[78-L] 78 playback (was) CEDAR VS SONNOX

[Doug Pomeroy]

The metals of several record companies are stored underground
in the Iron Mountain storage facility in Boyers, Pennsylvania.

Some CD reissues ARE made from 78 metal parts.
When I engineering reissues for BMG, I was given access to "anything
in the vault", and I always requested _everything_ so that I could  
compare
the quality of all the sources available.

It is possible that when BMG was making its own transfers, their  
engineers
simply used old vinyl pressings or tape copies of questionable  
quality because
playing the metals is more of a chore!

The audio quality from a metal part in good condition, well transferred,
is a revelation to anyone who grew up listening to reissues of 78s on  
vinyl!

I've worked extensively with metal parts from Victor, Decca and Stinson.
Not to blow my own horn, but the resulting reissues have been very well
received - the Bix Beiderbecke set on Mosaic and the Woody Guthrie set
on Rounder especially so.

I certainly agree we have not yet reached the ultimate goal of making  
the "best
possible" transfers.  For one thing, I feel we need a lateral- 
tracking arm designed
specifically for playing coarse-groove recordings, and nobody has  
undertaken
this as far as I know.

Doug Pomeroy
POMEROY AUDIO
Audio Restoration & Mastering Services
Transfers of metal masters, lacquers,
shellac and vinyl discs & tapes.
193 Baltic St
Brooklyn, NY 11201-6173
(718) 855-2650
pomeroyaudio at att.net

========================================================

> Date:    Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:13:31 -0500
> From:    Clark Johnsen <clarkjohnsen at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: CEDAR V SONNOX
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 3:29 PM, Paul G Turney  
> <paul at sirensound.com> wrote:
>
<SNIP>

> Where are all the masters?
>
>
> The very question I've been asking for over twenty years. Not to  
> neglect
> that there are various levels of masters.