The Blue Note Thread

I don't know if this has already been posted.


I thought I would never seriously consider buying any of the one steps. I was tempted with Bill Evans, but had a fairly decent sounding OJC copy that. cost a 10th off the price.

I don't think I'll be able to stop myself with this one.
Interesting. Music Matters Jazz just put this out on SRX vinyl a couple of months ago with this description: "cut from the original analog tapes, mastered by Ron Rambach and Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio, and pressed at Record Technologies Inc (RTI)." How many different times/ways can these "original" tapes be remastered? or are they all working from the same remastering and just pressing it differently?
 
Interesting. Music Matters Jazz just put this out on SRX vinyl a couple of months ago with this description: "cut from the original analog tapes, mastered by Ron Rambach and Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio, and pressed at Record Technologies Inc (RTI)." How many different times/ways can these "original" tapes be remastered? or are they all working from the same remastering and just pressing it differently?
There’s also a gorgeous AAA pressing of it available from Analogue Productions on 45RPM
 
Just came across this New Yorker article on Hank Mobley, not sure if it has been posted here already
 
Is there a more stacked line up than A Blowin’ Session by Johnny Griffin? Jeez Louise you have the top man at every instrument, three in the sax dept. Just bonkers.
Kind of Blue comes to mind but idk A Blowin Session is probably the best line up ever if you’re a Jazz Messengers fan, which hopefully everyone is.
 
I recently discovered this inexpensive and overlooked stacked album:

McCoy Tyner’s Together:

Stanley Clarke, Bass
Bill Summers, Congas, Percussion
Jack DeJohnette, Drums
Hubert Laws, Flute
Bennie Maupin, Tenor, Bass Clarinet
Freddie Hubbard, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Bobby Hutcherson, Vibes

Is there a more stacked line up than A Blowin’ Session by Johnny Griffin? Jeez Louise you have the top man at every instrument, three in the sax dept. Just bonkers.
 
How many different times/ways can these "original" tapes be remastered? or are they all working from the same remastering and just pressing it differently?
As many times as they want until the tapes fall apart I guess. The ones being discussed are not all working from the same remastering. They are working from the original master tapes, and a different cutting is being done for each of them. Additional mastering is done by the cutting engineer independently in each case. There isn't a way to use the same mastering with different engineers in AAA mastering outside of one engineer making very thorough notes and another trying to duplicate it.

Edit: I believe the AP and MM are both Kevin Gray, but it's hard to say if they had different mastering goals. I doubt they are identical. He did the 45 MM different from the 33 MM intentionally though and some like one more than the other.
 
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As many times as they want until the tapes fall apart I guess. The ones being discussed are not all working from the same remastering. They are working from the original master tapes, and a different cutting is being done for each of them. Additional mastering is done by the cutting engineer independently in each case. There isn't a way to use the same mastering with different engineers in AAA mastering outside of one engineer making very thorough notes and another trying to duplicate it.

Edit: I believe the AP and MM are both Kevin Gray, but it's hard to say if they had different mastering goals. I doubt they are identical. He did the 45 MM different from the 33 MM intentionally though and some like one more than the overs.
Interesting. So if I understand, the tape is singular (of course) and serves as the basis for all of these different versions "working from the original tape." But the mastering would be akin to my taking a RAW photo file (analogous to the tape in this instance) and editing it in Photoshop (analogous to the mastering?) and then printing it (the record, or at least the solid object the record is pressed from). Anyone else working from that same RAW file would have to do their own editing, unless they knew exactly what I had done, but even then, it would be its own, separate process.
 
Interesting. So if I understand, the tape is singular (of course) and serves as the basis for all of these different versions "working from the original tape." But the mastering would be akin to my taking a RAW photo file (analogous to the tape in this instance) and editing it in Photoshop (analogous to the mastering?) and then printing it (the record, or at least the solid object the record is pressed from). Anyone else working from that same RAW file would have to do their own editing, unless they knew exactly what I had done, but even then, it would be its own, separate process.
Yeah I think so. I think the main difference is that they are essentially making changes to the signal as it goes to the printer (lathe), instead of in Photoshop when it is AAA.
 
Interesting. So if I understand, the tape is singular (of course) and serves as the basis for all of these different versions "working from the original tape." But the mastering would be akin to my taking a RAW photo file (analogous to the tape in this instance) and editing it in Photoshop (analogous to the mastering?) and then printing it (the record, or at least the solid object the record is pressed from). Anyone else working from that same RAW file would have to do their own editing, unless they knew exactly what I had done, but even then, it would be its own, separate process.

It's interesting that you use the analogy of digital files & photoshop, it must be an age thing but it's probably not that long ago I was explaining RAW files and photo processing software to my dad.

I'm not sure that the analogy quite works, only because photo shop is generally used to edit photos, maybe the mastering process is probably more analogous to developing film, or 'simple' processing of the RAW file. There are a lot of variables that could influence the sound through the mastering process, not least the equipment used, Kevin Gray notably was able to improve the quality of his mastered records by changing the cables used in his kit. He has mastered some of the same records before and after upgrading his cables.

This might not be entirely relevant, but I found this article by Kevin Gray. interesting. It's from back in 1997 and describes some of the physics & thought process that goes into mastering vinyl.

 
It's interesting that you use the analogy of digital files & photoshop, it must be an age thing but it's probably not that long ago I was explaining RAW files and photo processing software to my dad.

I'm not sure that the analogy quite works, only because photo shop is generally used to edit photos, maybe the mastering process is probably more analogous to developing film, or 'simple' processing of the RAW file. There are a lot of variables that could influence the sound through the mastering process, not least the equipment used, Kevin Gray notably was able to improve the quality of his mastered records by changing the cables used in his kit. He has mastered some of the same records before and after upgrading his cables.

This might not be entirely relevant, but I found this article by Kevin Gray. interesting. It's from back in 1997 and describes some of the physics & thought process that goes into mastering vinyl.


Ha, yeah, you're right. Dark room work probably makes more sense, and given @dhodo's comment about changes to the signal as it goes to the lathe, that would be akin to the voodoo great photographers managed while actually printing their images. Funny thing is I suspect I'm a lot closer to your dad's age than to yours! :D
 
Looks like there are three new Tone Poet titles up for pre-order at uDiscover:

 
Interesting. Music Matters Jazz just put this out on SRX vinyl a couple of months ago with this description: "cut from the original analog tapes, mastered by Ron Rambach and Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio, and pressed at Record Technologies Inc (RTI)." How many different times/ways can these "original" tapes be remastered? or are they all working from the same remastering and just pressing it differently?
The Ultradisc One Step should theoretically sound best if all other factors are the same, but I doubt they will be. Would be interesting to see who remasters it for MoFi and how it sounds. Blood on the Tracks has made me into a full-on One Step believer and I am now up to 3 with a 4th title on the way...
 
The Ultradisc One Step should theoretically sound best if all other factors are the same, but I doubt they will be. Would be interesting to see who remasters it for MoFi and how it sounds. Blood on the Tracks has made me into a full-on One Step believer and I am now up to 3 with a 4th title on the way...
Does MoFi have more than one guy doing their cutting at the moment? I thought KW does all their stuff.
 
Does MoFi have more than one guy doing their cutting at the moment? I thought KW does all their stuff.
I thought they did but it appears that Krieg Wunderlich is doing all of the One Steps so far and all the One Steps I have sound fantastic.

I have the AP Somethin Else on 45 though and it sounds awesome so don’t know how much better this one would sound.
 
I thought they did but it appears that Krieg Wunderlich is doing all of the One Steps so far and all the One Steps I have sound fantastic.

I have the AP Somethin Else on 45 though and it sounds awesome so don’t know how much better this one would sound.
I don't own Somethin Else and just might jump on this one as my first One Step.
 
I don't own Somethin Else and just might jump on this one as my first One Step.
The way I see it...every single One Step has increased in value. Even if you buy it and find yourself not thinking it was worth the $125+ for it, you should easily be able to sell it in a few months for more than that. I've been trying to track down some of the older One Steps that i wanted that I missed out on and it's pretty tricky to find them for anything near regular price after they sell out...I cracked and ended up ordering Mingus Ah Um the other night at list price but with tax it's pretty pricey. I should have gone for it in the Target Sale but I know people got theirs cancelled.
 
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