Behind the Scenes

How to Reissue a Record page 2 Once a MASTER TAPE is chosen, engineers will compare it against an original issue LP to analyze differences in audio quality. In the photo below, Tony Hawkins holds an LP made by his company, Decca. He will compare it, along with other versions and re-issues of different vintage, against the original master tape. Tony Hawkins with an original Decca LP. The comparison involves playing the original LP on a cutting lathe, which is outfitted with a tonearm and cartridge. Playing the original Shaded Dog LP on the lathe. The engineers will equalize the master tape and LP at the same level before using an A/B switch on the mastering board to alternate between the two audio sources, listening for any discrepancies in the process. Bernie Grundman and Tony Hawkins A/B-ing the sources. In the case of a three-track master, A/B-ing also determines the amount of "center" audio signal to mix to the right and left channels. Such close examination of the master tapes and various versions of the LP will inevitably reveal many unexpected details, which are then documented in mastering notes and write-ups. more...

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