I’ve written a couple of times about the MoFi records, but never about the controversy they were in. In 2022 it was discovered that for years Mobile Fidelity was selling records with the claim that they were taken directly from the analogue tapes. For vinyl purists that is a thing. I’m not discussing here if you can hear the difference: there are trolls enough debating that. However, if you claim it, it should at least be true, right? Especially given the prices of these records.
And it turned out not to be true for many records. The reason for this is that most record companies are not willing to send the original tape to just anyone who wants to make a new mastering, even if they own the rights. Those tapes are a huge affair: they are heavy and brittle, and not to mention unique. Transporting them is like transporting an original Van Gogh to a studio for a new photograph (and then someone tells me that is done all the time…).
So for convenience, record companies send them digitally, using the highest available format: DSD 256. That format consumes about 10Gb per hour for just music. This not so analogue file was then remastered and analoguely (new word) put to the stamper. For never telling the public about that digital step, they had to reimburse all their US customers following the class action suit that was filed. End result: 25M $.
And what it does not mean is that all record companies that claim analogueness (another!) are not to be trusted. Blue Note has more than once proven its track record (hehe) and even supplied proof of the use of the original tapes. Like for this one. It happens that the tape of the recording, from 1957, is in excellent condition. So this time the hype sticker is actually correct.
