An authoritive voice

This week we are going to talk about something that's in one sense a bit removed from what this blog usually talks about but elements do connect with it.

You may of noticed I do like music and that does extend to buying vinyl records, some older used copies and others new either new albums or high quality re-issues from companies that specialize in that.

For the last ten days or so there has been a burning controversy on a music forum and on you tube channels devoted to audio issues concerning one labels product which is quite expensive at around $125 which rather than growing a number of new stampers requires laquers to be individually cut and can only used a few times rather than what has been used for decades

The argument runs by missing out this step you get lower noise and and more precise sound as pressing records has a lot of parallels with using moulds to stamp out plastic items.

This issue blew up because a planned release at years end  for the 40th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller album had a stated 40,000 copies which could not be done especially when they claim to cut each laquer directly from the master.

Again traditionally in the days when any title could sell ten to twenty thousand copies per week an intermediate tape copy was used for that and the quality was such you'd struggle to hear any difference.

Doing this or using a digital copy to generate one is what is being alleged and it is also true to say a number of major labels such as Sony regularly refuse to let out the actual master tapes supplying only 1:1 tape copies or high resolution digital files.

The shocking thing all this is firstly the failure to respond at all to being asked exactly what they do use just tossing out a statement to say the endeavour to produce the very best records they can as if customers who spend a lot of money on these things do not matter.

The other is the lack of transparency in all the material they do put out hinting at mastertapes even though some titles were recorded digitally just saying they were sourced from them not addressing the question of how they cut these.

Getting back to top of this peice it's less about the product, many of which do sound great but just the seeming inability to show intrigrity and come clean.

That's all lots of audio fans are asking for.