A catalog of chronological audio documentaries dissecting master tape transfers, room acoustic geometry, and vintage lacquer cutting physics.
Explore chronological audio documentaries covering legendary recording dates, microphone placements, tape speed calibrations, and master lacquer stampers cut for mid-century jazz releases.
In this opening documentary session, we examine the domestic architecture of 25 Prospect Avenue in Hackensack, New Jersey. The residential living room served as the primary tracking room...
The transition from direct-to-disc lacquer cutting to magnetic open-reel tape in the early nineteen-fifties revolutionized jazz recording techniques. At the center of Rudy Van Gelder's technical setup stood...
Recording a sublime performance to magnetic tape represented only half of the audio engineering challenge in mid-century jazz production. The tape master had to be transferred onto a...
In the summer of 1959, Rudy Van Gelder opened his purpose-built recording studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Designed in collaboration with architect Armand Bartos, the sanctuary-like structure...
A complete understanding of the Blue Note aesthetic requires exploring both the acoustic engineering etched into the vinyl grooves and the graphic language wrapped around the twelve-inch cardboard...
The final link in the mid-century audio production chain took place at the Plastylite Corporation pressing plant in North Brunswick, New Jersey. Here, nickel stampers grown electrochemically from...