What is our From the Vault series about?
I'm glad you asked! We've received so many letters from classical radio DJs and record buyers praising the sound of our From the Vault re-issues, we thought you might like to know how we do it.Musically, our goal is simple: to reissue wonderful recordings, by great performers, that have been overlooked by their original label. Some, like Dance Music of the High Renaissance and Masterworks for the Harp, were one-time collaborations by several famous artists, or Premieres of recently-restored works by the likes of Praetorius and Handel. Many award-winning LPs, like those by Trio Sonata, appeared on labels that soon vanished. To sum it up, Hidden Treasures... That's what we're about!
Once repertoire is selected, we find the first-generation Master tapes - not a dub sent for U.S. release, not a dolby-ized safety, but the Original Masters, period! Then we spend 20-40 hours in state-of-the-art studios analyzing & optimizing their sound, tearing down audio 'curtains' between performers & listeners. Using Top-Shelf analog and digital processing, we can gently treat harsh room reverb that smears clarity among parts, traffic & building rumble, 'puffy' or nasal solo instruments that were miked too closely, that 'hole-in-the-middle' channel separation of early stereo records, and tape noise...
At every step we compare our new master with the original, on several monitor systems, and at home! If anything's amiss, we start all over. A few weeks and several thousand dollars later, off we go to CD pressing. Most labels remaster by finding an analog tape and transferring it straight to digital. But we think all our extra effort and expense are worth it. And judging by your reactions, so do you.
Sincere Thanks!
Some of our From the Vault re-issues:
BSD 118 Collegium Terpsichore. The 1961 Archiv LP.
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