Production processes

In the exclusive realm of uncompromising analog listening, Hemiolia Records operates with a single objective: the preservation of analog truth, which means maintaining that indissoluble bond between the emotion of the original performance and its magnetic imprint, without ever altering its balances or tonal naturalness. Each of our Master Tapes is not a simple copy, but the result of a scientific and artisanal protocol that eliminates any compromise between the original sound event and the final listening experience. The creation of our products is a rite of engineering precision and absolute devotion, a challenge against time that defines the intrinsic value of every release: the fruit of a deep passion for music and an unconditional love for the excellence of what we do.

The prestige of a Hemiolia Master Tape stems from the nobility of its origin. Our catalogue is structured along several lines, each characterised by privileged access to sources of inestimable value:

• Hemiolia Native Productions: We capture the unrepeatable energy of live events with our analog mobile studio or the controlled acoustics of our fixed studio in Lido di Savio, Ravenna, Italy. In both contexts, chain control is total: from microphone placement to the final tape recording.
• Historical Archives and Private Collections: We have the honour of working with tapes of inestimable value, such as those granted by the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, accessing the Session Tapes from the Maestro's private collection, as well as the prestigious Jazz Collection in collaboration with Ermitage, where we use first-generation Production Tapes.

When working with tapes from historical archives or external collections, the source enters the technical and artistic domain of our sound engineer, Pietro Benini. In this phase, the work is divided into three distinct moments that guarantee the authenticity and excellence of every release.

Tapes that are decades old are fragile and precious elements. Before they can be used, they must undergo an indispensable safety protocol. Without this phase, the medium would be completely unusable, and any attempt at playback would cause permanent damage:

• Cleaning and Stabilisation: Removal of surface deposits or any fungal growth to prevent impurities from compromising reading quality or causing permanent abrasions to the magnetic layer.
• Sticky-Shed Syndrome Recovery: We intervene on tapes that have lost their structural integrity. The medium is placed in a special high-precision temperature-controlled oven for a process of controlled thermal stabilisation. Baking times and temperatures vary significantly based on the state of degradation of each individual reel: this is where the technical expert's deep experience comes into play, setting the necessary parameters to restore the tape's integrity.
• Mechanical Overhaul: Accurate inspection of the splices, verification of their hold and possible replacement, together with a deep cleaning of the layers to guarantee fluid rotation and constant tension.

While the purity of Hemiolia native productions is guaranteed at the source, every tape we receive from archives or third parties is subjected, always and without exception, to a rigorous analysis process before any further processing. Our primary responsibility is to establish the actual nature of the source: thanks to profound technical skill and the aid of dedicated instrumentation, we can determine with absolute precision whether the content of a tape is of true analog origin or if it derives from a digital source, identifying even partial digital alterations or transfers.

Every Hemiolia Master Tape is accompanied by the A4P (Analog Four Phases) certificate, which attests to the integrity of the analog path through the phases of: Recording, Mixing/Editing, Mastering, and Duplication. As proof of our indisputable technical certainty, each certificate is signed by hand on every single copy, an act of responsibility that personally guarantees the authenticity of every tape leaving our studio.

This phase highlights the fundamental difference between Hemiolia and other competitors in the market: we are not mere duplicators. All Master Tapes in our catalogue are entirely remastered through a process that involves the studio at full capacity for long periods.

While the industry often follows the logic of speed, a single Hemiolia remastering requires an average of one month of continuous work. In exceptional cases, such as the Pavarotti project, the technical and artistic challenge was such that it required total dedication spanning many months.

Drawing on a forty-year career, Pietro Benini performs a work of sound exegesis: he intervenes on the sonic fabric to extract its maximum dynamic potential, correcting tonal drifts and micro-aberrations accumulated over the years, without ever distorting the artist's original intent. It is a work of fine human craftsmanship to restore the three-dimensionality, "body", and emotionality that are the hallmark of Hemiolia.

• Raw Tape Screening: Every blank tape is individually tested and discarded if it does not demonstrate absolute structural and magnetic perfection.
• 1:1 Production and Ad-Hoc Recalibration: Since 2017, we have moved exclusively to 1:1 duplication. Every single copy is a unique event in real-time. For every blank tape used, the slave recorder is recalibrated and optimised ad-hoc, nullifying the production tolerances of the medium.
• Dedicated Monitoring: Each tape is individually monitored, ensuring that the recording remains constant and accurate from the beginning to the end of the reel.

The integration of technical recovery, A4P validation, the authorial work of Pietro Benini, a catalogue unique in the world for the importance and prestige of its titles, and the global quality of our products, is what firmly places Hemiolia at the pinnacle of the global market.

Every activity we perform is strictly governed by our internal Quality Manual. Through written instructions and codified procedures, we guarantee absolute quality consistency in every process, transforming methodological rigour into an art of meticulous care and the pursuit of perfection. We are dedicated to the preservation, certification, and nobilitation of sound because we are convinced that our goal is not simply to produce music to be heard, but music to be felt.