I 100% guarantee he does NOT have a master tape. Those are locked in a vault at EMI and are priceless. What he probably has is a production master that was used to create the vinyl pressings. They can sound amazing especially if you use them to make half-speed copies like Mobile Fidelity. Still, a very cool collection.
Yeah, just consider all the re-releases of classic albums that are from "The original masters" or "Remastered". You're talking tens of millions of pounds/dollars worth of material, per album. The original master of Yesterday.... that is a priceless artifact.
I'm more interested in his audio set up. What speakers, amps and pre amps is he playing this through? it makes a massive difference (if you can afford it).
Those "production masters" were sent all over the world to pressing plants and show up for auction frequently. They're a nice collectible but still a few generations off any mixdown master.
the people that ask this guy "why is he preserving MY culture" are stupid. It's music. It's a kind of language, it's a kind of love, it's an art. It transcends culture. Music is not just for one culture. it is for human kind. People should appreciate this passion. The collector is very impressive.
they do. They're making edgy comments to point out how cringe it looks when some one who is not Asian is saving up Asian culture. You see their point now...
@@gbioabngd they do. see the comments about it's not the "actual master". Granted it's not the actual master. but i think it's still a way of preserving good music in his own way.
@@jonandersen6512 No. Just production masters. Every record plant that pressed Beatles vinyl between 1962 and 1987 had them. They show up on eBay from time to time.
@@jonandersen6512 - Most likely. Note the absence of ANY marking of EMI on them. And, that tape speed is a crawl, compared to where it should be. This guy is definitely a pigeon collector being dragged by his wallet by fast dealers and marketers.
*Abbey Road might have copies of those tapes but they don't own the masters so they wouldn't have the unless like i said they had made copies at the time. All of those original masters are at Capitol in Hollywood*
He’s one step away from owning the original band members to play in the room for him. “Ahh yes, vinyl wasn’t pure enough… nor were the master recordings… so here I have Paul… he’s gonna play for us today.- Don’t screw this up Paul. I want clear notes ringing out.”
I also wonder if he ever asked if those so called "master tapes" came with any documentation the real originals would have never been let out of EMI's hands and are probably locked in a highly guarded bank vault in climate controlled conditions far underground.
@@djgaryowens The 2008 Universal Studios fire that destroyed tons of priceless master tapes should tell you that these companies don't protect their stuff as well as we think.
I think its a copy tape, or production master tape, likely used for records pressed in Japan. I am sure that it is very good, and in some cases, where master tapes are worn, the production masters in other countries can actually be in better condition. But, either way, he doesn't have the original master tapes. It's almost silly of the journalist to believe that.
I don't know about master tape but I once heard vinyl through a high end Linn system and it literally took my breath away. I couldn't believe how detailed and real the sound was.
Playback gear makes a difference, but especially when it comes to vinyl. My local audio shop carries Linn and I must admit it is outstanding stuff. But at $32,000 I don't see it becoming part of my system anytime soon. 🙂
@@vitorfernandes651 never, because vinyl records have a higher dynamic range, it's probably difficult to understand for most, but vinyl records still have a superior sound compared with CD
@UCrF4jzHt9I-cEDlp0vKduKA nope, because that figure just describes the overall theoretical range but those tracks are mastered for vinyl, and the dynamic as such is higher on vinyl due to the shortcoming of the sampling rare of digital Media. Please educate yourself
@@jenshoefer7944 CD's were a revelation compared to vinyl because most peoples turntables were not that good.The real miss about vinyl was the packaging.
I too grew up in Hong Kong in the 60's, formed a band, etc. Love this man, when we are allowed to fly again, I need to go find him. My Cantonese is well rusty, but we will somehow reach back to the old days I'm sure
a record store is wonderful place. the smell of old records when you walk in. the old posters and glossies with autographs. always a big sound system with a classic spinning or a fresh release you gotta hear. these places are treasures to us music lovers. I could spend a few days hanging out in that shop looking and listening. please support your local record store.
Its humbling to see that even with the one of the best vinyl collections in the world and in such an intimate setting that you still end up having piles
I see too many people making judgements in the comments and I will not join the discussion about whether his tapes and vinyls are actually original or rare, but I do envy his collection. Let's just take our hats off to him for being so dedicated to his passion. Besides, what a great taste he has!
"See if you can hear the difference?" Total joke saying that, listening on RUclips then going through your 35 cent Dac chip in your phone or computer. LOL
There is a difference in the two tracks but it's not like you need amazing equipment to tell, it was just mixed/produced differently (at least for audio they played in the video). The vocals in the first track has a some reverb and the guitar is panned a bit more to the right whereas in the "master" there's almost no reverb on the vocal and the guitar is panned more left.
@@ogplr5914 The guy interprets it as the "original" because he says in the video that that's how the band wanted it to sound like but whoever was producing the band decided to mix it differently. Not sure about the actual history in the recordings but I was just pointing out that there are definitely audible differences between the two.
It's no accident that he mentioned Deep Purple first when reminiscing about his early exposure to rock music. Baby Boomer Asians love Deep Purple. I'm not sure why but I think they might've done an extensive Asian tour when everyone else only did stops in Japan
Let me guess. You are American and i right? Easy to tell. Sense of ownership. In other countries people never felt like they own the music or the bands. They only own their own copy of the disc that’s it. That sense of entitlement is an American thing.
Americans definitely do not all share that sentiment. As for your comment about American ignorance, I find it hard to take you seriously when you are clearly ignorant of the nuance that many Americans are capable of. We are not a hive mind that believes that we own the world and its culture.
Incredible! Thank you for sharing. Art is Universal. Human Beings will create, collect, educate, sell, entertain, and story tell. That's what we are here for.
@@PhotoTubeUK vinyl has the resolution of vinyl grooves. tape has the resolution of metal filament. The filament has a higher resolution. Pure physics -> tape has higher density of data.
@@agnidas5816 Well that depends on a number of things including the width of the tape, the speed of the tape and the quality of the tape heads. Cassette tape is a consumer grade, low performance, low cost version of analogue tape. It is vastly inferior to a high end vinyl setup. Reel to reel tape running at 15 IPS on the other hand can be superior to even the best vinyl has to offer.
@@agnidas5816 Yes but the format sound like shit lmao. vinyl is analog mechanical tech. tapes distort WAY more because it uses fucking magnets lmao. Besides you're talking about data as if tapes are pressed from digital formats. Your argument can be made when comparing mp3 to flac, but here it means nothing.
Listen. On youtube we ALL hear the sound in crappy digital quality, regardless the source. The only reason why the "original master " and the "remastered" recording sound different is that the remaster has done a terrible job. A tape may sound better, but there is physically no way to find out on RUclips. You'd have to visit his shop.
The thing about cassette tapes is they have lesser audio quality with that hissing sound when playing one at times. However with cassettes you can get the closer to the original sound of the actual recoding.
“What I’d Say?” Narrator using the word “vinyls?” Confusing lower quality production masters for holy grail studio masters (which are not for sale and locked away at Abbey Road)? And his ridiculous sound quality comparisons? Sloppy unprofessional amateur reporting.
100%. It is entirely possible he has production masters or safety copies, but that would still be incredibly unlikely - chances are it’s one of many fakes being sold in underground tape-dubbing circles. Likely just recorded off a CD. Go figure.
This guy is a typical Chinese guy that has stuff but doesn't really know what he's talking about. If someone told him to his face he'd just ignore you and keep talking his BS. Many such cases.
Respect, my kind of people, I can see myself sitting in that cosy room of his and listening to the original track of various singers all day, of course on LPs and cassettes only
The Beatles certainly WERE called that in 1964. Their first record was released in October '62. That record he's showing was released in '65 and it is just an earlier recording from when the Beatles were backing Tony Sheridan. Worth about $150 so not really that rare.
It's not even The Beatles on that particular record! That was Tony Sheridan with The Beat Brothers. Also, that acetate of Let It Be at the start of the video that "would cost you your life" actually cost Jimmy Tang less than a grand in 2016. www.popsike.com/BEATLES-Let-it-be-RARE-7-1-Sided-EMI-Acetate/381523213802.html For fuck's sake, I sold a Springsteen record for eight times that in December 2018.
I was once locked in the Abbey Road vault after a mix up involving wrong colour mop bucket. I can confirm that there are no master tapes kept there only the shrivelled ghost of Noel Gallagher
Production master tapes are pretty easy to find on eBay. Even some Pink Floyd’s production master tapes are on eBay. The problems are the quality of the recording and the generation of the tape. (How many times dubbed from other tapes)
"So much respect"??? Ten seconds in he says a shitty acetate of Let It Be (which he calls a "master recording" for God knows what reason) "would cost you your life", when in fact he paid less than a grand for it in 2016. www.popsike.com/BEATLES-Let-it-be-RARE-7-1-Sided-EMI-Acetate/381523213802.html This guy is a fucking idiot.
@@michaelwhite7079 and I would agree with you 100%. This man has a compelling story, but no science around his 'system' and a flawed understanding of how copies are made and transferred. Still, good for him. Enjoy the spins brother.
While I respect the effort, dedication, and attention this man has put into his research, I don't think he really has any real master tapes. And, just because a piece of music is on master tape, doesn't automatically make it 'better' than another format. A 180grm vinyl record has a beautiful sound, but that sound is littered with imperfections, harmonics, and distortion. Now, I personally love what that 'adds' to the original sound, as do many others. Distortion can add an extra quality to an analogue recording, lets face it, electric guitars have almost completely been distorted since the 1960's, and it doesn't make them less popular, if anything people love them for just that fact alone. While cassette's get a bad rep, the natural compression they add to a recording can be wonderful, and again, compression is used on every piece of rock, pop, HipHop, and dance music track made in the last 50 years, to good effect. Furthermore, some of the best music I have ever heard, has been made on 12 bit sampling software on early 90's cheap computers such as the Atari 520st and Amiga1200. Music is subjective to the listener, and there is far too much snobbery surrounding audio and audiophile bro-science bullshit. I have qualifications in music technology, so I do have at least some credibility to my opinion.
If cassettes have 50% of the sounds quality of the master tape and vinyl has only between 40%-50%, why do we, in general, prefer vinyl? What are the other factors that brings down the quality of cassettes?
man.....do you really believe what he said ?? Vinyl has 50% ,CD has only 20% and Bluray has only 5% of the Master Tape sound quality !!! What a Claim he dare to say !!!! Go compare yourself a good recorded album in CD & Vinyl with a good Hifi system. Let me know how much difference for the 2 media !!!
Dude, stereo studio master tapes generally are a 1/2 inch wide and run either at 15 IPS (inches per second) or 7 1/2 IPS. Cassettes are 1/8" wide and run at 1 7/8 IPS. How in fuck can that come anywhere close to comparing with a master tape? This guy is talking completely out of his ass.
@@FlushGorgon my mistake, Hong Kong also has a low crime, ethnically homogeneous and honor-based society that allows shops like this to flourish. Such a thing is not possible in multicultural societies.
@@youtubecommenter6883 That's partly true, HK is considered only 2nd to Tokyo in general safety. However that applies to violent crime, not theft, and large cities, not societies at large. Also, HK is a highly multicultural society, disproving what you perceive as a cause.
Damn, so many pretentious ppl in the comments judging this dude and being negative af. Just got into vinyl last year and damn, didn't know it was full of such weirdos, pathetic, let the dude enjoy the music his way tf
Lol yep in English it is. You should visit a Dutch record auction or fair, because in Dutch, the plural of vinyl actually *is* vinyls. I think visiting a Dutch record fair would trigger the crap out of native English vinyl enthusiasts 😂
What master tape do you know of that moves as slow as the one in this video? It looked like it was going at 3 3/4 IPS, right? Aren't master tapes usually either 7 1/2 or 15 IPS?? This guys is fucking clueless. I wouldn't put him in charge of a fucking McDonalds, let alone Universal Studios.
There is a recording studio in Germany where many jazz records were recorded. Today it is a historic site and I heard that they started recording again.
Aren't Master Tapes like 3" wide, and have to be Baked In a Oven before use. This looked like a Quality Reel to Reel tape. Mind You the sound off of It was Incredible, You could defiantly hear a difference.
I think you're thinking of the multi-track tapes that the individual instruments were recorded on. The 'masters' being referred to here are the mix-down tapes, the final mix as it would appear on the record, which only needs to be a small stereo tape. Also I'm not sure that baking them in an oven would be a great idea. :)
They don’t HAVE to be baked. It often is necessary with later tape formulations, but it would actually be completely unnecessary for anything 60’s-vintage, and in fact can even be harmful to certain tape formulations from this time period.
@@lukepepper3949 you’re mixing up master recordings and multitracks. The mixdowns are generally banded together into the album master. Multitracks were commonly 2” in the 70’s, but the Beatles multitracks would have been 1” 4 track. They were all mixed down to 1/4” full track or 2 track, as has been the industry standard for decades. In the late 70’s 1/2” 2 track also started becoming popular
Looks like a tape he recorded himself, tbh. I mean what master tape do you know of that goes that slow (looks like 3 34 IPS)? Not a chance in the world it's an actual master tape of any kind.
So the bandwidth of a cassette tape is higher than a 12 inch vinyl according to his chart , everybody knows you can cut frequencys lower on 12 inch , far better response
Well done for preserving history, this new generation is too naive to understand the value in those artefacts, but there will be a generation in the future who will appreciate the effort and quality of those sounds !!
Yeah totally, every single person in this new generation doesn’t care about those at all. Not a single person can be found that does. Generalizations are amazing.
well I have few words to say about this DNA list. Been an owner of vinyl and CD´s and also a owner of a fair hi-fi system and both vinyl and CD are not less than half of the quality of the master tape. Has this dear person ever heard a good hi-fi system ? Happy for him to have all of this good music.
I am also from Hong Kong. I used to been crazy with recording live performances about 20 years ago, usually at Instituto Cervantes and the Bolivar Hall in London (Spanish and Venezuelan cultural centres respectively), starting with my Nagra IVS open-wheel, and then to Nagra V digital 2-tracks. Today, I still own a Nagra SNSRT (baby Nagra, non-compressed), only a few dozens were made in the early 00s. The problem with magnetic tape is that there is always the problem with print-through over time.
@@MrRom92DAW Nah the narrator just got it wrong, because he doesn't know crap about it. As far as I can tell it actually is a master tape, but it's a production master tape that was sent to record pressing plants, so it's a (in)direct copy of the studio master tape. So it's close, but probably still a few generations away from the original recordings that are stored in the Abbey Road archive.
@@QoraxAudio right, that’s certainly possible but still a very remote best case scenario. Do you have any reason to believe it’s authentic? Nothing shown in the video indicates that it actually is, and I can tell you for a fact that these days there’s a very healthy underground trade of fake “safety masters” or “cutting masters” from scammers to imbecilic/gullible audiophiles, much like the one in this video. There really is nothing quite like the sound of a true, authentic master tape, or a very close copy. Doesn’t mean that everyone claiming to have one actually has one.
I've been collecting for 40 years and I saw nothing in this segment that could even be considered close to being the "worlds rarest records" This term gets thrown around a lot on News segments for record collectors who seem to know the reporters who know nothing about records can easily be duped.
4:10 Lol cassette tape better than records and CDs? 🤣 He probably prefers cassette because of the Dolby NR which reduces the sibilance he talks about, but it also distorts high frequencies. That doesn't make it a more accurate copy of a mastertape...
That would be a shocking discovery (if true). Back when I was listening primarily to cassettes (late 80s), I hated the Dolby NR because it neutered the sound IMO. I always ran my deck without it and used my equalizer to get truer and better sound, the only exception being if I had a very hissy bootleg live recording.
I can guarantee that isn’t a master tape if the Beatles. All the masters of those are kept at Abby Road. Like most master tapes that would be on a 4 track tape not a two track. A master tape would also be at 15 or 30ips. Not 7.5ips.
Paul McCartney's autograph can be found on a lot of tee-shirts during Paul's concerts... This is like the "official brand autograph" to be printed on official merchandising stuff. The most common Paul's autograph ever.
Do you really believe what he said ?? Vinyl has 50% ,CD has only 20% and Bluray has only 5% of the Master Tape sound quality !!! What a Claim he dare to say !!!! Especially the difference between CD & Bluray !! Both are digital format.... how can the quality drop by half !!! Go compare yourself a good recorded album in CD & Vinyl with a good Hifi system. Let me know how much difference for the 2 media !!! By the way, I'm a musician with many recording experience, and I'm a Audiophile too. Means I'm really particular in sound quality....
With today technology. To duplicate a analog sound format withot quality loss is really not that difficult. Even there's quality loss, but it shouldn't be the extend of 20-50% !! IMO, 5% max ! If you know how is the recording industry work. You know what I mean. Have you ever wonder or experience why the same CD but printed in different region/country will have totally different sound ? Because it's normal practice that the country's publisher will do a minor mastering to suit the preference of certain region/country. And some smaller market even mastering from a CD format (not master tape )!!
I love his excitement for music and records and tapes. I myself love it too so its cool to see. Pure clean music rocks, cheers to him for his passion and love of all things music. Makes me want to collect even more now. I agree with other posts..... The MASTER to most are locked away, those don't get sold or if they do they are to private people, etc. But hey his masters were still better than most things we see.
I am spoiled rotten with music, and few things impress me to any degree. But this has left me feeling a bit dumbstruck. Thanks for sharing with us. NFA
I 100% guarantee he does NOT have a master tape. Those are locked in a vault at EMI and are priceless. What he probably has is a production master that was used to create the vinyl pressings. They can sound amazing especially if you use them to make half-speed copies like Mobile Fidelity. Still, a very cool collection.
Yeah, just consider all the re-releases of classic albums that are from "The original masters" or "Remastered". You're talking tens of millions of pounds/dollars worth of material, per album. The original master of Yesterday.... that is a priceless artifact.
Well the narrator said “vinyls” so we already can’t trust him
@@StealthyAssassin007 thats the term people use nowadays. Get used to it and be happy vinyl is popular among the youth :)
I'm more interested in his audio set up. What speakers, amps and pre amps is he playing this through? it makes a massive difference (if you can afford it).
Those "production masters" were sent all over the world to pressing plants and show up for auction frequently. They're a nice collectible but still a few generations off any mixdown master.
the people that ask this guy "why is he preserving MY culture" are stupid. It's music. It's a kind of language, it's a kind of love, it's an art. It transcends culture. Music is not just for one culture. it is for human kind. People should appreciate this passion. The collector is very impressive.
they do. They're making edgy comments to point out how cringe it looks when some one who is not Asian is saving up Asian culture. You see their point now...
@M D - Well put.
:-)
I hope those comments aren’t real because 90% of the time these losers end up listening to music from other cultures anyway.
@@gbioabngd they do. see the comments about it's not the "actual master". Granted it's not the actual master. but i think it's still a way of preserving good music in his own way.
Unlikely. The only one saying that is his wife when she "humble brags" to strangers.
The Beatles master tapes are in a climate controlled vault at Abbey Road Studios.
so james' are fakes?
@@jonandersen6512 No. Just production masters. Every record plant that pressed Beatles vinyl between 1962 and 1987 had them. They show up on eBay from time to time.
@@jonandersen6512 - Most likely. Note the absence of ANY marking of EMI on them. And, that tape speed is a crawl, compared to where it should be. This guy is definitely a pigeon collector being dragged by his wallet by fast dealers and marketers.
*Abbey Road might have copies of those tapes but they don't own the masters so they wouldn't have the unless like i said they had made copies at the time. All of those original masters are at Capitol in Hollywood*
Yes exactly.
He’s one step away from owning the original band members to play in the room for him. “Ahh yes, vinyl wasn’t pure enough… nor were the master recordings… so here I have Paul… he’s gonna play for us today.- Don’t screw this up Paul. I want clear notes ringing out.”
and here is John back from the death, so that he could resume beating his wife again!
Lol
Cloned Beatles from hair: 110% Master Tape Quality
Wonder if he would give me thousands of dollars for my Chinese Rickenbacker copy guitar if I told him that its a Beatles original guitar.
I also wonder if he ever asked if those so called "master tapes" came with any documentation the real originals would have never been let out of EMI's hands and are probably locked in a highly guarded bank vault in climate controlled conditions far underground.
110th like
he cloned them and had them chained up the the basement and have them play 110% quality music on demand
@@djgaryowens The 2008 Universal Studios fire that destroyed tons of priceless master tapes should tell you that these companies don't protect their stuff as well as we think.
I visited his museum back in 2019.. spent about 1 hour chatting with him, in English.. his english is actually quite good..
hongkong people can speak english very well compare to most asian. maybe the best especially in 80,90's where most other countries still undeveloped/
I wouldn't have ever thought "why is he preserving my culture". I just think it's great he's got so much love for good music.
Seeing people nerd out REALLY hard about something is so cool man.
Wonder if this guy really thinks he has the ‘Yesterday’ master tape. Or was it just a misinterpretation by the journalist.
I really hope that’s the case. He’s deluded if he thinks that.
he has a copy a fake copy
Just a production master
It's a production master, the journalist didn't grasp the whole idea.
I think its a copy tape, or production master tape, likely used for records pressed in Japan. I am sure that it is very good, and in some cases, where master tapes are worn, the production masters in other countries can actually be in better condition. But, either way, he doesn't have the original master tapes. It's almost silly of the journalist to believe that.
I don't know about master tape but I once heard vinyl through a high end Linn system and it literally took my breath away. I couldn't believe how detailed and real the sound was.
Playback gear makes a difference, but especially when it comes to vinyl. My local audio shop carries Linn and I must admit it is outstanding stuff. But at $32,000 I don't see it becoming part of my system anytime soon. 🙂
@@tomscott4438 at that price even the cd will sound fantastic
@@vitorfernandes651 never, because vinyl records have a higher dynamic range, it's probably difficult to understand for most, but vinyl records still have a superior sound compared with CD
@UCrF4jzHt9I-cEDlp0vKduKA nope, because that figure just describes the overall theoretical range but those tracks are mastered for vinyl, and the dynamic as such is higher on vinyl due to the shortcoming of the sampling rare of digital Media. Please educate yourself
@@jenshoefer7944 CD's were a revelation compared to vinyl because most peoples turntables were not that good.The real miss about vinyl was the packaging.
I too grew up in Hong Kong in the 60's, formed a band, etc. Love this man, when we are allowed to fly again, I need to go find him. My Cantonese is well rusty, but we will somehow reach back to the old days I'm sure
a record store is wonderful place. the smell of old records when you walk in. the old posters and glossies with autographs. always a big sound system with a classic spinning or a fresh release you gotta hear. these places are treasures to us music lovers. I could spend a few days hanging out in that shop looking and listening. please support your local record store.
I agree with you!
Its humbling to see that even with the one of the best vinyl collections in the world and in such an intimate setting that you still end up having piles
absolutely!!!!😁
This guy is my hero 😃 A man who cares about sound quality!!!! love to hang out listen to music with that guy and his awesome recordings,✌️
I see too many people making judgements in the comments and I will not join the discussion about whether his tapes and vinyls are actually original or rare, but I do envy his collection. Let's just take our hats off to him for being so dedicated to his passion. Besides, what a great taste he has!
Agree.
But what I envy more is hat he met Angelina Jolie - 4:56.
Correction: that, not hat.
The plural of vinyl is vinyl not vinyls
What's wrong with correcting the mistake information at the video?
@@epinhervin9355 Because everyone is doing it. Which is annoying.
Best thing i have seen on youtube for years!!
I do love James' passion and intensity. Even if he definitely doesnt have a master tape of Yesterday
Typical Chinaman thinking he owns everything
"See if you can hear the difference?" Total joke saying that, listening on RUclips then going through your 35 cent Dac chip in your phone or computer. LOL
So you can't here a difference in the two playbacks?
There is a difference in the two tracks but it's not like you need amazing equipment to tell, it was just mixed/produced differently (at least for audio they played in the video). The vocals in the first track has a some reverb and the guitar is panned a bit more to the right whereas in the "master" there's almost no reverb on the vocal and the guitar is panned more left.
@@ThisIsNotVincent so that means it's more like the original recording rather than the mixed/mastered version?
@@ogplr5914 The guy interprets it as the "original" because he says in the video that that's how the band wanted it to sound like but whoever was producing the band decided to mix it differently. Not sure about the actual history in the recordings but I was just pointing out that there are definitely audible differences between the two.
@@ogplr5914 no, he compared the original master to a remaster from 2003. It’s the final version of yesterday from 1966, not an unmixed version.
I was there. They DID NOT have a copy of Spinal Tap's "Smell the Glove".🤦
This video was made months ago, of course they ran out of stock since then.
@@PatheticTV They did have "Shark Sandwich" though...
I have! And it's autographed-any takers? Think I've got some DNA authenticated pubic hairs down in the bunker too.
@@alistairwilson5344 Well you know Roadies always say that pubes are great to floss with after eating...
@@SLAYERSWINE1 Thanks for the chortle:)
It's no accident that he mentioned Deep Purple first when reminiscing about his early exposure to rock music. Baby Boomer Asians love Deep Purple. I'm not sure why but I think they might've done an extensive Asian tour when everyone else only did stops in Japan
Live in Japan
In a way, this music belongs to the whole world. It’s great that this man is preserving it.
Let me guess. You are American and i right?
Easy to tell. Sense of ownership.
In other countries people never felt like they own the music or the bands. They only own their own copy of the disc that’s it.
That sense of entitlement is an American thing.
@@vitorfernandes651 Let me guess…you’re a worshipper of Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez and you want to turn the world into a Venezuelan shithole.
Americans definitely do not all share that sentiment. As for your comment about American ignorance, I find it hard to take you seriously when you are clearly ignorant of the nuance that many Americans are capable of. We are not a hive mind that believes that we own the world and its culture.
@@sublimemime183 lol your dear countrymen acts the opposite of what you said
Incredible! Thank you for sharing. Art is Universal. Human Beings will create, collect, educate, sell, entertain, and story tell. That's what we are here for.
As a musician, artist, songwriter, and producer myself; I really appreciate what this man is doing for the culture of music.
He rates the sound quality from cassette tape higher than vinyl records - most people would not agree with that, including myself!
@@sophonblock76 Vinyl records are capable of better sound quality than cassette tapes.
@@PhotoTubeUK vinyl has the resolution of vinyl grooves. tape has the resolution of metal filament. The filament has a higher resolution. Pure physics -> tape has higher density of data.
@@agnidas5816 Well that depends on a number of things including the width of the tape, the speed of the tape and the quality of the tape heads. Cassette tape is a consumer grade, low performance, low cost version of analogue tape. It is vastly inferior to a high end vinyl setup. Reel to reel tape running at 15 IPS on the other hand can be superior to even the best vinyl has to offer.
magnetic tapes produce pitch distortion, especially cassettes because they're so cheap.
@@agnidas5816 Yes but the format sound like shit lmao. vinyl is analog mechanical tech. tapes distort WAY more because it uses fucking magnets lmao. Besides you're talking about data as if tapes are pressed from digital formats. Your argument can be made when comparing mp3 to flac, but here it means nothing.
Love the part when the narrator called them "vinyls"
Ha ha ha, it is a weird language-development!
:-)
I feel like we "the people who properly say vinyl not vinyls " are losing the war .it's crazy how many people keep saying vinyls
@@ironclaw79 it's crazy how people call it vinyl and not records.
@@steventurous9000 or LP, EP, 12" single, 7"...
“Vinyls” = hipster.
Love the passion! Hope to visit when travel permits.
To Hong Kong!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????? You'll be lucky.
Why? This guy clearly has no idea what he's talking about
you can go
Good! Enjoy!
:-)
"Deep Purple - AH - Led Zeppelin - AH - The Doors - AH - Eagles - AH" 1:33
He better find someone good to pass it down.
Man, I want to travel to HK again just for this store
also me need go back to HK
This will end up in an actual museum or university one day.
I must visit this place!
Listen. On youtube we ALL hear the sound in crappy digital quality, regardless the source. The only reason why the "original master " and the "remastered" recording sound different is that the remaster has done a terrible job.
A tape may sound better, but there is physically no way to find out on RUclips. You'd have to visit his shop.
The thing about cassette tapes is they have lesser audio quality with that hissing sound when playing one at times. However with cassettes you can get the closer to the original sound of the actual recoding.
Life is too short to go chasing after audio quality unless u rich asf. 🤣
“What I’d Say?” Narrator using the word “vinyls?” Confusing lower quality production masters for holy grail studio masters (which are not for sale and locked away at Abbey Road)? And his ridiculous sound quality comparisons? Sloppy unprofessional amateur reporting.
100%. It is entirely possible he has production masters or safety copies, but that would still be incredibly unlikely - chances are it’s one of many fakes being sold in underground tape-dubbing circles. Likely just recorded off a CD. Go figure.
yeah.... Cassettes having better sound quality capacity than LP's was a bit too much too
The taper could be the master tape copy for the Japan release
@@MrRom92DAW Or recorded from the Bluray disc he hates 🤣
This guy is a typical Chinese guy that has stuff but doesn't really know what he's talking about. If someone told him to his face he'd just ignore you and keep talking his BS. Many such cases.
Respect, my kind of people, I can see myself sitting in that cosy room of his and listening to the original track of various singers all day, of course on LPs and cassettes only
I like this passionate man. Will visit his place for sure.
The Beatles certainly WERE called that in 1964. Their first record was released in October '62. That record he's showing was released in '65 and it is just an earlier recording from when the Beatles were backing Tony Sheridan. Worth about $150 so not really that rare.
Took two seconds to figure that out on discogs. Imagine if the person who made this video took the time to do the same.
It's not even The Beatles on that particular record! That was Tony Sheridan with The Beat Brothers. Also, that acetate of Let It Be at the start of the video that "would cost you your life" actually cost Jimmy Tang less than a grand in 2016. www.popsike.com/BEATLES-Let-it-be-RARE-7-1-Sided-EMI-Acetate/381523213802.html For fuck's sake, I sold a Springsteen record for eight times that in December 2018.
@@daveidmarx8296 the beautiful vibe from a year of nobody asking what record you sold because who fkn cares 🤣🤣
Evidence?
I call bullshit.
No one in the comment sections know a fucking thing.
@@daveidmarx8296 The Beat Brothers was the name the Beatles used when backing Tony Sheridan
I was once locked in the Abbey Road vault after a mix up involving wrong colour mop bucket. I can confirm that there are no master tapes kept there only the shrivelled ghost of Noel Gallagher
Production master tapes are pretty easy to find on eBay. Even some Pink Floyd’s production master tapes are on eBay.
The problems are the quality of the recording and the generation of the tape. (How many times dubbed from other tapes)
Wow this shop is super cool man! Love from the 🇺🇸! ❤
I love people like this. So much respect given and even more respect earned.
i agree with you ! i would like to pay a visit to this record shop one day !
"So much respect"??? Ten seconds in he says a shitty acetate of Let It Be (which he calls a "master recording" for God knows what reason) "would cost you your life", when in fact he paid less than a grand for it in 2016. www.popsike.com/BEATLES-Let-it-be-RARE-7-1-Sided-EMI-Acetate/381523213802.html This guy is a fucking idiot.
Amazing.
Music like all art is universal. Thank god someone somewhere is passionate enough to keep them and share them with us 👍🙏
Interesting that he ranks cassette tapes higher than LP's. And I'm surprised that Blu-ray's are so far down on the list.
My uneducated guess is that he's completely wrong. Cassettes are objectively garbage.
@@michaelwhite7079 and I would agree with you 100%.
This man has a compelling story, but no science around his 'system' and a flawed understanding of how copies are made and transferred.
Still, good for him. Enjoy the spins brother.
@@michaelwhite7079 I love cassettes
@@TheHSIHP I love Space Raiders but they’re not better than beef Hula Hoops.
I have to say if you have a good cassette recorded on a good recorder, they can sound excellent.
While I respect the effort, dedication, and attention this man has put into his research, I don't think he really has any real master tapes.
And, just because a piece of music is on master tape, doesn't automatically make it 'better' than another format.
A 180grm vinyl record has a beautiful sound, but that sound is littered with imperfections, harmonics, and distortion.
Now, I personally love what that 'adds' to the original sound, as do many others. Distortion can add an extra quality to an analogue recording, lets face it, electric guitars have almost completely been distorted since the 1960's, and it doesn't make them less popular, if anything people love them for just that fact alone.
While cassette's get a bad rep, the natural compression they add to a recording can be wonderful, and again, compression is used on every piece of rock, pop, HipHop, and dance music track made in the last 50 years, to good effect.
Furthermore, some of the best music I have ever heard, has been made on 12 bit sampling software on early 90's cheap computers such as the Atari 520st and Amiga1200.
Music is subjective to the listener, and there is far too much snobbery surrounding audio and audiophile bro-science bullshit.
I have qualifications in music technology, so I do have at least some credibility to my opinion.
2:31 A mastertape running 9½ cm per second? No way! 😁
This was amazing, thank you
If cassettes have 50% of the sounds quality of the master tape and vinyl has only between 40%-50%, why do we, in general, prefer vinyl? What are the other factors that brings down the quality of cassettes?
man.....do you really believe what he said ?? Vinyl has 50% ,CD has only 20% and Bluray has only 5% of the Master Tape sound quality !!! What a Claim he dare to say !!!!
Go compare yourself a good recorded album in CD & Vinyl with a good Hifi system. Let me know how much difference for the 2 media !!!
Dont believe everything you hear buddy
Because this guy is full of 💩!
He's hyping what he's selling, quite simple.
Dude, stereo studio master tapes generally are a 1/2 inch wide and run either at 15 IPS (inches per second) or 7 1/2 IPS. Cassettes are 1/8" wide and run at 1 7/8 IPS. How in fuck can that come anywhere close to comparing with a master tape? This guy is talking completely out of his ass.
2:46 it even feels like your are in the room with Paul singing.
Really shows how good digital audio is, doesn't it?
Seeing all these tapes and records being stored on walls and in a regular "store" environment, in one location, makes me shiver.
Japan has such a low crime rate and respectful society that they're able to operate shops like this. Imagine trying to do this in Chicago
@@youtubecommenter6883 It's Hong Kong, not Japan.
@@FlushGorgon my mistake, Hong Kong also has a low crime, ethnically homogeneous and honor-based society that allows shops like this to flourish. Such a thing is not possible in multicultural societies.
@@youtubecommenter6883 That's partly true, HK is considered only 2nd to Tokyo in general safety. However that applies to violent crime, not theft, and large cities, not societies at large. Also, HK is a highly multicultural society, disproving what you perceive as a cause.
@@FlushGorgon Hong Kong is 91% Chinese that is very homogeneous
He does not have the Beatles master tapes. What he has are likely the copies or dubs of the masters (or safety masters)
Wow that master tape sounds very close, very intermit. You can here Paul singing into the mic as if he were right there.
“Hear”
The fishes, gooses and deers love to listen to the vinyls.
Damn, so many pretentious ppl in the comments judging this dude and being negative af. Just got into vinyl last year and damn, didn't know it was full of such weirdos, pathetic, let the dude enjoy the music his way tf
oh yeah, any kind of collectable attracts weirdo's...
He's misrepresenting his collection is the problem. Those aren't "master tapes" and that 45 What I'd Say is some BS
I love that photo of him as a kid at the drum kit with the Slade poster on the wall!
Vinyl is the plural of vinyl
Who cares
Lol yep in English it is.
You should visit a Dutch record auction or fair, because in Dutch, the plural of vinyl actually *is* vinyls.
I think visiting a Dutch record fair would trigger the crap out of native English vinyl enthusiasts 😂
@@wjombat plenty
Exactly! Who fucking cares? This is not a clip on correct grammar. Wouldn't let that ruin yr day...
@@QoraxAudio Argument from majority or prevalence is invalid. Het meervoud van vinyl, is gewoon vinyl. :)
Such a cool video. Thanks for the content
The master tapes... he should have been the person in charge of the Universal Studios master tapes. I'm sure he would have taken care of them better.
What master tape do you know of that moves as slow as the one in this video? It looked like it was going at 3 3/4 IPS, right? Aren't master tapes usually either 7 1/2 or 15 IPS?? This guys is fucking clueless. I wouldn't put him in charge of a fucking McDonalds, let alone Universal Studios.
@@daveidmarx8296 Still... better than what happened. Google it.
So many thickos in here.
he's obviously a beatlemaniac; showing off his fab four-related artifacts at every opportunity.
There is a recording studio in Germany where many jazz records were recorded. Today it is a historic site and I heard that they started recording again.
Wow great story
nice to see people live along with their passion instead of a 9-5 job
Aren't Master Tapes like 3" wide, and have to be Baked In a Oven before use. This looked like a Quality Reel to Reel tape. Mind You the sound off of It was Incredible, You could defiantly hear a difference.
I think you're thinking of the multi-track tapes that the individual instruments were recorded on. The 'masters' being referred to here are the mix-down tapes, the final mix as it would appear on the record, which only needs to be a small stereo tape. Also I'm not sure that baking them in an oven would be a great idea. :)
They don’t HAVE to be baked. It often is necessary with later tape formulations, but it would actually be completely unnecessary for anything 60’s-vintage, and in fact can even be harmful to certain tape formulations from this time period.
@@lukepepper3949 you’re mixing up master recordings and multitracks. The mixdowns are generally banded together into the album master. Multitracks were commonly 2” in the 70’s, but the Beatles multitracks would have been 1” 4 track. They were all mixed down to 1/4” full track or 2 track, as has been the industry standard for decades. In the late 70’s 1/2” 2 track also started becoming popular
Looks like a tape he recorded himself, tbh. I mean what master tape do you know of that goes that slow (looks like 3 34 IPS)? Not a chance in the world it's an actual master tape of any kind.
So the bandwidth of a cassette tape is higher than a 12 inch vinyl according to his chart , everybody knows you can cut frequencys lower on 12 inch , far better response
Well done for preserving history, this new generation is too naive to understand the value in those artefacts, but there will be a generation in the future who will appreciate the effort and quality of those sounds !!
Yeah totally, every single person in this new generation doesn’t care about those at all. Not a single person can be found that does. Generalizations are amazing.
Great photo in front of Sam's. The downtown Sam's was the best record store in Toronto, possibly all of Canada. I really miss it.
You can learn more about James’ Record Museum at recordmuseum.hk/
So it's purely a museum, i.e. not a shop?
Just saw a photo here of James in front of SAM The Record Man in Toronto! Great to see!
well I have few words to say about this DNA list. Been an owner of vinyl and CD´s and also a owner of a fair hi-fi system and both vinyl and CD are not less than half of the quality of the master tape. Has this dear person ever heard a good hi-fi system ? Happy for him to have all of this good music.
yeah the chart made zero sense
Lovely nostalgia for Canadians at 1:41.
Vinyls?
Great Guy, love the passion, greetings from London
I am also from Hong Kong. I used to been crazy with recording live performances about 20 years ago, usually at Instituto Cervantes and the Bolivar Hall in London (Spanish and Venezuelan cultural centres respectively), starting with my Nagra IVS open-wheel, and then to Nagra V digital 2-tracks. Today, I still own a Nagra SNSRT (baby Nagra, non-compressed), only a few dozens were made in the early 00s. The problem with magnetic tape is that there is always the problem with print-through over time.
Absolutely fantastic.
What an absolute legend.
Awesome 👍 thank you for what you are doing !
4:57 Michael Jackson with cornrows
bruh wtf is this exotix grail
I'm dyin'
Great video! Thank you for sharing
Have a wonderful one
Thank you! You too!
that yesterday master tape is incredible
And to think, the one you are hearing is compressed and digital. In the room would be a totally different experience
In the most literal sense of the term, because it’s fake as shit
Although I'd doubt it would be sold
@@MrRom92DAW Nah the narrator just got it wrong, because he doesn't know crap about it.
As far as I can tell it actually is a master tape, but it's a production master tape that was sent to record pressing plants, so it's a (in)direct copy of the studio master tape.
So it's close, but probably still a few generations away from the original recordings that are stored in the Abbey Road archive.
@@QoraxAudio right, that’s certainly possible but still a very remote best case scenario. Do you have any reason to believe it’s authentic? Nothing shown in the video indicates that it actually is, and I can tell you for a fact that these days there’s a very healthy underground trade of fake “safety masters” or “cutting masters” from scammers to imbecilic/gullible audiophiles, much like the one in this video. There really is nothing quite like the sound of a true, authentic master tape, or a very close copy. Doesn’t mean that everyone claiming to have one actually has one.
Music is universal and belongs to anyone who listens to it. That’s the glorious thing about music.
His goal is procurement and ownership of recordings and memorabilia.
As long as you don't ask for proof or documentation.
Correct.
I love you and your vids !!! Cheers keep up the good work , SSSOOO practical !
I am sure Apple music is laughing at this guy who thinks he has the "original" recording of Yesterday! LOL
priceless collection...
I've been collecting for 40 years and I saw nothing in this segment that could even be considered close to being the "worlds rarest records"
This term gets thrown around a lot on News segments for record collectors who seem to know the reporters who know nothing about records can easily be duped.
Facts
Oops someone sounds jealous. Maybe if they showed his entire collection and you still didn’t see anything you could make such a salty claim
Wow! Really stunning!
4:10 Lol cassette tape better than records and CDs? 🤣
He probably prefers cassette because of the Dolby NR which reduces the sibilance he talks about, but it also distorts high frequencies.
That doesn't make it a more accurate copy of a mastertape...
@Jeromy Ramos Yes, or Analogue Productions! Even better!
@Jeromy Ramos You're welcome 👍
That would be a shocking discovery (if true). Back when I was listening primarily to cassettes (late 80s), I hated the Dolby NR because it neutered the sound IMO. I always ran my deck without it and used my equalizer to get truer and better sound, the only exception being if I had a very hissy bootleg live recording.
@@Jaysthename Neutered the sound? 😂
Lol I've never heard of that one before! 😆
@@QoraxAudio Hopefully it didn't conjure up any uncomfortably literal images in your mind!
"It's my Temple" That's pretty cool.
I can guarantee that isn’t a master tape if the Beatles. All the masters of those are kept at Abby Road. Like most master tapes that would be on a 4 track tape not a two track.
A master tape would also be at 15 or 30ips. Not 7.5ips.
Really fantastic collection
That master does sound significantly better even over RUclips even if its not an original.
love his laserdisc players
Paul McCartney's autograph can be found on a lot of tee-shirts during Paul's concerts... This is like the "official brand autograph" to be printed on official merchandising stuff. The most common Paul's autograph ever.
Tape has a warmth that is hard to reproduce.
This guy is blowing my mind.
Sending my greatest respect
I’d like to see some of the other vinyl rarities - especially pop
from the 80s & 90s.
This record store in Santa Cruz, California carried a lot of Traditional Chinese Music so I had a good collection.
Do you really believe what he said ?? Vinyl has 50% ,CD has only 20% and Bluray has only 5% of the Master Tape sound quality !!! What a Claim he dare to say !!!!
Especially the difference between CD & Bluray !! Both are digital format.... how can the quality drop by half !!!
Go compare yourself a good recorded album in CD & Vinyl with a good Hifi system. Let me know how much difference for the 2 media !!!
By the way, I'm a musician with many recording experience, and I'm a Audiophile too. Means I'm really particular in sound quality....
He explained that there is a degradation in sound quality during copying of an older format to a newer one.
With today technology.
To duplicate a analog sound format withot quality loss is really not that difficult.
Even there's quality loss, but it shouldn't be the extend of 20-50% !! IMO, 5% max !
If you know how is the recording industry work. You know what I mean.
Have you ever wonder or experience why the same CD but printed in different region/country will have totally different sound ?
Because it's normal practice that the country's publisher will do a minor mastering to suit the preference of certain region/country.
And some smaller market even mastering from a CD format (not master tape )!!
I love his excitement for music and records and tapes. I myself love it too so its cool to see. Pure clean music rocks, cheers to him for his passion and love of all things music.
Makes me want to collect even more now.
I agree with other posts..... The MASTER to most are locked away, those don't get sold or if they do they are to private people, etc. But hey his masters were still better than most things we see.
STOP SAYING “VINYLS”
Vinyls
This guy is precious AF
I would LOVE to see Paul McCartney pay this guy a surprise visit!
Has this collection been cataloged ? And has the list been shared
Hipster: i bought a record player from target
James:
At least the hipster is being honest, unlike Lyin' Jimmy Tang
I am spoiled rotten with music, and few things impress me to any degree. But this has left me feeling a bit dumbstruck. Thanks for sharing with us.
NFA