Total disparity of audio values on Studio One pressings

[jb welda]

a preamp will "blend" a stereo recording when you push the "mono" button. the exact algorithm used for that blend will depend upon the electronics used in the blending circuit.

i have a dynaco pat4 preamp with two mono switches for different settings:

both switches out: stereo (or at least as stereo as the source is)

left switch in, right switch out: left channel in both output channel

left switch out, right switch in: right channel in both output channels

both switches in: blended mono

in most cases blended mono sounds very nice and very little is lost in the blend, sounds like a legit mono mix.

of course early beatle stereo records are the thing to use to verify blends because the separation was so distinctive, thanks to george martin. phony sounding on modern equipment, but very distinctive.

this dyna preamp is from the early 70s if i recall right; they dont hardly make em like that anymore.

it has been relegated to pushing a yamaha small power amp for my outdoors porch speakers but used to push a pair of dynaco stereo 80 tube/valve amplifiers for many years.

one love
jah bill

[algoriddim]

Yeah, this "Jamaican Stereo" can be nice when you want to play with mixing the tracks, or just listening for curiosity's sake, but when its played "out" it often has quite a disconcerting effect for a live audience. One speaker is blaring and the other mostly unaccompanied voice. There's a Big Youth / Pablo cut like that, along with some Scratch recordings, and Gussie cuts I think.

[6anbatte]

I've a copy of **["What Kind Of World"](http://www.roots-archives.com/release/1592)** that I can barely listen to due to the *Jamaican Stereo* effect.

[Return of Jesco]

It's still happening... Check out Sizzla's latest in the dancehall Top 10, I thought my headphones were knackered!

[jb welda]

its just a cheap and easy way to cut a song...no mixing, just riddim in one track and vocal in the other.

crap really. maybe ok for dubplate but for official release it just screams "cheap!!!"

one love
jah bill

[AnorakTrev]

@ jah bill ,

That Dynaco pre-amp is one of its kind . Look after it , should be worth money ! Also , the Quad 33 pre-amp had similiar selection buttons for channel left/right and mono functions . ( Wish I still had mine .)

[jb welda]

yes man the dyna is a real workhorse and over the years ive definately gotten my $200.00 i paid for it new out of it.

one love
jah bill

[Return of Jesco]

@AnorakTrev - would it upset you to know that I still have my Quad 33 and 405, but one channel has packed up, I don't know on which because I can't test them separately! But the on-off switch on the volume control on the 33 never seemed to do the set-up any favours. Plus to be honest the Arcam I use these days does sound better than the Quad which was showing its age.

[suzifan]

So what's the worst quality album mastering (not pressing) on studio 1? I have a Gaylads 'Soul Beat' where the pressing is ok but the mastering is so bad it's unlistenable. The vocals are barely there. Got a particularly badly mastered Studio 1 LP, people?
Anyone out there ever notice that The Gaylads stuff for Perry on Dip, when it was repressed on Justice League in the 90s, had no name on it because by then the group were horrified by the connotations of the name. They also changed it to Gail Lads at one point. Hmm.

[jb welda]

gaylads adopted the name psalms after the former took on unwanted connotations.

as for the studio one question, there are so many to choose from but a lot of that comes from mr dodd evidently using the same stampers way after their expiration date. some ive had you had to listen for the music behind the noise but i guess thats more a pressing problem than a mastering problem.

to me the worst mastering of S1 were those LPs released on the american label in the seventies, i forget the label name (liberty maybe?), but the ones with the oil painting covers. nice clear sound but unfortunately seems to me they mixed all the bass out for american hi-fi ears and also the mastering seems to sound out of phase or something...kinda funny.

one love
jah bill