Quote:
Originally Posted by Still-One
Everyone has their own perspective and many times it is colored by ones business relationships.
I love the interview of Mark Waldrep, President of AIX Records in the April 13 issue of The Absolute Sound.
"I've been advocating for a clear distinction between standard definition and high-definition audio for years. There continues to be a lot of confusion regarding what is and isn't an HD track. Analog tape is a standard definition format, plain and simple. The same holds for vinyl. Lovers of these formats have every right to enjoy the particular flavor of sound that they produce but that doesn't change the fundamental specifications. They are simply not HD audio any more than 8mm movies from the 1950's are HD video. When an author writes that a particular recording is almost as good as "analog" , it perpetuates the myth that analog is the ultimate goal. It is frustrating that labels, mastering engineers, and consumers are not given the opportunity to hear what artists and engineers/producers create in the studio. .........................Thankfully for audiophiles and music lovers, improvements in recording didn;t end with analog tape and vinyl despite the resurgence of those formats."
Amen
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Jim...Too true!
Aaaaah....The DVD-A man....went Blu-ray & now wants to sell analog tape!
Check out this quote from Mark Waldrep only last week. It is funny to read both of these quotes side-by-side.
03-16-2013, 9:52am
"My name is Mark Waldrep. I founded and operate AIX Records in Southern California. I have been a recording engineer for over 40 years and have worked with both analog and digital equipment (both standard definition and HD). I have mastered many hundreds of CDs and DVDs for artists from Diana Ross to Britney Spears. I own a NAGRA IV-S and QGB (the 10.5 reel adaptor) and a fully refurbished AMPEX 440C.
For the past 13 years, I have been recording and releasing new high definition audio products on DVD-Audio and now Blu-ray optical discs. These titles have garnered wonderful reviews (Stereophile gave us "Record of the Month" in November for Albert Lee's Tearing it Up BD disc) and a loyal following. At the suggestion of several audiophile friends, I'm considering offering my stereo tracks as reel to reel releases.
I would be interested in any feedback from this group on whether this idea has merit or not. Let me be clear. The masters from which the tapes would be created are original HD digital masters that were recorded in a live hall at 96 kHz/24-bit PCM using state-of-the-art preamps and ADCs. There is no artificial reverb, no use of EQ or any dynamics processing...just the sound of singers and instruments. We capture everyone at the same session...not overdubs. The sound is unique...open, clear and live.
I believe that an analog reel has a particular sonic signature that is valued AND that a transfer from my master through a new Benchmark DAC2 to my NAGRA at 15 or 7.5 ips 2-track would be roughly the equivalent to a first generation master. It potentially would have more dynamic range and greater frequency response than an analog copy from a dupe master. I'll leave the proof in the hands/ears of this group.
Any ideas, thoughts or comments would be appreciated. You can visit the AIX Records website and see the diversity of our catalog. New releases include The Banda Brothers and Rita Coolidge. I would be making each transfer on a custom order basis and would be able to select any tape type, speed and EQ configuration.
I should be able to send out some samples to a few interested parties in a few weeks.
Thanks in advance for the bandwidth. I'm excited by this prospect and hope that members of this group will be as well.
Mark Waldrep, Ph.D.
AIX Records and iTrax.com"