Vinyl mastering credits and deadwax question

The man instrumental in converting old used tires into a new formula for virgin vinyl.

 

Reoco - Legend on the dark blue MCA Coral label with Platinum Plus embosssed on the cover. I have an original ABC -RE1 Masterdisk (no initials) pressing, but this LP has less deadwax and I was curious about the sound. It has a nice sound with deep bass (moreso than the ABC). The markings are Gloversville and a handwritten D.W.J. Any info on the mastering of both versions?

AA 1099-A MCA G2 D W J (in script) (Gloversville logo)
AA 1099-B MCA G1 D W J (in script) (Gloversville logo)

The J is definitely not an I though. Whoever mastered it used all of the vinyl, grooves are spaced out with very little deadwax.

 

Looking to find out who "KEV" is....Dead wax also has "Mastered by Capitol".
Thanks.

 

I have a question about MCA pressings that have Precision stamped in the deadwax. Are these considered good sounding, in general? I have a few MCA pressings with Sterling in the deadwax, that sound great, but was wondering about Precision mastered.

 

I think Precision is a pressing plant, not a mastering facility.

Edit: It looks like there is a Precision Mastering facility founded in 1979. So ignore what I wrote above.

 

Some of my favourite LPs have Precision LE (Larry Emerine) or Precision SM (Stephen Marcussen) in the deadwax. Artists that come to mind are Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, The Pointer Sisters, Poco.

JG

 

The LP I have has Precision SM in the deadwax. The record sounds great. I was just curious because most of my other MCA pressings from this band are Sterling and I hadn't seen Precision stampers before.

 

do you know who signs with a star ? I have seen a Geffen/Universal/Scorpio reissue with a star in deadwax, could it be Greg Calbi ?

 

Did you ever find out more info on this? Found a n/m with that stamp (Platinum Plus), but it has the old abc note orange/yellow face, it has DWJ hand written

 

Anyone have any clue about "MK"? it's on the new EU Kid A repress. Could be plant or mastering.

 

I'm also trying to find out this info. Did you ever get an answer?

 

MK are the initials of a mastering engineer at Optimal Media Germany, but it is not known who he/she is or the real name as Optimal does not reveal that information.

Regarding Radiohead... I would search the non "MK" pressings, made en EU and with original matrix (just like the first pressings), it seems some of them are still being pressed (or were very recently) in Europe.

 

I've figured out what it was - another MCA mastering engineer, Brian D. Ingoldsby, had etched his lacquers with "B.D.I." - and on occasion, he scripted it so the "I" looked like a "J," hence the confusion.

Having said that, though, we may have an answer. On here, the "DWJ" initials later turned up on lacquers mastered at JVC Studios (located for a time at RCA's old "Music Center of the World" studio base at Sunset and Ivar). A scan of such a section was on the page for the one for whom such initials may belong - Darryl (W.) Johnson.

 

Anyone see recent reissues Mastered by Capitol with "SH" in the deadwax? I think the "S" and "H" are on top of each other or vertical and between to lines/bars. The Donny Hathaway RSD release had this in the deadwax. Anyone know who this is?

 

Mystery solved, thanks W.B.!

 

Here's the funniest deadwax marking I've seen; not unexpectedly, it's on Side One of Rhino's "The World's Worst Records." Hand lettered:

IF YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE SIDE, REWARD YOURSELF WITH AN EGG

 

I just bought First Aid Kit's Stay Gold and it has MK handwritten after the matrix numbers.

JG

 

How about the triangle with a tail (as the best I can describe it)? I'm sure I read an identification of this somewhere but I do not remember it.

It is like this, handwritten or inscribed:

|>---

but connected with no breaks (imagine the breaks filled in, in the above).

 

Looks like a "Winchester rifle". Capitol, pressed at the Winchester, Virginia plant.

 

Thank you!

 

It's Kevin Reeves; he was at Capitol Tower Mastering from 1986-1997, later at Universal and Sterling.

 

Thanks Ben!

 

Oh yes, they can sound fantastic. Sometimes they also have the Winchester (rifle logo) or the Artisan logo ("a" that I used to mistake as a french horn - until I was corrected here.)

I have many Precision pressings. I've never heard anything but great sound.

 

What looks like S H is IS, for Ian Sefchick, Capitols newest laquer cutter trained by Ron Mcmaster, from what I have heard so far I like his cuts, though from an audiophile perspective there is some room for improvement but they aren't as rolled off as some RM cuts can be .


Colin

 

Useful link from Discogs:

Common runout groove etchings: how to list them (Version 5)

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