Mobile Fidelity's "Original Master Recordings"
For the better part of the year, Brad Miller of Mobile Fidelity Record Company has been engaged in a unique venture. Sensing a need on the part of the audiophile for high-quality transfers and pressings of best-selling pop records, he has convinced several major record companies to lease him the master tapes for subsequent production of audiophile-quality discs. The rationale as seen by the leasing company is that Mobile Fidelity production, because of its restricted distribution through high-fidelity channels, will not interfere with the sales of re corded product through record stores At normal audiophile disc prices, this is probably a safe assumption. It is important to note that Brad Miller is using the very same master tapes for his production that the record companies used for theirs. There is no remixing whatever from multitrack earlier generation sources.
(top) Fig. 1 --The peak values measured on John Klemmer's
record originally is sued by ABC Records (shown by dotted line) and the Mobile
Fidelity version (straight line). These curves represent the peak values for
the first 1:45 minutes of Side One. (middle) Fig. 2 --The
peak values for the record by Supertramp, originally issued on A&M Records
(shown by dotted line) vs. the same record by Mobile Fidelity for the first
2:15 minutes of Side One. (above) Fig. 3 --The peak values
for the record by the Los Angeles Philharmonic showed the smallest differences
between the London Record (dotted line) and Mobile Fidelity. The reason for
this is that Stan Ricker made both transfers.
When Miller secures permission from a company to issue what he calls an "Original Master Recording," the tape is transferred at half speed by Stan Ricker at the JVC Cutting Center in Los Angeles. Ricker and Miller analyze the product, establish what they consider an appropriate transfer level and per haps make minor adjustments in the equalization of the tape. Normally, there would be no compression or limiting employed. The master discs are then sent to the Victor Company of Japan for replication. The pressings are made with typical Japanese care on CD-4 type vinyl for long life, and the records are packaged in high-quality plastic inner sleeves. The album jackets carry the same artwork as the original with the added legend, "Original Master Recording" appearing at the top on both front and back. At the present time, there are about 10 or 12 recordings licensed in this manner from major record labels. I have played a number of these discs and can attest to their superiority in all cases over the standard American production. The thing that is most striking is the extension of frequency response at both the high and low ends of the spectrum as well as the extremely low noise level on the discs. One senses as well better separation at high frequencies, more like listening to a master tape, and this may well be the result of the half speed transfer processes with its improved separation at high frequencies.
Although the recorded spectrum tells only a part of the whole story, it is very interesting to look at these recordings on a 1/3-octave spectrum equalizer. For these measurements, we took three pairs of discs and played them back via an Ortofon MC20 moving-coil cartridge with left-plus-right preamp out put being fed to a B&K Model 2131 'A-octave spectrum equalizer. The B&K has a peak-hold capability plus storage; thus it was possible to play similar passages on the standard product vs. Mobile Fidelity product and compare the two later. Figure 1 shows the peak values measured on John Klemmer's Touch, originally issued by ABC Records. (The Mobile Fidelity disc number is MFSL 1-006). These curves represent the peak energy reached during the first 1:45 minutes of Side One. The solid line represents the Mobile Fidelity product and the dotted line the standard ABC product. One is immediately taken by the extension of frequency responses in both directions and the fact that the overall midrange level is lower by some 7 or 8 dB on the average. Miller is not fighting a level war as most domestic producers are; with the superlative Japanese processing, there is no reason to seek higher levels. Obviously, the original production favored a large midrange boost, presumably for the purposes of AM airplay. The result of this was to bring John Klemmer's tenor saxophone way to the fore, while down playing subtle percussion detail and bottom end.
Mobile Fidelity's version restores the musical balance, and the result, frankly, has the impact of a new mix. (Re member the same master tape was used in both cases.) The next pair we examined was the Crime of the Century by Supertramp, originally issued on A&M Records.
(The number of the Mobile Fidelity reissue is MFSL 1-005.) Figure 2 shows the recorded spectrum for both versions. Again, there is an extension of frequency responses in both directions, and the level has been reduced.
However, neither has been done quite to the extent we saw in Fig. 1. It is interesting to note the significant differences in responses in the top octave between 10 kHz and 20 kHz. The re corded spectra represent peak values registered during the first 2:15 minutes of Side One.
The third pair of pressings we checked showed the smallest differences between standard and Mobile Fidelity product of the entire set. It was the London Records recording of Star Wars and Close Encounters with Zubin Mehta conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (The Mobile Fidelity record number is MFSL 1-008). The peak recorded spectra for the first 1:20 minutes of Side One are shown in Fig. 3. In this case, the Mobile Fidelity product is just about one dB hotter across the band. The spectra are just about identical--not surprising in as much as Stan Ricker made both transfers (the telltale SR initials are to be found in the lockout area of both discs). There is, however, a quality edge still in favor of the Mobile Fidelity product.
We have refrained from commenting on the musical aspects of this product; after all, these recordings have been available for some time and have certainly established themselves as bestsellers. What we are addressing here is simply the technical quality of the newer transfers. All of this does raise some interesting questions about the general state of record and transfer quality as normally practiced by major U.S. labels. Brad Miller has certainly demonstrated that there is a need at the audiophile level for quality transfers and quality processing. He is proving moreover that premium prices can be charged for this product and that excellent sales levels will result. There is absolutely nothing that he is doing with these leased master tapes that the lessors themselves could not do if they had a mind to do it. While we can enjoy, with gratitude, what Mobile Fidelity is doing, we can't help question, with some bewilderment, why the domestic industry in general doesn't take more positive steps to clean up its act.
We will note in passing that many U.S. record companies, while falling short in the processing area, are investing in far better master lacquer transfers than was the case several years ago. Brad Miller's efforts underscore the remaining improvements which there are to be made.
--John Eargle
Just Friends: L.A 4
Concord Jazz C1D-1001, direct-to-disc, 515.00.
Straight Tracks: Great Guitars
Concord Jazz CID 1002, direct-to-disc, $15.00.
Autumn: Tommy Tedesco
Trend TR-514, direct-to-disc, $14.95.
The direct-to-disc method of recording has certainly found some fervent adherents in the West Coast school of jazz. These musicians play in a style that is marked by even, swinging tem pos, clean articulation, technical precision, and snappy melodic improvisations. I picked this trio of records be cause they have all the above in common and, in addition, they feature guitarists.
The hottest record here is the L.A. 4. It's hot not because it features the acoustic guitar of Laurindo Almeida, but because there are two other strong voices in the quartet, alto saxophonist Bud Shank and bass player Ray Brown.
They give Just Friends a texture and thrust that is lacking in many West Coast records. Shank's tone is so pure that even at his highest level of intensity (and these guys never get that intense), he maintains a crispness and transparency that is perfectly captured by the DTD process. Ray Brown is a bassist with a muscular, full-bodied sound. He maintains a dialogue be tween the drums and Shank that often make Almeida's background comping superfluous. Almeida's presence is felt most strongly in his solo spots, and his lyricism dominates the baroque Nouveau Bach based on Bach's Prelude in C Minor. His unaccompanied segment on Spain finds every nuance intact with no loss of dynamics when he emerges from the ensemble mix.
Straight Tracks, another Concord Jazz recording, was also produced and engineered by the same people, Carl E. Jefferson and Phil Edwards respectively, so it shares many basic characteristics with Friends. The mix here is marked by a sharp separation between instruments with the leads split on the left and right, drums spread across both speakers and the bass smack in the middle. There's also a dryness in the recorded sound which I don't find all that alluring. In their dependence upon the natural ambience of the room, they don't lose much presence, but they are lacking in sonic punch.
With Great Guitars I expected to find an interesting contrast between Charlie Byrd's acoustic guitar and the electrics of Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel. Although there's no mistaking the three guitarists, only Kessel uses the electric guitar for its special tonal qualities. And on Straight Tracks he's very subdued. Their sounds are distinct, whether from Byrd's classical intonations, Kessel's subtle nuances, or Ellis' lightning fingerings. Joe Byrd's electric bass does get lost in the shuffle at times, however. But Wayne Phillip's drums have a sharp attack and a lovely roundness to their tone.
Tommy Tedesco is yet another West Coast session musician with formidable chops. Autumn features him playing electric guitar on one side and acoustic on the other. There's so little difference in his approach to either instrument, I wondered why he even bothered trying. Of the three records, this one is the most lackluster recording. Both the bass and drums lack depth, and Jon Kurnick's rhythm guitar is almost an annoyance with his choppy attack. At two points during Dolphin Dance I heard a brief dip in the left channel levels that was disturbing, particularly when I listened on head phones.
Just Friends, Straight Tracks, and Autumn are all records cut from the same cloth. They couple musicians and their highly developed techniques with state-of-the-art recording. In spite of all this they make music that is neither offensive nor uplifting. It's simply enervating and doesn't matter.
Though the records of Concord Jazz and Discovery, Trend's parent company, are normally available stores you might have to write to them for these limited-edition, direct-to-disc recordings: Concord Jazz, P.O. Box 845, Concord, CA. 94522; Trend, Box 48081, Los Angeles, CA. 90048.
John Diliberto Just Friends
Sound: A Performance: B-
Straight Tracks
Sound: A Performance: C
Autumn
Sound: B+ Performance: C-
Live from Beautiful Downtown Burbank: Tommy Newsom
Direct Disk Labs DD-108, stereo, $14.95.
For those of you who are regular watchers of the Tonight Show and are Big Band fans, one of your more frustrating moments must be when the show comes back from a commercial break, just in time to hear the band playing the last few bars of an arrangement that has the audience stamping and shouting. Then Johnny makes things worse by saying something like "It's too bad you folks at home can't hear how great the band sounds tonight." Well, your frustrations are over. Direct Disk Labs has now released an en tire album featuring the Tonight Show Band, led by Mr. Excitement himself, Tommy Newsom.
All kidding aside, this is one of the most natural sounding D-D albums to land on my turntable in recent weeks.
Most of the non-classical D-D albums I've heard have been multi-mike recordings made in acoustically dead studios, the notable exception being Sheffield's single-stereo-mike recordings of Harry James.
With this recording, however, Direct Disk Labs has chosen a "middle road" approach by using multiple stereo mikes (aided by an occasional spot mike) in a large recording environment (Capitol's Studio A) and made liberal use of Capitol's famous "natural" reverberation chamber. (No steel plates or springs; instead, a series of interconnecting rooms, driven by loudspeakers, with the reverb picked up by strategically placed mikes.) The result is a recording with an excellent sense of space that holds up even when played back via headphones.
The pressing was excellent and, unlike many direct disc recordings which are pressed in West Germany or Japan, it was pressed in the U.S. The only anomaly I noticed was a very faint hiss that was probably due to the plating process. But let me hasten to emphasize that this hiss was not audible during music passages but only during the rather long pauses between selections.
When the overall pressing quality is high, the slightest defects become noticeable.
The jacket notes list Dr. Thomas Stockham as part of the engineering team (he seems to be everywhere these days) which indicates that Direct Disk Labs (as have others) has made a digital safety recording of these sessions. There was also a note stating the disc was also in dbx-encoded form.
Now that's interesting! While dbx-encoded discs have been available for some time, none of them have been also direct-cut discs. Producer Joe Overholt informs me that all previous Direct Disk Labs recording sessions have also been cut in dbx encoded form. During the sessions, one of the lathes has had its signals dbx encoded before being fed to the lathe electronics.
As of this writing, none of the dbx direct discs have been released but this situation may change soon when dbx begins production of their pro posed low-cost decoder. The use of dbx should not only remove any traces of noise on the disc, but it will also permit the length of a side to be in creased to over 20 minutes since the recorded signal is compressed 2:1.
I hope to review the dbx version of this recording when it becomes avail able. Charles P. Repka C.P.E. Bach: Cello Concerto No. 3 in A major; Josef Haydn: Cello Concerto in D major. London Chamber Orch., Paul Tortlier, cond. Unicorn/Barclay-Crocker UNC D 0207.
Bernard Herrmann: String Quartet "Echoes," The Amici Quartet; Clarinet Quintet-Souvenirs de Voyage, The Ariel Quartet, Robert Hill, clar. Uni corn/Barclay-Crocker UNC D 0337.
The Unicorn label has not been well known in the U.S. but this has not been true of their recordings, which have been available over the years on Nonesuch, Musical Heritage Society, HNH Records, and are now available in open-reel form from Barclay-Crocker in New York.
These two recordings present two completely different recording perspectives, which is a bit unusual for a small record label such as Unicorn.
The smaller companies very often have equally small production and engineering staffs which results in a consistent "sound" to their recordings ...
This is not the case here. The cello concerti have been recorded with an up-close, highly detailed perspective, much more of an American approach to recording than I expected from this English company. Let me hasten to add that this is by no means objection able. The overall music and the sense of space are excellent, as are the performances by the London Chamber Orchestra and their conductor/soloist, Paul Tortelier. The tape duplication is up to Barclay-Crocker's usual high standards.
The Bernard Herrmann tape has a more distant and diffuse quality, which is in perfect harmony with the quiet, introspective character of the music. Most of us are familiar with Bernard Hermann's music from his film scores but few of us have heard (or are even aware of) his "serious" music compositions. These hauntingly beautiful works are in complete contrast to the bombastic music usually associated with him.
This particular recording allows us to hear the high-quality nature of Barclay-Crocker's tape duplication. The Echoes Quartet was recorded in 1966 without the benefit of Dolby A noise reduction. As a result, some slight tape hiss is audible. The Quintet was re corded eight years later, in 1974, with the same engineering crew but this time equipped with Dolby A electronics, which produced a recording with a greatly reduced background noise. The fact that this difference is still notice able pays tribute to Barclay-Crocker's careful processing and quality control.
High marks should also be awarded to recording engineer Bob Auger who has provided us with remarkably similar sound in these two works in spite of the eight year hiatus between sessions.
-Charles P. Repka
(Source: Audio magazine, May 1979)
Also see: Top of the Pile -- Audiophile stereo recordings (Feb. 1979)
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