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Record Collecting

He Taped 10,000 Concerts. Now His Bootlegs Are Becoming Records.

He Taped 10,000 Concerts. Now His Bootlegs Are Becoming Records.

Aadam Jacobs recorded thousands of live shows over four decades. Now his massive cassette archive is being preserved, digitized, and even pressed to vinyl, raising an intriguing question: when does a bootleg become a historical master?

Andrew Lloyd Webber Went Back to the Original Phantom Master Tapes. What Did He Find?

Andrew Lloyd Webber Went Back to the Original Phantom Master Tapes. What Did He Find?

Andrew Lloyd Webber returned to the original 1986 Phantom of the Opera master tapes for a new mix. But three reels were missing, forcing the team to turn to an unexpected archival source: an original vinyl pressing.

Maggot Brain Finally Gets the All Analog Vinyl Reissue It Deserved

Maggot Brain Finally Gets the All Analog Vinyl Reissue It Deserved

Funkadelic’s 'Maggot Brain' gets a new all analog vinyl reissue cut directly from the original tapes. With 33 RPM and 45 RPM editions, could this finally be the definitive pressing?

Michael Jackson’s Bad Has a 16 Bit Digital Master. Can a $125 Audiophile Record Actually Improve It?

Michael Jackson’s Bad Has a 16 Bit Digital Master. Can a $125 Audiophile Record Actually Improve It?

Mobile Fidelity’s new $125 One Step pressing of Michael Jackson’s *Bad* starts with a 16 bit/48 kHz digital master. Can premium mastering, 45 RPM cutting, and One Step vinyl still make it sound better?

He Digitized His Project Hail Mary Vinyl Box Set. Then He Found Something Strange.

He Digitized His Project Hail Mary Vinyl Box Set. Then He Found Something Strange.

A collector digitized his *Project Hail Mary* vinyl box set and found the same strange 17.5 kHz cutoff across all four records. What can it tell us about mastering, pressing, and where vinyl problems really begin?

Bob Weir Left Behind an Unfinished Psychedelic Rock Opera. What Happens to It Now?

Bob Weir Left Behind an Unfinished Psychedelic Rock Opera. What Happens to It Now?

Bob Weir left behind an unfinished psychedelic rock opera, including completed songs, works in progress, and hours of recordings. Should his collaborators finish it, preserve it as is, or let some of it remain unfinished?

The Turntable Trick That Helped Invent Hip Hop

The Turntable Trick That Helped Invent Hip Hop

Grandmaster Flash helped transform the turntable from a playback device into an instrument, using two records, a mixer, and precise cueing to extend drum breaks and reshape music in real time.