Reference Recordings - RM-2508 - 45RPM - 200 Gram Virgin Vinyl 

Limited Edition -  Pressed at QRP - Half-Speed Mastered

Cut by Kevin Gray on a custom Cutting Lathe designed by Nelson Pass

Half Speed Mastering

Do not, I mean this absolutely, let this one pass you by. It is a treat at all levels, and just you wait till you hear the string section’s technical finesse and execution throughout." — Harry Pearson, HPSoundings

 

A new symphonic tour-de-force from Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony! This colorful, beloved English music composed by Edward Elgar and Vaughan Williams has been captured by Grammy-winning engineer Keith O. Johnson and produced by Grammy-winner David Frost.

Producer David Frost has won Grammy awards in 2005, 2009 and 2011 for Classical Producer of the Year. He has produced a large roster of stars and Grammy-winning titles. RR was most honored to work with him again on this project.

Half-speed mastering involves a capturing process in which the original recording master is played back at exactly half of the recorded speed. A sequenced cutting lathe is then timed at exactly half of the playback speed. This process allows twice as much time to carve a groove that accurately represents the sound on the master tape. Half-speed mastering allows for cleaner reproduction and also permits extended high frequency response, extending into the ultrasonic region.

 

Elgar had a penchant for making mysterious remarks just to see what responses people would make. He also enjoyed creating secret elements to some of his compositions, and never revealed during his life just what the overlying theme of his Enigma Variations (in other words, the enigma) really was. Its 14 variations were originally identified only by initials or a nickname that stood for the friend of Elgar’s who was portrayed in the particular variation. Reference got a San Francisco artist to do a little drawing of each of the 14 variations and what or who they referred to. The work’s concluding “Finale” brings the variations to a tumultuous close, and since Reference stays away from the center label a good distance and there is only around 14 minutes maximum per side, fidelity is astounding.

Reference devotes a paragraph in their publicity to the half-speed mastering using in the production of this vinyl double album. That was a process much favored back in the ‘70s in audiophile vinyl and I don’t know if it is always used now in mastering vinyl. It plays back the original recording master at exactly half the normal speed and a sequenced cutting lathe is then timed to cut the master at exactly half the playback speed. This allows for cleaner reproduction and extended high end response.

Nevertheless, this 200-gram Mastercut album is sure to impress listeners even if they own a less than super-high-end turntable system. 

Edward Elgar (composer)

Vaughan Williams (composer)

Michael Stern (conductor)

Kansas City Symphony