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. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Thanks Willie. I guess I was assuming (bad thing) that some of the adjustments would be made as the program material is progressing, not just one setting, but maybe that's not done on "audiophile" level stuff. I don't know.
     
  2. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.
    I don't either....I'm just guessing.
     
  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    You guys have been here for years and still don't know how mastering works? Each song might have to be mastered with a different setting. No two recuts will match exactly. Part of the "fun."

    :^(
     
  4. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    It seems weird to ignore the fact that the person paid a financial premium based on an understanding that a rare and difficult process was employed (when in fact it was not) when assessing harm.
     
  5. WMTC

    WMTC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    I kinda assumed this, too, about a lot of new releases. Sure, companies say it's all analog... but most of the time they do it through weasel-words.

    And I'm talking about the $20 reissue LPs commonly found at Walmart and Target. I'm sure there are some companies cutting analog, but most likely aren't.
     
    David Pietras likes this.
  6. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.

    Never heard that before....but it does explain a lot of things.
     
    spewey likes this.
  7. I would say that it’s possible some people believe they suffered no harm, just a substitution of like value. BUT others are perfectly within their right to feel a genuine material harm transpired. Both positions are valid IMO. In our current case, I personally would feel cheated and rate the LPs I paid top dollar for as not the same quality as was advertised. I would be righteously p!ssed-off.
     
    iskiv, David Pietras, Kyhl and 2 others like this.
  8. April Snow

    April Snow Forum Resident

    and sold it as a 1 Step? :yikes:
     
    David Pietras likes this.
  9. Dr. J.

    Dr. J. Music is in my soul

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I have no problem with the analogy since it's much cleaner than the one I composed and then deleted about a glory hole! :shake:
     
  10. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    UPDATE :

    In bold : last 24 hours

    Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky : 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Alan Parsons Project - I Robot - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Big Brother and the Holding Company - Cheap Thrills - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256

    Bill Evans - Sunday at The Village Vanguard - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master
    Bill Evans Trio - Portrait in Jazz - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256
    Bob Dylan - Another Side of Bob Dylan - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256
    Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256
    Bob Dylan - Love and Theft : 1" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Bob Dylan - Desire : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256
    Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 64

    Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Carole King - Tapestry - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64

    Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Crosby, Stills and Nash - Crosby, Stills and Nash -1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Curtis Mayfield - Super Fly - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog copy direct to lathe

    David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name : 1/4" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms - Digital clone of Sony 1630 U-Matic digital master
    Dire Straits - Communique - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Dire Straits - Dire Straits - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Eagles - The Long Run - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Eagles - On The Border - 1/4" / 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256
    Eagles - Desperado - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Eagles - Eagles - 1/4" / analog master to DSD 256
    Eagles - Hotel California - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256
    Eagles - One Of These Nights - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256


    Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256

    Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Grateful Dead - Blues for Allah : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Grateful Dead - From the Mars Hotel : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256

    Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Harry Nilsson - Son of Schmilsson : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256


    Janis Joplin - Pearl - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Jeff Beck - Truth : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256

    Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256

    Los Lobos - Kiko - 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master

    Love - Forever Changes - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Mark Knopfler - Local Hero - Digital clone of 3M digital master

    Michael Jackson - Thriller : 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Miles Davis - Bitches Brew - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64
    Miles Davis - Miles Smiles : 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby SR analog remix master to DSD 256
    Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby SR analog remix master to DSD 64
    Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64
    Miles Davis - Filles de Kilimandjaro - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Miles Davis - Miles in the Sky - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Miles Davis - Nefertiti - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Miles Davis - Sorcerer - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256
    Miles Davis - E.S.P. - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256

    Muddy Waters - Folk Singer - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256
    Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256

    Pretenders - Learning to Crawl - 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master

    Run DMC - Raising Hell : 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Santana - Santana - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256
    Santana - Abraxas - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood - 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 64

    The Cars - The Cars - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master

    Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream - 1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    The Young Rascals - Groovin' : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256

    T. Rex - Electric Warrior : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256

    Van Halen - Van Halen - 1/4" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256

    Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge : 1/4" / 15 IPS analog mono master to DSD 256

    Yes - Fragile - 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256

    Note 1 : these are only the records displayed on the MoFi website.
    Note 2 : since the last update, 3 more pages have been added by MoFi in the "vinyl" section. None of them have been updated regarding the mastering chain yet.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2022
  11. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Ugh!
     
  12. April Snow

    April Snow Forum Resident

    Yes I thought the same, AAA recording for less than $50 Aussie dollars on 180g Wax & it had a poly lined inner-sleeve too along with beautiful glossy full cover art.

    I noticed on Chad's latest video he mentioned the price of the actual wax back when he acquired those early UHQR from Mofi - he said back then it was 50 cents to press a record and those UHQRs were $4.50 to press. I was shocked how inexpensive they actually were to press to be honest.
     
  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    And then, are you mastering in the morning or the afternoon (or even evening?) The gear sounds different cold in the AM and better when warmed up.

    Are the cutting amps reproducing correctly, is the cutting stylus tip new or slightly worn? Is the tape machine working at its best, warmed up, heads good, clean and demaged? Mastering console function is correct, no hums, buzzes, everything to proper spec? The actual lacquers, are they nice and smooth, no flaws on the surface?

    And so on, that's not even counting human error and the plating and stamping process..

    This is just the way it is in mastering lacquers. Really no biggie but no two cuts can sound exactly alike. How much that matters to a person depends on how OCD they are, I guess.
     
  14. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Thank you for this Steve. Tells me another downside to cutting out those other metal parts, at least in terms of consistency over the entire production run.
     
    MrRom92 and Big Blue like this.
  15. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    The second this turns into a bunch of lists with minimal discussion. Not anytime, soon, I suspect.
     
  16. DigitalBlues

    DigitalBlues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Thank you for posting that. I haven't seen it. If I had seen it, why would I ask for it again?
     
  17. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    What about Acoustic Sounds or Elusive Disc, competing online sellers. I wonder if they have been damaged if buyers, wanting to make sure they secure a copy of the the latest limited edition “cut from the original master tapes” One Step, monitor Music Direct announcements and combine orders of exclusive Mofi products with other labels products to reduce shipping charges? Maybe?
     
  18. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Surprising about the Cars given how bad the Mofi sounds. Probably due to mastering mainly though. Wouldnt it be easier to list the ones that are actually AAA?

    Thanks for your efforts though!
     
  19. kundryishot

    kundryishot Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wales
    It's almost impossible to get spare parts for a Cherry 2000 nowadays
     
  20. FWatty

    FWatty Collector of Zuni Fetish Dolls

    Location:
    Fort Worth, Texas
    Sounds bad because it's AAA. :hide:
     
  21. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Well, I bet most couldn't tell with a short run of first, second, third, etc. cuttings.

    I have in my collection (WE ALL DO) albums that side one was mastered in 1969 and side two was mastered in 1974! My USA Tommy is like that. Different studios, different tapes, different engineers for one side over the other. Now THAT sucks.

    I'd say that most of your old albums are that way. They never recut both sides, only the side that needed it. Even Beatles records are like that. Drives me bonkers. You can easily tell the difference. My Beatles For Sale Parlophone in my Beatles' Box, side one is a tube cut from 1964, side two is a solid state recut from 1978. Arggh!

    Brings out the OCD in ME.
     
  22. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    They've tried to pull that on me once or twice. I only buy when it's a CD-R-only edition; got a bunch of them from obscure local bands.
     
    David Pietras likes this.
  23. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    An important point indeed. I've just done my little bit too.

    Contribute/Subscribe
     
  24. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    Thank you.
    Yes it would be easier, now that we know they are a handful...
     
  25. Paully

    Paully De gustibus non est disputandum

    Location:
    Tennessee
    Are the Cars, Pretenders, and Los Lobos actually AAA? I would really doubt it but no mention of DSD.
     
    MrRom92 and Wounded Land like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine