DSOTM MCH SACD is really 96/24 PCM ?

Is this old news or new news?

Today on the Sursound mail list (http://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound),
one of the list members posted that James Guthrie told him the following:
the new 5.1 SACD mix of DSOTM was done in 24-bit, 96kHz PCM
and then converted to DSD to make the SACDs.



I was surprised when I read this;
I don't remember anybody saying this with such certainty before.

If everyone knows all about this already, sorry!!!

On the other hand, if someone knows that this is not true, then please speak up!

Thanks for your understanding!


FFF
------------
Mike Patrick

 

Well, there are folks on the thread claiming that the rumor is both true and that it is false !

Whatever the real scoop is, it doesn't change the fact that the disc sounds very good in 5.1 SACD Surround.

 

Re: Re: DSOTM MCH SACD is really 96/24 PCM ?

Not on the thread I saw.

Wasn't the one person who said that it couldn't be true simply expressing their general disbelief that it might be true?
They did not know whether or not it was true.

I guess you're right about that.


FFF
------------
Mike Patrick

 

Re: Re: Re: DSOTM MCH SACD is really 96/24 PCM ?

Here's the quote from the Sursound Discussion Group. It comes from Graemme Brown, the Canadian mastering engineer on a number of SACDs including the Chick Corea Live 2-SACD Set and the 30 Concord Jazz SACD reissues.

"I would question the 'reliability' of your source (I've heard otherwise). "

 

Well, unless Guthrie had an old, analog quad mixing board, he'd pretty much have to run it through a PCM board with surround mixing capabilities, because there isn't a DSD based mixing board. Yes?

 

Actually Telarc and several other record labels have done "direct to DSD" recording sessions where the mics and instruments were sent direct to a Sonoma DSD Workstation. And we've heard of engineers like Al Schmitt doing their surround remix work through analog consoles. So it could be DSD, Analog or PCM.

 

Well, I thought those Telarc discs aren't so much mixed as 6 mics are sent to 6 channels, then levels established. Dark Side had to be mixed through something, as it was 16 or more channels of analog tape. Now, I am not familiar with the Sonoma workstation. Does it have 24/48 channels that can then be mixed? Is there a website about the Sonoma? Thanks.

 

The Sonoma does have some DSD based EQ and processing as I understand it. To date, only the 8 channel model is available as with the Sadie DSD/PCM unit (also 8 channels).

 

I asked Doug Sax about this. The 2 channel is analog to DSD... no PCM involved but the 5.1 is 24/96. It was the only way they could compile the original, non-submixed drums into the new mix. Aligning the drums with analog tape would be impossible and there's just not a DSD workstation ready for 24 tracks yet. I think the most I've seen is 8 tracks... so far. I hear SADiE will have a 16 track in a few months.

 

Pity, really. The 2-channel SACD master is just too tweaked for me. I love the 5.1, but now I wonder how much better it might have sounded without the PCM step.

 

It sounds great...maybe they'll release a DVD-A and we can get even closer to the multichannel master.

I'm very pleased with the SACD...no regrets.

 

I certainly agree. I don't enjoy hearing it.

IMHO!!


FFF
------------
Mike Patrick

 

How would DVD-A get us closer to the multichannle master?

 

24/96 PCM master, 24/96 PCM DVD-A. No format conversion.

 

Gotcha. No extra (empty) numbers added to make it DSD.

I know DSD to PCM is pretty destructive. I wonder if it's as bad going from PCM to DSD? I guess it would be like filling in the holes in Swiss cheese with Styrofoam.

 

What Michael said.

And IMO, since dvd-audio's PCM system doesn't artificially..........um, never mind.

[T]

 

Yeah, I agree. Let's not go there again.

At least we have it to listen to any time we want. Besides, I'm kinda burned out on this album now anyway.

 

Isn't Doug the guy that made such a fuss when he said DVD-A is not a true high-res format and hence he wanted to use DSD/SACD?

 

I'm sure what ever his preferences are (most likely for at least as a stereo format) they really didn't have a choice because the technolgy wasn't available at the time of the project.....


Todd

 

No, that was James Guthrie.

 

Let's not start more rumours.

It wasn't Doug Sax, it was James Guthrie. Guthrie made some false assumptions based on who knows what about MLP (the lossless compression system). They were refuted by members of the DVD-A camp (naturally).