Dan Gould Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Pardon my ignorance, but do "half-speed" audiophile remasters play at the usual 33 1/3 or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 That's a fair, not ignorant question! Yes they do. They're mastered at the beginning of the process at half speed for supposed sonic reasons but they're regular playing products at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 (edited) The only difference to normal pressings is the mastering process. The discs play like normal 33 1/3 RPM LPs. "Halfspeed" means that the pressing master is created at half speed, the master tape also being played at half speed. This means a greater accuracy in the mastering process. This must not be confused with audiophile 45 RPM LPs (from Analogue Productions) that gain better sound through higher playback speed (more "groove surface" per second) Edit: My answer was typed at half speed, so Lon was faster Edited March 14, 2003 by Claude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie87 Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Ahh, but your text is twice as crisp as Lon's, Claude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted March 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Thanks guys. I ask because of the new audiophile remasters of Ray Brown's Soular Energy. The former Gene Harris Fanatic is curious about the four extra tunes they found including three alternates. On the other hand, the guy who's selling them, Dennis, had a big to-do with me on the board regarding a certain attitude he espoused (see, this is where political discussions ruin things!). So, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, if he is; that is, if I can wrap my brain around the price of $50 for a two record set.. Hey, he's got the LPs up on ebay with a buy-it-now of the regular list price, maybe I should use my wife's ebay name to buy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Johnson Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 I'm not sure I get it. Not unlike the 45rpm playback copies, doesn't all analogue recording media (warning: rash generalization follows) provide better sound the "faster" such media is played back? Faster inches per second, etc.? I'm definitely not a recording engineer (probably, by now, obviously) but the "half-speed" seems like it would translate to worse sound, not better. Probably not, since it's marketed, but can someone complete the missing link for me? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 Well. . . I only have one that I am aware of, and it's not even an lp, but a MoFi aluminum cd of Someday my Prince will Come. . . . It's really nice sounding, it has a reall deep and natural bass sound, and a mellow treble. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzhound Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 When mastering speed is halved, the power required for the cutting head is reduced by a factor of 4. This reduces the load on the power amplifiers used and allows them to run in a completely linear fashion. The cutting stylus is able to trace the delicate groove undalations more accurately, with major improvements in frequency response , distortion and transient response. Crosstalk between channels is substantially reduced, control over groove dimensions is improved, ahd the ability to cut high energy passages without distortion is greatly increased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pure Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Hi all! First post here. It's 66 already here in KC. Wow! I'm getting ready to put on some shorts and go golfing. Nice description Jazzhound. Dan, I'll throw in shipping for you. Soular is great, and selling briskly. Email me at pure@kc.rr.com if you have any questions. Thanks, dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visprashyana Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 The difference between 45 rpm and 33 1/3 is very noticable. The instruments just come out from the speakers. The surface noise does decrease, but the big difference is the soundstage which greatly improves. This is true with both the AP and the Classic releases. As far as the Ray Brown, Stan Ricker says that's the best sounding album that he has ever worked on. I would give amusicdirect a call and order the blue vinyl if you want that title. Half master worked for some recording companies. Overall, everyone got into the half mastering and not too many did it well. Many companies went into the technique, but didn't understand how to make it work. As jazzhound pointed out, the amplification changes considerly when going to half speed mastering. It's not used too often these days and MFSL was one of the only companies who could do it well consistently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Johnson Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 Ahhhhhh....I get it! Thanks, jazzhound--that was a great description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 I tried, but I couldn't get my avatar down to half speed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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