Hello all,
This discussion has strayed from the title---and is more interesting for it.
Some pieces that I'd like to comment on: 180 gm vinyl---it is a better medium because, being thicker, it allows for a deeper groove. Record grooves in the 78 era were either lateral cut (side-to-side as favored by most American and British companies) or vertical cut (hill-and-dale as done by Pathe and that great contrarian Edison).
As well expressed earlier, the "wiggle" in the groove is the analog of the sound waves captured by the microphone, or recording horn in the purely acoustic era.
With the advent of stereo microgroove recording (i.e. LPs), both modes were employed to give two discrete playback programs...so the 180 gram vinyl allows for a more robust vertical signal.
As for Document: When Johnnie Parth, the well-known Austrian jazz collector, started the labels Wolf and Document, his plan was for Document to issue re-recordings of the entire Godrich & Dixon discography, at 1st on LP.
"Best available source" wasn't important to Parth. I know that several collectors (and institutions) sent him cassette tape of their 78s. This accounts for the wide disparity in quality of the individual tracks---sometimes the source was a ragged-out 78; sometimes the collector had a bad tape deck or turntable.
Lots of variables here.
I know less about the Scots couple who bought the business from Parth, though when I was in charge of the recorded sound collection at the Center for Popular Music, I ordered dozens of their CD issues of Parth's original programs (by artist, following G&D sequence). They were very nice and easy to deal with, but the CDs replicated all of the LP sonic flaws.
With the small number of these sold, a Sony-type Robert Johnson remastering expense is not feasible, I'd guess.
As for Jack White's operation just up the road from me, all I can say is it seems to be aimed at the twenty-something hipsters who like the White Stripes and all else Jack does. He can afford to indulge himself in anything (almost) that takes his fancy.
But as for getting pristine source material from Document?-- Probably not.
best,
bruce
This discussion has strayed from the title---and is more interesting for it.
Some pieces that I'd like to comment on: 180 gm vinyl---it is a better medium because, being thicker, it allows for a deeper groove. Record grooves in the 78 era were either lateral cut (side-to-side as favored by most American and British companies) or vertical cut (hill-and-dale as done by Pathe and that great contrarian Edison).
As well expressed earlier, the "wiggle" in the groove is the analog of the sound waves captured by the microphone, or recording horn in the purely acoustic era.
With the advent of stereo microgroove recording (i.e. LPs), both modes were employed to give two discrete playback programs...so the 180 gram vinyl allows for a more robust vertical signal.
As for Document: When Johnnie Parth, the well-known Austrian jazz collector, started the labels Wolf and Document, his plan was for Document to issue re-recordings of the entire Godrich & Dixon discography, at 1st on LP.
"Best available source" wasn't important to Parth. I know that several collectors (and institutions) sent him cassette tape of their 78s. This accounts for the wide disparity in quality of the individual tracks---sometimes the source was a ragged-out 78; sometimes the collector had a bad tape deck or turntable.
Lots of variables here.
I know less about the Scots couple who bought the business from Parth, though when I was in charge of the recorded sound collection at the Center for Popular Music, I ordered dozens of their CD issues of Parth's original programs (by artist, following G&D sequence). They were very nice and easy to deal with, but the CDs replicated all of the LP sonic flaws.
With the small number of these sold, a Sony-type Robert Johnson remastering expense is not feasible, I'd guess.
As for Jack White's operation just up the road from me, all I can say is it seems to be aimed at the twenty-something hipsters who like the White Stripes and all else Jack does. He can afford to indulge himself in anything (almost) that takes his fancy.
But as for getting pristine source material from Document?-- Probably not.
best,
bruce