Goldberg Variations Acoustica 3D

Goldberg Variations Acoustica from AIX Records is the world's first 3D Music Album™, the first Blu-ray™ 3-D Disc using the Dolby® TrueHD lossless codec, and the first 3-D Blu-ray Disc™ of a live music recording session. The project was shot using four prototype Panasonic AG-3DA1 cameras. The performance was recorded on June 11, 2010 at the Los Angeles Colburn School for Performing Arts in Zipper Auditorium. This album is not a live concert. There was no audience present during the recording session. AIX Records' unique approach to recording albums captures live performances in real time without subsequent overdubs or any digital post-production processing of any kind. Two other AIX 3D Music Albums are reviewed in Issue 157, with three more to follow. Based on a well-known composition of Johann Sebastian Bach, the AIX All-Star Band performs a largely improvised version of Bachs "Goldberg Variations" in styles that range from quiet, dreamy sound collages to driving, rhythmic, and jazzy interpretations. The Goldberg Variations Acoustica includes the opening Aria, 14 Variations, and the concluding Quodlibet. The Blu-ray is fully compatible with standard 2-D Blu-ray Disc players and displays, so one can enjoy the disc even on a non-3DHD display. The previously released AIX Records Audio Calibration Disc & HD Music Sampler is recommended as a reference to the exceptional audiophile quality that the company has built its reputation on. The calibration/sampler disc features reference-quality Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™ music tracks, and home theatre setup tests such as the "Subwoofer Crossover Test" and "System Setup Tutorial," to help optimize the performance of a sound system. Goldberg Variations Acoustica is the third in AIX Records' Acoustica series (following Moonlight Acoustica and Pachelbel Canon Acoustica), and the first to be released as a Blu-ray 3D (only the second Blu-ray 3D disc to be commercially available). (Gary Reber)