*Reverse Echo* in LP Recordings

Has anybody else noticed in any LP recordings a “reverse echo” occurring, where you can just barely hear the audio that will be playing in a few seconds? My guess is that this is bleed from reel to reel windings that they may have used as a master before cutting the record. Anybody else picked up on this or have any insights? Maybe I will try to see if I can find some audio as an example.

My guess is that it could not possibly be from the actual playback of the LP, due to the dynamics of the way an LP works. The only other time I have ever encountered anything like this is when I was mastering recordings from old cassette tapes where the layers had bled through creating much the same effect.

It could be a vinyl error, too, although “a few seconds” is a little long. It’s possible for adjacent grooves to bleed. So however long once around is, that’s the leakage sound.

Grownup cutting lathes have a look ahead playback system and they know when a loud presentation is coming so they spread out the grooves to accommodate it. If that process is set wrong, the grooves will be too close together and distort each other.

Koz