Vinyl Revival: Paul Gold’s Salt Mastering

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN: Most New Yorkers involved in releasing 12″ records have likely heard of Salt Mastering‘s Paul Gold, a go-to-guy who’s arguably become Brooklyn’s first name in mastering for vinyl.

Paul has carved a distinct niche in the otherwise crowded, mid-price mastering market by building a reputation for reliably cutting great lacquers for local artists and vinyl-heavy labels including Thrill Jockey, Secretly Canadian, DFA, Social Registry, Sub Pop, Domino and Mexican Summer.

When we approached him for an interview, Gold invited us to catch up with him during a rare scheduled break between projects. I quickly learned that dropping by during his weeklong “vacation” would mean finding him elbow-deep in mid-century Neumann parts, flanked by his tenacious twin terriers Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt as he tweaked Salt’s prized Columbia mastering console.

In the early 2000s, as digital downloads and peer-to-peer file sharing continued to transform the music industry, Gold saw a future for himself in a more tangible medium: the vinyl disc. This vision seems to have paid off, as the allure of superior sound quality, collector’s value and sheer style continues to attract new converts and repeat clients.

Gold says that many artists see a pragmatic draw as well: “A lot of bands tell me that their fans only really want to buy vinyl at shows. They have trouble selling CDs, so it’s been a better bet at the merch table; at least in the indie circles I travel.”

Read all about Paul Gold’s rise to the top of the vinyl revival here:

From what I understand, you weren’t always “the vinyl guy.” How did that come about?

When I first got started, I was mastering for a CD broker. You know, a thousand CDs for $999 or whatever it was. I could see that there was no future in that for me.

I always kind of thought that ‘real mastering engineers cut lacquers’. When I first realized I had to get out on my own, I only had a certain amount of money to get started. I figured I could either buy a quarter of a mastering studio, maybe a really good EQ and a really good compressor, or I could buy a lathe. I thought ‘Well, that’s a pretty unique thing, and it’s not something everybody does’. I thought that initially my limited funds were better spent [on the lathe] than on a fancy pair of speakers.

From here, that choice seems to have panned out pretty well.

Sure. I’m pretty busy now, but it took a long time. There’s definitely a learning curve. For the first 2-3 years it felt like every time I cut a lacquer I lost money. It’s a pretty high-stakes game because the parts are very expensive; the physical media is very expensive. So, if you start blowing lacquers, all of a sudden you’re not making any money.

I’m curious to hear what that learning curve was like. Some compare running a lathe to playing an instrument.

Well, before I got my first lathe I really wanted to get into disc cutting, so I called around [to other mastering studios] and nobody wanted to give me the time of day. And then, when I finally went out and got my very first lathe, it didn’t work! I had never had experience on it, so I had to first figure out how to make it work, and then figure out how to operate it!

So you do a lot of restoration and maintenance yourself to this day?

Yeah, I do all the work on it myself. I was also lucky to have spent a lot of time with Al Grundy, who imported the first Neumann lathe to the U.S. back in 1957. He knows everything there is to know about these things. He deals in lathes: buys them, sells, restores, all that. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, just hanging out, helping fix them and learning about them. I do all the work myself, but I’ve had a lot of intellectual help.

Eventually, I got it up and running, but really it took years to get it really suped up. When I upgraded to my next lathe it was a bit easier to get it together. Now it’s really tight, and I can basically fix it before it breaks. You can sort of feel when something’s not right, like on an instrument. I just know before even pulling up a meter.

So once that expertise crystallized, things started to pick up more?

Yeah, basically as soon as I was ready and started Salt, I got busy really quick. It was more sudden than gradual. This is the first time I’ve had my own place. Having a home base where I can be the boss made a big, big difference.

I’ve been mastering for over 15 years now. When I moved in I had the lathe for over 6 years, and I accumulated enough experience on that that I was really ready to have things run smoothly. It was a combination of having enough experience and also being able to do things the way I wanted to them.

These days are you doing more mastering or more cutting lacquers?

My business is just about in thirds: A third of it is mastering only, a third is mastering and cutting lacquers and another third is just lacquers.

Is your role any different when you’re mastering for a digital format as opposed to mastering for vinyl?

No. Whenever I quote a job, I say the mastering is good for both. If they’re unsure of whether they want to do vinyl, it doesn’t matter. The master is always good for both, unless there’s something very strange like a weird stereo bass that will not cut well. In those cases I might do two versions, but it’s very rare.

No mastering interview is ever complete without at least briefly touching on the “volume wars.” Do you have a stance there?

I’m not one of the vocal ones. Sure, it’s not the best thing in the world for audio quality, but people like things loud! People have always liked things loud. Generally, when clients ask me about it, I tell them I’ll make it as loud as I can make it without making it sound bad, and then if you really want it louder, let me know and I’ll do it! (Laughs) That’s my standpoint. At the end of the day, it’s their record, not mine, and the final choice is theirs.

Do you ever get things that are too loud to cut well?

The level per-se doesn’t prevent cutting. Distortion does. If it’s loud and peak-limited but sounds clean, it’ll cut fine. No problem. A bigger problem would be something that’s low in level but sounds distorted. That won’t cut well.

That may be surprising to some: A loud digital master doesn’t necessarily mean a loud vinyl disc.

The level on the disc is set by how long the program is. Assuming we’re trying to get it as loud as possible, there are technical aspects that can prevent that: extreme sibilance or sharp hi-hats could prevent it from being cut as loud as it could be. The digital volume has no effect on the output level of the disc, when you take all that into account. If a 50-minute CD is converted to 25 minutes a side, it’s going to be low in level no matter how hot the mastering was.

Salt’s “shaker” logo is a pretty memorable one. Can you tell us something about where the name came from?

The first name I wanted was “Master Supply,” but of course a plumbing company already had that one (laughs). Then I thought: Intercontinental Ballistic Mastering! But, I couldn’t get ICBM-dot-anything on the web. Sticking with the nuclear theme, I thought of the SALT II treaty during the Carter administration, and then I realizedit was a great analogy for mastering, you know? Salt: it makes everything taste better but you’re not supposed to notice it.

For more on Paul Gold and Salt Mastering, visit http://www.saltmastering.com.

All Hands Electric: A Brooklyn Artist Collective & Modern Musical Co-Op

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN: An artists collective and record label inspired by other artist-run labels, All Hands Electric encompasses the multiple projects of its all-Brooklyn-based artist-founders: singer/songwriter and musician Zachary Cale (Solo, Illuminations, Rope, Prudence Teacup), dance-punk musician and painter Peter La Bier (Psychobuildings), singer/composer and graphic artist Alfra Martini (Prudence Teacup) and drummer, visual artist and recording engineer Ryan Johnson (Illuminations).

In the spirit of the DIY punk labels of the 80s, the founders of All Hands Electric set out not only to release their own records, but also to develop a collective approach to producing, distributing and touring behind the records.

“We were excited about creating our own context for what we were doing,” explains Cale. “There was all this great music being made just in our circle of friends and we thought why wait around for somebody else to catch onto what we’re doing, why not just start our own label?”

It’s a question every artist and many producer/engineers, studio owners and music houses have asked themselves: why not just start your own label?

We spoke to Cale about where the group efforts have been well worth it for the All Hands Electric artists.

What’s the thinking behind All Hands Electric and why did it make sense for you and your colleagues to come together in this way now?

All Hands Electric was born out of necessity, as there was so much fantastic music being made just in our circle of friends and none of us were on a label. So we set about creating our own platform, pooling our different talents and resources and it quickly took on a life of its own. I think it is easy to underestimate just how important community is for artists.  It is healthy to be around people who will challenge you as well as inspire you. As a group effort we also felt it might make it easier to cut through — if we could create a collective context for our music it would stand out in its own way.

Besides getting your friends/colleagues together to form the collective, what was involved in getting started?

Starting a label is actually simpler than what most people imagine. There really are no rules! Basically, we just needed to get some money together, collectively, to get that first release out. And then the second and so on…

As a true collective, we share and interchange our responsibilities. In the most general of terms I serve as the label’s main contact. I communicate with stores, distributors, and I handle the mail orders. Ryan and I both oversee production and maintain contacts with the vinyl, CD, and mastering people.

As visual artists we all contribute to the look of the label. Ryan created the logo, and directs most of the visual content, but both Alfra and Peter have contributed artwork to the label as well. Alfra designed and manages the website and blog. We all write copy and press releases. The technical stuff we learn as we go along. We all work at contacting the press (blogs, radio, mags…). It’s all quite evenly distributed.

And I see you guys are releasing vinyl LPs and 7”s. Is vinyl an essential piece of the All Hands Electric mission?

Yes, we’re all fans of the medium. When we were setting up, I’d already been a big vinyl fan for many years; I couldn’t even remember when I’d last bought a CD. From an artistic perspective too, I’d always wanted to release records on vinyl — the physical medium is more fun to work with.

Before we started All Hands Electric we did some research on where we should be pressing our vinyl and how. I think the perception is that pressing records is a lot more expensive than pressing CDs, but that’s not really true if you know where to go and what to spend money on.

Do you work with consistent facilities to master and press your vinyl?

Yes, we started off pressing vinyl with Brooklyn Phono. They’re really great and affordable and they do high quality vinyl — not the heaviest 180-gram vinyl, but the standard weight. It’s some of the best quality I’ve found of anywhere on the East Coast. We’ve worked with them quite a bit, but there are other companies out there too that are worth looking into. It takes trial and error to figure out what’s going to work best for you.

Brooklyn Phono doesn’t do 7″s, so for our recent 7” releases we went to another Brooklyn plant, EKS. Going into these places, I’m so surprised with how insanely busy they are with pressing vinyl. They can barely keep up with the amount of orders they’re getting.

How about on the mastering side? Who do you use for vinyl mastering?

We’ve gone to Paul Gold at Salt Mastering [in Greenpoint, Brooklyn]. He’s very vinyl minded. And I’d worked with both Paul Gold and Brooklyn Phono before, on a record I released in ’05 through another Brooklyn independent label, New World of Sound, run by my friend John Allen. I learned a lot about the New York underground through his label, which planted the seed to start something with my friends later on.

How about distribution — how complicated has it been to get that going?

Well, we really had no idea about how to get records into stores. It took awhile to find distributors and figure out how it all works. We’ve been fortunate to get help from outside sources, like Matador Direct, which is the domestic distribution wing of Matador, 4AD, Beggars Banquet. They also help out other smaller American labels with distribution, and they’ve worked with us to get a few of our releases into stores.

Pretty much everything we’ve released up to this point has been by the people who started the label, but now that we understand how to run this as a business, we’re excited to work with some artists outside of our circle. It’s taken a lot of time and work to get there.

Yeah, I bet! And at the same time you’ve also been producing a new album. That right?

Yes, I just recently mastered my next full-length and now I’m working on figuring out when to release it. This will be my second record on All Hands Electric, unless I put it out with another label. I think it’s good to release albums with different labels — it opens the audience for a band or performer. Also, that would allow us to bring other new acts into All Hands Electric.

What do you do to cultivate and promote the collective? Do you do All Hands Electric showcases?

Yes, and we’d really like to do more. There hasn’t always been a live act attached to the records we’ve released and in some of those cases, we’ve actually formed bands through the making of the record. The Prudence Teacup album we just released, for example: Alfra Martini is the singer and composer, and she recorded it herself.

The album, Where All the Little Songs Go When They Die, was created purely as a recording project, so originally there was no plan to perform the music live. But in releasing this record, we decided to put a band together for a record release show. And in doing so, we got some other shows and then we got on a short tour, opening for Rasputina. We’d only ever played the record release show and next thing we knew, we were on the road with Rasputina!

So the band is born in the studio.

That’s how it worked out in that case. And now we’ll probably make another Prudence Teacup album with the full band. It was exciting pulling it together so quickly — finding the right people and being able to go out on tour right as the album came out.

As far as recording, is there any particular methodology to how All Hands Electric produces records?

Well, we’re all definitely into the home studio idea. I think almost every one of our albums has been recorded either in a home studio, or in our rehearsal/recording studio, which is in the basement of my house.

We record to a TEAC 80 8-track 1/2″ tape machine that we bought for the very first All Hands Electric release by Illuminations, a band I sing and play guitar in. For that album, we recorded the basic tracks on tape and then transferred into a digital format and did the overdubs and mixing on Pro Tools with Josh Clark at Seaside Lounge Recording in Park Slope. In doing that record, Josh and I became friends and went onto collaborate on his project, Rope. All Hands Electric recently put out Rope’s first 7” single.

And how about your new record? Was that recorded in your home studio?

Yes, we did it down in the rehearsal space, tracking basics and a lot of the singing live to tape. Some of the songs are pretty stripped down in an old blues or folk kind of style — so I went for that raw, live sound — and some have bigger arrangements. So I took the analog tracks and dumped them into digital and mixed it at Vacation Island Recording [in Brooklyn] with Matt Boynton.

I like recording at home — you feel you have time to get it right without stressing out over the time/money you’re spending to get the best take. But the negative side to recording at home is that things can be more scattered and take a lot longer. When you book a room, everyone has to focus and get it done right then.

But having the rehearsal/recording space is great for the collective — it’s a resource that can be shared to record demos and basics.

Yeah and the farther we go along, it seems like a lot of the same people are playing on the records, and we kind of have a system now. For example on this new album I just finished, I brought in artists from the collective to play and help arrange the songs. And now Josh Clark is playing drums with me live, and I’m playing guitar with Rope.

Cool. Does All Hands Electric have a particular style or sound?

We don’t really have an identity as far as sound — we’re not really following any one trend. If anything we have an ear for American tradition, be it folk or punk, pop or rock, but it’s not so much that it can be considered “our sound.”

Prudence Teacup is experimental-pop with old cabaret influences mixed with some Brian Eno experimental sound sculpting. And we just released a single by Psychobuildings, which is Peter La Bier’s new dance-punk project. That’s again different than anything else we’ve put out and it’s doing really well — he just played at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

So the Rope, Psychobuildings and Prudence Teacup are your latest releases and what’s next, your record?

Mine probably won’t be coming out until the Fall, but we’re planning on releasing a 7” single a month or two before the album comes out with the A side as a track from the album and the B side as an album outtake. It’s a good idea to calculate your release schedule. Our first year of releases, we had no idea what worked, and we released everything at the tail end of the year not realizing that everyone in the music press would be so preoccupied with their “End of the Year” lists. I think those records got a little forgotten because of when we put them out. You have to be strategic about it.

Anything else you’ve learned to take into consideration?

It’s a good idea to have MP3 codes in your vinyl releases. Also the blogs are a good resource to help generate interest, so you have to work with them.  Sending out songs ahead of time before you release your record is key if you want people to catch on and look for the album’s release. There’s some science to it, plus a lot of trial and error. Two years into having the label, things are making a lot more sense!

For more on All Hands Electric, visit www.allhandselectric.com.

Vinyl Comeback Prompts Sterling’s New All-Analog Vinyl Mastering: Part I

CHELSEA, MANHATTAN — Catering to consistent calls for vinyl across music genres and markets, Sterling Sound, the A-list mastering complex housing the likes of Greg Calbi, Ted Jensen, Tom Coyne and George Marino among others, has added all-analog vinyl mastering to its repertoire. With the addition of a Neumann VMS-80 cutting lathe and the one-of-a-kind modification of an ATR-102 tape machine, Sterling now offers as pristine an analog path to vinyl as possible. SonicScoop caught up with Calbi, Marino and Sterling head technician Barry Wolifson to get the details on how this system works and why these guys have gone to such lengths to bring back a lost art.

“Almost everybody who comes here for mastering at least inquires about vinyl,” assures Calbi. “And, with so many bands putting out vinyl, there’s more competition now to get attention for those releases. What’s been the standard in recent years, for mastering vinyl releases for both DJs and indie bands, is to simply transfer the CD master to vinyl. But we now offer two options for higher-quality vinyl — we can re-master your digital source as a high-res 24-bit/96k file for vinyl, or we can take your analog mix and master it to vinyl via an entirely analog signal chain, for a true ‘AAA’ vinyl release: that’s analog mix, analog master, analog playback.”

The all-analog vinyl mastering setup in Marino’s room is unique to Sterling, and few facilities in the world offer this service via any equipment configuration. The typical mastering chain for vinyl involves a digital delay, where the signal cut to the lacquer is actually a delayed stereo feed as opposed to the analog signal from the tape. A couple other NYC facilities do offer an all-analog mastering path for vinyl, with no digital delay — Masterdisk in midtown and Salt Mastering in Greenpoint — but Sterling’s equipment modifications pose some innovative updates on this classic process.

Marino describes, “The basic setup for cutting records is that you have an analog playback machine and the playback head feeds the signal to the cutting lathe. To cut a record properly, the computer in the cutting lathe needs to have a ‘preview’ [of what’s coming next as it’s printing], which is typically done via digital delay. The lathe gets two signals — the preview and the digitally delayed signal — and it’s the delayed signal that gets cut to the lacquer, which is not ideal.”

Any facility that offers all-analog vinyl mastering has a tape machine that’s been modified to add a preview head. At Sterling, Wolifson worked with ATR’s Mike Spitz to design such a modification for the ATR-102 machine. “People love this particular ATR machine,” says Wolifson. “And, with the modification, this is the only one of its kind.”

The system’s design also involves a unique concept for delaying the signal but printing the original signal. “On this machine, the tape travels along a path, from preview head to playback head, which is the longest delay you’re ever going to need. For anything shorter than that, we actually delay the delay,” explains Marino. “So, we use a digital delay, but only for the preview, and what’s being fed to the lathe is the original pristine signal from the tape machine.”

Key to getting Sterling’s analog vinyl mastering system running has been equipment designer and mastering guru Chris Muth, who built Sterling’s mastering consoles. “We’re turning our Muth mastering console into an A/B console, with Chris’ help,” says Wolifson. “We need to have two identical sets of processors so that we can match the two signals going to the lathe — the preview signal and the signal going on the lacquer. So we have our standard Muth mastering console and then another Muth console, normally used for surround sound processing, that becomes the preview processing area when we’re cutting vinyl.”

The A/B console allows the mastering engineer to pre-set his processors one song ahead of time, a critical piece of this continuous vinyl cutting process. “One song may have been cut in Chicago and the other in LA, and they can sound pretty radically different from one to the next,” describes Marino. “We’ll make it sound more continuous in the mastering process, but since it’s all running in real-time, we’d only have 1 or 2 seconds between songs to run and change the settings. With the A/B console, you just hit one button to switch the whole thing over to your pre-sets for the next song.”

The records coming into Sterling for AAA vinyl release have ranged from classical and audiophile to popular music, including re-issues of Beastie Boys Ill Communication and Nirvana’s Bleach, a re-issue of a classic recording of Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition and a brand-new record by Ben Harper and Relentless 7.

So, when does doing AAA vinyl make sense? And how much time and budget should you commit to whatever vinyl release you choose to do? Tune into Part II of Vinyl Comeback to find out what Sterling recommends!