From Scott McGowan, PS Audio

Various Artists

State of the art audiophile recordings

Audiophile Masters, Volume III is available as a stereo SACD and download bundle and features 10 all-new high-performance tracks, ranging from Monica Marie Labonte’s beautiful Loving You with Eric Wiggs on the dobro and Bradley Morse on the bass, to drummer Michelle Pietrafitta’s powerful Moonbeam, and the finger-snapping jazz of the Seth Lewis Quintet. These extraordinary tracks were captured in pure DSD using Octave Records’ Sonoma DSD recording system at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado by recording engineers Steve Vidaic and Giselle Collazo. Mastered by David Glasser, this is a limited edition Audiophile Masters that will be a must-have addition to anyone’s library. Reference quality tracks. Each and every one a sonic treasure.

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About the Artists

This reference-quality album begins with Monica Marie Labonte’s “Loving You,” recorded from an intimate perspective that lets every nuance of her vocals and acoustic guitar, and the Dobro and acoustic bass, to be heard with superb realism. Other selected tracks include the avant-garde-meets classic-jazz “Baba Yaga’s Hut” by the Tom Amend trio, and the Seth Lewis Quintet’s lush “Arborvitae,” featuring captivating solos by electric guitarist Dave Devine and Octave Records solo artist Gabriel Mervine on trumpet. “Airs chantés, no. 4 – Air vif,” a duet written by Francis Poulenc, showcases vocalist Ekaterina Kotcherguina and pianist Jessica Nilles in a performance with stunning dynamics and depth. Andy Thorn’s “Fox Trail” is a bluegrass banjo and acoustic guitar workout with the instruments captured in lively detail. “Last Chance” is performed by the irresistibly-named duo More Than Physics entirely on handpans, a steel-drum-like instrument struck with the hands, with a surprisingly versatile range of sounds, all captured with extraordinary fidelity.  

The Music

	Loving You
	Ship of Dreams
	Baba Yaga’s Hut
	Moonbeam
	Fox Trail
	I Belong
	Airs chantés, no. 4
	Arborvitae
	Last Chance
	Some Tyrant

To listen to parts of the tracks click HERE

Octave Audiophile Masters

THE RECORDING

The original recording was brilliantly captured by Octave Record’s engineers Steve Vidaic and Giselle Collazo at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado. Most all of the tracks were recorded live with some vocals and harmonies on some tracks added in later. All tracks were captured directly from the analog microphone preamps (Grace, Manley, Forssell) into the Meitner A/D converters then into the Sonoma DSD recorder. Monitoring and rough mixing was performed on a Trident analog board. Once tracking was completed the DSD files were transferred to PS Audio’s mix room where they were converted back to analog via 4 synchronized 8 channel Meitner D/A converters, to then be mixed on Octave Records 32 track Studer 936 analog console. The final two-channel analog master is then converted back to DSD through the Meitner A/D converter before mastering.

ALBUM FEATURES

• One pressing Austrian gold-pressed dual-layer SACD
• Pure DSD + PROMastered CD layers
• DVD data disc containing DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM
• Pure DSD recorded on the Sonoma DSD system
• Mixed in analog on Octave Record’s Studer 963 analog console
• DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM download
• No compression in the mastering or mixing process
• CD layer of SACD playable on any CD player
• Mastering monitored through the PS Audio DirectStream DAC
• All tracks hand-curated on the Infinity IRSV in PS Audio’s Music Room Two
• Limited edition one-pressing physical media

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