Yes...he sent the actual disc to Steve. Steve then verified it...been written about in this thread and elsewhere...commented on by Steve too.
Last week I read through this whole thread and took notes. (!) One thing I noticed which amazed me somewhat is that nobody (unless I missed it) has identified the Nichols mastering. The closest anyone has come to ID'ing it is to speculate that it's the one that is more likely a near-clone of Mal's -- which Steve apparently heard and said was his mastering. I am inclined, like most people, to assume that the tiny differences between these two (call them mastering 1 and 1a) are essentially meaningless, and that they're the same mastering. So who has a Nichols master -- the one that was apparently so pervasive? Here's what I think we have: 1. Steve Hoffman master (c.1985) EAC: 90.7 -- 91.7 -- 90.8 -- 88.9 -- 96.3 -- 86.1 -- 97.5 Germany (MCD 01745), Japan (MCAD-37214) and UK (MCLD 19145) pressings. UK release (Mal's copy, UK MCLD 19145) confirmed by Steve. 1a. Unknown master EAC: 90.8 -- 91.7 -- 90.6 -- 88.7 -- 96.3 -- 86.2 -- 97.6 Japan pressings (32XD, 20P2). Virtually identical to 1, but with small digital differences. 2. Unknown master EAC: 100.0 -- 89.5 -- 95.8 -- 100.0 -- 100.0 -- 96.5 -- 97.0 Japan VDP-27 3. Roger Nichols master (c.1985) No information. 4. US JVC master (1991?) EAC: 81.4 -- 100.0 -- 100.0 -- 97.4 -- 99.8 -- 100.0 -- 90.4 Described as "bright". Mastering engineer unknown. 5. Mobile Fidelity 6. Glenn Meadows master (1993) Citizen Steely Dan box set. 7. 1999 remaster
Nobody has identified Roger Nichols' master, but everybody's talking about a frequency gap which should exist on Roger Nichols' master, which makes Steve's master so much better? How cool is that.
Over the last several months I have purchased three versions of Aja, and I would like some input as to their origins. Each has different catalogue/matrix numbers, timings and sonic signature. One even has hiss between tracks. The first Aja I purchased has the following characteristics: 1) MCAD 37214 DIDY 55 on spine and back cover 2) CRC also on back cover along with 1977/1984 dates 3) Disk itself has MACD 37214 DIDY 000055 CRC at three o clock 4) Matrix number DIDX 000055 3 5) Disk made in USA 6) Disk time is 39:58 7) No hiss between tracks (At the end of song Aja the hiss fades out AFTER the music fades.) The second Aja has the following characteristics: 1) MCAD 37214 DIDX 55 on spine and back cover along with 1977/1984 dates (There is no CRC lettering) 2) Disk itself has MCAD 37214 at three o clock and manufactured in USA for MCA 3) Matrix is MCAD 37214-A8E 4) Disk time is 40:00 and there IS hiss between all tracks. 5) Black Cow starts at one second into track one. And finally, the Aja I bought today has... 1) MCAD 37214 on spine and back cover along with 1977/1984 dates. 2) There are no DIDX/DIDY numbers on spine, back cover or disk. 3) Disk is manufactured in USA for MCA with MCAD 37214 at three o clock. 4) Matrix number is MCAD37214 0367308071, and MFG BY UNIVERSAL is located opposite the matrix code. 5) Disk clocks in at 40:01, has silence between tracks and the music is brighter @ 10 khz when compared with the other two CDs. 6) The fading out of tape hiss at end of Aja occurs just BEFORE the music fades out. OK, there you have it. I'm very curious as to the origins of the middle Aja that HAS tape hiss between the tracks. It sounds the best of these three, but the first one is also very close visa vis its sonic signature. The third is a bit bright, but still sounds very good. I should state that I did the comparison using Sennheiser HD 650 headphones fed by a Creek headphone amp and Cal. Audio Labs Icon MK II CD player.
The original 1984 VDP-27 pressing (I talk about it in more detail in this thread - post #10 and #26) has hiss audible between the songs - apart from between "Deacon Blues" and "Peg". Of course, this makes sense since each album side master is on a different reel. Check to see if there is really hiss between "Deacon Blues" and "Peg" on your second CD - if not then maybe the mastering for that disc is based on the same mastering as the VDP-27. As I mention in the other thread linked above, I certainly prefer the sound of the VDP-27 to the others you mention - it's just more "musical" to my ears, for want of a better description.
If I remember correctly, the VDP-27 disc clocks in at around 39:46 (give or take a second depending on the CD player). Although I learned from this forum that disc time isn't the most reliable way to distinguish between different masterings, doesn't it seem unlikely that the second CD in DPM's post is based on the same mastering as the VDP-27 as the second disc clocks in at 40:00? By the way; I fully agree with your opinion on the VDP-27. It is a very warm and smooth sounding disc. It certainly sounds miles better (and very different) when compared to the remaster and the SHM-CD of Aja, which are the other versions of Aja that I own (and, I should add, share the same mastering). I especially like the way how the VDP-27 starts to sound more detailed if you turn up the volume. The remaster and the SHM-CD on the other hand already sound detailed to begin with, but compared to the VDP-27 these discs sound cold and digital.
So to summarize, is the 20p2/32xd Steve's? Or theres still no conclusion for these 2 Japan for Japan discs? Its getting really draggy and messy...
O.k., I just scored a SH mastered version (Made in Germany). Very cool! Had to compare it right away to my Japan for USA pressing. I can hear a difference between these two masterings. It is quite subtle, but the Japan for USA disc sounds slightly veiled compared to the SH mastered disc. I am quite positive that the Japan for USA mastering is Roger Nichols mastering. Here are the peak levels:
I have the disc whose features are in yellow above. Sounds very nice. As I have stated before, to my ears, there is virtually no diff. between this one and JPN. one you also list whic I also have.
Since when do we know that the one listed in blue is Roger Nichols' 1985 mastering? rjstauber is the first one to claim that in this thread or my thread of Aja masterings. Where did you get your information from? Anyway, for me there's absolutely no difference in terms of sound between the 2 pressings. I've switched between the 2 masterings for about half an hour and I never spotted any differences. As they're 100% in sync like Andreas mentioned it's impossible that they're from different A/D transfers.
Well, first of all, I did put (tbc) behind it (to be confirmed). To me it is most likely that Steve's mastering and Roger Nichols' mastering are from the same A/D transfer, but Steve applied some EQ to get the final result and Roger Nichols' mastering is just a flat transfer. (This might indicate that Steve applied the EQ changes to a digital tape and not live during an analog to digital transfer, something he doesn't like to do and usually doesn't do, but he also posted that for some of his early masterings, he only got digital tapes and still applied some EQ changes - maybe Steve can chime in and clarify that). In one post Steve even mentioned the EQ changes he applied (they weren't drastic, IIRC). These EQ changes could result in only a minor change of levels, especially since he added some EQ at some frequencies and subtracted some at other frequencies. I once did a test where I applied some minor EQ changes and there was no change in the peak level at all. To my ears, the differences are rather small but noticeable. Steve's mastering has a little more air and midrange where the other mastering (I still assume it's Roger Nichols' mastering) sounds a tad darker and warmer.
Andreas, in digital, there is no such thing as "almost identical". It's either identical or not, there is nothing in between. If you apply some tasteful EQ changes to a digital file, the resulting file is still in synch and very similar. Steve even mentioned that there's not a huge difference between the two masterings. Isn't this how Steve usually works? He applies some tasteful and usually not major EQ changes to bring out the sparkle in the recording, but not to ruin its tonality. This is what I would expect from his work. The MFSL mastering of Aja on the other hand sounds totally different, and it seems to me that some strong EQ adjustments were applied or that it is from a much different tape.
From Steve's official site: Only the first 5000 copies pressed are by Hoffman, then Aja was remastered by Roger Nichols in New York. So I guess the Hoffman mastering was done before the 1985 Nichols mastering. That would make it very unlikely that Steve's copy is a re-EQd copy of a A/D transfer and Nichols' copy is a flat version of the same transfer.
Yes, if the above statement is 100% correct, that would make it quite unlikely (my assumption from above). On the other hand, if all the masterings with only the 0.1 to 0.2 dBFs difference on some songs are all Steve's mastering, then there a lot more than 5,000 copies out there. So either way, something in some of the statements doesn't quite go together. We might never find out for sure, who knows.
I believe I've seen Mal's EAC peak levels of Steve's Aja on at least 3 different pressings, so even if we don't count the very close peak levels 5,000 is a very low number and not likely to be true. I guess we'll never get to know the truth about this.
Maybe the both did their own EQ and/or used different equipment, cables, etc. We haven't heard the original source that was used and can't say either one is flat.
The age old "which came first, the chicken or the egg" debate has been pushed aside for the even more important, "which Aja mastering is Steve Hoffman's?"
Steve mentioned a "hole" in a previous pressing he fixed. Something must have come first. The Japan 32XD sounds might fine and doesn't have a hole. Mabey the earlier VDP pressing or a W. Germay pressings?
I remember the way the Hoffman mastering was identified was someone mailed in his CD to the man himself and he agreed it was his mastering after he listened to it and heard telltale sonic traits of his mastering techinque. Does anyone know which forum member that was (and what pressing he had) and if he can do EAC on his copy of Aja and post those numbers here?
That was Mal, our "phorum physicist". I gave Steve that same CD this summer, a UK pressing, so you can ask our host for the pretinant serial numbers, etc.
