Reviews
Fleetwood Mac - Live At The Boston Tea Party Part Two as reviewed by phongvictor
September 15, 2021
This is the only version of the album that has the HDCD encoding (with support for PEAK EXTENSION!) intact. All subsequent reissues of this volume, even down to The Boston Box (1999) and Boston (2013) box sets, lost the HDCD encoding for some reason, so you're stuck with the regular default brickwalled mastering for those reissues.
Just to make things easier for you, note that subsequent reissues list this album as "VOLUME Two", but the correct HDCD version lists it as "PART Two", so keep that in mind if you're hunting down the correct version.
Note that Vols. 1 and 3 do NOT have this issue, only Vol. 2 is affected.
More info: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/fleetwood-mac-live-in-boston-vol-2-snapper-no-hdcd.315118/
Just to make things easier for you, note that subsequent reissues list this album as "VOLUME Two", but the correct HDCD version lists it as "PART Two", so keep that in mind if you're hunting down the correct version.
Note that Vols. 1 and 3 do NOT have this issue, only Vol. 2 is affected.
More info: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/fleetwood-mac-live-in-boston-vol-2-snapper-no-hdcd.315118/
Daryl Hall, John Oates* - Private Eyes — phongvictor
July 16, 2021
Some mastering notes from Rob Loverde about this album, as well as Voices and H₂O, posted on the MFSL Facebook page:
========================================
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
August 15, 2013 ·
Rob LoVerde in Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's Studio C editing Daryl Hall John Oates Private Eyes.
"I’m here at MoFi working on 3 Daryl Hall John Oates projects. Each of these albums’ master tapes contains a full complement of calibration tones, enabling me to precisely align my playback tape machine to match the set-up of the recording machine used during the original mixing session. Nothing makes a mastering engineer happier than finding set-up tones on the master! However, each album was mixed to a slightly different analog format. “Voices” was mixed to ¼”, 15 i.p.s. tape using Dolby A Noise Reduction, while “Private Eyes” is ½”, 15 i.p.s., no Dolby. The “H2O” master was printed to ½” at 30 i.p.s., also without Dolby. Interestingly, the sonic characteristics were equally varied and all equally impressive. “Voices” has great impact on songs such as “Kiss On My List” and “You Make My Dreams” but also softer, “pillow-y” sounds on songs like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and “Everytime You Go Away”. “Private Eyes” has more aggressive, tighter mixes, printed hot to tape. And “H2O” is particularly interesting, with slicker production and smoother mixes (done by Hugh Padgham). As always, I paid close attention to aligning the playback head’s azimuth at each edit point in the master tapes to ensure that I was capturing all the musical information possible during the transfers. And absolute polarity was auditioned for each and every song, allowing me to choose whatever sounds best.
I was fascinated by how different things sounded from album to album and song to song, considering that they all were recorded and mixed at Electric Lady and mostly by Neil Kernon. But, more than anything, I was thrilled to hear what they heard back in the day right off the master tapes and to hear the clear intent behind every engineering decision. It was all different, yet all appealing. One of my favorites, “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” is a real knockout. I had never heard all the individual instruments (not to mention Daryl’s and John’s voices) sounding so distinct but also meshing seamlessly."
========================================
Link: https://www.facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/photos/a.225949434168583/481109851985872/?type=3
========================================
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
August 15, 2013 ·
Rob LoVerde in Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's Studio C editing Daryl Hall John Oates Private Eyes.
"I’m here at MoFi working on 3 Daryl Hall John Oates projects. Each of these albums’ master tapes contains a full complement of calibration tones, enabling me to precisely align my playback tape machine to match the set-up of the recording machine used during the original mixing session. Nothing makes a mastering engineer happier than finding set-up tones on the master! However, each album was mixed to a slightly different analog format. “Voices” was mixed to ¼”, 15 i.p.s. tape using Dolby A Noise Reduction, while “Private Eyes” is ½”, 15 i.p.s., no Dolby. The “H2O” master was printed to ½” at 30 i.p.s., also without Dolby. Interestingly, the sonic characteristics were equally varied and all equally impressive. “Voices” has great impact on songs such as “Kiss On My List” and “You Make My Dreams” but also softer, “pillow-y” sounds on songs like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and “Everytime You Go Away”. “Private Eyes” has more aggressive, tighter mixes, printed hot to tape. And “H2O” is particularly interesting, with slicker production and smoother mixes (done by Hugh Padgham). As always, I paid close attention to aligning the playback head’s azimuth at each edit point in the master tapes to ensure that I was capturing all the musical information possible during the transfers. And absolute polarity was auditioned for each and every song, allowing me to choose whatever sounds best.
I was fascinated by how different things sounded from album to album and song to song, considering that they all were recorded and mixed at Electric Lady and mostly by Neil Kernon. But, more than anything, I was thrilled to hear what they heard back in the day right off the master tapes and to hear the clear intent behind every engineering decision. It was all different, yet all appealing. One of my favorites, “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” is a real knockout. I had never heard all the individual instruments (not to mention Daryl’s and John’s voices) sounding so distinct but also meshing seamlessly."
========================================
Link: https://www.facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/photos/a.225949434168583/481109851985872/?type=3
Pretenders* - Pretenders — phongvictor
July 8, 2021
Mastering notes from the MFSL Facebook page, posted by mastering engineer Rob LoVerde:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
November 17, 2014 ·
The Truth About The PRETENDERS (First Album) Master Tapes
Hello Everyone...I hope this writing finds all of you well and listening to something you love.
Like, hmm...maybe...one of our latest releases. I'm talking about one of my favorite recent projects: PRETENDERS
I'd like to take an opportunity to clear up some confusion that seems to surround this album in the audiophile world. It doesn't deserve to be cast in a shadow of supposition and misinformation.
As most of you probably already know, the master tapes for most single LPs, those that were released between the dawn of the long-playing phonograph record and the advent of the Compact Disc, exist on two reels of analog tape - one for Side One and one for Side Two. And, although the Pretenders' debut was recorded during this period, the master tapes are not so simply configured.
Here, once and for all, are the FACTS regarding these original master tapes.
"Stop Your Sobbing" was the first song recorded for the album. Recorded at Eden Studios in the UK, the master exists on a little 7-and-a-half-inch reel (recorded at 15 IPS) with no other songs from the LP on it. They continued (switching producers from Nick Lowe to Chris Thomas) at Wessex Sound Studios, also in the UK, with Bill Price engineering. Interestingly, each song recorded and mixed at Wessex exists on a separate reel, with separate calibration tones that are exclusively intended for that song. And, at some point near the end of the Wessex sessions, they went over to AIR Recording Studios, London and captured "Brass In Pocket". That's 12 songs, 12 reels of tape.
At the conclusion of all of these sessions, it was decided to create ANOTHER tape, one they would call the "Album Production Master". This was configured in the usual two-reel Side One/Side Two fashion. While making this tape, they sometimes applied equalization, compression and/or limiting...essentially mastering the album in the process...from which the original UK LP was cut. Luckily, MFSL were given direct access to the individual reels, as well...for each and every song...from which we mastered our releases.
All of the songs are in their finished, final form on these individual reels.....except ONE: "The Phone Call". It appears that at some point, it was decided that telephone sound effects would be added to the track. This was not added to the "Phone Call" reel, however, but added to the "Album Production Master". Therefore, one must use this tape for this one song in order to have the correct, final version. Since no earlier mix of the song contains these sound effects, the song as it exists on this reel is the MASTER.
As with all of our releases, nothing was spared in terms of expense or time in order to present this album to you at the highest possible level of quality, faithfulness and integrity. And, also as with all of our releases, we hope you get to hear and enjoy it.
With great respect and appreciation for your support,
Rob LoVerde
Mastering Engineer
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link: https://m.facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/posts/the-truth-about-the-pretenders-first-album-master-tapeshello-everyonei-hope-this/719331484830373/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
November 17, 2014 ·
The Truth About The PRETENDERS (First Album) Master Tapes
Hello Everyone...I hope this writing finds all of you well and listening to something you love.
Like, hmm...maybe...one of our latest releases. I'm talking about one of my favorite recent projects: PRETENDERS
I'd like to take an opportunity to clear up some confusion that seems to surround this album in the audiophile world. It doesn't deserve to be cast in a shadow of supposition and misinformation.
As most of you probably already know, the master tapes for most single LPs, those that were released between the dawn of the long-playing phonograph record and the advent of the Compact Disc, exist on two reels of analog tape - one for Side One and one for Side Two. And, although the Pretenders' debut was recorded during this period, the master tapes are not so simply configured.
Here, once and for all, are the FACTS regarding these original master tapes.
"Stop Your Sobbing" was the first song recorded for the album. Recorded at Eden Studios in the UK, the master exists on a little 7-and-a-half-inch reel (recorded at 15 IPS) with no other songs from the LP on it. They continued (switching producers from Nick Lowe to Chris Thomas) at Wessex Sound Studios, also in the UK, with Bill Price engineering. Interestingly, each song recorded and mixed at Wessex exists on a separate reel, with separate calibration tones that are exclusively intended for that song. And, at some point near the end of the Wessex sessions, they went over to AIR Recording Studios, London and captured "Brass In Pocket". That's 12 songs, 12 reels of tape.
At the conclusion of all of these sessions, it was decided to create ANOTHER tape, one they would call the "Album Production Master". This was configured in the usual two-reel Side One/Side Two fashion. While making this tape, they sometimes applied equalization, compression and/or limiting...essentially mastering the album in the process...from which the original UK LP was cut. Luckily, MFSL were given direct access to the individual reels, as well...for each and every song...from which we mastered our releases.
All of the songs are in their finished, final form on these individual reels.....except ONE: "The Phone Call". It appears that at some point, it was decided that telephone sound effects would be added to the track. This was not added to the "Phone Call" reel, however, but added to the "Album Production Master". Therefore, one must use this tape for this one song in order to have the correct, final version. Since no earlier mix of the song contains these sound effects, the song as it exists on this reel is the MASTER.
As with all of our releases, nothing was spared in terms of expense or time in order to present this album to you at the highest possible level of quality, faithfulness and integrity. And, also as with all of our releases, we hope you get to hear and enjoy it.
With great respect and appreciation for your support,
Rob LoVerde
Mastering Engineer
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link: https://m.facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/posts/the-truth-about-the-pretenders-first-album-master-tapeshello-everyonei-hope-this/719331484830373/
Yes - The Yes Album — phongvictor
July 8, 2021
Some comments made by mastering engineer Rob LoVerde detailing mastering info, posted on the MFSL Facebook page a few years after this got released (formatted with additional line breaks for clarity):
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
October 9, 2013 ·
A write up on The Yes Album by Rob LoVerde:
Since its release a few years ago, the MFSL Gold CD of “The Yes Album” seems to have created a rather polarized set of opinions among our customers. Some have said that it’s the best version of the album they’ve ever heard, some say they prefer previous versions of the album – and some said they loved our version…that is, until they saw waveform graphics of the audio contained on the disc. This message is being written mainly for them in the hope that I can clarify what seems to be some misunderstanding.
When I heard that we had secured the license for “The Yes Album”, I was absolutely thrilled because not only is it an incredibly good album, but one that I grew up listening to quite often. As with all MFSL projects that I work on, I became obsessed with mastering this album correctly. Once the masters had been obtained, I set about auditioning them as I would with any other master tapes. These were in absolutely perfect condition. Everything about them was just as I would hope except one thing: no calibration tones. This is very common in recordings up to the mid-1970s and usually doesn’t represent a serious issue. Unless, that master is Dolby-encoded. Unfortunately, “The Yes Album” was one such instance. As many of you probably know, the interaction between the tape machine’s reproducing amplifier and the Dolby decoder is especially important. Both the output of the tape machine and the input of the Dolby are ideally set to unity gain (zero in = zero out) or “neutral” in order to mimic how the tape was encoded to achieve accurate decoding and playback.
“The Yes Album” master tapes were mixed at Advision Sound Studios in the UK and utilize the CCIR playback EQ curve. Given the absence of calibration tones, the puzzle became figuring out what level these mixes were recorded onto the tape at. Enter critical, time-consuming, analysis mode. Rather than bore you, the reader, with a long story of that analysis, I will simply jump to the conclusion. After many hours spent getting (nearly) nowhere, I called MoFi’s analog guru, Tim de Paravicini. To use the typical phrase of saying that Tim has forgotten more about analog than I’ll ever know is flattering, but inaccurate – he hasn’t forgotten a thing. He is the greatest source for knowledge on the subject that I know and is always there to help. Tim informed me that, back then, the UK reference fluxivity standard for recording onto magnetic tape was 320 nWb/m (nanowebers per meter). This standard was actually invented in Germany, but the UK adopted it, as well. However, though they thought they were recording at 320, it was later discovered (by Magnetic Reference Laboratories) that the calibration tapes used in Germany and the UK at that time were actually 290 nWb/m…a difference of about a dB. To help its customers needing CCIR alignment at the true standard reference fluxivity of the day, MRL manufactures a tape they label G320, or German 320. As you can probably figure out, the tones on this calibration tape are recorded at 290 nWb/m. So, now I’ve got the tape machine output level puzzle solved. But, what about the input on the Dolby? Once again, Tim to the rescue. He told me the proper input level setting required for Dolby input when playing back CCIR at 290. Hanging up from my transAtlantic telephone call with Tim, I stepped back into the mastering suite to see what his expert instructions would yield.
Unsurprisingly, everything fell into place. After a frustratingly long amount of time, I finally was hearing “The Yes Album” master tapes played back properly, which is immediately apparent if you know what mis-calibrated Dolby decoding sounds like. Once I heard a full playback of the correctly-decoded masters, I determined that the tapes needed nothing more on my part to create a wonderful ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING. Just straight wire playback of the incredible sounds that Yes and producer/engineer Eddy Offord had put onto tape in 1971.
I will now address the main concerns that I’ve heard voiced since our version became available to the public. One concern has been bass content. Some listeners feel that there is simply too much bass on our version. Of course, they have a right to this opinion. I will simply state that the bass quality and quantity on the MFSL Gold CD of this album is a verbatim of the master tape. Nothing added,nothing removed. I liked what I heard and left it the way it is. The other primary concern that has been brought to my attention a number of times over the years is compression. Once consumers began seeing waveform graphics on the Internet, they either changed their previously positive opinions to negative or voiced their opinions based solely on the graphics, never having actually heard the product. I have never, nor will I ever be inclined to apply compression to a MoFi product. The practice of mastering music with full dynamic range intact has been an MFSL cornerstone since the company’s inception in 1977. We have maintained that practice, always. There would be no reason for me to stray from that practice now, and certainly not for a recording like “The Yes Album”. Unfortunately, some consumers believe that waveform graphics tell the whole sonic story. They can be highly informative, if they are understood. Waveform graphics use level to illustrate the basic information of the audio. Since equalization is basically frequency-selective level control, EQ plays a part in waveform graphics, as well. In other words, some have seen waveforms for “The Yes Album” and feel that compression has been applied due to their “thick”, “dense” or “plump” characteristics. That is actually a representation of the extended bass content. In fact, if I had added high-end to the transfer during the mastering process, the peaks in the high-end section of the frequency spectrum would have been exaggerated, causing the treble peaks to rise higher in level and actually causing the waveform to appear more dynamic. I hope by now I’ve explained how waveforms surely don’t replace ears for true audio analysis.
I also hope that I have sufficiently explained how this great album was mastered here at MFSL. Of course, I don’t expect to change the minds among our customers that are already made up. But, if I cause even one person to re-evauate how they perceive audio – and how they perceive audio in these modern times using video – then that’s good enough for me.
With sincerity and respect,
Rob LoVerde
Mastering Engineer
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Link: https://m.facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/photos/a.225949434168583/505744616189062/?type=3
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
October 9, 2013 ·
A write up on The Yes Album by Rob LoVerde:
Since its release a few years ago, the MFSL Gold CD of “The Yes Album” seems to have created a rather polarized set of opinions among our customers. Some have said that it’s the best version of the album they’ve ever heard, some say they prefer previous versions of the album – and some said they loved our version…that is, until they saw waveform graphics of the audio contained on the disc. This message is being written mainly for them in the hope that I can clarify what seems to be some misunderstanding.
When I heard that we had secured the license for “The Yes Album”, I was absolutely thrilled because not only is it an incredibly good album, but one that I grew up listening to quite often. As with all MFSL projects that I work on, I became obsessed with mastering this album correctly. Once the masters had been obtained, I set about auditioning them as I would with any other master tapes. These were in absolutely perfect condition. Everything about them was just as I would hope except one thing: no calibration tones. This is very common in recordings up to the mid-1970s and usually doesn’t represent a serious issue. Unless, that master is Dolby-encoded. Unfortunately, “The Yes Album” was one such instance. As many of you probably know, the interaction between the tape machine’s reproducing amplifier and the Dolby decoder is especially important. Both the output of the tape machine and the input of the Dolby are ideally set to unity gain (zero in = zero out) or “neutral” in order to mimic how the tape was encoded to achieve accurate decoding and playback.
“The Yes Album” master tapes were mixed at Advision Sound Studios in the UK and utilize the CCIR playback EQ curve. Given the absence of calibration tones, the puzzle became figuring out what level these mixes were recorded onto the tape at. Enter critical, time-consuming, analysis mode. Rather than bore you, the reader, with a long story of that analysis, I will simply jump to the conclusion. After many hours spent getting (nearly) nowhere, I called MoFi’s analog guru, Tim de Paravicini. To use the typical phrase of saying that Tim has forgotten more about analog than I’ll ever know is flattering, but inaccurate – he hasn’t forgotten a thing. He is the greatest source for knowledge on the subject that I know and is always there to help. Tim informed me that, back then, the UK reference fluxivity standard for recording onto magnetic tape was 320 nWb/m (nanowebers per meter). This standard was actually invented in Germany, but the UK adopted it, as well. However, though they thought they were recording at 320, it was later discovered (by Magnetic Reference Laboratories) that the calibration tapes used in Germany and the UK at that time were actually 290 nWb/m…a difference of about a dB. To help its customers needing CCIR alignment at the true standard reference fluxivity of the day, MRL manufactures a tape they label G320, or German 320. As you can probably figure out, the tones on this calibration tape are recorded at 290 nWb/m. So, now I’ve got the tape machine output level puzzle solved. But, what about the input on the Dolby? Once again, Tim to the rescue. He told me the proper input level setting required for Dolby input when playing back CCIR at 290. Hanging up from my transAtlantic telephone call with Tim, I stepped back into the mastering suite to see what his expert instructions would yield.
Unsurprisingly, everything fell into place. After a frustratingly long amount of time, I finally was hearing “The Yes Album” master tapes played back properly, which is immediately apparent if you know what mis-calibrated Dolby decoding sounds like. Once I heard a full playback of the correctly-decoded masters, I determined that the tapes needed nothing more on my part to create a wonderful ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING. Just straight wire playback of the incredible sounds that Yes and producer/engineer Eddy Offord had put onto tape in 1971.
I will now address the main concerns that I’ve heard voiced since our version became available to the public. One concern has been bass content. Some listeners feel that there is simply too much bass on our version. Of course, they have a right to this opinion. I will simply state that the bass quality and quantity on the MFSL Gold CD of this album is a verbatim of the master tape. Nothing added,nothing removed. I liked what I heard and left it the way it is. The other primary concern that has been brought to my attention a number of times over the years is compression. Once consumers began seeing waveform graphics on the Internet, they either changed their previously positive opinions to negative or voiced their opinions based solely on the graphics, never having actually heard the product. I have never, nor will I ever be inclined to apply compression to a MoFi product. The practice of mastering music with full dynamic range intact has been an MFSL cornerstone since the company’s inception in 1977. We have maintained that practice, always. There would be no reason for me to stray from that practice now, and certainly not for a recording like “The Yes Album”. Unfortunately, some consumers believe that waveform graphics tell the whole sonic story. They can be highly informative, if they are understood. Waveform graphics use level to illustrate the basic information of the audio. Since equalization is basically frequency-selective level control, EQ plays a part in waveform graphics, as well. In other words, some have seen waveforms for “The Yes Album” and feel that compression has been applied due to their “thick”, “dense” or “plump” characteristics. That is actually a representation of the extended bass content. In fact, if I had added high-end to the transfer during the mastering process, the peaks in the high-end section of the frequency spectrum would have been exaggerated, causing the treble peaks to rise higher in level and actually causing the waveform to appear more dynamic. I hope by now I’ve explained how waveforms surely don’t replace ears for true audio analysis.
I also hope that I have sufficiently explained how this great album was mastered here at MFSL. Of course, I don’t expect to change the minds among our customers that are already made up. But, if I cause even one person to re-evauate how they perceive audio – and how they perceive audio in these modern times using video – then that’s good enough for me.
With sincerity and respect,
Rob LoVerde
Mastering Engineer
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Link: https://m.facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/photos/a.225949434168583/505744616189062/?type=3
Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge — phongvictor
July 8, 2021
From the MFSL Facebook page, some comments made by mastering engineer Rob LoVerde:
========================================
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
June 3, 2020 ·
Why Vanilla Fudge? Why Mono?
by Rob LoVerde
Since the beginning, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has typically sought to acquire recordings with stellar sonics. It is generally felt that, if the master tape of a recording sounds fantastic before we even come into the picture (Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side Of The Moon", Steely Dan's "Aja", Beck's "Sea Change", to name a few) then our process will only help that recording speak more clearly to the audiophile.
And, while that is a logical, tried-and-true philosophy, it is just as exciting and rewarding to apply our mastering techniques to recordings which may not be status symbols of high technological refinement. Although, some recordings may not reach the sonic heights of certain studio masterpieces, they are surely worthy of our attention and preservation.
Vanilla Fudge's self-titled debut album, a new addition to our catalog, could be considered as an example of that type of recording.
Recorded at Ultra-Sonic Recording Studios in 1967 (the address, 149 N. Franklin Street in Hempstead, NY now houses a laundromat), Vanilla Fudge's first album was produced and "directed" by Shadow Morton and recorded by Joe Veneri & Bill Stahl. The results of those recordings were certainly brash and exciting, but one would hardly describe the resulting sound as pure or polished. High sound pressure levels and overloaded equipment clearly ruled the room at these sessions. But, it is what the creators of this album intended and, therefore, is to be entirely respected.
Vanilla Fudge delivered this LP in both mono and stereo. Since 1967 was the last full year of mono LP production in the U.S., the mono mix became scarce only a short while after its release. The fact that the complete mono album has never been issued in any digital format would be a good enough reason for Mobile Fidelity to select it, instead of the stereo album, for our reissue. However, there is an even better reason, which guided our decision.
The album's biggest hit, "You Keep Me Hanging On" was only mixed to mono at the conclusion of its performance. Additionally, the last section of "Take Me For A Little While", when the background vocals shouting "Please!" appear, was only mixed to mono, as well. Clearly, mono was still the boss during the making of this record.
Once we decided to present this album in its mono format, it was then time to audition and evaluate the master tapes. Luckily, the masters still survive and in very good condition. As always, the goal was to play them back utilizing our proprietary technology and our customary exacting approach, precisely capturing all of the musical information that was recorded. Interestingly, during our mastering process, it was discovered that the master of "You Keep Me Hanging On" contains more than a few splices; edits made to piece together different parts to create the whole. Even more interesting, the different pieces of tape were recorded at differing azimuth calibration at the record head during mixing. For optimal results, our tape playback machine was re-calibrated, as necessary during transfer, in order to "trace" the azimuth settings of the original tape recorder, allowing us to capture phase-accurate, full-bandwidth reproduction.
So, while this is not a recording to compare with 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", what we are offering to you is Vanilla Fudge's classic first album, its sound fully intact, mastered directly from the original mono master tape played back to perfection. Nothing added or removed.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is thrilled to present our latest release on 180-gram, 45 RPM double LP and Hybrid SACD to fans who have been listening to this legendary album for over 50 years and to a new audience who will, hopefully, appreciate it today. Just last year, Quentin Tarantino featured "You Keep Me Hanging On" in the final act of his great film, "Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood". With coverage like that, we feel that there has never been a better time to check out the Fudge.
Rob LoVerde
Mastering Engineer
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
========================================
Link: https://facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/posts/why-vanilla-fudge-why-monoby-rob-loverdesince-the-beginning-mobile-fidelity-soun/3035271986569633/
========================================
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
June 3, 2020 ·
Why Vanilla Fudge? Why Mono?
by Rob LoVerde
Since the beginning, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has typically sought to acquire recordings with stellar sonics. It is generally felt that, if the master tape of a recording sounds fantastic before we even come into the picture (Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side Of The Moon", Steely Dan's "Aja", Beck's "Sea Change", to name a few) then our process will only help that recording speak more clearly to the audiophile.
And, while that is a logical, tried-and-true philosophy, it is just as exciting and rewarding to apply our mastering techniques to recordings which may not be status symbols of high technological refinement. Although, some recordings may not reach the sonic heights of certain studio masterpieces, they are surely worthy of our attention and preservation.
Vanilla Fudge's self-titled debut album, a new addition to our catalog, could be considered as an example of that type of recording.
Recorded at Ultra-Sonic Recording Studios in 1967 (the address, 149 N. Franklin Street in Hempstead, NY now houses a laundromat), Vanilla Fudge's first album was produced and "directed" by Shadow Morton and recorded by Joe Veneri & Bill Stahl. The results of those recordings were certainly brash and exciting, but one would hardly describe the resulting sound as pure or polished. High sound pressure levels and overloaded equipment clearly ruled the room at these sessions. But, it is what the creators of this album intended and, therefore, is to be entirely respected.
Vanilla Fudge delivered this LP in both mono and stereo. Since 1967 was the last full year of mono LP production in the U.S., the mono mix became scarce only a short while after its release. The fact that the complete mono album has never been issued in any digital format would be a good enough reason for Mobile Fidelity to select it, instead of the stereo album, for our reissue. However, there is an even better reason, which guided our decision.
The album's biggest hit, "You Keep Me Hanging On" was only mixed to mono at the conclusion of its performance. Additionally, the last section of "Take Me For A Little While", when the background vocals shouting "Please!" appear, was only mixed to mono, as well. Clearly, mono was still the boss during the making of this record.
Once we decided to present this album in its mono format, it was then time to audition and evaluate the master tapes. Luckily, the masters still survive and in very good condition. As always, the goal was to play them back utilizing our proprietary technology and our customary exacting approach, precisely capturing all of the musical information that was recorded. Interestingly, during our mastering process, it was discovered that the master of "You Keep Me Hanging On" contains more than a few splices; edits made to piece together different parts to create the whole. Even more interesting, the different pieces of tape were recorded at differing azimuth calibration at the record head during mixing. For optimal results, our tape playback machine was re-calibrated, as necessary during transfer, in order to "trace" the azimuth settings of the original tape recorder, allowing us to capture phase-accurate, full-bandwidth reproduction.
So, while this is not a recording to compare with 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", what we are offering to you is Vanilla Fudge's classic first album, its sound fully intact, mastered directly from the original mono master tape played back to perfection. Nothing added or removed.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is thrilled to present our latest release on 180-gram, 45 RPM double LP and Hybrid SACD to fans who have been listening to this legendary album for over 50 years and to a new audience who will, hopefully, appreciate it today. Just last year, Quentin Tarantino featured "You Keep Me Hanging On" in the final act of his great film, "Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood". With coverage like that, we feel that there has never been a better time to check out the Fudge.
Rob LoVerde
Mastering Engineer
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
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Link: https://facebook.com/MobileFidelitySoundLab/posts/why-vanilla-fudge-why-monoby-rob-loverdesince-the-beginning-mobile-fidelity-soun/3035271986569633/
Ananda Shankar - A Life In Music: Best Of The EMI Years — phongvictor
November 25, 2017
It should be noted that the 6 tracks from the "A Life in Music" album (1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-7, 1-9, 1-10) appear to be master-tape sourced. I unfortunately cannot speak for the other tracks.
The Velvet Underground & Nico (3) - The Velvet Underground & Nico — phongvictor
September 5, 2014
Per Bill Levenson (musicman9999), a reissue producer who formerly worked at Universal:
"The 2004 mono release is a clever bootleg."
"I'm serious. Definitely an unauthorized, unlicensed release."
Take that for what it's worth. http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/why-is-this-velvet-underground-nico-tagged-as-unofficial-in-discogs.311354/
"The 2004 mono release is a clever bootleg."
"I'm serious. Definitely an unauthorized, unlicensed release."
Take that for what it's worth. http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/why-is-this-velvet-underground-nico-tagged-as-unofficial-in-discogs.311354/
Simon & Garfunkel - The Best Of Simon & Garfunkel as reviewed by phongvictor
October 31, 2022Well worth it for this one track alone!