Ziggy Stardust and the Half-Speed Masters from AIR Studios

Join us for lively discussion of half-speed mastering that was brought on by the 50th anniversary half-speed release of Ziggy Stardust. Other releases/analogs of half speed mastering are reviewed (no pun intended).
MANY THANKS to Trent's Records as well, you can find his channel here: / @trentsrecords

[@HoomanR17]

According tot Discogs thread, the 2016 version is the analog cut and the 2020 although looks the same, same sticker, barcode, etc. is digital. Would be interesting to do a comparison between the 1/2 speed and the 2016 (or the others that share the same/similar matrix such as the 2012 and the box set which are supposed to be all analog)

[@antonioscarpati2414]

Thanks for the video, but please next time more light :)

[@nicholas6823]

Interesting discussion. I have that 2020 ziggy stardust and have the 50th on order. I am glad you hear such an improvement. The only other half speed I have is the recent police greatest hits, which was ok apart from some surface noise, but I don’t have any police on vinyl to compare. With the ziggy I will be able to do my own shootout. I thought the 2020 pressing did have a bit of a digital sheen to it. Your video looked like you were trying to hide your identity! Turn you camera, so it is not pointing towards the windows.

[@thesoundofbrynmawr1467]

Thank you for watching and have a good shootout! I am looking into lighting improvements for next time.

[@DarkSideOfThePepper]

I did not buy the 50th Ziggy record, not because it was half speed mastered , but more because it was half speed mastered from the 2012 digital remaster.

[@rabarebra]

Half speed is just a gimmick. Sell more of the same records. FOMO.

[@egotrpn420]

Here is a bad example of half speed mastering digitally. Abbey Road half speed master re-issues of the Rolling Stones. They simply suck! Lifeless and dead! They turned half speed mastering into a dirty word.

[@thesoundofbrynmawr1467]

Rolling Stones albums were generally pretty well-recorded and they usually got them right the first time. Early US pressings of Exile on Main St and EU pressings of Sticky Fingers stand out on sound. Goat's Head Soup was recorded quite badly in Jamaica, so there was potential for half-speed, but they did some kind of reissue for the half-speed version which apparently messed it up.

[@rabarebra]

Half speed analog doesn't work very well, hence they use digital. Half speed is not necessary at all anyway.