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Hi Lou,

Sorry for all of the unintended gibberish. I think because this post was 
pasted from my meeting notes which were written in a word processor, 
accounts for all of the quotation marks.

Regards,

Corey

On 7/26/2017 6:42 PM, Lou Judson wrote:
> VERY interesting. Just a comment and a criticism:
>
> Keep in mind all three of these engineers make Lps, thus the high percentage of their work is Lps (duh) and this does not reflect all (mastering studio) engineers
>
> And all the asterisks***make***it***almost***as***hard***to***read as ALL CAPS! especially t**he one**s i*n th**e mi**d**dle of words!
>
> What are you trying to communicate with all the stars in your post?
>
> Good report, though.
> <L>
> Lou Judson
> Intuitive Audio
> 415-883-2689
>
> On Jul 26, 2017, at 4:37 PM, Corey Bailey<[log in to unmask]>  wrote:
>
>    
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I thought that the group might find this interesting:
>>
>> Last night, the local AES chapter (AES L.A.) had a panel discussion that consisted of *Bernie Grundman, Pete Lyman **and Kevin Gray. Some of the takeaways were:*
>>
>> *Vinyl currently comprises about 85% of the business for all three **of the **mastering engineers studios.*
>>
>> *The quality of the vinyl being used is as good as ever **which **was based on the listening of test pressings. One of the **mastering engineers **noted that it takes about 5 test pressings to get an average **of quality**. Although there have been some issues causing the re-formulating of the vinyl being used (the oil embargoes of the 1970's, the recent removal of lead from the formula, etc.), all three felt that the current formulation is as good as **it **ever **was**. *
>>
>> *All three **mastering engineers **agreed **that there is no benefit of making records any heaver than 180 grams. Heaver records are difficult to press and the real concern is evenness.*
>>
>> *There was quite a bit of discussion about the difference in fidelity between the center of the record and the inside groves which led to a discussion of how to make the best sounding record. All agreed that the maximum time for overall best fidelity was between 17 and 18 minutes per side.*
>>
>> *Virtually all of the source material **in today's world **is digital. Usually hi-res files that are 24/96 or 24/192. 32 bit files are as common as 24 bit files. *
>>
>> *For re-release, the record companies are shipping hi-res files because they don't want to ship the original masters anymore. As often as not, the original tapes are in poor shape and the hi-res files are the result of restoration. *
>>
>> *For CD release, more often than not, the mastering **studio** is shipped the same file used to make the CD because most people, who are doing a vinyl release as well as CD, don't understand what is best for record cutting. All three noted that when they are mastering both the CD and vinyl release, they will go back to the unprocessed file for cutting the record.*
>>
>> *A**l**l three agreed t**h**at the**y **do **n**ot like th**e **sound of D**i**rect Met**al M**astering (**D**MM) and **o**n**e **of th**e **mastering engineers* noted that the vertical cuts are stepped (He described the microscope view as being chiseled) and noted that this probably contributes to the harsh sound of DMM. None of the three *mastering engineers **that were present offer**s** DMM.*
>>
>> *No one appears to be making new lathes which is apparently no big deal because the existing equipment was so well built that rebuilding and upgrades are apparently forever possible.*
>>
>> *EQ copies are still made of the mastering sessions (My question from the audience) however, they are digital data files that are taken from the automation. FWIW: Bernie Grundman noted that the data files are generally not transferable to another facility because of the uniqueness of each facility.*
>>
>> *The article form the WSJ (the one that started this thread) was brought up by the moderator and the response from all three was that they will continue making hay while the sun is shinning.
>> *
>>
>> *Cheers!
>> *
>>
>> *Corey
>> Corey Bailey Audio Engineering
>> www.baileyzone.net
>> *
>>
>>      
>