Masters Anticipating SACD Format Growth

6-Feb-03

With the diversity of projects being released as Super Audio CDs, mastering enginers are becoming very familiar with the format and are anticipating a great progression in DSD mastering tools. No longer being driven by a particular genre, such as classical recordings or catalog reissues, Super Audio CD releases are reaching out to broadening audiences, and in the case of DSD, mastering engineers are looking forward to their gear wish lists being granted. According to mastering engineer Stephen Marcussen, founder of Hollywoodís Marcussen Mastering, Super Audio CD production has increased across the board. ìWeíve seen an increase from classical sessions for film scores, all the way to rock bands in DSD,î Marcussen offers. ìIíve seen this both in 2-channel and multichannel.î Marcussen recently worked on Ozzy Osbourneís Live at Budokan in DSD multichannel, and has worked on smooth jazz and guitar virtuoso projects. ìDSD is being exposed everywhere as far as I can tell,î he concludes.David Glasser, chief engineer and founder of Airshow Mastering in Boulder, CO, also notes an increase in SACD projects. ìWeíve done about 80 SACD projects so far,î Glasser points out. ìItís been a lot of jazz, some blues, some roots-y music, a little bit of classical, etc. It has been coming mostly from independent labels. Weíre just now starting to see independent artists inquiring about SACD mastering.î While Glasser admists that SACD production seems to be gathering steam in spurts, Airshow is gearing up for more SACD work, having recemtly invested in a Genex 8500, a Tascam DS-98, and being in the process of building a new surround mastering room. ìWeíre expecting that the work is going to increase, and weíre going after that work,î he adds.Mastering engineers are also receiving material for mastering in various formats - an element that affects just how the project will be mastered. With a few of the different methods engineers can follow for SACD release, concerns arise over wanting to avoid excessive reformatting of material. There are still limited tools available to work with native DSD material, so engineers can mix in analog, then digitize to DSD at the end, or they can mix in PCM, and then convert to DSD at the end of the project.ìIn every case Iíve been involved with,î offers Marcussen, ìweíve gone back to the original master - whether the format was 1/2-inch tape, or was remixed in multichannel for SACD - weíve always worked directly from the master and converted it to DSD. Weíve never up-sampled from PCM. Theyíve all been absolutely pure DSD recordings from the mastering stage.îIn preparing for different formats and budgets, Glasser suggests that facilities be set up for these various scenarios. ìWeíve never converted DSD to PCM to do processing,î he explains, ìbut we have gotten in a high-res PCM that weíve converted to dSD for SACD release. It depends on the project; soetimes weíll keep it pure DSD, sometimes weíll go out analog and do analog processing. If the project (such as some of the blues projects) comes in on 1/2-inch analog, weíll do all of the EQ analog and convert to DSD.îWith the introduction of more DSD recording equipment, aligned with the increasing demand for Super Audio CD releases, mastering engineers are noticing the gear thatís missing, and hoping that manufacturers will develop some of the necessary hardware. Marcussen finds the process a ìfun challenge,î reminiscent to work with vinyl, where ìthere werenít all of these ësafety-net tools,í like workstations with peak limiters that prevent you from ging over.îIn addition, Glasser asserts, ìThere are definitely tools I am missing for mastering these SACD projects. We need more native DSD processors, some different workstations, in addition to the Sony Sonoma and Pyramix.î Sony has recently discontinued the Sonoma system, but SADiE seems poised to take up the slack by fulfilling its promise to extend its DSD editing/processing and Super Audio CD authoring platform by adding multichannel capabilities. That would give SADiE the distinction of having the first commercially available multichannel Super Audio CD platform that includes full authoring tools, just as it did with its 2-channel platform. Also on Glasserís wish list are out-board DSD processors and cost-effective DSD-to-PCM and PCM-to-DSD converters.Marcussen believes that within the next two years, high-resolution audio will turn a corner, during and after which the public will become more familiar with both Super Audio CD and DVD-A, and become enlihtened to what these formats can bring to their audio experiences. ìPeople may pick a format to subscribe to, or maybe theyíll do both,î suggests marcussen. ìBut when the public gets enlightened to the format, itíll kick a growth spurt into all of the people that are going to make the bits and pieces to accompany DSD.îStatistically, Marcussen can cite his own experience which may give an insight to the future of the Super Audio CD format. ìIíve seen it expand ten-fold since lst year,î he contends. ìWeíre doing quite a bit of it.î