As far back as I can remember in my audiophile life, the words "Bernie Grundman Mastering" has been THE mark of quality for great music. I was invited by my good friend Wuti Larnroongroj to visit as he was there to cut the lacquer for the new limited edition Boyd Kosiyabong (Thai language) album - 45rpm, single-sided on six discs!!! To be produced by Brilliance Music & Studios, it will be the first Thai-language album on this ultimate-quality format.
Being located in downtown Hollywood just off Hollywood Blvd (where street parking is almost impossible to find), Bernie Grundman Mastering has their own underground parking. This is the sign that greets you as the garage gate closes and you walk towards the stairs to the office. When I first got there, I couldn't find it as the building did not have any signage outside. I guess if you know, you know.
While waiting for Bernie, I took the opportunity to get my picture taken at his "Brag Wall" - not that he needed to do any bragging. This was just a very, very small selection of all the Platinum and Gold discs mastered here.
All lacquers are cut here on one of two Scully lathes - Bernie told me that he much preferred these to the Neumann as it is SOLID. The cutter head is mounted on a huge cast-aluminum arm unlike the Neuman which seems flimsy in comparison. The lathe is mounted on a custom-designed table that is triple-suspended. There is even a cut-out on the floor around the lathe so that footsteps are decoupled.
On the top platform is a custom-manufactured table that is usually used for mounting electron-microscopes. It has a resonance frequency of half-hertz and filters out all frequencies and amplitudes that would affect the cutting integrity.
Being located in downtown Hollywood just off Hollywood Blvd (where street parking is almost impossible to find), Bernie Grundman Mastering has their own underground parking. This is the sign that greets you as the garage gate closes and you walk towards the stairs to the office. When I first got there, I couldn't find it as the building did not have any signage outside. I guess if you know, you know.
While waiting for Bernie, I took the opportunity to get my picture taken at his "Brag Wall" - not that he needed to do any bragging. This was just a very, very small selection of all the Platinum and Gold discs mastered here.
All lacquers are cut here on one of two Scully lathes - Bernie told me that he much preferred these to the Neumann as it is SOLID. The cutter head is mounted on a huge cast-aluminum arm unlike the Neuman which seems flimsy in comparison. The lathe is mounted on a custom-designed table that is triple-suspended. There is even a cut-out on the floor around the lathe so that footsteps are decoupled.
On the top platform is a custom-manufactured table that is usually used for mounting electron-microscopes. It has a resonance frequency of half-hertz and filters out all frequencies and amplitudes that would affect the cutting integrity.