Thoughts on MFSL

Back on topic...I only have one MoFi recording. That Sticky Fingers album sounds pretty terrific though. I guess at the prices they charge these days I can't justify the cost for the amount of time I spend listening to a single LP.
Huh, that's surprising as I bought one decades ago when it first came out and it was a disappointment; an opinion pretty much echoed by the audio press.
But if you like it, that's all that matters, really.
 
Huh, that's surprising as I bought one decades ago when it first came out and it was a disappointment; an opinion pretty much echoed by the audio press.
But if you like it, that's all that matters, really.

Well it sounded much better than my worn out original, but you might be on to a reason I never bought another. It certainly didn't sound enough better to spend that kinda money again.
 
Received an email from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. Appears they are starting to be open and transparent.

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On the MoFi website as well.

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That Count Basie title is interesting, from the MoFi website:

This recording was originally made on 4-track analog tape in 1966. It was not mixed until 1998, onto U-Matic tape, using the Sony 1630 PCM digital system.​


So either the original 4-track tapes are now lost or damaged beyond repair, or the record label simply refused to provide them and insisted it had to the the 1998 digital master, or else nothing.

Somewhat surprising to me that as late as 1998 Reprise Records (Warner Music Group) utilized a Sony PCM-1630 to create the stereo digital master. Unless there was some sort of modified system in use, that means this is a 16-bit/44.1kHz recording, which would have been a tad bit old skool 'round about 1998.

None of the above means that record won't sound good, however it's been derived from early 1980s digital audio technology.
 
That Count Basie title is interesting, from the MoFi website:

This recording was originally made on 4-track analog tape in 1966. It was not mixed until 1998, onto U-Matic tape, using the Sony 1630 PCM digital system.​


So either the original 4-track tapes are now lost or damaged beyond repair, or the record label simply refused to provide them and insisted it had to the the 1998 digital master, or else nothing.

Somewhat surprising to me that as late as 1998, that project utilized a Sony PCM-1630 to create the stereo digital master. Unless there was some sort of modified system in use, that means this is a 16-bit/44.1kHz recording, which would have been a tad bit old skool 'round about 1998.

None of the above means that record won't sound good, however it's been derived from early 1980s digital audio technology.

Good point!
Before my initial post, I was listening to the Count Basie album from Qobuz 16/44.
It appears they have some web copy to clean up.

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Not sure who mastered it from the analog tape. I would like to compare the Rhino/Warner 16/44 Flac against they vinyl to see if I hear the "deeper soundstage", "life like presence" and each of the "own space" of the horns.
 
Good point!
Before my initial post, I was listening to the Count Basie album from Qobuz 16/44.
It appears they have some web copy to clean up.

View attachment 51456
Not sure who mastered it from the analog tape. I would like to compare the Rhino/Warner 16/44 Flac against they vinyl to see if I hear the "deeper soundstage", "life like presence" and each of the "own space" of the horns.
Discogs indicates mixed by James Farber at The Hit Factory, and mastered by Greg Calbi at Masterdisk Corp.
 
Funnily enough, I was just looking at that Alan Parsons album last night. My first thought was that it will possibly sound better then a purely analog version done today, because of the use of DSD. I’ve got a pretty early pressing of the original, so I’d love to give this one a listen.
 
Funnily enough, I was just looking at that Alan Parsons album last night. My first thought was that it will possibly sound better then a purely analog version done today, because of the use of DSD. I’ve got a pretty early pressing of the original, so I’d love to give this one a listen.
That one is also very interesting in that there were both digital and analog masters produced at the time of the making of the album, though the analog master was locked away and never used for anything until the 2018 Blu-ray Audio release, and now the more recent MoFi SACD/vinyl releases too.

All previous releases including the original vinyl were sourced from the 16-bit digital master. Alan Parsons is on record as saying he thought the analog master sounds better, though that could just be a bit of promotion on his part in hopes of selling the title all over again on Blu-ray, SACD, and vinyl sourced from the analog master.
 
Just curious - what is the reference for a digital master being produced at the time of making the album ? I would think early 1977 would be before the digital onslaught. I can't find any info on the album itself that I have, though there are some sources about Abbey Road which indicate their first digital recording in 1979.

Not that it matters much, I just thought '77 was early. Discogs tells me there's 247 versions released, wow.
 
Just curious - what is the reference for a digital master being produced at the time of making the album ? I would think early 1977 would be before the digital onslaught. I can't find any info on the album itself that I have, though there are some sources about Abbey Road which indicate their first digital recording in 1979.

Not that it matters much, I just thought '77 was early. Discogs tells me there's 247 versions released, wow.
My mistake, since we were on the subject of the Count Basie title being sourced from a Sony PCM-1630 digital master, I jumped to the conclusion that the Alan Parsons reference was to the MoFi reissue of Eye In The Sky, a 1982 album which up until the 2018 Blu-ray Audio, had only ever been sourced from a Sony PCM-1610 digital master. Like the Blu-ray Audio release, the MoFi reissue used the analog master tape which had been locked away for all those years.

I see now in looking back at previous posts that the recent reference is likely to the screenshot of 1977's I Robot, which was an analog master.
 
I see that TAS released an interview with MusicDirect/MFSL President Jim Davis on Aug. 9th:


I thought Davis handled himself well, and I note the interview was conducted by JV and RH, with MF appropriately nowhere in sight.
 
Email from Music Direct on the MFSL vinyl pre order. Appears they are following through. They buyer has an option to opt out of their pre-order when titles come available. Curious to see if they lower the number of pressings or if you will eventually be able to get these titles at discount.


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