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Kevin Bresnahan
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Posts posted by Kevin Bresnahan
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I asked Mosaic about their use of Cedar noise reduction and the answer I got back from them was:
"We own a Cedar de-clicker and use it judiciously on disc transfer material where it does some good. WE DO NOT USE IT TO THE DEGREE THAT IT EATS INTO THE FREQUENCY RANGE OF THE MUSIC.
We never use Cedar or Sonic noise reduction as these processes are too invasive to the sound quality."
The gist of the whole E-mail was that the Cedar de-clicker program was OK, noise reduction programs are not. This is what I thought Mosaic told me a while ago. They do not use any noise reduction on their sets today.
BTW, the E-mail also included a reference to someone saying that they could hear noise reduction on the Sarah Vaughan Mosaic set. I searched all over for this post to let the person know that this is absolutely false. There is positively no noise reduction or de-clicking used on the Sarah Vaughan Mosaic set.
Kevin
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I have yet to hear a commercially-relased CD with CEDAR noise reduction that I thought sounded "good". Most sound as if they were recorded with the band underwater. CEDAR is particularly brutal on drummers. Cymbles disappear. It might be poor engineering as Allen says, but that would mean that there are a lot of bad CEDAR engineers.
Quite honestly, as good as Allen says he is with CEDAR, if he wants to sell the resulting CD, he should stop using it. Not using CEDAR won't help make a sale but using it will definitely make quite a few potential buyers avoid it. There are a lot of people who will not buy a "CEDAR-ized" CD. That's a fact. I believe Mosaic stopped using it on their reissues because of customer complaints.
Later,
Kevin
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Try Norman's Sound & Vision down in the East Village in the vicinity of the Village Voice (67 Cooper Square).....Norm runs the place.
Norman's sells re-wrapped used CDs as new. You pay new prices and when you open them up, it's clearly a used CD with scratches and fingerprints all over the disc. Norman's also knowingly sells stolen goods. I got into a big argument with them when they were selling piles of sawcut Mosaic boxes that had been stolen from Mosaic. Also, one time my good buddy went in there and found Leo Parker's "Rolling With Leo". He went up to the front desk to check out and they refused to sell it to him saying it wasn't supposed to be on the floor... even though it was priced. I just don't like that place. I won't buy anything from them anymore.
However, right around the corner on St. Marks are a whole bunch of cool little shops, so it is worth the trip down to that area.
Kevin
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Colin,
As I mentioned in this thread, the Steve Hoffman forum is a good place to get a nice healthy conversation going about this topic. Just yesterday, this thread showed up and it's about making your own DVD-Audio discs. There is some confusion about how to do it and your insight might be helpful.
Kevin
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Thank you, Colin, for hanging in there--I'm glad this thread finally got back on track. Also hope we don't lose you to Steve Hoffman, which is an interesting thread and--I find--not at all full of what some people call "trolls." Still, this is the place to be, IMO.
Chris,
I did not say that there are trolls over at Steve Hoffman's forums!! There are some great posters over there and trolls would get the boot very quickly.
There are some major trolls over at the Audio Asylum boards however and it is rather insane, hence the "Audio Asylum". It's actually gotten so bad that I rarely go there. It has denigrated into a bunch of fanatics screaming at each over which high rez format is more dead than the other.
Follow my link and read a few threads... nasty stuff going on there. However, Colin's experimentation with DVD-Audio may get a few good posts.Later,
Kevin
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Colin,
Have you ever made a transfer at 24/96, created a DVD-Audio disc and then downconverted that transfer to 16/44.1, created a CD-R and compared the two in a blind listening test on your audio system? It may be that you are expecting 24/96 to sound better so it does. In practice, it may not be a "night & day" type scenario. Maybe it's only a smidge better? In all seriousness, I have done blind listening tests between DVD-Audio, SACD and redbook CD and in some cases, there isn't a whole lot of differences and when there are, it's usually in the mastering, not the source. This isn't always true but it has happened. In fact, a friend of mine seems to prefer the sound redbook CD over high rez. Go figure.
Regardless, I can't play DVD-Audio in my car. That's the biggest reason I convert LPs to digital to begin with. I have no professional work at it and redbook CD suits me. Heck, if I want vinyl sound in my house, that's what my turntable is for.
It might also interest you to know that there used to be a big advocate of SACD who regularly posted here in a manner that caused some backlash against all high rez audio. I never did agree with his confrontational style to get people to convert to SACD but I did agree with him that everyone who loves music should at least give it a try. I can only wonder if this backlash is still here on this board. There isn't a whole lot of discussion about high rez audio here. You would think there would be but there isn't.
If you really want to get into this with a lot of like-minded audiophiles, try Steve Hoffman's forums but MAKE SURE YOU READ THEIR POSTING RULES. They are strict about personal attacks and discussing double-blind listening tests are a no-no (since they usually break down into a subjective vs. objective argument).
Another place to go is the Audio Asylum DVD-Audiobahn. The only caveat I can give you about that place is that there are some truly insane people there and you should figure out who to respond to and who to ignore or else you'll get upset at a troll... and that's what they live for. There are a lot of trolls there.
Later,
Kevin
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As I remember it Dan, you're correct. They were licensed for release within the European market, or a segment of that market. They weren't licensed for US sales, so in that sense they're "gray" in the US. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!
You guys have it right. The Spanish Blue Note series was legit in Spain. It was supposed to be a subscription service of some type. They are not legit for sale in the US... actually, they are not legit anywhere since it was licensed for a subscription service. Unless someone buys them through that subscription service, then they aren't being sold per the contract.
BTW, I imagine that one of the reasons Blue Note is so ticked off about these CDs, other than the obvious dent in future sales, is the fact that they were warned not to make this deal. To make matters worse, they actually gave Time/Life a better deal than they give some domestic reissue labels! You can imagine how that made them feel, especially now how it's fallen apart.
I doubt you'll ever see another series like this. Basically, Time/Life likely screwed everyone by doing this.
Later,
Kevin
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Colin,
Maybe you misunderstood my post. I have done many, many LP transfers in 16/44.1 and they all sound fine to my ears and the ears of the many people I have sent them to. I don't need to spend the money on a 24/96 set-up. The sound I'm getting now is very good.
I also wouldn't want you to think I'm against this. I do have several DVD-Audio discs and they are among my best-sounding discs in my collection. However, when it comes to burning from an LP source, and let's face it, you don't need 105 dB of dynamic range for vinyl, 16 bit 44.1 kHz is perfectly fine for most everyone. I just don't think the average Joe's money is well spent like this.
What you also may fail to realize is that most of the people on this board are not likely to have a DVD-Audio capable player. Then what? 16/44.1 audio is universal. If I stick to that, I never have to ask, "Do you have a DVD-Audio player"? I never have to worry about it playing in my car (which is the biggest reason to make these burns to begin with). It's more universal, period.
The Tascam burner intrigues me because it can digitize using DSD and playback like an SACD. I have more than 100 SACDs in my collection and they sound phenomenal. I prefer their sound to DVD-Audio, if only by a slight margain. I would be more interested in making my own SACDs than DVD-Audio discs. Unfortunately, this Tascam deck does not make DSD-encoded discs that will play back in an SACD player. They will only play back in the Tascam. When they get this worked out with Sony, I'll be looking at buying one.
Later,
kevin
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The thing about the Leo Parker Blue Notes is that they are technically "no name" dates. No big name "Blue Note" stablemates along for the ride. No Lee Morgan. No Herbie Hancock. Bill Swindell? Yusef Salim? John Burks? Nope. Nobody knows them.
This lack of familiarity has historically hurt both of these dates. That's why they've been oop for so long. They're taking a chance by putting this title in there. It will likely not sell as well as the others. Any lost sales for any reason sucks. I absolutely love these dates. They are among my favorites. I burned CD-R copies for the car. They are what I call "pick-me-up" CDs. If I'm feeling bummed about something, I put on one of these and I start smiling. I've been trying to get Michael to put them out as a two-fer in the Connoisseur series. Now, with this coming out in the RVG series, if it doesn't sell, we may never see "Rolling With Leo".
Later,
Kevin
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Maybe MC wants these cats to get some extra recognition (via RVG releases) while they are still with us - and just maybe a few more folks will be inclined to attend their gigs?Just a thought...
Cheers,
Shane
AND they can benefit from royalties. This is always a concern for "good" producers. I can site dozens of reissues dictated by royalty concerns.
I know Michael tried like hell to get some John Patton out on CD just for this reason. He died with a pile of medical bills. I hope his wife has been able to cope with them. That's one benefit concert I'd try to make.
Kevin
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Thanks again for posting one of these lists. Very kind of you to share this information with the rest of us.I told him that the latest Spanish blue-tinged Blue Note CDs have satisfied the market for "Let Me Tell You 'Bout It" but...
As for the above, I know I've said it before but, the argument you present really only holds water if we assume that a significant percentage of the U.S. jazz buying public actively seeks out Spanish(?!) Blue Note reissues. I'm just not sure that's the case...
But Brandon, did you catch the thread the other day where people were ordering them from Dusty Groove? I go to two stores that sell quite a few copies of this as well. It is one of the Spanish Blue Notes that is selling very well. After all, it is a TOCJ mastering so it's sounds pretty darn good.
If this was "Rolling With Leo", there would be zero competition from this Spanish series. I think they should have gone for "Rolling With Leo".
Later,
Kevin
Kevin
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I got a list of six upcoming titles in the RVG series, scheduled for Sept. I've been holding off posting them because they usually come in batches of 12. It looks like this might be only 6.
The fact that they have UPC codes seems to indicate they're done and ready to roll.
00946 311490 2 3 LEO PARKER – LET ME TELL YOU ‘BOUT IT
00946 311492 2 1 BLUE MITCHELL – DOWN WITH IT
00946 311494 2 9 STANLEY TURRENTINE – THAT’S WHERE IT’S AT
00946 311496 2 7 HANK MOBLEY – REACH OUT
00946 311423 2 1 LONNIE SMITH – TURNING POINT
00946 311426 2 8 THE SOUNDS OF JIMMY SMITH
BTW, I went back & forth with Michael Cuscuna to try and get him to change that Leo Parker title to "Rollin With Leo". I told him that the latest Spanish blue-tinged Blue Note CDs have satisfied the market for "Let Me Tell You 'Bout It" but Michael said it was already "in the can" for the Japanese market, so it's easier that way. I still think it's a mistake and poor Leo won't sell again. I just love these Leo Parker dates... I hate to see this title set up to flop.
Later,
Kevin
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I've toyed with the idea of doing this but quite frankly, when transferring LPs to digital, they do not need the advanced resolution of 24/96 or 24/192... they really do sound perfectly fine in 16/44.1. In fact, I wonder if the clicks, pops & hum might not become more noticeable in 24/96? I'd like to try it but the costs can't be justified in my budget right now.
If I was going to do this, I'd buy Tascam's standalone SACD/DVD-A recorder. The obvious problem is the inability to de-click the results. Plus DVD blanks are more expensive.
Later,
Kevin
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I solved that problem by putting the JRVG CD in the Connoisseur CD case and giving away the Conn CD in the RVG sleeve. That way, I got the best of both worlds.
And no, I could care less that I ruined the "collectibility" of my CD!
Kevin
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Wow, that's a bummer. It's too bad you won't get the opportunity to hear the SACD layer of these discs. They make it feel like you're in the room with the band... really. Did you even think about maybe getting a cheapie Pioneer unit? They're only around $100 here in the US now. You wouldn't even have to worry about multi-channel. The titles you have listed here are all stereo.
I think you'll be able to sell these too. The AP SACDs are pretty much universally recognized as prime SACD material. I absolutely love Adderley's "You Know What I Mean". I use the intro to "Waltz For Debby" as a speaker demo tool.
Kevin
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Hans,
Have you dumped your SACD player!?!? Man, these AP SACDs are some of the best-sounding discs I've ever heard. Don't tell me you've been drinking that special Kool-Aid they've been serving over at the Steve Hoffman forums.
I wish the shipping charges weren't so high too so I could buy a few. I can get most of these titles at a local store by special order for $21 each. I think the MFSL titles are around $24.
Kevin
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I have several of these and I wouldn't say the sound is "great". From this second batch of Fontanas, I have two of them and I would agree with "adequate". I doubt they had access to the masters. In fact, there's some doubt as to the existence of the masters.
As for the packaging, of all the mini-LPs I've ever bought, these are the cheesiest. They're made out of very thin cardboard that wouldn't stand up to a sneeze, much less heavy handling.
The music on these CDs is great! I wouldn't be without it. If they ever get a proper reissue, I'll probably consider re-buying them.
Kevin
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If I was smart, I would have stuck with a nice, cold Hefe instead of the Zin, but if you don't crank open a good bottle on your birthday, why buy the stuff in the first place?
BTW, if I were to have had a beer, my fridge is stocked with:
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Thanks everybody. What a birthday... hot & sweaty with the wife... even got light-headed...
Working in the yard!
Hey, the Turley Zin was awesome with my favorite meal, my wife's spaghetti. Tonight me & the girls are having cake.
Life's good.
Later,
Kevin
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As I said in this thread, limiting the sales to one per customer didn't save this for the catalog customers. I think there's just too many of us rabid Mosaic fans hooked up to the Internet. If they're really concerned about their catalog customers, they're gonna have to wanr them earlier.
If they have a set that they think might sell out soon, they should list it in the next catalog.
BTW, this set selling out is a good thing for Mosaic. If you missed out, just remember that and it might soften the blow.
Kevin
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Let me pose a question to the 'free marketeers' of this thread:
Would you have a problem if a single buyer/dealer acquired ALL 5,000 copies of a never-again licensed Mosaic set of a modern jazz artist?
Once again, this thread was started because someone tried to buy two copies of this box, not 10,000. I doubt anyone on this thread would advocate Mosaic doing what you're suggesting.
BTW, understand that Mosaic has and continues to sell large blocks of sets to companies. How do you think Classic Records lists these sets in their catalog? Mosaic will sell large lots of their sets.
The whole thing I don't like about this is that Mosaic could have waited until after they mailed their latest catalog and warning their customers that the Byrd/Adams set was going fast before "lighting the fire" on the website. 30 per day didn't start until after the web notice. I bet they would have had plenty of sets for their catalog custimers if they hadn't done it this way.
Later,
Kevin
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Before anyone thinks I'm blasting Mosaic for this goofy policy, has anyone thought, "Well, why the hell didn't they just hold off on announcing "Last Chance" on the website until they send out a catalog telling their customers that it's going on "Last Chance"?
Well, I have.
I think it's fantastic that Mosaic thinks of us poor sclubs and holds back some sets until the catalog comes out. But the real question is, will it make it? There's no guarantee, even with a "one per customer" limit. I've seen posts here at Organissimo, Jazz Corner and The Steve Hoffman forums. It's likely that this is what's driving the "30 per day" sales.
Instead, they risk alienating Internet mavens like us loonies, who check the "Last Chance" area daily.
I think they should let 'em fly out the door. But then again, I ain't the boss.
Kevin
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If you heard that Mosaic sold the remainder of its "last chance" stock to a single purchaser so that they could "be done with the sale," disregarding their many loyal customers...and if that single purchaser then turned around and started selling the sets at a substantial mark up...my guess is that you'd be pissed off.
I really, really wish that some single purchaser would call Mosaic today and buy all of the remaining stock of "The Complete CBS Recordings of Eddie Condon (#152)"!! It might be the only way they ever get those things off their books.
Kevin
DVD-Audio from LP
in Audio Talk
Posted
From the Cedar Audio website, it appears that they several products. They are grouped into catagories. One of the catagories, called "Restoration Modules", lists Dehiss-3, NR-4, Declickle, Debuzz, Declip and Phase Correction.
Mosaic only uses Declickle. They don't use the other modules at all. Declickle sounds like an impulse analyzer that allows the user to decide how big of an impulse (or click) that will be reduced. The write-up on Declickle is found here.
FWIW, there seems to be quite a few users of Declickle that still refuse to use anything that could be called "noise reduction". It seems as if the users of Declickle use the Bill Clinton definition of noise reduction. "I only de-clicked it! I never used my noise reduction on that tape. I had to use my declicker because the tape was over 21 years old!"
Kevin