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Re: [ARSCLIST] New Universal Japan reissue LP's



Hi,
At Tue, 6 Nov 2007 08:25:51 -0500,
Tom Fine wrote:
> 
> http://store.acousticsounds.com/search_results.cfm?Adv=true&ProductNumber=aunj
> 
> does anyone have any factual (ie a press release from the company, something first-person from 
> someone at Universal Japan) information on the source of these LPs? In other words, are these cut 
> from the original analog master tapes -- and where and by whom and on what equipment? Or are they 
> from digital masters -- and if so what type (ie early-digital PCM or more-recent DSD)? I did some 
> googling and couldn't find anything but web-board rumor trash.

As far as I know, these AUNJ-prefix releases are equivalent ones
as UIJY-prefix releases for domestic market in Japan:

  http://www.universalmusicworld.jp/LP/

This Japanese website does not contain much information about the source,
but I have heard (or read on the web) that these LPs are from DSD masters,
cuttings by Kazumi Tezuka (at Toyo Kasei cutting studio).


> For what it's worth, back in the 80's, Polygram Japan (the same basic entity, back then) put out a 
> series of very good jazz reissue LPs. They did good mastering, used quiet vinyl and sourced original 
> master tapes from Polygram's vaults -- and the master tapes were still mostly in good shape back 
> then. They also did great little touches like remaster mono material from a full-track tape machine 
> instead of a 2-track as some reissuers have done (you can tell if the hiss is different 
> channel-to-channel, a true mono mastering job should have the music and hiss coming from one place, 
> the middle). A full-track tape sounds best when played back with a full-track head through a single 
> electronics, unless of course the tape is severely damaged but even then if at all possible I prefer 
> gauze-in-the-head-can to trying to kludge up something with skinny-track heads.

Jazz reissue LPs by Polygram Japan (now Universal Music Japan) back in
early-middle 1980s were cut using ditital remasters (but mainly aimed
for LP releases, not only for CD reissues - actually the LP sounded
rather nice compared with the sound of the equivalent CD issue).
Recent LP reissues back in 2004-2005 (UCJU-prefix) are all cut directly
from original analogue masters, but I found that some releases are
suffered from innevitable dropouts which should be from some flaws
and damages of the original analogue master tapes.

Kohji

--
 MATSUBAYASHI, 'Shaolin' Kohji                  shaolin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                                                 http://microgroove.jp/

 GPG Fingerprint: 981C 4171 3044 DC45 6024  EA00 A413 F44D 8FB7 5B97


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