If these turn out even in the same league as the TP/MM 33s (sound wise) I am beyond stoked on so many on the titles. With them being AAA and KG doing the cutting, I’m hoping that’s the case. Not in a huge rush for the first few titles so I will sit back and see the feedback. I will definitely pick up Herbie and Gordon (and about 20 others) if they turn out that good.
One more confirmation from the official Blue Note account on Facebook, in the comments: Blue Note Records Hi Nomos & Luis, for the BN80 vinyl series whenever there is an analog source the chain will be all-analog. Kevin Gray cuts the lacquers, no digital files sent to Optimal.
I love that Don Was is doing it right. These series are so promising. Fingers crossed that Optimal delivers!
Has anybody asked why they are going out of country to Optimal for the pressing when RTI is doing the plating? Kevin Gray's operation is at the RTI location and they have had such great success so far with the Tone Poet and the Blue Note Review #2. Doesn't make sense to me.
From watching a few discussions between vinyl bigwigs on Youtube, I gather that the pressing plants are all pretty swamped by the renewed demand for vinyl. Could be that RTI simply could do it at the moment. Busy with the Tone Poet pressing maybe...
I was just about to say that. I don't imagine pressing in Europe is all that much cheaper than RTI, anyway.
Optimal is a very large operation, they would be less expensive than RTI. Capacity is another issue, with regard to timing the releases over the year. Germany is closer for the European countries , so it's not all a one-way benefit to being pressed in the USA. Otherwise, the labels wouldn't do it. Lots of labels use Optimal.
I'm sure they probably have some cost benefit relative to size and pressing runs, but Germany isn't a low-cost country to do business in. I'd imagine capacity has as much consideration as anything else.
Yeah, I don’t know why they’ve got a bad rap here lately. Everything I’ve got that was pressed there was great.
I don't doubt they've produced turkeys, just like any plant can. I've had shedloads of problems with Analogue Productions' stuff, and other folks here say they've never had a single questionable pressing from them, so....
True, every plant has their issues. Some Mofi titles I’ve bought have had surface noise and slight warping issues.
To familiarize myself with all these titles I have been adding all of them to Apple Music. I sampled the Bobbi Humphrey album last night and I was really digging it. Usually I am not a fan of flute but the backing musicians are grooving so hard on the tracks. I was reading reviews on the internet about the album and lots of folks mentioned the "dated" sounding synth... wasn't too big of a deal to me!
I’m somewhat interested in the Herbie and dexter titles but surprised the price hasn’t dropped lower on these like the first Tone Poets did. I was hoping for $20 and under. Too optimistic a price point? At $25 I’ll probably only get Dexter this round.
Sampling this Herbie album and I’m really loving it. Tenor sax and trumpet can’t go wrong with that combo.
I don't understand all the complaints about the Blue Note 75 series. I have collected over 20 titles, and not one is a bad pressing. I mean, that was the complaint, right? Poor pressings?
