Our Way of Working
Our demos are different from what others do. If you have had the opportunity to participate, you will have noticed that we tend to make differences being heard; we also like to tell anecdotes, stories, experiences.
All in all, we like to share how we work. The biggest impact on the final result, in my direct experience, comes from the original recording: in case of poor quality, very little can be done, as you cannot just ‘invent’ what is not contained therein (though some plug-ins try to do so, with definitely poor results).
Next comes the mastering process, which can have a huge influence on the final result: we can say it with confidence, as we had repeated opportunities to compare session tapes with master tapes! This step is followed by the cutting of the grooves, that means engraving the lacquer to produce the vinyls, a very complicated mechanical process if you want to get the best out of it.
Neumann lathes are equipped with a few buttons that make the job easier and make everything straightforward and hassle-free – let's say that "unfortunately" anyone can do an acceptable job with it. In fact, that's what almost everyone does, believe me: when the price of a lacquer cut is fixed, it means it can be done quickly, using some pre-settings. Some studios, on the other hand, give the result their own "color" adopting some specific steps, for example either by acting on the EQ (equalizer, often tube-like), or using custom (or custom modified) chains, or through different solutions. Still, how many do dare trying the impossible even at the cost of throwing away expensive test lacquers and many studio hours? In many cases, the grooves cannot contain exactly what is in the tapes, for several mechanical reasons.
Here come the art, sensitivity and "mastering" (ability and challenge) of those who make the cut, but you got to have a very clear idea of what you want to achieve. That is the reason why we carefully choose who will perform the cut of the lacquers and we keep in close contact with the studio throughout the process. We always look for the limit, and we always push it further. The next critical step is the treatment of the lacquer (not to mention the transportation of the lacquers from the studio where the engraving was performed and the place of treatment, as the lacquers are delicate and very sensitive).
In our direct experience, most printers are poor in this aspect and there is always a risk of jeopardizing any previous effort. The remaining steps are less and less critical and easy to check and correct (from the weight to the quality of the vinyl and other issues). We aim at offering a realistic experience. We want you to be taken – when listening – to the place of recording, trying to extract everything contained therein from the available source.
On several occasions I have had the opportunity to explain to fans that, for example, cutting lacquers for the production of vinyls directly from the original master (or, even worse, from session tapes) may not be a good idea.
This obviously comes from a high ‘sense of purism’, which is substantially correct and that in 2010 I thought was the true soul of this work. I was convinced that having a purist approach and turning to the most highly rated Masters would have resulted in an excellent output. In fact, I was wrong. Moreover, it is rather unlikely that everything goes well on the first try, without using the aforementioned buttons yet still wanting the best. If it happened, it would be more the outcome of a fortunate succession of events than anything else. If tapes have flaws, session tapes are really full of it: from phase, to levels, to frequency response and more. Additionally, tapes do age: some do it quickly, while others take longer, thus creating imbalances and several different needs. Many defects can surely be fixed, but you have to "feel" them and you also have to be able to correct them without losing any "purity". As already mentioned, you definitely have to know what you want, and that’s why we do not go to studios that are not willing to follow our directives.
Our remastering process may be considered as "purist" at the highest level. We limit as much as we can any intervention, with the aim, however, of extracting the maximum of what has been "engraved", without distorting the original idea. Still, we always ask ourselves whether any intended action really brings more advantages than disadvantages, if it is really "necessary". We always spend dozens of hours listening and listening again, adjusting only what is really needed to achieve the expected result… and we try hard to succeed. Our remastering is always analog from analog masters and almost always analog even from digital masters.
The volume level in our CDs is also determined by testing and we do not change it in the digital domain. All these choices come from the tests we ran, not from mere ideas or beliefs: just evidence and facts. There are no particular secrets, except for the 3M: Money, Mastering, Machines. Money – it is useless to hide that to obtain high results you have to invest money, especially in tests. Mastering – it takes certain skills, abilities and experience: for this reason we believe in the team and in the different souls and sensitivities of each of its members. Machines –real equipment of the highest quality are needed, not just names, and it is about listening, not just datasheets: all this, however, at the end of the day means Money. Someone said we are the ONLY ones who ask for so much, the only ones willing to spend what it takes to get a result.
I don’t know whether this is true, but we won’t change our approach just to earn more money. If our products are expensive, there is a reason behind it, as there is a cost that others are not willing to face.
Photo Yamamoto – thin groove
Session tapes – Tapes (or files) directly created during the recording session. Pure. When the analog master is created from session tapes you can see it directly: it shows some "splices" for each song, as it was created by cutting the original tapes. Master tapes – Tapes (or files) created from the session tapes with the final program, with corrections and to obtain a uniform level; this means they can contain a lot of editing. For small labels, masters were often created by cutting and sequencing part of the session tapes (Cantate Domino, for example) Editing – The set of operations that allow you to modify, correct or reorganize the recorded sound content (in the session tapes or the session files). It can be massive. Re-Mastering – Creating a new master (from the session tapes or the original master tape)
Photo tapes Cantate Domino (see the notes). Example Gould. Studio photos More photos at work Photos of the system and/or some object on the system