Some records seem to be hotter in one channel than in the other. It can be on the whole record, on only one side, during the whole LP or only the beginning of both sides or only one. It seems to me that it could be a question of thick records (like 180g LPs) and thinner ones and the way the needle runs in the groove according to the thickness.
Do you have any observations to share about that topic?
I can't see how the thickness of the record is relevant, as the depth of the groove is tiny in comparison. However, I've found unbalanced records to be quite common, especially those from the early 1960s when stereo was still a new thing. It may be that it was deliberate, given that there is no requirement for the singer to be central on the image, or it could just be sloppy mastering/cutting. Given how new stereo was then, I can expect that the stereo cut was given special attention, so doubt it was sloppiness. My feeling is that it was indeed deliberate, given that at a live performance, the singer could well be off-centre to the stage, and stereo was felt at the time to be trying to emulate a live performance.
If it's still happening on current pressings of new material, I can't comment, but in this case I think it's more likely to be sloppy processing rather than deliberate.
S.
