"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...

Anyone care to comment on what the download tells us?

I would imagine that the pressing quality is rather better now than it
was in the '70s. If nothing else, having guards round the presses
should help to keep dust down. Health and Safety sometimes is of more
use than just the obvious.

The download is a 5'30" BBC programme "Working Lunch" which visits the old
EMI pressing factory, now under new ownership. The owner says that the
vinyl market is steady, showing no growth, but no signs of going away.
Also says that it's very much a niche market for collectors who like the
tactile nature of an LP and owning something tangible. The programme also
makes the comment that for some people, CDs have never come up to LP
standards of sound quality, which is why I suspect Keith had it on his web
site.

Back in the '70s, I visited the CBS pressing plant in Aylesbury a few
times and was not very impressed by the obvious lack of care and quality
control taking place. LPs were pulled off the presses when still very soft
and so warps were almost certain, all to save a few seconds in the cooling
cycle and get higher production speeds. There were no guards round the
presses then, and dust was a constant problem, but seemingly totally
ignored. I have no idea if EMI were the same, but I would be surprised if
they weren't.


Seeing this all again brought back memories. I visited the EMI factory
many times in the 1970s. In fact there was little difference between the
EMI, CBS and Decca factories. I also paid a visit to the old Saga factory
at Kensal Rise, and the factory of Charles Rumble (yes really!) down in
sunny Surrey.

In those days, the length of the press cycle was dictated by the record
being pressed. Decca full-price classical, cat SXL...... were turned out
more slowly that most on virgin vinyl. I suspect that QC was also higher.
But still, production was "brisk"

Now, there seems to be no use of recycled vinyl in the EU, even in
Czech and Baltic factories. The Russian plants too seem to be making
a special effort.

An important part of vinyl marketing is the sleeve. The Ray Charles/
Count Basie LP is a good example -a wonderfully presented gatefold
sleeve with an additional insert, packed with background information
about the artists and this particular project. The double LP, on 180gr
vinyl lived up to my expectations - not a click or a crackle on any
of the four sides. It is a truly wonderful listening experience.

It was interesting to compare this excellent production with the CD
version which appeared some months later. The CD had 4-6dB
compression, pushing the vocal back into the orchestra. Quite a
disappointment - although not totally unexpected. Ya see, louder
is better:-)

Regards

Iain