Do Mobile Fidelity Vinyl Re-issues Have a Digital Step in the Process?

[Ron Resnick]

Mike of The In Groove posted an update on YouTube today. Mo-Fi invited him to their facility in California on Tuesday for a sit down interview, they will answer all his questions and show him how it's done.

Does this make any sense for Mo-Fi? The business cluelessness and unprofessionalism of some audio companies in our industry astounds me.

What’s the point of answering privately the questions of one YouTube poster? A serious company would not delegate its crisis management response to an unrelated third-party.

Professional management, if it takes the question and controversy seriously, would issue an explanatory press release.

 

[rDin]

I have 2 one-step recordings (Marvin Gaye --What's Going On? and Eric Clapton--Unplugged). I think they sound great.

FWIW, the Clapton One-Step is digital. MoFi confirmed this when I asked them.

 

[zerostargeneral]

This man knows his onions, the marketeers behind the brand are gilding the facts to feed beef lovers the "McPlant".

True analogue mastering, cutting and recording make up a very small portion of available presses.

No different to other hyperbolic sales driven drivel.

The engineers here are the experts.

Kindest regards, G.

 

[Ron Resnick]

FWIW, the Clapton One-Step is digital. MoFi confirmed this when I asked them.

Can you share with us the details of this?

Exactly what did you ask them? Exactly what did they reply?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Can you share with us the details of this?

Exactly what did you ask them? Exactly what did they reply?

It’s a digital recording. Notice the “DDD” on the back of the CD.

 

[Ron Resnick]

It’s a digital recording. Notice the “DDD” on the back of the CD.

Thank you, but this is not dispositive as to the vinyl. It’s possible that a digital recorder was running side-by-side at the same time an analog record was running.

This is why I’m curious to know exactly what rDin asked, and exactly what rDin was told. Words matter.

 

[Ron Resnick]

“Mastered from the original master tapes” would not suggest to a reasonable audiophile that this is a DDD release.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Thank you, but this is not dispositive as to the vinyl. It’s possible that a digital recorder was running side-by-side at the same time an analog record was running.

This is why I’m curious to know exactly what rDin asked, and exactly what rDin was told. Words matter.

seriously?

Could be like “Famous Blue Raincoat” and be ‘digital’ mastered to tape. Then pressed from the ‘original master tape”.

 

[Ron Resnick]

 

[Ron Resnick]

The question is answered: For Mobile Fidelity a digital transfer satisfies the representation of “mastered from the original master tapes.”

Indeed this is true: The resulting vinyl record which was made from a digital transfer was, indeed, “mastered from the original master tapes.” But this is not, I believe, what most audiophiles would expect, especially given the ubiquitousness of the AAA to DDD (recording/mixing/mastering) disclosure convention.

In my opinion it was a material misrepresentation for Mobile Fidelity not to disclose a digital conversion in the process between the analog master tape and the resulting vinyl.

 

[Ron Resnick]

seriously?

Why the snarkiness? “Possible” means possible. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[mtemur]

“Mastered from original master tapes” or “original master recording” titles don’t explain enough and misleading. I only want to see “cut from original tape without any digital stage” that’s what should be written on jackets.
Mastering used to mean transferring audio to lacquer. For the last 40+ years it also means EQ’ing, compressing, shining the sound. I want to know how the lacquer is cut.

 

[Drikus]

The question is answered: For Mobile Fidelity a digital transfer satisfies the representation of “mastered from the original master tapes.”

Yes, they transfer it to 4x DSD (11.2 MHz).

 

[Ron Resnick]

From the video:

If there is a stripe at the top of the album “Original Master Recording” = all analog (AAA) UNLESS it is a one-step or a UHQR which remain open questions.

If the album says only “Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Release” = could have a digital step.

We do not yet know explicitly what “one step” means in terms of a digital step.

We do not yet know explicitly what “UHQR” means in terms of a digital step.

 

[mtemur]

If there is a stripe at the top of the album “Original Master Recording = all analog (AAA).

If the album says only “Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Release” = could have a digital step.

Thank you for explaining. It’s a long known thing but Im not so sure about what they stand for. I can use original master recording, digitize it and nobody can sue me because of that. It’s still an original master recording with a digital step. On the other hand how can we be sure “original master recording“ means AAA? Is there a concrete declaration by mofi that anbody can raise a claim if it’s not AAA? Does mofi legally announced that “original master recording” means full analogue and no digital process involved? Or it’s just a word of mouth. I don’t know I’m just asking.
IMHO they should also write down “AAA”, “cut from tape” or “no digital process” somewhere on the jacket

 

[zerostargeneral]

"Not constrained by trying to do things on the fly"

Delia Derbyshire made this doing just that;

Wilma is turning in her proverbial......

Rando gets it Rummy finds it very interesting to him.

Kindest regards, G.

 

[Ron Resnick]

how can we be sure “original master recording“ means AAA?

This depends on your definition of “be sure.” I believe the Mobile Fidelity gentlemen who are answering the questions in the video are speaking the truth.

This is stated in one of the answers in the video.

Given the long one hour interview, the interviewer, unfortunately, neglected to ask some critical questions. (If I’d been the one asking the questions we would’ve gotten more answers.)

 

[dan31]

At least I know to purchase the SACD going forward.

 

[Ron Resnick]

At least I know to purchase the SACD going forward.

Why? What we have learned is that a stripe at the top of the album “Original Master Recording” = all analog (AAA) UNLESS it is a one-step or a UHQR which remain open questions.

We are also learning that different Mo-Fi labels mean different things which mobile Fidelity has never explicitly stated or made clear. We still don’t know, as of this writing, the true nature of the one-steps or of the UHQRs. Hopefully, Mobile Fidelity has treated each of the titles in these subclasses of releases the same way, and, hopefully, Mobile Fidelity will tell us what is that consistent convention for each of these subclasses of releases.

 

[mtemur]

When I raised the question:
how can we be sure “original master recording“ means AAA?

You answered:

This depends on your definition of “be sure.” I believe the Mobile Fidelity gentlemen who are answering the questions in the video are speaking the truth.

This is stated in one of the answers in the video.

Now I'm watching the video and those gentlemen from mofi already admitted that Santana Abraxas was cut from a 4x DSD digital file. So it's not AAA, there is a digital mastering process but on the top of the jacket it says "original master recording". This one example indicates that “original master recording“ does not always means AAA. that's why I'm suspicious. Don't you?