This analog recording was made using a minimalistic microphone set up, including vintage dynamic microphones, as well as vacuum tube condenser microphones, vacuum tube microphone preamplifiers, vacuum tube equalisers, vacuum tube compressors, and a vacuum tube mixing console. The stereophonic output of the mixing console was recorded on a highly customised Tascam 122 mkIII M9 master cassette tape recorder, running at 3.75 ips. The tape used was Maxell XLII-S CRO2 tape, loaded into custom precision shells, specially ordered by Magnetic Fidelity. The mastering was done using exclusively vacuum tube equipment and the master was finally recorded on a highly customised Studer PR99 mkIII 1/4" master tape recorder, running at 15 ips. ATR Magnetic Master Tape in 1/4" was used as the master tape, in a half-track stereo configuration. The nominal operating level was set to 510 nWb/m, with peaks going far above that. The analog versions of this album were produced directly from the analog master tape, while the digital versions were derived simply by playing back the master tape into high quality analog to digital converters, one for PCM at 192/24 and one for DSD at 5.6 MHz.


Naxatras - The West

www.soundcloud.com/mindthegoon
www.mindthegoon.com/
mindthegoon.bandcamp.com/

Mind the Goon - Smurf

Fully analog and traditionally vintage monophonic Direct-to-Master recording! 

The Bevels - The Ghost

Fully analog and traditionally vintage monophonic  Direct-to-Master recording. All effects were created in real time while the band was performing, using exclusively analog tape effects and analog reverberation units.

The Bevels - Let My Sky Die

Another great song of the debut album of Naxatras.

Naxatras - I am the Beyonder

released 14 May 2015 
Recorded 100% analog at Rural Culture Studios. Mastered 100% analog by Magnetic Fidelity. Composed and performed by The Dead Bluesmen. 
Artwork 100% analog hand painted using coffee and acrylic colors by Sabine Agnew.

https://thedeadbluesmen.bandcamp.com/

The Dead Bluesmen - Shotgun Blues

"Meltdown" was monophonically recorded entirely live on cassette tape in an ugly building affectionately known as "The Toilet of Alienation" in 2011.

It was engineered by Jesus Agnew and Stratos Pissy using the mobile analog recording rig of FWRL Records. 

Analogly remastered in 2015 by Jesus Agnew at Magnetic Fidelity using vacuum tube equipment and 1/4" analog tape. 

Each cover is 100% analog, handpainted by Sabine Agnew using acrylic colors and a pinch of vulcanic lava dust.

You could compare this to the original version from 2011 on our soundcloud, from long before Magnetic Fidelity ever existed. It sounds very different!

Zone of Alienation - Lost (analogly remastered 2015)

Please compare this song to its remastered version 2015 in our soundcloud!

"Meltdown" was monophonically recorded entirely live on cassette tape in an ugly building affectionately known as "The Toilet of Alienation" in 2011.

It was engineered, mixed and mastered by Jesus Agnew and Stratos Pissy using the mobile analog recording rig of FWRL Records. 

The remastered version sounds very different!

Zone of Alientation - Lost (original 2011)

A 100% analog Direct-to-Master recording at Magnetic Fidelity in good old mono. The Basements are a 60's style garage band from Thessaloniki, Greece.

Try Something Else

SadFriend

100% Analog Direct-to-Master Live Recording at Magnetic Fidelity. Engineered by Jesus I. Agnew. Cover by Skitsos.
credits
released April 1, 2016 

Pulsar 4000

A homage to space travel, inner and outer...

100% Analog Direct-to-Master Live Recording on Reel-to-Reel tape at Magnetic Fidelity. Engineered by Jesus I. Agnew. Cover by Chris RW.
released April 29, 2016 

Naxatras II - Garden Of Senses

 homage to space travel, inner and outer...

100% Analog Direct-to-Master Live Recording on Reel-to-Reel tape at Magnetic Fidelity. Engineered by Jesus I. Agnew. Cover by Chris RW.

released April 29, 2016 

Naxatras - Evening Star

100% analog Direct-to-Master recording at Magnetic Fidelity, engineered by J. I. Agnew.

Beyond The Blackout - Echo In The Stone

Beyond The Blackout - 102

100% analog Direct-to-Master recording at Magnetic Fidelity, engineered by J.I. Agnew.

Seasick Surfers - Fragosyriani

Seasick Surfers- Shake

Analog Direct-to-Master recording at Magnetic Fidelity in May 2016, engineered by J. I. Agnew. 

"Psychedelic Trips to Death" is a band from Thessaloniki/Greece, formed in 2010. This track is from their upcoming album, to be released soon.
http://pttd.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/psychedelictripstodeath/?fref=ts

The tape effects on the vocals were done in real time while the band was performing, by J. I. Agnew. 

The Magnetovolt FudGe pedal was used for the bass guitar. 
https://soundcloud.com/magnetovolt/magnetovolt-fudge-sample
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQMx-7dZ4Co

Psychedelic Trips to Death - No Love Found

Analog Direct-to-Master recording at Magnetic Fidelity in November 2016, engineered by J. I. Agnew.

"Lunar MGC" is a band from Thessaloniki/Greece. This track is from their upcoming album, to be released soon.
Find them on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lunarmgc/?fref=ts

The Magnetovolt FudGe pedal was used for the bass guitar from the crescendo onwards.
Magnetovolt – Magnetovolt-fudge-sample
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQMx-7dZ4Co

Lunar MGC- Planemo

Hi Malaya is a three piece band from Volos, Greece. They recorded their album at Magnetic Fidelity in March 2017. The session was a  100% analog, Direct-to-Master recording, captured on 1/4" tape, engineered by J. I. Agnew. Try this one for size and keep an eye out for the upcoming album.

Hi Malaya - Toast

"Chasing Bone" from Paris, France is a powerful trio of excellent musicians,  who did their analog Direct-to-Master recording at Magnetic Fidelity in April 2017. Their new album "State Of The Underdog" will be released soon in audiophile vinyl and DSD format.

Chasing Bone - Chinese Statement

"Machine" is a song from Naxatras third album "III". It was recorded to analog tape in 2017 at Magnetic Fidelity, engineered by J. I. Agnew. This specific song has a synthesizer soundscape section in the middle part. Filon Geropoulos, a guest musician, bowed the cymbals, Vagenas on the synthesizer, and also a guitar was bowed...

Naxatras - Machine

This is a bit if a gear shoot-out experiment, during which we recorded Naxatras using the exact same microphone placement and recording chain, direct-to-master-tape and then direct-to-disk using a monophonic 1930's disk recording setup with a magnetic cutterhead.

Naxatras Direct-to-Tape (snippet of Pulsar 4000)

Naxatras Direct-to-Disk

Magnetic Fidelity is a unique 100% analog mastering and analog media production facility. It is the kind of place Alice would have found in Wonderland, had she been an audiophile engineer, on a mission to create music, that is covering the entire frequency spectrum of whale hearing. The studio took over three years to build, since the finest craftsmanship and materials have been used throughout the construction, and the world's finest examples of audio equipment were carefully selected to kit out the studio. A large portion of the equipment used at Magnetic Fidelity has been extensively modified, or even designed and constructed specifically for us. Our signal processing chain consists of fully analog, vacuum tube equipment, operating at shockingly high voltages, using some of the best components the electronic industry has ever created. Every last vacuum tube has been carefully selected and hand tested to fit the particular piece of equipment it is used in. 

Magnetic Fidelity

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