LATEST ADDITIONS

If you live in the Seattle-Tacoma area, why not spend an evening at Definitive Audio listening to good music on great audio gear hosted by representatives from many of the industry's top manufacturers? I'll be there too.

It’s no secret that when Shinola decided to add a turntable to its product roster, the Detroit, Michigan based manufacturer chose to consult for the design with New Jersey based VPI Industries.

Jack White marked the opening of his new Third Man Pressing plant in a reinvigorated Detroit neighborhood by throwing a grand, festive, sometimes rowdy rock'n'roll (semi-formal attire requested) party. Among the invited "F.O.V.s" (Friends of Vinyl) were most of the owners of America's major and minor pressing plants. The gathering was probably the first time all of these once battered, now thriving survivors of the fading CD era assembled in one place to celebrate the unlikely resurgence of vinyl records.

The orchestra rehearses downstairs while upstairs the mastering room engineers record and play back a test lacquer.

Finally, it's time for a recorded take of the "Carmen" excerpts with Mezzo-Soprano Rosie Middleton. The tension is palpable in both the control room and upstairs. It's quickly clear that the free-spirited rehearsal has given way to a darker, more constrained performance that satisfies no one, especially Ms. Middleton.