Music on DVD-V - Part 1

I had an interesting talk with the owner of one of Hamburg's high end audio suppliers. He said flat out that Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD Audio (DVD-A) were dead. He does have hope for Blu-ray as a carrier for stereo / multichannel losslessly compressed high-resolution audio.

Talking about the future, what's with the present?

Check out the prices for the manufacturing of small runs of DVD-5 as compared to CD-media. Using two online calculators (AltonaMedia and DiscOnDemand) I found an increase of about 50% in replication cost. And this is what you get with a DVD-5:

- You can store the equivalent of 5 CD-A's on one DVD-5 (4.3 GB vs. 800 MB)
- You can deliver high resolution audio: 24 bit as opposed to 16 bit, up to 192 kHz sample rate as opposed to 44.1 kHz
- e.g. 66 min of uncompressed PCM @ 24-192
- You can deliver surround encoded audio (Dolby Digital and / or dts)
- You can offer...
- Additional information about the music, ensemble, recording etc.
- Navigational menus
- Still images or video
-Links to (dynamically available) material on the internet

[2009-02-02] Discovered an interesting read regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the audio portion of a DVD-V for music .

I didn't yet find numbers comparing the amount of standalone and computer-based CD-players vs. DVD-V-players in use worldwide, but I assume that even in the latter case the installed base is sufficiently big to encompass a sizeable chunk of the audiophile / avantgarde / classical / jazz clientele, which for me would be fine. What do you think?

What I like about digital audio…

Here is my comment on Jarome Matthew’s blog on Poor Quality Sound: Now Standard! in which Jarome lays down his dislike for the digital age of sound. While it is true that the new paradigm has created many ways of distorting audio it is not necessarily evil. I personally am definitely a proponent of digital audio.

For me digital audio technology (digital software technology?) in it’s current incantation does many good things:

- it is affordable, even considering the worlds best interfaces
- it gives me a very low noisefloor, which…
- let’s me dial in a 12 dB headroom to prevent accidental clipping
- it eliminates mechanical considerations
- it makes multitrack high end audio portable
- it does not necessarily induce coloration

True, a CD-A can only contain frequencies up to 22.05 kHz, but everything in that (audible) range is preserved. I doubt that _anything_ on vinyl can sound better than an optimal (!) 1:1 digital transfer of the same (!) source-material. AFAIK there is no reason for it.

Then again, using a SR of 192 kHz gives you a range up to 96 kHz Nyquist. Even a top of 48 kHz is sufficient in my experience. Analyzing the spectrum of a Galician Gaita can open up your eyes.

You can find a nice example of that instrument's sound: Jata da Mahia played by Javier Celada, recorded in Blumlein-configuration with two RoyerLabs SF-1's at Berlin's Heiligkreuzkirche in 2004. I recorded another concert featuring Gaita and Organ in 2004 using an AB-setup with two Earthworks QTC-1's - and trust me, you'll want to use a mic with a gentle HF-rolloff for these pipes :-)

Ich bin ein Ohrwerker

A while ago I stopped at a coffeeshop in Berlin (DoubleEye) on the way to a recording. I had the usual large bag on my back, a long bag with mic stands and mic cables slung around my shoulder. I had a galao outside. A boy studied my appearance and asked me if I was an artisan. I answered that I was an "Ohrwerker", an artisan working with his ears.

For some reason this incident made me think about language. In German we have only the word "Handwerker" for someone who does manual labour. In English it is the artificer, artisan, craftsman, handy(crafts)man, workman, etc. Still the general idea is that of a person working with one's hands, which in my case is true, except for the fact that the focus is on what my ears and brain perceive of.

The job really is a mix of science, artistry and craftsmanship. You need to want to learn about every space you record in and the characteristics of the instruments as they appear in this environment. At the same time it's all about the music that is being performed, the intrinsic dynamics, the "color" of the sounds (Klangfarbe in German) and the flow of it all. And then there is the craft of capturing it well.

I love it :-)

How much should a recording cost?

I like to present people with an overview of the prices I charge. Personally I favor businesses that do likewise over one's that say they'll have to make me an offer. It is clear that this constitutes a conservative estimate, taking some of the factors and dropping others, but it defines the "ballpark" of the service provider.

Which factors do I pick?

- The target mode of the recording: stereo or surround (5.0, 7.0)
- The number of microphones used as a measure of the complexity of the recording situation: more microphones likely means a longer setup time, more HD-space needed, more choices in post etc.
- The duration of the event to be tracked
- The potential use of the recording, which effects the sample rate (44.1 kHz for CD, 48 kHz for video, higher rates for probable EQ-ing in post)
- The projected workload in post: head & tail editing, tweaking of the preview-mix, real-time processing etc.
- The designation of the recording as non-profit or for-profit

Sound is my life! No matter what the parameters are, if I'm preparing for and executing a payed job or a pro bono venture, I approach every recording project with a clean slate. My goal is to craft a recording that gives the listener the impression of being there, which is to say it must sound at least as good as it sounded live.

Why analyze movie's surround soundtracks?

It's quite simple: I enjoy watching and listening to good, well crafted movies. And if I review them to learn what I like about the way in which the surround panorama has been realized I might as well take down some notes. And if I take down some notes I might as well post them, as other people might be interested in my thoughts - and possibly even submit some feedback.

I'd like to emphasize that last point: Posting a critical analysis into the void is of value only if said analysis is complete, which I don't assume it will be, or if it can be refined with the help and the input of other people who read it, possibly verify and / or falsify my observations, and submit their assessment to the general web populace. Please do tell me what you think. Thanks!

If a movie ends up being talked about in a negative way it's because an in-depth review of a feature that I enjoyed watching, and which I believe to have a well-crafted soundtrack, turned out to exhibit a serious flaw. I start out liking it, which is why I pick it in the first place, but it turns out I didn't listen closely enough at the start. Which is a good thing as a good story lies at the root of every good film, and that story should carry you painlessly across any inadequacies - unless you pause, dig deep and reconsider.