In 1991, MFSL acquired the rights to remaster Earl Klugh’s Finger Paintings . This was part of their "Ultra Analog" or "Gold CD" series, which are now highly sought-after collector's items. For the digital audiophile, finding a standard CD rip of Finger Paintings is easy. Finding the MFSL rip—the file specified in our keyword—is the Holy Grail. Why would someone search specifically for a RAR file of a 1991 remaster of a 1977 album? The answer lies in the "top end" and the "soundstage."
Earl Klugh’s guitar is a notoriously difficult instrument to capture correctly on digital media. The nylon strings produce a woody, percussive attack followed by a long, sustain-heavy decay. On a standard remaster, that attack can sound brittle or harsh. The warmth can be lost to digital harshness. In 1991, MFSL acquired the rights to remaster
Standard mass-market CDs of the 1980s and 90s were often "loud," sacrificing the quiet details for perceived volume. MFSL did the opposite. They sought the "loudness" of the music—the dynamic swings from a whisper to a crescendo. Finding the MFSL rip—the file specified in our