INTERPRETI VENEZIANI - VIVALDI'S FOUR SEASONS - 2015 DIRECT CUT LP + CD project

	£		26
	$		34

NO COMMERCIAL CD RELEASE (as recommended by VinylValley.co.uk)
THE CHARM AND FINESSE OF VINYL CAPTURED ON CD
The Brief To produce a clean transfer from a vinyl LP onto CD.
The Process After sourcing the disc it is cleansed on the Pro-Ject VC-S record cleaner.
Transfer of programme content at 24-bit 96kHz resolution using a state of the art analogue to digital converter for maximum quality to a Mac using a Rega Planar 1 turntable.
Assessment and analysis of music file utilising studio quality iZotope RX 7 Standard software.
Sensitive reduction of surface noise and removal of undesirable elements such as clicks, crackle, rumble and other various artefacts related to the pressing process. Retention of existing detail being of paramount importance. Each track then painstakingly headphone checked in real time to further reduce or eliminate remaining undesirable elements where possible.
Tracks burned to music CD.
Statement How can a cd transfer from a vinyl record sound as good if not better?
Although the transfer is an analog to digital conversion process, pressing imperfections have been reduced or removed. The original warmth, equalisation and mastering quality found on the vinyl is retained. Well mastered cd's sound great - it's not a case of vinyl being better than digital, it's just different.
You are buying PRIMARILY a restored transfer to cd as a backup copy to the vinyl disc. As the source quality of vinyl will vary considerably it must be regarded as inferior to the finished cd. Due to the nature of the vinyl pressing process and the unknown handling of the disc prior to sourcing, rarely will it play as cleanly or noiselessly as the cd - even a brand new factory fresh vinyl pressing will have minor imperfections. Vinyl gradings must therefore be considered as estimates of condition and are subjective - what can be acceptable to some may not be good enough to others. My service therefore is to capture the brilliance and warmth of a vinyl recording and, using professional software, eliminate or reduce the influence of undesirable elements previously described. Care is taken to avoid overuse of such software to avoid perceivable side effects. I'm a perfectionist, so if I'm not happy with the final result it will not be offered for sale.
The Project and outcome

Recorded in 2015 at Air Studios in London. Mike Valentine's enthusiastic desire to reintroduce direct-to-disc vinyl albums on his Chasing The Dragon label, produced a spirited performance of this evergreen classic from this respected Italian ensemble that were brought over specifically for this project. Unfortunately it's let down by a less than perfect pressing by Record Industry, which includes low level anomalies as well as pre-echo. Much ambient noise pervades from unwelcome clicks and bangs, page turning between tracks and an annoying intake of breath habit of the leader, to mobile phone interference on the last two tracks of side one. The interference was known, but time and money meant re-recording was not an option, so like it or loathe it you're stuck with it. Having said that, it's still a worthy addition to the direct-to-disc catalogue.

The aforementioned anomalies have been sensitively removed or drastically tamed, where thought necessary, in RX7 for this 24-bit 96kHz capture to leave a very satisfying result.

Sleeve notes

In creating this direct cut album, we had to overcome many challenges. Because the album had to be recorded 'as live' I had to first find a piece of music which would be the perfect length. Obviously, I found the answer in Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Next came the musicians and I was so lucky to have the opportunity of bringing over from Venice, the leading Venetian chamber orchestra, Interpreti Veneziani. Finally, I had to find a recording studio which not only had a superb sounding space, it also had to have an engineer versed in the black art of cutting live vinyl. Well, have we succeeded? Please judge for yourself, for I hope you have as much fun in listening as we had in cutting this disc!   Mike Valentine