recordings were made. Intentionally balancing and riding mics up and down for solos and such as it went down to tape, so there would really not be much to do once it was captured but balance. Probably could throw up three faders at unity and you'd be 90% of the way there. Ryan Smith and Bernie Grundman have done it, and notes I've seen show a basic recall of level and EQ which a skilled engineer could pull off in the few seconds between tracks - after all, this is the gear and tools they use every single day. How fast can you take off one pair of your shoes and put on another? Kind of like that.
I looked up the Hemiola tape that they are selling, this is essentially a pirated version since it can't be sold to the US. On another forum it came to the attention that someone was selling 24/192 downloads copied to tape as "master tape copies," this is why I only trust companies like Tape Project and Analogue Productions that have official licenses and have guaranteed analog master tape copies. I have no doubt that the Hemiola tape sounds good, the HDTracks 24/192 from several years ago is a mastering that I could see people liking.
Not a bootleg. It is a licensed version from a European master, French I believe. It is only licensed for Europe and perhaps Asia. I bought it from an overseas seller. You may want to see: Hemiolia Records releases Miles Davis’ masterpiece on tape – and there’s much more to come! Just because something can't legally be sold in a particular country doesn't make it a bootleg. Licensing these days can be quite difficult. Also, none of us were there so while the story of the 3 track mixed to a 2 track cutting master is likely true, we really don't know. One should be careful with hearsay and what someone may or may not remember correctly. Hope you folks are well and good, Robert
Not hearsay, Robert. That's what Columbia did. They recorded for their mono records using a single microphone, and three microphones for their stereo recordings, so there'd need to be a mixdown to make the stereo master.
I wonder whether anyone from the UK can answer my question: I was debating whether to buy Kind Of Blue UHQR 45RPM on Acoustic Sounds sale for $100. Of course it will cost $56 in shipping. So still an expensive record with postage included. I'm just wondering whether I'll get stung with a customs charge as well? Because $156 is essentially my ceiling of what I'm willing to pay for this record.
I bought the 45 rpm UHQR from Comeback Vinyl on sale for $99. Great price! UPS spilled some sort of sticky liquid all over the box, which I found upon delivery today. It smells like laundry detergent. There’s a ton on the outside of the box. Some of the bubble wrap on the inside of the box smells like laundry detergent. I don’t feel anything sticky on the UHQR box itself, which was shrink wrapped (a corner of the shrink was torn). I’d hate to get laundry detergent in my Spin Clean (I know…but it’s all I have) or certainly on my stylus. Do I risk (“risk”) playing these records?
Can you put the LPs on a spindle type device and rinse it under the faucet? You can use your hands instead to rinse if you don't have a spindle type device. If nothing is on the label, I would think you are ok.
Maybe these were cleaned before shipping? I would find a way to do some serious cleaning and rinsing before playing, as laundry detergent can have some other additives you wouldn't want such as fragrance (although I'm not a chemist). I don't think you're going to damage the Spin Clean by cleaning them in there, but do at least a couple of rinses after you do the cleaning cycle. That'd be my instinct. This may or may not be related exactly, but I had posted a couple of times in other threads about receiving the Pat Metheny Group live 2LP set of "The Road To You". It's clear that they had spent time in a smoking environment, but someone had tried to diffuse the smell by spraying air freshener on them. What a mess. I cleaned the records very thoroughly and sprayed Fabreeze on the sleeves and record jacket, leaving them to air out for a few days. That largely did the trick. In the end, the vinyl slayed my CD.
