Rick Wakeman/Journey to the Center of the Earth Original Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab

A remastered CD reprint series of “Mobile Fidelity”, which has attracted a lot of attention. The latest bullet has been decided to be released. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL), a manufacturer specializing in analog masters, is a trusted brand that is highly supported by audio enthusiasts around the world. With all of his passion, the sound craftsman has digitized many great albums from master tapes. Among such series, this work includes “MFCD 848″ released in 1987. Yes, this is Rick Wakeman’s first solo live album and his biggest hit, “Exploration Underground”. [Mobile Fidelity prioritizes master tape sound] Many high-quality CDs appeared in the 1990s, when the conversion of analog works to CD was at its peak, but MFSL was in a class of its own. Other high-quality CDs are based on the idea of ​​“suppressing digital deterioration” by using new technology to reduce the discomfort of compression, and by reducing reading errors in the material. On the other hand, MFSL’s policy is to “faithfully reproduce the sound engraved on the master tape and not add anything unnecessary.” We place the utmost importance on the “analog recorded sound itself,” including developing our own “half-speed mastering” technology that also focuses on the stage of extracting sound from magnetic tape. Since 1987, MFSL has borrowed original master tapes from record companies and meticulously digitized many masterpieces one by one. The sound from the master tape was transferred to CD. Currently, it has expanded into the SACD and LP fields, but the point is that this work was released on CD in the first half of the 1990s. Magnetic tape masters are susceptible to deterioration over time, and the more time passes, the more the original sound is lost. There are cases where the tape becomes distorted or stuck, but even if it is stored precisely, it cannot prevent the tape from losing its magnetism. Nowadays, LPs recorded with physical grooves sound better than the master tapes themselves…and so on. MFSL was a great achievement in that respect as well. It began in the 1980s when CDs were popular, and the sound of master tapes was digitized even before the advent of new CD technology that claimed high sound quality. [“Underground Exploration” has a freshness that comes from the early days of the label] And conversely, it also has the advantage of being produced in the early days. That is the freshness of the original master tape. Deterioration over time is kept to a minimum and the sound at the time of recording can be brought out more accurately. In fact, the sound of this work is extremely rich and natural. “Underground Exploration” is a live album co-starring with Casetra, but in this format, the freshness of the master is especially important. In studio recording, each take is recorded and mixed individually, so it is easy to create a clear three-dimensional effect for each sound, but this is not the case with live recording. Since the performances are performed live in the same space, the sounds of each multi-track track mix slightly with each other, making it difficult to create a three-dimensional effect in the performance. Moreover, if you mess around with excessive equalization, other sounds that you aren’t aiming for will also be affected, resulting in an unnatural or flat sound. What is important here is master freshness. The clearer the details that are heard on-site, the more mass there is in each note, creating a three-dimensional effect that cannot be created by post-processing. This work can be said to be a sample of that. There is a sense of mass in each of the horns and strings, and although it is clear, there is a sense of depth because the peaks were not raised through equalization. Recent remastered discs are also excellent in the sense that you can hear a variety of sounds, but this work goes beyond that dimension and has a sense of reality where you can even feel the vibrations of the instruments that play each sound. “Exploration Underground” is a monumental piece of progressive rock, but it is also a monumental piece of live album co-starring an orchestra. MFSL brilliantly digitized this difficult sound. You can enjoy the fresh master sound that was left behind because they worked on it early. “Mobile Fidelity” is the reason why we were able to digitize the master sound of famous albums from an early stage. Even if you want to get your hands on the actual product now, it will be difficult because it was originally produced in limited numbers. Taken from the original Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab(MFCD 848) Recorded in concert at The Royal Festival Hall London on Friday January 18th 1974 Recorded at Ronnie Lane’s “Lyn Mobile Studio”. Mixed at Morgan Studios, London on 21st-29th January 1974 1. The Journey / Recollection 2. The Battle / The Forest