Roots Archives Forum

I'm just bring this up because i ripped John Holt's Greatest Hits and Solid Gold tonight and the difference between the sound of Stick By Me and I Don't Want to see you Cry are huge.
So if you're playing these on vinyl and expect the same thing - what's up?

Very different.

I bought all of these in NY from Mr. Dodd's shop as I remember it. It is fun to hear the tracks differently - I won't say equalized - but realized - but I'm confused.

Sounds to me like someone was playing with the knobs...

There may be a different explanation but it could be that a lot of Studio one vinyl was pressed on Mono and then was also released in a sort of Stereo version after processing. You can therefore:

play the Stereo version through stereo equipment; or

play the Mono version through stereo equipment; or

play the Mono version through mono equipment.

Each of those will sound different.

Regards

Rob

Punching in " Mono recordings into stereo " I came up with this description :-

" You can`t create stereo from a mono source , you can split it into two channels and apply effects to make it sound different and kinda stereo...
Typically vocals are recorded in mono and sit on a stereo bus where they can be panned if you wish .... Remember , stereo is simply two mono channels , that`s all.... "

Some mixes have the vocals 80% on the left channel, 20% on the right. And the horns maybe 80% right and 20% on the left channel. Sounds strange.

I remember, Rodigan always used to laugh loud about this and called it "Jamaican stereo".

So if I have a dodgy-'stereo'-sounding Studio One LP, would flicking the 'mono' switch on my amp force it back to how it 'should' sound? (Apologies if this is a stupid question!)

I-Lion Tafari wrote:Some mixes have the vocals 80% on the left channel, 20% on the right. And the horns maybe 80% right and 20% on the left channel. Sounds strange.

I remember, Rodigan always used to laugh loud about this and called it "Jamaican stereo".

The 12" of Mr Boss Man by Linval Thompson was almost completely split with vocals in one channel and the entire backing track in the other. It was the same with Bush Weed Corn Trash by Bunny and Ricky on the Scratch and Company Chapter 1 album

Good question , there , Jonti . For those with mono switches on their amps , report back , please !!

AnorakTrev wrote:Good question , there , Jonti . For those with mono switches on their amps , report back , please !!

Not necessarily. It will give you a better idea, but it depends on the level of each channel; the rhythm or vocal maybe too low or high.

S1 mastering often leaves a lot to be desired. I have many albums where the levels and tonal quality alter drastically from track to track. Sometimes the tunes were poorly recorded to start with, other times the EQ is just not matched.

AnorakTrev wrote:For those with mono switches on their amps , report back , please !!

Well I tried forcing this fine LP...

[cover=1409,1629]

...into Mono via my amp earlier today, and it sounded 'thicker' as a result but also seemed to be missing some detail.

I don't think the mono vs stereo thing is the issue here. what I hear is a really different sounding mix on what seem like the same takes. and knowing much of this Studio One stuff was 2 channel in this late 60s early 70s period really makes me curious as to how the mixes could be so different.

Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if the identical sounding takes were in fact different takes from the same session with different levels on the board...or something.

I'm wondering if one were to find a 45 of 'Stick by me' for example, would it sound like the same mix as the Solid Gold comp or the Greatest Hits or neither...

ah...idle speculation until Sylvan Morris steps up and gives us the inside scoop.

No doubt I'll find more such curiosities when I start ripping in earnest...