No gold stickers, which I usually associate with Scorpio althought I could be wrong. Zero info on any of the sleeves. It's the price range that makes me think they are possibly public domain.
Sounds like VMP. Their forum has had some speculation what titles may be coming, but it isn't being confirmed until the end of March, i think.
There are a couple different places discussions about the 80th series are taking place, i'll just copy the post here from Instagram that mentioned mastering. Take this for what it says... which doesn't specifically mention who cut the lacquers, just that Kevin mastered it "directly". You could take that to mean he created new digital files from the original tapes he had available, mastered them in his studio, and then sent files to Optimal for them to cut the lacquers, and then do the pressing... or that Kevin cut the lacquers himself and those discs were sent to Germany where they plated and pressed them on vinyl: Eventually we'll see whose initials are in the dead wax. Blue Note Records on Instagram: “Presenting the Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series! Distinct from the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, this 2nd series features…” bluenoterecords: whenever an analog source is available we used the analog master (i.e. Herbie Hancock “Takin’ Off” & Dexter Gordon “Doin’ Allright” in this 1st batch) but some newer titles are from a digital master (i.e. Robert Glasper “Canvas”). Vinyl for this series is being pressed at Optimal in Germany. bluenoterecords: Kevin Gray masters direct from analog master tapes whenever an analog source is available. With regard to that last sentence, i think he meant "cuts lacquer" and not "masters" but we'll see. I don't even really know if Kevin Gray usually masters for vinyl without cutting the lacquer himself. If he has a tape, and cuts the lacquer, it's AAA.
When albums are reissued and they use the original master tapes as the source, they normally sing it from the roooftops.
I copied your post from the music matters thread to here, because people on that thread seem tired of reading about it. My point was simple - the argument was being made that the 80th series isn't "cut" analog because the Tone Poet series is, and was marketed as such. I don't think that necessarily follows from logic. It's possible they both can be.
If anyone finds out that these 80th Anniversary albums are going to be cut from an analogue source (i.e. AAA) please let me know, as that would be really cool. I haven't read anything that states definitively that the 80th Anniversary series will be AAA. I would be really pleased if it were.
Will do. My previous point with regard to Tone Poet vs 80th series was that both series were re-mastered by Kevin Gray, and yet this was mentioned only in the promo materials for the Tone Poet series. So obviously, the absence/lack of technical details being written in the 80th promo doesn't mean much, other than it wasn't included in the materials. Same with regard to pressing plant info.
What am I missing? Blue Note is saying that whenever possible the albums will or have been cut from analog sources. Why can’t their word be taken as is.
Where did they say this in connection with the 80th Anniversary reissues? Again, I hope it's the case, I just haven't seen it. If you have a source, please let me know.
Technically, they said "mastered from analog" not "cut from analog" so the door is open to how the lacquers were cut.
the specific thing they said is this: bluenoterecords: Kevin Gray masters direct from analog master tapes whenever an analog source is available.
it's actually pretty funny if you read through the social media feed by Blue Note on FaceBook and Instagram, every time they make another post about these upcoming records, the comments are filled with questions about tape sources, mastering, and pressing. You'd think the marketing folks would have gotten the message by now that it's important to be specific and include all the info, lots of audio geeks out there apparently.
Yeah, as I (and others) have noted, this does not mean AAA. But listen, as I've said, I hope they are and if so they should state it clearly (as everyone else who cuts AAA does).
Blue Note already has digital transfers of all their master tapes. If they wanted to cut from digital, it would be far cheaper to send those files via FTP or whatever over to Optimal. They wouldn't need to pay Kevin Gray at all. I think "Kevin Gray masters direct from analog master tapes whenever an analog source is available" means that titles recorded to tape in the first place will be kept analog, and titles recorded digitally will not be because they cannot be. This seems the most plausible interpretation to me. But we'll see.
Ok cool. What is the source for this statement in connection with the 80th Anniversary releases? Is it a Facebook message to a forum member? Or some sort of official statement?
It's been posted multiple times. It's from the Blue Note official Instagram account. People keep overlooking this and I'm not sure why.
once more for fun: Blue Note Records on Instagram: “Presenting the Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series! Distinct from the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, this 2nd series features…”
I've read that post and the comments. Again, it does not state that the Kevin Gray is cutting from an analogue source. Mastered from an analogue source and cut from an analogue source are two different things.
Sounds AAA to me when they say “mastered direct from analog tapes by Kevin Gray.” I’m in. May is going to be a REALLY EXPENSIVE month. RSD mania in April not helping either...
Geeze Bryce, nobody is saying that post says Kevin cut it from analogue. We've quoted it directly. Did you even read this thread?
