Melodiya have opened up again, with access to the entire archive, and are releasing on CDs. And I agree, would be perfect fodder for transfers.
Stupendous catalogue: http://www.melody.su/eng/work/catalog
Eurodisc was a joint distribution label with Ariola, as far as I can gather.
For those really interested in the Russian catalogue there is the label "vista vera" and of course there is the mind boggling complete Svetlanov edition from warnermusic.fr
I am interested to read that there is someone else who doesn't consider Arthur Rubinstein to be the ultimate in imaginative performance. He achieved an unbelievable career while many of his colleagues who were both better pianists and more insightful musicians languished in relative obscurity. There can be no doubting AR's fantastic talent but he simply lived off it. His pre-eminence is a total mystery to me.
I am interested to read that there is someone else who doesn't consider Arthur Rubinstein to be the ultimate in imaginative performance. He achieved an unbelievable career while many of his colleagues who were both better pianists and more insightful musicians languished in relative obscurity. There can be no doubting AR's fantastic talent but he simply lived off it. His pre-eminence is a total mystery to me.
Thanks for clarifying that. So what is delivered by the recording engineer and producer is sacred in a sense? I would think then careful CD reissues need no tonal adjustments. I have never experienced any setup where there were any tone controls, I guess it’s a whole new world. I admit the folks I have met over here are into the RCA/Mercury thing but the Decca’s and Lyrita’s that I have had in my collection sounded fine to me. I have a soft spot for Bob Ludwig’s work on Nonesuch for the range of things from George Crumb to David Lewiston’s field recordings. Maybe Bob doesn’t rate mention with the un-named masters.
The A/D is already there, possibly all that digital post processing is not worth adding as an additional feature, it could all be done in software anyway. I’m sure the USB digital fine I use several myself. Now that I can see the curves I might try some of my better Decca’s w/wo.
First Reiner now uncle Milty. I admit I preferred Steve Allen or Ernie Kovacs but stop short of the Rat Pack and the running joke of being plastered (Ernie did it better).
Yes, most listening environments are full of bumps and valleys. 10dB bumps!
But that doesn't mean a 3dB change in a frequency is not heard. It does make a change. But still the point is that a listening room is very, very far from a flat freq response.
Looking at this Abbingdon Music Research - Products - PH - 77 Features I can agree with the idea that we might want at least 4 curves.
In my early days I had amps with tone controls and could "correct" the sound from particular recordings according to my subjective tastes.
Actually I dropped the tone controls in the benefit of speed, detail, width and depth so I can not do it so easily.
Anyway I feel that with my riaa setup, Pink Floyd´s DSOTM would benefit from some high trebble lift and the Miles recordings would need some low mid freq enhancing.
I guess making one switchable phono preamp using different curves would need a complex relay layout (preferebly computer controlled) so it is not a DIY thing.
But for learning purposes I might have a go using simple gold plated dip switches
In my early days I had amps with tone controls and could "correct" the sound from particular recordings according to my subjective tastes.
Actually I dropped the tone controls in the benefit of speed, detail, width and depth so I can not do it so easily.
Anyway I feel that with my riaa setup, Pink Floyd´s DSOTM would benefit from some high trebble lift and the Miles recordings would need some low mid freq enhancing.
I guess making one switchable phono preamp using different curves would need a complex relay layout (preferebly computer controlled) so it is not a DIY thing.
But for learning purposes I might have a go using simple gold plated dip switches
Wow, it would appear that Fritz "the brow-beater" Reiner morphed into Carl "the jokester" Reiner... all because someone brought up uncle Milty's pecker.
This is how world wars start.
Wow, it would appear that Fritz "the brow-beater" Reiner morphed into Carl "the jokester" Reiner... all because someone brought up uncle Milty's pecker.
This is how world wars start.
No John meant Fritz and uncle Milty. Uncle Milty had an uncanny resemblance to my father, same sarcastic sense of humor (never saw him without clothes).
The funniest one I read was where Milton Berle and a friend of his were leaving a club one night. A total stranger approaches them and bets $100 that his is bigger. Berle accepts the bet and the stranger drops his trousers. Berle's friend takes a look and says, "Milton, we're in a hurry. Take out only enough to win."
Hi Scott,
Not to me personally, but many in "High End Audio" consider "the holy signal" a sacred cow that must be venerated...
Me, I used to work as live and recording sound engineer in the 80's and early 90's, to me nothing sacred.
I on the other hand am very used to haveing some form of EQ and I'm quit handy with such.
Played back with RIAA Decca's will have a modest amount of HF and LF emphasis. On many systems they may sound better that way. It does start showing up on the more extreme systems.
I often buy records just because they where mastered by Bob (and a few others). But much of mainstream music has not benefited from the attention of true masters...
Actually, most of the curves are documented, some wrongly (some cite the Decca with 125Hz turnover, it was actually 70Hz) but documentation exists, certainly for CCIR, RCA/RIAA, NAB, Columbia and Decca.
Ciao T
Not to me personally, but many in "High End Audio" consider "the holy signal" a sacred cow that must be venerated...
Me, I used to work as live and recording sound engineer in the 80's and early 90's, to me nothing sacred.
I on the other hand am very used to haveing some form of EQ and I'm quit handy with such.
Played back with RIAA Decca's will have a modest amount of HF and LF emphasis. On many systems they may sound better that way. It does start showing up on the more extreme systems.
I often buy records just because they where mastered by Bob (and a few others). But much of mainstream music has not benefited from the attention of true masters...
Actually, most of the curves are documented, some wrongly (some cite the Decca with 125Hz turnover, it was actually 70Hz) but documentation exists, certainly for CCIR, RCA/RIAA, NAB, Columbia and Decca.
Ciao T
CCIR filter built into preamp; I cannot report that stereo Melodiyas sound better with this equalisation to my ears with my equiptment, rather that this EQ makes the treble very "fizzy" and the sound in general is less natural. I expect that with the late 50's mono MK's it may be just the thing. I could not compare any Eurodisc pressings directly as we did not get many of these in the UK until quite late on but I did quite a few A-B comparisons with HMV Melodiyas. The later ones(from about late 70's onwards) were fairly similar to the Soviet pressing but the earlier ones were smoother,in general. I actually preferred the Russian originals. I believe Bryan Crimp was in charge of this part of the operations for EMI. If any of you know him you should ask him for details.
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