The record pressing machines are wearing out

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Chris Mara is a star among tape guys. I have a friend at Blackbird down there, he goes to a yearly industry event at 1979. That's one of the places Alan Parsons brought his Dark Side mix a few years ago before it was released (again). I don't think he was there, though, it was a video conference.
 
The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls
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I recall many moons ago (maybe 1976) there was an article in a quite upmarket hi fi magazine (UK this is ) about a group called Warsaw Pact (might be wrong on this) who did a direct-to-disk performance and got it into stores in 24 hours. A key thing from the article was a the limited number of pressings they could do. If youall recall they would cut the record from the master tape, which might be called the mother then they make stampers from the mother which go on to make the disk, so once the mother was gone no more stampers.
Just while on, I hate the countless documentary's of 21 year old talking heads telling us how crap the 70's were and records sounded like frying bacon. If I bought a new records that was like frying bacon, back to the shop it went. Even back in the 70's when we had an oil crisis in the UK records had to re-use old vinyl they were never really that bad. The best record I ever bought was Blondie , Plastic letters. Weighed a ton and was as quiet as a mouse.
 
It always seems record presses are so filty and beat up.

Oh well, I'm glad they found and rescued those incredible machines and hope they are never abandoned again.

Doug
 
GZVinyl in Czech Republic apparently has bought brand new presses. Yes, newly built vinyl presses.
 
I have here in my hands a friend's 12" 45 4 song EP test pressing from the forthcoming release. Pressed in Czech Republic.
 

Vinyl does sound warmer to my ears compared to CD's. Even more so because redbook CD's are mastered to sound like crap even though they should not. Fortunately, we have DVD-A, SACD and BluRay with mastering superior to run-of-the-mill CD's. I like any format, including vinyl and redbook CD as long as it is done well. Vinyl just lacks the convenience regardless of whether it sounds better or not.
 
If vinyl is such an inconvenience, you are way too obsessive about it. Just relax and enjoy it. You don't have to wet clean new records. You don't have to wet clean records every third play, if ever, after the first time. You don't have to have the VTA within .0001 degree of ideal. You don't have to use an oscilloscope to adjust azimuth. You don't have to replace the stylus on the exact hour of life recommended by the manufacturer. You don't have to use $1000.00 cables to connect your turntable to your preamp. Etc, etc.

Doug
 
I, for one, enjoy and prefer vinyl for the things that can not be measured by devices, but measured by one's soul. I don't wet clean new discs, just the second hand ones. I do get anal about brushing off the dust and the stylus. Most of my records are properly sleeved and my equipment set up to the best of my ability. Only two records in my collection have had significant wear from me, the rest play quite nicely, if I bought them new or in VG+ or better shape. I do like the things that dirgital can do but find dirgital discs harder to look after and use. I am not so anti dirgital though, now that I am an Oppo convert. The most important thing in my mind is to listen to the music.
 
Isn't all this just a symptom of the sick state of both the music and the hifi business? The bickering and quarreling over formats, the crushed dynamics, the greed...

I'm sooo tired (though I actually have slept more than a wink).
 
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