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1/2 speed cutting not usually so good?

Any mastering engineer or other person in the know care to comment on Bob Ludwig's letter in the March issue of The Absolute Sound where he indicates that 1/2 speed cutting is a trade-off. He says that a cutter head flat to 20Hz is only flat to 40Hz at half speed. In combination with the RIAA cutting curve, Ludwig says that an additional equalization circuit is needed for 1/2 speed cutting that introduces extra ringing and distortion. He concludes: "For some music, half-speed cutting is an advantage, for the majority, probably not."
Perhaps I misunderstand the process. But if I have it right, some other folks including those at Mobile Fidelity may want to provide a different viewpoint.
gpgr4blu
11 responses Add your response
Post removed 
sbrownnw
693 posts
 
I learned something
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Co-incidentally, I have been thinking about this issue myself lately; what are the tradeoffs; why aren't more masters cut at half speed? I do not subscribe to AS; is the article available on-sline?
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,793 posts
 
Not all lathes can operate at 16rpm. Certainly speed stability is a much greater issue at the lower speed!

I don't buy the 40Hz thing. Our cutter seems to go down much lower than just 20Hz, as do our electronics.

Seems to me it was Decca in the UK that first started using 1/2 speed mastering as part of their method of controlling cutterhead resonance. Essentially, this put the resonance in the upper part of the last octave, which is beneficial due to the RIAA pre-emphasis (boost at high frequencies); IOW it meant that less amplifier power was needed.

There are indeed tradeoffs!
chayro
2,984 posts
 
Virtually every product manufacturer wants to have a "thing" that separates their product from others. Half-speed cutting, 45 rpm, single-sided discs, direct-metal mastering. The fact is, IMO, no single attribute has ever been shown to produce a consistently better-sounding product. The quality of a record starts with the quality of the master tape, the lathe, the skill and care of the people involved, the demand for perfection... Sometimes the reissues are great, sometimes the old-fashioned older pressings are better. Unfortunately, it's often plain old trial and error to find the best pressing.
gpgr4blu OP
1,082 posts
 
Hi Swampwalker:
I don't think the item is available online because it is a letter to the editor, not an article. It was a very short letter that does not say much more than the synopsis I set forth above.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
At my age, half-speed cutting is about all I can master.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
LOL, Doug.
Post removed 
gpgr4blu OP
1,082 posts
 
MoFi lp inserts still refer to a half speed mastering process and how the cutter head has twice as much time to direct cut complex grooves. Unless their inserts are wrong, they are still cutting at half speed.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
"The quality of a record starts with the quality of the master tape, the lathe, the skill and care of the people involved, the demand for perfection... Sometimes the reissues are great, sometimes the old-fashioned older pressings are better."

Cutting records was an artform in the golden age of vinyl. I agree with you but would add that the quality and purity of the vinyl is an important part of the process.

And half-speed or not, I have had a few MOFI records with pops and clicks in them. So Chayro makes a very valid point.
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