Dead Wax Inscriptions

[MylesBAstor]

Very useful information.

[MylesBAstor]

Is Barry "Barry Diament?"

[Johnny Vinyl]

I thought Barry only did CD mastering? Don't recall ever coming across a Barry mastered LP.

[1morerecord2clean]

Very useful information.

I went to a Fremer RMAF one hour crash course on DW a few years ago and came away as confused as I entered. They should offer it as a college course for credit. I just realized Rush who authored the link is a good friend for many years. Heaven only knows he would have a mind for this and a record collection to go with it.

[MylesBAstor]

I went to a Fremer RMAF one hour crash course on DW a few years ago and came away as confused as I entered. They should offer it as a college course for credit. I just realized Rush who authored the link is a good friend for many years. Heaven only knows he would have a mind for this and a record collection to go with it.

I think one does just like we used to do with HP's list. Carry a copy around when you go to the record store!

[Bill Hart]

Some of it-- mastering engineer or lacquer cutter inscriptions, pressing plant marks and lacquer numbers becomes familiar. Harder is knowing how that translates into sonics--
That said, it's hieroglyphics- none of this was meant for the consumer, and a lot of the information has been compiled after the fact by audiophiles in an effort to identify good sounding pressings. I've gotten better at reading this stuff over the last several years, but I still need to do research- and there are mysteries- like some of the Atlantic Records that show GP (Piros) and "Porky" (George Peckham) on the same side. Also, for records that sold really big back in the day at the time of release, there may be multiple lacquer numbers, and those don't necessarily represent earlier v later- simply multiples that were at different plants simultaneously to meet demand. (e.g., Columbia pressed mucho stuff for Warner/Reprise and if I recall the "1" was Santa Maria plant). A lot of the information I've gleaned about the sonics of different pressings is based initially on anecdotal comments, but I will then buy the different pressings and compare them myself.

[Metamatic]

Any time I see CB in the dead wax you are always guaranteed of an excellent sounding record. Chris Bellman from Burnie Grundman mastering. His work he has done for the Neil Young 1-8 archives are astonishing - vinyl record reissue in analog done correctly

[MylesBAstor]

Some of it-- mastering engineer or lacquer cutter inscriptions, pressing plant marks and lacquer numbers becomes familiar. Harder is knowing how that translates into sonics--
That said, it's hieroglyphics- none of this was meant for the consumer, and a lot of the information has been compiled after the fact by audiophiles in an effort to identify good sounding pressings. I've gotten better at reading this stuff over the last several years, but I still need to do research- and there are mysteries- like some of the Atlantic Records that show GP (Piros) and "Porky" (George Peckham) on the same side. Also, for records that sold really big back in the day at the time of release, there may be multiple lacquer numbers, and those don't necessarily represent earlier v later- simply multiples that were at different plants simultaneously to meet demand. (e.g., Columbia pressed mucho stuff for Warner/Reprise and if I recall the "1" was Santa Maria plant). A lot of the information I've gleaned about the sonics of different pressings is based initially on anecdotal comments, but I will then buy the different pressings and compare them myself.

I think the hardest to decipher are the rock albums in part because so many were pressed and often by multiple plants, etc. at mentioned. Jazz and classical far easier to decipher.

[Bill Hart]

Any time I see CB in the dead wax you are always guaranteed of an excellent sounding record. Chris Bellman from Burnie Grundman mastering. His work he has done for the Neil Young 1-8 archives are astonishing - vinyl record reissue in analog done correctly

Yep, for the re-do's, but if you can find an LH on an old, textured cover copy of Harvest in good condition, it is worth a listen; Lee Hulko founded (or co-founded) Sterling, where "RL" literally made his mark. Wally T. who mastered for years at Capitol. GPiros- who worked with Robert Fine at Mercury (or Fine Recording) , and then did absolutely brilliant stuff, like a recut of LZ 1 in the mid-'70s that is really outstanding, along with so many more; RL, of course, Gilbert Kong, Dennis King--all mentioned or at least identified in the Richmond Society list Myles posted. Bellman does do a great job among current mastering engineers- if you compare the original Hulko cut with the Bellman re-do, they are closer than you'd think but still different in significant ways. I guess the ease of buying a clean, new unmolested piece of vinyl may outweigh the downsides of the older pressings, but some of them, in my estimation, can't be beat- that Hulko of Harvest is just so organic sounding, but finding a copy that isn't noisy is a challenge. What's fun is buying the old copies for cheap and getting marvelous sound. You actually feel like you've accomplished something through the research and comparisons. Not dissing Bellman- he is definitely one of the best around today.

[MylesBAstor]

[Johnny Vinyl]

Yep, for the re-do's, but if you can find an LH on an old, textured cover copy of Harvest in good condition, it is worth a listen; Lee Hulko founded (or co-founded) Sterling, where "RL" literally made his mark.

I picked up a copy last year of a Lee Hulko Sterling pressing, but the cover isn't textured. Was sold to me as NM, but it wasn't....has a bit of crackle. Not much though.
MS 2032 A 31176-2F Sterling LH
MS 2032 B 31177-1V Sterling LH

[Bill Hart]

The record tends to be noisy - at least that was the experience I had with several copies. I don't know offhand what lacquer numbers are on the very early ones John- all my records are now in a vault somewhere at an undisclosed location.

[DexDuophonic65]

Phil Spector used to have Sam Feldman at Bell Sound engrave "Phil + Ronnie" in the deadwax of records Spector had been involved in producing.