Date:         Tue, 3 Jul 2007 13:50:33 -0400
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         Aaron Levinson <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: LP pressing question
Comments: To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
In-Reply-To:  <002401c7bd87$956de3b0$c049ab10$@com>
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I think you'd be very surprised by the number of actual test pressings 
that do turn up. I have quite a few and recently sold one of the Phil 
Spector's Christmas album to a collector in Germany who collects nothing 
but test pressings. He has test pressings by the Beatles, Stones, Who, 
Floyd, just about any tier 1 rock band you can think of actually. As 
many have only ID information on them they cannot be mistaken for 
anything else and would be of little or no use to the average radio or 
press person for obvious reasons.

AA


Bob Olhsson wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> >From phillip holmes: "...if the deadwax info is the same on a supposed test 
> pressing as a WLP or first issue, it probably isn't a test pressing? ..."
>
> I've never encountered the term deadwax before.
>
> A test pressing would be identical to the first issue (assuming the press
> run had been approved!) except for what was typically a reversed scrap label
> which sometimes had ID information written on it. (I've occasionally seen a
> plant use a special test pressing label but usually not.)
>
> When they start a pressing run the first few will often be bad because the
> press temperature hasn't stabilized. For this reason they might press ten,
> throw out the first three because of non-fill, check one out with a
> microscope, play it, put a couple on file and send the remaining four or
> five to the client. If a client was smart, they'd file away at least one to
> prove what they'd signed off on had been ok in the event of a bad pressing
> run.
>
> The rest would be passed on for the producer and engineers to check. I would
> be very surprised to see test pressings that weren't actually promo copies
> turning up very often among collectors.
>
>
> Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN
> Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control
> Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined!
> 615.385.8051 http://www.hyperback.com
>
>