Quote Originally Posted by WESTLOWER View Post
I was particularly interested in a snippet from one of the newspaper clippings.
The reference to Rudy Van Gelder's Stereo channel arrangement from as early as 1958!
Using 11 different channels on his stereo recording for the 'ultimate' flexibility.

This puts to bed widespread misinformation on the tinternet that RVG manipulated Mono tapes to create
false stereo output, mirroring the use of Mono printed cover jackets with a Stereo sticker slapped on it over the Mono print.

So it would appear RVG's Blue Note offerings of that period were recorded simultaneously in Mono and Stereo.
Using different mic arrangements, channel seperation and different tape machines.
Incredible from an independent recording studio, not affiliated to the big record labels at the time.

He is indeed one of my heroes.

So much great stuff in this link
When Music Matters researched this and after handling the original tapes they found that RVG began recording in Stereo in March 1957, and until October 1958 he ran both Mono and Stereo session tapes. After that he recorded strictly in Stereo. All Mono RVG masters produced after October 1958 were derived from Stereo fold downs. Alfred Lion’s handwritten notes on the tape boxes confirm this.