BamaBilly
Motorcycles and Music
He’s scheduled to meet with them at their headquarters in a few days, they said they would explain the entire process. He says he’ll do a video of the interview, I’m looking forward to it.
UPDATE! MoFi is using all digital processing with their vinyl pressings
- Thread starter Audiofreak71
- Start date
BamaBilly
Motorcycles and Music
If you do I would LOVE to hear about it
Interesting. It seems to me to be folly to get analgoue pressings from digitized material, via source or process, if one wants true analog sound.
I recently ordered an LP version of a CD I like quite a bit, but then cancelled once I found out the source was not analog tape, but the CD I had; as what's the point? The processing of the transport/DAC vs. TT/cart/phono preamplifier??
I recently ordered an LP version of a CD I like quite a bit, but then cancelled once I found out the source was not analog tape, but the CD I had; as what's the point? The processing of the transport/DAC vs. TT/cart/phono preamplifier??
AvFan
Super Member
70 pages on the Hoffman site of back and forth, speculating, folks opining on legal precedent, etc., geez. Sooo much blather without any facts. This is how companies get ruined without deserving it. If it takes 10 good reviews to equal one bad one, MOFI may be screwed even if they haven't done anything wrong. Can we all hold off until they respond?
katana1100
Well-Known Member
I think they have been digitizing since they released DSOTM. There is an article somewhere mentioning how they digitally removed audio zits.
HungryEars
Well-Known Member
I don't really care one way or the other. Sure pure analog would be ideal from the masters of original recordings....For digital for me it comes to what that digital means...Digital can be bad or good. Its the level of detail they are going down to...is it run of the mill stuff you can do on a fairly good laptop...or is it equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars that can examine each micron of information down exceeding the capabilities of virtually anything in consumer use?
I’m sure some of you have seen this. Maybe some of you have not. Pretty interesting stuff. I guess like Mike, I wonder if it change’s any body’s feelings about MOFI.
I’m on the fence personally. I guess I am willing to pay a little extra to have an actual analog copy of the music in my hands vs having a digital copy downloaded to a server or on a hard drive somewhere. I don’t think I am willing to pay the premium MOFI has been charging for what amounts to digital copy transfers to vinyl.
What are y’all’s thoughts?
I’m on the fence personally. I guess I am willing to pay a little extra to have an actual analog copy of the music in my hands vs having a digital copy downloaded to a server or on a hard drive somewhere. I don’t think I am willing to pay the premium MOFI has been charging for what amounts to digital copy transfers to vinyl.
What are y’all’s thoughts?
Taketheflame
Super Member
Will be interesting to hear what MoFi has to say.
I decided awhile ago that being a die-hard analog purist makes this hobby a lot less fun and limits one's music choices on the vinyl format, so I quit worrying about how the material is sourced (as long as it's the best quality source available if digital) and starting worrying more about how it's mastered.
I've picked up more than a few $20-30 reissue records in the past couple of years that I assume are digitally sourced...but most of them still sound great, and "analog" enough to me
I only have one MoFi record in my collection, but it's one of the Silver label titles. Lots of Music on Vinyl reissues though - I've had great luck with them.
I decided awhile ago that being a die-hard analog purist makes this hobby a lot less fun and limits one's music choices on the vinyl format, so I quit worrying about how the material is sourced (as long as it's the best quality source available if digital) and starting worrying more about how it's mastered.
I've picked up more than a few $20-30 reissue records in the past couple of years that I assume are digitally sourced...but most of them still sound great, and "analog" enough to me
I only have one MoFi record in my collection, but it's one of the Silver label titles. Lots of Music on Vinyl reissues though - I've had great luck with them.
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I am following this with mild curiosity though in the end if you like the sound of a LP then I do not think that the source material for that recording matters. The proof is in the pudding as the saying goes.
However if companies have been charging a premium by intentionally marketing the source material and their process as something it is not then I think there is a problem and the marketplace and court of public opinion should hold them accountable.
However if companies have been charging a premium by intentionally marketing the source material and their process as something it is not then I think there is a problem and the marketplace and court of public opinion should hold them accountable.
Just heard about this from the owner at my LRS the other day. He usually gives me first dibs on mofi albums, not that I buy a lot though.
Should be interesting to see how it plays out.
The Shocker
Super Member
There are tons of videos on YouTube now talking about how MFSL supposedly uses a digital source to make their One-Step (and possibly regular) vinyl record pressings.
I really don't care. The only thing I buy from MFSL are their SACDs. But either way, I find the whole thing silly.
A digital copy of the original master tapes is probably a better choice than the original master tapes, anyway. Old tapes, stored improperly, will have all sorts of sonic issues that can only be corrected through digital manipulation. The younger the tape was when they converted it to digital, the better off that is.
There is also the problem with the Universal Music fire, where an insane amount of analog master tapes were destroyed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Universal_Studios_fire
I think there is probably some reputational damage, since MOFI claims they make their recordings "from the original master tapes." But I don't think it makes a bit of different in sound quality.
I really don't care. The only thing I buy from MFSL are their SACDs. But either way, I find the whole thing silly.
A digital copy of the original master tapes is probably a better choice than the original master tapes, anyway. Old tapes, stored improperly, will have all sorts of sonic issues that can only be corrected through digital manipulation. The younger the tape was when they converted it to digital, the better off that is.
There is also the problem with the Universal Music fire, where an insane amount of analog master tapes were destroyed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Universal_Studios_fire
I think there is probably some reputational damage, since MOFI claims they make their recordings "from the original master tapes." But I don't think it makes a bit of different in sound quality.
That, in my experience, sums up the whole site and 99% of the threads there. As always, YMMV.
Mystic
We're all born mad
We @ AK probably can hold off, but @ SHF no way.
Mystic
We're all born mad
QFT
Taketheflame
Super Member
Sometimes more than just digitally mastered too - some record jackets of mine dating back to 1982/83 say "digitally recorded" in the production notes.
Frank Zappa's London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano, was recoreded in 1983 on 24-track digital recorder. It's one of the earliest pieces of vinyl I have that was digitally recorded. I think Donald Fagan's The Nightfly was the earliest? October of 1982 IIRC.
I thought it was Ry Cooder’s album in 79 that was the first one digitally recorded?
Audiofreak71