Direct-to-disc recording

I’m enjoying this live to 2-track direct-to-disc recording.

Direct-to-disc (D2D) recording was a way to get the best quality out of vinyl records. It was used in the 1970s by Doug Sax and Lincoln Mayorga, who wanted to get back the musical sound of the 78 rpm records that were recorded without the use of tape machines. Other labels using the same method include Nautilus, Analogue Productions, Trend, Century, Groove Note, Salisbury, Umbrella, and others. Some of these labels continue to produce direct-to-disc albums.

One of the biggest problems is the ability of the musicians to perform the music together live in one take, and as Walter Sear stated in an interview with Steve Guttenberg in Stereophile (2005), “the medium was too expensive, and the master should be plated within 12 hours of the session. And it’s not realistic to expect the instruments to stay in tune through four movements. Direct to disc is too difficult.”

https://www.stereophile.com/interviews/305sears/index.html

All such LPs are limited editions. Two, three or more masters are cut live. Only a few stampers can be made from a master disc. Stampers themselves have a limited life span. Each stamper can only press a relatively small number of LPs before deterioration.

Some of the records were reissued using the backup tapes as masters. Apparently, the reissues sound very good but maybe not as good as the originals. Many D2Ds, including several Sheffield Labs issues, are considered some of the best sounding recordings ever made.

I have only a few, a favourite being from James Newton Howard, and I keep looking for good quality copies. New retail prices are high in New Zealand, and only a few retailers stock them occasionally.

There’s a Wikipedia explanation of the recording method here.

FM’s 1978 album Direct to Disc / Head Room is another example, and it has an interesting backstory, here.