US: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Jim Austin
You’ve probably heard about the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab controversy, but here’s a short synopsis: A blogger claimed that MoFi has been using a digital step in its mastering chain in producing its premium LPs, including its “One-Step” reissues. It became a major controversy, with blogs and social-media posts attacking and defending the company.
In a statement, Jim Davis, MoFi’s president, apologized for a lack of transparency. “We at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab are aware of customer complaints regarding use of digital technology in our mastering chain,” he wrote. “We apologize for using vague language, allowing false narratives to propagate, and for taking for granted the goodwill and trust our customers place in the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab brand.”
While there’s no mention of a digital step, it’s a clear-enough admission. Davis continued, “Moving forward, we are adopting a policy of 100% transparency regarding the provenance of our audio products.”
A few days later, Syd Schwartz, MoFi’s chief marketing officer, offered this comment in an email: “The mastering chains for all Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab releases—other than a few that have been announced but not yet put on sale or some titles that do not have a product page as they are out of print—have been listed on www.mofi.com. Out-of-print titles’ provenance will be reflected in an archives page to be added to the site in the near future.” Indeed, a glance at a few MFSL product descriptions tells the story: “1/4"/15 IPS analog copy to DSD 256.” That’s taken from the product description for the forthcoming reissue of Still Bill by Bill Withers; you can find it on many others. A few MFSL LPs, including several Miles Davis reissues, report standard-issue DSD64.
So there’s the headline, and it’s a fat one: MFSL employs a digital step in their vinyl mastering chain.
The controversy raged, online and in print; even wrote about it. The day that article appeared, I received an email from Davis offering to answer questions. In a brief email interview, Davis told me that MFSL added a digital step to their process because it makes the resulting records sound better, and they intend to keep doing it. “MFSL is committed to
