half-speed?

[tin ear]

Half-speed audiophile vinyl records.

- Does this mean I have to do anything special to play them?
- Or does it mean the masters were cut at twice-speed to increase bandwidth? (I remember from the old reel->reel days - faster rec. speed = more bandwidth.) Then play back at normal speed.
- Or... ?

I can't imagine one would have to play back at 16 RPM, since that speed is so rare on playback units, but I can imagine twice as many sides per album to contain extra bandwidth.

I'm pretty sure this is a real dumb question.


I googled -- honest

[Woochifer]

it should read half speed mastered.

Those audiophile LPs made with this process are mastered with both the tape and the cutting lathe spinning at half the normal speed. The finished LP will still play at 33 1/3 RPM.

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab was the primary proponent of this process and I've owned a few of their half-speed mastered LPs. No denying the very high sound quality of those albums, but those albums have plenty of other things going in their favor such that you can't necessarily attribute the sound quality improvements strictly to the half-speed mastering process. Consider all of these other factors that go into those MFSL pressings --

- use of the original master tape to create a new masterdisk (many mass produced LPs used duplicate backup tapes as the master source)
- cherry picking the recordings with the best audio quality (the major labels release albums regardless of sound quality, while audiophile labels can select which albums they reissue based on how they sound)
- limit on the number of LPs that can get pressed off of each stamper (worn stampers during production can create inner groove distortion)
- limit on the number of stampers that get created from the masterdisk (sound quality on mass produced LPs can deteriorate if too many stampers were created from the original master disk)
- use of dense virgin vinyl (most of the major labels recycled their vinyl starting around the time of the 1970s energy crisis, and went with thinner plats)
- very high quality playback rig (MFSL's current analog playback chain has a frequency range up to 120 kHz, and comparing their hybrid CD/SACDs with other high res versions of the same album, it's very apparent that their playback rig is one of the best anywhere)

The half-speed mastering is just one of the variables in the process, so you can't say for sure how much of an impact the mastering process itself actually has.

Another subgenre of audiophile LP that's gotten more popular recently is the 45 RPM double LP package. These 45 RPM albums use extra wide grooves and that along with the higher rotating speed supposedly allows for more information to get pressed into the album. Most of my 45 RPM vinyl consists of 12" singles, and a lot of them indeed sound mighty impressive. But, again the variable to consider there is that 12" singles are often mastered with a very different sound than the LP or CD cuts of those same songs, since they are intended for DJ use.

[tin ear]

Thanks, Wooch, for your usual concise treatise. Now I can buy without worry -- about that aspect, anyhow. As I said I know that was a dumb question, but I had to be sure.

'Preciate your patient, in-depth answers to my various "how can I..." what's the best..." "what is..." newby questions.

Good on ya.

[3db]

it should read half speed mastered.

Those audiophile LPs made with this process are mastered with both the tape and the cutting lathe spinning at half the normal speed. The finished LP will still play at 33 1/3 RPM.

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab was the primary proponent of this process and I've owned a few of their half-speed mastered LPs. No denying the very high sound quality of those albums, but those albums have plenty of other things going in their favor such that you can't necessarily attribute the sound quality improvements strictly to the half-speed mastering process. Consider all of these other factors that go into those MFSL pressings --

- use of the original master tape to create a new masterdisk (many mass produced LPs used duplicate backup tapes as the master source)
- cherry picking the recordings with the best audio quality (the major labels release albums regardless of sound quality, while audiophile labels can select which albums they reissue based on how they sound)
- limit on the number of LPs that can get pressed off of each stamper (worn stampers during production can create inner groove distortion)
- limit on the number of stampers that get created from the masterdisk (sound quality on mass produced LPs can deteriorate if too many stampers were created from the original master disk)
- use of dense virgin vinyl (most of the major labels recycled their vinyl starting around the time of the 1970s energy crisis, and went with thinner plats)
- very high quality playback rig (MFSL's current analog playback chain has a frequency range up to 120 kHz, and comparing their hybrid CD/SACDs with other high res versions of the same album, it's very apparent that their playback rig is one of the best anywhere)

The half-speed mastering is just one of the variables in the process, so you can't say for sure how much of an impact the mastering process itself actually has.

Another subgenre of audiophile LP that's gotten more popular recently is the 45 RPM double LP package. These 45 RPM albums use extra wide grooves and that along with the higher rotating speed supposedly allows for more information to get pressed into the album. Most of my 45 RPM vinyl consists of 12" singles, and a lot of them indeed sound mighty impressive. But, again the variable to consider there is that 12" singles are often mastered with a very different sound than the LP or CD cuts of those same songs, since they are intended for DJ use.

was from CBS, Billy Joels' ( name escapes me now) I thinks it "stranger" album. I thought the recording qaulity was very poor espically for something being touted as a half speed. Now two albums that aren't halfspeed masters that really impressed me was Dire Straits' Love Over Gold and Tom Petty and teh Heart Breaker's "Dam the Torpedoes" albums. Those two albums alone are making me reinvest into a new turntable.

[BRANDONH]

Half-speed audiophile vinyl records.

- Does this mean I have to do anything special to play them?
- Or does it mean the masters were cut at twice-speed to increase bandwidth? (I remember from the old reel->reel days - faster rec. speed = more bandwidth.) Then play back at normal speed.
- Or... ?

I can't imagine one would have to play back at 16 RPM, since that speed is so rare on playback units, but I can imagine twice as many sides per album to contain extra bandwidth.

I'm pretty sure this is a real dumb question.


I googled -- honest

if your intrested hear is the history:
http://www.mofi.com/history.htm

[JohnMichael]

was from CBS, Billy Joels' ( name escapes me now) I thinks it "stranger" album. I thought the recording qaulity was very poor espically for something being touted as a half speed. Now two albums that aren't halfspeed masters that really impressed me was Dire Straits' Love Over Gold and Tom Petty and teh Heart Breaker's "Dam the Torpedoes" albums. Those two albums alone are making me reinvest into a new turntable.

Columbia and Nautilus among others also created half speed masters. You are right not all were quality products. I have the same Billy Joel and I agree with the poor sonics.

[stuwee20]

was from CBS, Billy Joels' ( name escapes me now) I thinks it "stranger" album. I thought the recording qaulity was very poor espically for something being touted as a half speed. Now two albums that aren't halfspeed masters that really impressed me was Dire Straits' Love Over Gold and Tom Petty and teh Heart Breaker's "Dam the Torpedoes" albums. Those two albums alone are making me reinvest into a new turntable.

I own that LP and I paid $16.00 hard earned $ in the late 70's It was done by CBS tryin' to ride in on Mofi's coatail's, There are some moments when the piano sounds great but, those are a few notes short of what they were trying to get right I must say it still sounds better than the original LP but, not worth the money I paid!!!!

[Woochifer]

was from CBS, Billy Joels' ( name escapes me now) I thinks it "stranger" album. I thought the recording qaulity was very poor espically for something being touted as a half speed. Now two albums that aren't halfspeed masters that really impressed me was Dire Straits' Love Over Gold and Tom Petty and teh Heart Breaker's "Dam the Torpedoes" albums. Those two albums alone are making me reinvest into a new turntable.

What you'd noted with that Billy Joel album might have nothing to do with the mastering/pressing, and more to do with the original recording itself. If the original recording was poorly done, then it won't matter how much attention is paid to the transfer -- garbage in, garbage out. A more telling listen would compare the half-speed mastered CBS Mastersound version with the original LP.

I recall that the CBS Mastersound series featured a lot of Columbia/Epic's best selling artists, and inevitably with pop music you're going to wind up with some murky and muddy sounding recordings. From having compared some of the CBS Mastersound and MFSL releases with the original LP versions, it seemed to my ears that the MFSL releases typically created a more noticeable sound quality improvement. Also, keep in mind that MFSL only reissues albums that in their assessment has good production quality to begin with.

I will agree that Love Over Gold is a sweet sounding LP, if you don't mind the very audible amount of tape hiss on that recording. Given that the CD version also sounds pretty good, I would say that the original recording quality has a lot to do with how good it sounds.

My copy of Damn The Torpedoes sounds really tinny with not a whole lot of punch in the low end. (Doesn't help that the Ortofon cartridges that I've used over the years tend to wring a lot of detail out in the highs while thinning out the midrange a little bit) I've heard the first issue CD version of that album as well, and it's even worse there. MCA Records was notorious for the inconsistent pressing quality on their LPs, and cheaping out on the packaging when titles got moved to their lower priced backcatalog lines (i.e., eliminating the liner notes and substituting plain wrap inner sleeves).

[tin ear]

if your intrested hear is the history:
http://www.mofi.com/history.htm

Very interesting; thanks for the link.

[PeruvianSkies]

If you want to hear that Billy Joel the way it should be check out the SACD of THE STRANGER ....in 5.1 it's amazing and still one of the best SACD's on the market hands down. It's not a hybrid SACD though, which I think in Japan it was released that way as well. Good good stuff!!!!!!