Digital Delay: The little dirty secret of vinyl mastering (including past AAA records)

Starting in the late 1970's and rapidly increasing along with digital recordings, the use of a digital delay as opposed to an analog delay crept in vinyl mastering facilities all around the world. Only a few remain purists and used special analog delay tape machines to cut records from analog without AD/DA conversions. Now over 99% of all records has digital delay, including most AAA (full ananlog) releases. Discover all the details in this video!

ATTENTION! Some viewers have misinterpreted the message here and I was probably not very clear. Digital delay is NOT present in the current quality AAA productions that we all know and adore. I was mainly referring to the shocking fact that since the late 70's several records that we all believe being analog (AAA) have actually been cut with a digital delay and there is practically almost know way to know which had it and which not. Moreover, I SUPPOSE that other current random AAA productions made occasionally by lables who don't usually make AAA records may have in fact used a digital delay, perhaps not even knowing it since ity takes place in the lacquer mastering phase. As Michael Fremer pointed out Abbey Road, Sterling Sound, Cohearent Mastering, Emil Berliner Studios, Blue Heaven, GZ Media and many others all use analog delay tape heads when mastering and I would add also Quality Record Pressings. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Link references:
Kai Seemann interview:    • Discussing vinyl mastering issues & costs ...  
RIAA curve:    • RIAA Equalization: The ingenious solution ...  
Inner groove distortion:    • How to reduce inner groove distortion & tr...  
Obsolete technology in vinyl:    • The Amazing Present & Future of Vinyl Records  

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