SH Spotlight I'm asked stuff: Favorite mastering engineer, best BOSTON CD, best TRAVELING WILBURYS CD, etc..

Steve, wanted to ask these (after finally finding where to post )

When was DAW involved in a majority of masters at some point in the process (any specific year the majority of all productions used it)

Which year did DAW overtake PCM1630s for mastering?

Were most productions brought to mastering studios on DAT or analog tape in the late 90s? Were most masters analog or digital back then?

When did most producers switch to 96k DAWs?

Have you worked in studios worldwide?

 

Hey Steve -

One thing I was wondering about recently…

I’m a big fan of the Phoebe Snow S/T album - both musically and with regard to your mastering. The sound quality is just amazing. I have both the silver (from ~1989, IIRC) and the gold (from ~1994, IIRC). I prefer the gold slightly, but they are both top notch.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the two mastering jobs - what was the same, what was different? Did you use the same transfer, or do it again? Any differences in the equipment chain or your approach to the EQ and mastering of the gold, having the opportunity to take a second crack at it just a few years after the first one?

 

I guess worldwide, as in when most places had them overtake 1630s.

 

I personally prefer the sound of original silver CD myself, but you can't go wrong with either one.

 

Digital Audio Workstation

 

Steve, when you mastered Steely Dan's Aja for CD, did you have the master tape to work with or a copy?

 

Thanks, Steve!! Glad I got hold of that version then!
It sounds like these may have been lost or damaged since then, as Analogue Productions is apparently mastering their SACD hybrid from from a copy tape.

 

Sad.

 

True.

 

Why would money be an issue?

Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, and Countdown to Ecstasy were sourced from the masters.

 

Does Roger's estate control those, or is it Walter's estate that's the hangup?

 

Hi Steve!

Any ideas why this LP (his best RCA LP) has never been released on CD, along with four pretty decent potential bonus tracks recorded during the same sessions?

 

We're probably really lucky Roger maintained control of them instead of the label, or they'd likely be long gone...

Have any of the labels done a reasonably good job preserving their masters? I know Atlantic's went up in flames in the '70s. What about A&M's? I'd think Herb would know how important those were. Or did they get torched after Universal got their mitts on them post-sale?

 

Of all the RCA Living Stereo titles... and I love Paris.

His earlier dixieland is darn good rock 'n' roll for trumpet, clarinet, trombone, piano, bass and drums.

Thank you for the response.

 

Atlantic’s session tapes went up, but not their masters.

Many of A&M’s went up in the UMG fire.