Hi-Res Download News (HDTracks, ProStudioMasters, Pono, etc.) & Software/Mastering Part 12**

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Gary, May 9, 2015.

  1. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto
  2. So what's good in the Pono store this weekend?
     
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  3. mindblanking

    mindblanking The Bourbon King

    Location:
    Baltimore, MD
    I just picked up Clapton Backless for 192/24 for 17 as well as Dexter Gordon A Swinging Affair also 17 for 192/24 and Wildlife Mott the Hoople Wildlife 192/24 for 20. Better prices than HDTracks for all. Even with the 15 percent coupon.
     
    Larry Loves LPs and Rico Amantio like this.
  4. UncleHalsey

    UncleHalsey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    In the last thread, ServingTheMusic asked why 48/24. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Toby Wright who offers his thoughts. The interview focuses on his experiences on Alice in Chains "Jar of Flies" and is a great read: http://blog.musicinsidermagazine.com/2013/01/toby-wright/

    MIM: What are some of the ways you’ve found to get around the sterile sound of digital recordings, and maintain the warmth of the old analog recordings when you’re tracking new music?

    Wright: Use it. I mean, I’ll still track bass and drums (in analog), depending on budget, and sometimes guitars; usually, it’s just bass and drums that get tracked in analog. Since digital is so good at preserving (already recorded in analog) sound, I don’t go to 88.2, I don’t go to 96, I don’t do any of that nonsense because there’s inherent things in the code that amps up the top end on 88.2 and 96, and it’s just super unnatural to me. The most natural sounding format to me is 48k, 24-bit. I’ve gone back and forth, back and forth, beating myself up over it.

    When ProTools first came out, it was 16-bit software, and their reps came to the studio and said, “Hey, you wanna try this out?” I said, “Sure, I’d love to try it out, but if it doesn’t live up to what I already know, it’s outta here.”

    I tried the original 16-bit stuff, and I could tell instantly, so I told them that I could hear the difference and to get it out of here. They got really mad at me for a while and then they said, “Well, maybe you’d like this 24-bit stuff?” So they brought in their Beta 24-bit stuff, and I was like, “Whoa, there’s something wrong with me. I can’t tell the difference!” So I said, “This is interesting, let’s give it a try …”

    Then I tried 44.1 24-bit, and I could tell the difference, but it was really close. And so when they brought me the 48k 24-bit stuff, I said, “Whoa, I can’t tell the difference between analog tape and this. Let’s keep this.” But then they got the bright idea, “Oh, we can do 88.1 and 96k..." Higher sampling rates are not necessarily better. When it comes to audio, a lot of manufacturers, and I think the public, especially, have missed the boat. They’re into ease and convenience, so they listen to MP3s. I just can’t. It actually hurts my ears.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2015
  5. DR.J

    DR.J Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago Suburb
    Just got around to listening to both Bill Withers' offerings on HDtracks: "Still Bill" and "Just as I Am. " Both are great! The music is, of course, fantastic. Also, if your a fan of Bill Withers, check out the 2009 documentary film titled "Still Bill." Bill Withers may be one of the coolest men alive!! Very inspirational movie. I hope the movie accurately captured his personality. Also hope he makes another record: he has a great one in him yet!
     
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  6. jmacvols

    jmacvols Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tennessee
  7. Amperage

    Amperage Forum Resident

    Location:
    CO, USA
    Any codes for HDT? Besides the twofer one?
     
    Rico Amantio likes this.
  8. Stereosound

    Stereosound Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    PonoMusic Updates
    Meet the PonoRevealer: PonoMusic World Update v20.0.100, PonoPlayer Firmware Update v1.0.6
    May 09, 2015

    [​IMG]
    Hear the Difference

    Meet the PonoRevealer
    Let your friends hear why you love Pono.

    We have created the PonoRevealer to let you easily show your friends why you love the sound of Pono. No long conversations necessary. Just listen.

    Any high resolution song can be played on the PonoRevealer while you scan the resolutions and listen in real time. It all happens without stopping the song.

    Make a PonoRevealer Track of your favorite song and believe your ears!


    Sincerely,
    Neil Young and the Pono Team


    WHAT IS THE PONOREVEALER?
    The PonoRevealer is a new feature on your PonoPlayer that will allow you to switch seamlessly between different audio resolutions to compare the differences in the sound quality.

    Neil Young used the PonoRevealer when he introduced PonoMusic to the music industry during our Kickstarter campaign. He had a prototype PonoRevealer setup in his car and he recorded the reactions that he received from several legendary musicians and recording industry professionals after they listened to the PonoRevealer

    We have now taken what Neil had in his car and configured it to function in your PonoPlayer just as it did for Neil. So, for anyone who does not believe you can tell the difference between high resolution audio and compressed music, the Pono Revealer will allow you to compare for yourself.


    ALERT: Make sure to install PonoMusic World v20.0.100 before installing the new PonoPlayer firmware. Installing the PonoPlayer firmware first will add the PonoRevealer feature to your PonoPlayer, without aCny PonoRevealer tracks. You need to install PonoMusic World v20.0.100 to add tracks to the PonoRevealer.

    DOWNLOAD PONOMUSIC WORLD FOR WINDOWS
    DOWNLOAD PONOMUSIC WORLD FOR MAC

    HOW TO GUIDE | FAQ


    PonoMusic World Version 20.0.100
    Note: PonoMusic World can be updated within the application. From the top menu bar select Help>Update Channels and select Stable(recommended). Then return to Help>Update Channels and select Check for Updates. The update info will appear on the side. When you click the Install button, the application will close, and the update file will extract and install. PonoMusic World will relaunch when complete.

    Visit our Support page for video tutorials on using PonoMusic World.

    Watch the PonoRevealer Video for a walkthrough of the new feature.

    VERSION 20.0.100 RELEASE NOTES

    • NEW FEATURES:
    • The PonoRevealer Management Tool
      • PonoMusic World detects whether the newly downloaded PonoPlayer firmware is the first installed version to support the PonoRevealer and shows an intro message with a button to download the sample "Heart of Gold".
      • Right-click on PonoPlayer and select the "Manage PonoRevealer Tracks." option. Also from the menu on the PonoPlayer drive action window.

      IMPROVEMENTS AND BUG FIXES
    • Downloads with extremely long file names were failing (Windows only).
    • Artist or Album names beginning with a period would cause problems syncing with the PonoPlayer.
      • Now underscores are used in place of leading periods in folder names on the device created during a sync operation.
    • CD Ripping would sometimes create duplicate track entries in the database.
    • Improved progress display while updating firmware.
      • Added a separate "transfer" stage to show copying firmware download to the PonoPlayer. Avoids long lag with progress bar at 100%.
    • Pressing Enter key following in-place editing no longer initiates a "Play" command.
    • Right-click menu 'Eject' of PonoPlayer was not always reliable.
    • Freezes or crashes could occur when importing or converting large batches of WMA format files.
    • Streamlined auto-import to reduce extraneous activity when mass changes are made within Media Center.
    • Users are now advised to visit ponomusic.com on the timeout redirect web page.


    PonoPlayer Firmware Version 1.0.6
    Watch the Firmware Update video for a walkthrough of the update process

    VERSION 1.0.6 RELEASE NOTES

    • NEW FEATURES:
    • The PonoRevealer
      • The PonoRevealer allows switching between audio resolutions and file formats during playback to compare the differences in the sound quality in real time.
      • Use PonoMusic World to convert songs in your music library into PonoRevealer tracks.
      • ALERT: Make sure to install PonoMusic World v20.0.100 in-order to add tracks to the PonoRevealer.

      IMPROVEMENTS AND BUG FIXES
    • Fixed soft reset when micro-USB is removed during an update.
    • Corrected playback length for long DSF files.
    • Recognize DSF files that have no metadata and the sample data chunk is the last one in the file.
    • Recognize DFF files with headers other than version 1.5.0.0.
    • Changed button appearance throughout the PonoPlayer UI.
     
  9. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    thanks for posting this!!

    I must say some very odd comments. 96 and 88.2 are "nonsense"? "Amped up top end"? Boy I think he is a lone wolf in this regard. I find it funny he can hear a difference with 44.1/24, but magically with 48/24 he can't.

    I agree with him that higher sampling rates are not"necessarily better" but they have LOTs of benefits. Strange comments.

    I will say this. With recordings of synthetic instruments..no live miked stuff, it really does not make a difference.

    For the record, I thought AIC albums always sounded just ok. Nothing more.
     
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  10. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
  11. motionoftheocean

    motionoftheocean Senior Member

    Location:
    Circus Maximus
    Mij Retrac likes this.
  12. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
  13. motionoftheocean

    motionoftheocean Senior Member

    Location:
    Circus Maximus
    which ones did you get? I've been meaning to get a few of the early albums but none are yet available in the US and I've not yet tried to bypass that.
     
  14. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    Brave New World, Dance of Death, and Powerslave.
     
  15. motionoftheocean

    motionoftheocean Senior Member

    Location:
    Circus Maximus
    did you buy all 3 from Onkyo? I do know the former 2 have been available from HDtracks, Pono, PSM, et al for the last number of weeks.
     
  16. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    BNW and DOD from Pono and Powerslave from onkyo.
     
  17. mindblanking

    mindblanking The Bourbon King

    Location:
    Baltimore, MD
    That was cool. Thanks.
     
    j3brow likes this.
  18. Weiland555

    Weiland555 Forum Resident

    Forgive me if I've missed this, but has anyone verified that the 192 kHz version of the 2015 Van Halen S/T on Pono is truly the non-compressed (not loud) version? It's cheaper on PONO than HDTRACKS, but I want to make sure I get the right one.

    Also, why are a few tracks in the Pono track listing for Van Halen S/T missing the "(2015 Remaster)" label after the track title? Is that just a Pono typo? Thanks.
     
    Fritz G23 and Panama Jack like this.
  19. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    http://www.wmg.com/newsdetails/id/8a0af8124d396c2f014d43ef96b2005d

    "We experienced significant revenue growth this quarter across key segments of our business – in particular Recorded Music, across the U.S. and international and across digital and physical – capping off a strong first half of our fiscal year" said Stephen Cooper, Warner Music Group’s CEO. "Notably, in this quarter we saw continued growth in streaming revenue which surpassed download revenue for the first time in the history of our recorded music business. Our commitment to being at the forefront of industry change as well as our ongoing investment in artist development is the foundation of our continued success."

    My emphasis.
     
    Scopitone likes this.
  20. Mij Retrac

    Mij Retrac Forum Resident

    They are all available in the U.S. too but they are only 24/44.1 except Rock In Rio. My understanding is they are the same compressed masters as the iTunes release https://www.onkyomusic.com/US/iron-maiden-hi-res-catalogue
     
    Rico Amantio likes this.
  21. Amperage

    Amperage Forum Resident

    Location:
    CO, USA
    Jar of Flies is on another level as far as SQ compared the AICs other albums. It's an excellent album.
     
  22. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    I love the album, no doubt it is one of the best of the era.
     
    Rico Amantio likes this.
  23. j3brow

    j3brow Forum Resident

    AIC Unplugged is also great, musically and sonically.
     
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  24. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    Agree.
     
    Rico Amantio likes this.
  25. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    What's with the Alice In Chains talk? Are they available in hi-res somewhere? I didn't find any at HD Tracks or PSM.
     

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