MoFi Have Been Lying To Us For A While (Original Master Recording, Not So Much)

[Sgt. Pepper]

Here it is from the horses mouth:

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/mofi-president-jim-davis-on-the-companys-mastering-process

I think most people even myself were under the impression that when you bought a MoFi LP or CD and it had the banner on top that clearly says "Original Master Recording" that MoFi borrowed  the Master Tapes to work from. When I lived in Santa Rosa, CA, MoFi was about 10 mins away in a town called Sebastopol.

Now if the album was recorded digitally like Donald Fagen's The Nightfly, or D S - Brother In Arms, there is no Master Tape to back to. I don't think digital recording was around when Yes recorded Fragile?

Edited August 11, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper

[SteveFord]

That was a big flap on the audio sites a little while ago.

After t'ousands of posts attacking MoFo, the original poster, subsequent posters, other poster's pets, etc. it seems like the answer is MAYBE they were up to some sort of chicanery, MAYBE they weren't but it seems whatever they did was a bit misleading.  I only have one MoFo album, Magical Mystery Tour.  It doesn't seem to be anything special that I could tell.

Edited August 12, 2022 by SteveFord

[Sgt. Pepper]

2 hours ago, SteveFord said:

That was a big flap on the audio sites a little while ago.

After t'ousands of posts attacking MoFo, the original poster, subsequent posters, other poster's pets, etc. it seems like the answer is MAYBE they were up to some sort of chicanery, MAYBE they weren't but it seems whatever they did was a bit misleading.  I only have one MoFo album, Magical Mystery Tour.  It doesn't seem to be anything special that I could tell.

I have a few (I will call them Orchestral) LP's from back in the 80's, and have a few rock LP's and some of their SACD's. If they are pulling the wool over out eyes, I won't be buying form them again. 

[fortyearspickn]

Electronic Lip Synching skullduggery. 

[Whitefang]

So I'm guessing the OP link is an augmentation of this?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/05/mofi-records-analog-digital-scandal/

Really, I first became aware and familiar with digital recording in the early '80's.  My first digital recording was of The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (with Antal Dorati)  playing Copeland's RODEO and other selections.  I was amazed at the sound.  Of course in the early '80's you could only get vinyl LPs or cassette tapes.  Another "audiophile"  recording method was something called "Direct-to-disc" .  An old method brought back to life in the '70's noted for it's absence of floor noise and hiss heard on most recordings using "pre Dolby" magnetic  tape.  My only LP of this method was Rob McConnell's recording  "Present Perfect" of '80.   I do have that too on a CD reissue, often wondering if it was recorded direct to disc, then how did they manage a digital CD reissue?   And then there was that method of re-recording the master tapes at half speed then making the master disc at normal speed.

Ach, well....  Most of the technical aspects of these sort of things are a bit out of my league.  The only other "breakthrough" I remember was chromium dioxide tape and much later  DAT.  I've met a few DJs at wedding assignments who used DAT and really, heard no notable improvement over CD sound.  

Whitefang

[Sgt. Pepper]

16 minutes ago, Whitefang said:

So I'm guessing the OP link is an augmentation of this?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/05/mofi-records-analog-digital-scandal/

Really, I first became aware and familiar with digital recording in the early '80's.  My first digital recording was of The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (with Antal Dorati)  playing Copeland's RODEO and other selections.  I was amazed at the sound.  Of course in the early '80's you could only get vinyl LPs or cassette tapes.  Another "audiophile"  recording method was something called "Direct-to-disc" .  An old method brought back to life in the '70's noted for it's absence of floor noise and hiss heard on most recordings using "pre Dolby" magnetic  tape.  My only LP of this method was Rob McConnell's recording  "Present Perfect" of '80.   I do have that too on a CD reissue, often wondering if it was recorded direct to disc, then how did they manage a digital CD reissue?   And then there was that method of re-recording the master tapes at half speed then making the master disc at normal speed.

Ach, well....  Most of the technical aspects of these sort of things are a bit out of my league.  The only other "breakthrough" I remember was chromium dioxide tape and much later  DAT.  I've met a few DJs at wedding assignments who used DAT and really, heard no notable improvement over CD sound.  

Whitefang

That is the guy who stated it all. The link I posted is actually up  on MoFi's site. I was gonna buy a DAT player/recorder when I was stationed in Japan. Glad I didn't as it didn't take off. I saw the DSO with my cousin when I visited him when it was early on in my Navy life. They did The Slavonic Dances by Dvorak and one other piece I can't remember.

https://mofi.com/blogs/news/mofi-president-jim-davis-addresses-the-digital-lp-mastering-controversy

M J - Thriller on the site is says: Source: 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

https://mofi.com/collections/ultradisc-one-step/products/michael-jackson-thriller-ultradisc-one-step-33rpm

V H - Woman And Children First says: MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES AND PRESSED ON MOFI SUPERVINYL FOR A DEFINITIVE LISTENING EXPERIENCE

https://mofi.com/collections/ultradisc-one-step/products/van-halen-women-and-children-first-ultradisc-one-step

 

Edited August 12, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper