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AUDIO FORUMS >> Vinyl >> Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
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Message started by Dominick on 03/25/23 at 09:11:14

Title: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Dominick on 03/25/23 at 09:11:14

While I was searching through Acoustic Sounds website today to buy some more vinyl… I came across this album “Kiersten Etkins - Shapes and Sound” that’s going to be featured with Kevin Gray’s new all tube recording studio.
Here’s the video where he talks about his new studio. Needless to say I pre-ordered the album so when I get it in the house I’ll post my thoughts.

https://youtu.be/M4_dtXZoygE

The take away from this video…. This guy is a genius!! Enjoy the video.

Dom

Title: Re: Kevin Gray Tube Recording video
Post by HockessinKid on 03/25/23 at 10:47:35

Wow. Now that's doing analog recording right. So glad Kevin Gray has started this new record label and is such a meticulous, patient guy.

HK

Title: Re: Kevin Gray Tube Recording video
Post by JBzen on 03/25/23 at 11:28:32

Holy smokes the second pressing is sold out it seems. I got an e-mail the other day that it was in stock. I did get the second pressing. Not really impressive music wise IMO. Great recording soundwise.
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1679568868

Title: Re: Kevin Gray Tube Recording video
Post by JBzen on 03/25/23 at 11:41:10

The album is very quiet damn near digital quiet. I wish other pressers would pay as much attention to detail as Kevin.

John

Title: Re: Kevin Gray Tube Recording video
Post by Dominick on 03/25/23 at 15:15:04

John,

Based your initial impression….. it’s a shame that the album was a bit of a let down music wise. I’m going to buy the album because I want to hear the quality of what an all tube recording and mastering sounds like. I’m definitely looking forward to hear what comes from his studio in the future.

Dom

Title: Re: Kevin Gray Tube Recording video
Post by HockessinKid on 03/25/23 at 16:46:47

Kevin mentioned that there will likely be two releases per year, then up to four later on. Given that musicians have to be recorded in his studio, I wonder if any main stay artists, under contract, will be able to cut an album there. Hopefully they will find a way.

HK

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by JBzen on 03/26/23 at 10:53:02

It will be interesting to see what is up next at Kevin's studio "Hackensack West".

I did buy this as a sampler for the electronics used in mastering/pressing. To be fair to the artist, it was done in one take with mostly originals from Kirsten. Kevin may have been pushy to get a wrap after 20 years building the system. I've only listened to it once with a critical ear on reproduction. It may grow on me.

John

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by bramar on 03/27/23 at 03:00:55

Super cool. Not an album guy here, but really enjoyed the video. Great to know that tube tech throughout the recording process is back even just a tiny bit. This will make some very very happy.

Brad

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by 4krow on 04/06/23 at 03:52:50

Iwas to the point of buying older albums partly for that reason. I was also surprised at how well some people kept their albums. Many of them sounded new.
As many of you out there, we have all bought that one new release that made us wonder why we bothered. Remastering or music taken from a digital source in some cases, and maybe other factors as well end up being less than advertised. The music OTOH may be really great if we can suffer an ill attempt/price of a recording.
Yes, I know, recordings can be all over the place regardless of manufacturer, or mastering. Kind of like a box of chocolates.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Bottlehead on 05/20/23 at 07:00:45

Saw this article and thought of the Vinyl Decwarians. I don't know anything about vinyl, but I hope that this is informative:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/rhino-launches-audiophile-vinyl-series-with-albums-by-the-cars-and-john-coltrane-cut-from-analog-tapes-by-kevin-gray/ar-AA1bpo1e?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=930fa5fd36874d80b8774acd3bd4db70&ei=34

Randy

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by JBzen on 05/20/23 at 12:11:39

Interesting Randy. Thanks for the heads up. The Cars are a favorite of mine. Most likely try to snag a copy up when available.

Speaking of Decwarians, I met up with Sean at the Vinyl Man's warehouse yesterday! We spent more time talking audio war stories then searching for vinyl. It is great placing faces to the names around here.

John

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Sean on 05/21/23 at 19:38:23

John is a good ambassador to Decware, he did his best to convince Willy to try a Decware amp. Like John said, it's great putting a face to a name. I hope your back is ok after moving those boxes!

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Geno on 04/06/24 at 01:26:29

I thought that I remembered a thread that talked about Kevin Gray.

I first heard of him when I got a remastered copy of Yes ‘Fragile’ several years back. His name was on the back, and I did some reading up on him and his company ‘Cohearent Audio’. The more I read, the more interested I got.

This brings us to the present. Several days ago, I received a copy of Kenny Burrell ‘Midnight Blue’, remastered by Kevin. Of the various cd and Hi res versions of this I’ve heard, this is the best. Scary good! IMHO YMMV.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Lon on 04/06/24 at 01:49:10

Kevin Gray has been remastering Blue Note titles for their Classic and Tone Poet LP series for some years now.

This year they started releasing these as UHQCD discs from Japan in batches of 20. 40 have been released so far, and 20 are coming out next month, and another 20 in June and probably more batches in what Japan is calling the 85th Anniversary Blue Note series. I have the first 40 released, and they sound very good. The only niggle I have with them is they do not contain bonus or alternate tracks that were on other Blue Note cd releases or the Analogue Production SACD releases.

Kevin Gray knows what he is doing--he does not overuse compression and his tonal balance is pretty neutral and the presentation dynamic.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Geno on 04/06/24 at 01:57:59

Agreed, Lon. I like his approach. Now that you mention that he has been involved for a while, I will search out more on vinyl.

Unlike, say, Steven Wilson, he doesn’t let an ego get in the way of the music. That’s not to say that I dislike what I’ve heard by Wilson (ex. Jethro Tull) but I still think he tries to add a bit too much of his own personality, instead of staying true to the music.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Lon on 04/06/24 at 02:05:27

Well, Wilson is paid to REMIX and remixing itself will entail personal choices that transform the material in ways that transferring and mastering as Gray does are not required. I get what you are saying and I like what Wilson has done with Yes, Tull and the few King Crimson I have been interested in.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Dominick on 04/06/24 at 02:11:33

Geno… I had recently acquired a vinyl album that was remastered by Kevin Gray…..Sonny Clark “Cool Strutting”. I had compared it to the original that I streamed in Roon, and the difference is noticeable. I make it a point to search out vinyl that he masters.

I have the first pressing Japanese version of Fleetwood Mac Rumors, that I save for when people who hear my system for the first time. Kevin Gray had remastered the USA version of this album …seek out the one that says it’s Pressed at Pallas. That is next on my hit list. Here’s the link…

https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/73243/Fleetwood_Mac-Rumours-45_RPM_Vinyl_Record

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Geno on 04/06/24 at 02:56:48

Hi Dom. Cool Struttin is one of the vinyl selections on my list, for sure!

And I did not know he was involved in a Rumors remaster. Sounds like another that I need to find. Thanks for the heads up.

Lon, have you heard Kevin’s remaster of Song For My Father? I really want one that’s sounds great. I’ve read several times that it was not originally recorded that well, and that holds true for what I have listened too. I’m hoping Kevin has found a way to make it better.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by LiquidBlue on 04/06/24 at 03:57:35

Funny, I just received this album today. It's the second release from Kevin Grays Cohearent Records, after the first release by Kirsten Edkins. Just gave it a clean and put it on the platter and opened up my laptop to see activity on this thread. First two tracks are sounding really good!

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by LiquidBlue on 04/06/24 at 03:59:17

By the way, that Pallas pressing of Rumours 45RPM is incredible.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Lon on 04/06/24 at 07:32:21

No, I have not heard that remaster. I have not been buying his LP remasters or any new LP releases unless I can find them very very cheap--I did manage to find a handful for 8 or 10 dollars including shipping in a wild sale from Sounds of Vinyl last year, but not that one. (In general I buy digital discs and original or reissued material used on LP for as cheap as I can, I use ebay or dustygroove.com)

I actually think that the recording is okay on "Song for my Father" but that the master tape has been damaged and especially the opening minute (used by Steely Dan for "Ricki Don't Lose that Number") is a damaged segment of tape. The most recent cd from Japan sounds about the best I have heard for this material.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by JBzen on 04/06/24 at 12:35:25

Quote:

John is a good ambassador to Decware, he did his best to convince Willy to try a Decware amp. Like John said, it's great putting a face to a name. I hope your back is ok after moving those boxes!

I just noticed this!

My back fared the task. Thanks Sean for the album lot. There was some goods ones in those two boxes for sure. Hope to return the favor some day.

Advocate for Decware? Not sure about that but certainly want to share a good thing. I really just wanted to return a favor with Willie in our conversation that day. Willie is the one that planted a seed when we talked about the old 78s that pack the second floor of his warehouse previously on visits. His passion and knowledge on that era pushed me to explore and acquire the Victorias.

Yesterday, Karen and I sat in the camper listening to her old 45s on the portable Audiotronics player. Quite fun actually. Those old scratched up 45s sounded very good on that player. You see matching the media of the time with the said equipment of the time will bring very good results. After all, do you think the old timers were deaf? She actually wants to search out favorite artist on 78s now and indeed I want to play the hundred or so 45s from last summers lot purchase.

The love of music is very contagious as well as keeping an open mind in adventuresome tactical plots!

“Happy listening”

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by Dominick on 04/06/24 at 20:49:57

Liquid Blue…..thanks for the heads up on the new Coherent album. I’m surprised I didn’t get a notification since I had thought that I signed up.

Geno….your welcome. I’m going to order Rumors next week with a Hank Mobley remaster from Kevin Gray. I’ll keep you all posted.

Title: Re: Kevin Gray All Tube Recording Studio
Post by LiquidBlue on 04/06/24 at 21:50:13

It’s a good album. Beyond the sonic qualities, I enjoyed it musically as well. Grabbed me more on first listen than the one he did that preceded this.