The UK’s leading big band, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, were chosen by producer Mike Valentine for his exploration into the sound differences between direct cut vinyl and a multi-track analogue tape recording and mix done of exactly the same event.

The album had to be recorded live so he had to choose a selection of music which would be of the perfect length. Valentine chose a recording studio which not only had a superb sounding space, but also an engineer versed in the black art of cutting live vinyl.

Ultimately, he chose Air Studios with engineers Jake Jackson and John Webber. The Syd Lawrence Orchestra led by Chris Dean perform music consisting of eight pieces from the big band era, the creations of Glen Miller, Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman played live at Air Studios.

Features:
– Audiophile Demonstration Album
– Double LP (Direct Cut vs Tape Recording)
– Gatefold album
– Live recording
– 180-gram vinyl
– Included Behind the Scenes DVD
– Mastered at Air Studios in London
– Produced/Engineered by Mike Valentine

“Listening to the feed going to the cutting head, and then listening to it coming back through the SME arm and cartridge used to track the recording lacquer, the sound quality just got better. If you can tell me why, I don’t know! It must be something to do with a sort of distortion that the human being seems to love. It just sounds warmer, nicer, more real.”
– Mike Valentine, Chasing The Dragon