Sony Music Releases First Super Audio CD Titles

Sony Music Entertainment has announced the release of its first Super Audio CD titles in support of the U.S. introduction for Super Audio CD (SACD).Sony Music Entertainment will release 40 Super Audio CD software titles in tandem with the U.S. SACD hardware launch in October, with plans to make an additional 10-12 titles per month available for the new formatís roll out.""Super Audio CD can make you feel as if youíre hearing your favorite music for the first time,"" said Leslie C. Cohen, Vice President of Business Development for Sony Music Entertainment. ""You actually feel as if youíre in the middle of the performance; the clarity and depth of field, the sheer transparency of the sound itself, is extraordinary. We are providing an eclectic slate of exceptional recordings, each of which has been cited for its excellent production value, and all of which will showcase the breadth and depth of this exciting new technology.""Sony Musicís initial series of Super Audio CD titles include five classic Miles Davis albums, ranging from ""Kind Of Blue"" and ""Sketches Of Spain"" to ""Man With The Horn"" and ""Tribute To Jack Johnson."" Weather Reportís ""Heavy Weather,"" Jaco Pastoriousí eponymous debut album, and Herbie Hancockís ""Head Hunters"" are just three other jazz classics that have been remastered and restored utilizing the Direct Stream Digital process to bring out all the details inherent in the original master recordings.Fusion fans will welcome the SACD version of Return To Foreverís ""Romantic Warrior."" Classical music aficionados will revel in Bruno Walterís landmark recording of Beethovenís Symphony #6, Glenn Gouldís ""Bach Inventions,"" Isaac Sternís traversal of the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos, and Leonard Bersteinís rendering of Dvorakís Symphony #9.""Super Audio CD represents a tremendous advance in digital audio reproduction and preservation,"" commented Sony Music Studio Senior Mastering Engineer Mark Wilder. ""As a mastering tool it enables me to concern myself less with mastering for the medium and concentrate on the music itself, achieving a greater musical experience on playback. Utilizing SACD technology for archiving enables us to get as much information from our original analog masters as possible, and the quality is breathtaking. Having mastered many of these titles previously, especially the Miles Davis catalog, it has been a genuine pleasure experiencing them on SACD.""A listing of Sony Musicís initial single layer stereo 15 Super Audio CD titles are as follows:Miles Davis Kind of Blue Columbia/LegacyMiles Davis Sketches of Spain Columbia/LegacyMiles Davis My Funny Valentine Columbia/LegacyMiles Davis Tribute to Jack Johnson Columbia/LegacyMiles Davis The Man With The Horn Columbia/LegacyGlenn Gould Bach Inventions ClassicalBruno Walter Mozart Symphonies No. 38, 40 ClassicalWeather Report Heavy Weather Columbia/LegacyJaco Pastorious Jaco Pastorious Epic/Legacy John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, Paco de Lucia Friday Night In San Francisco Columbia/LegacyHerbie Hancock Head Hunters Columbia/LegacyReturn To Forever Romantic Warrior Columbia/LegacyBruno Walter Beethoven Sym. No. 6 ëPastoraleí ClassicalIsaac Stern Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky ClassicalLeonard Bernstein Dvorak No. 9 ClassicalAbout Super Audio CD And Direct Stream Digital (DSD)Super Audio CD employs DSD as the fundamental recording technology that allows for the reproduction of sounds that are infinitesimally close to the original source material. DSD uses a sampling rate of 2.8224 MHz it directly record a 1-bit signal. Recording this signal directly eliminates the need for decimation filtering in the recording process and interpolation filtering in the playback process, allowing for the recording and playback of a digital signal that mirrors the shape of the original analog waveform.With a theoretical playback frequency range of up to 100kHz and a dynamic range in excess of 120dB across the audible range, software recorded in DSD makes it possible to reproduce even the most minute high range musical elements. The superior features of DSD have won the praise and respect of well-known artists and sound engineers throughout the world.All Super Audio CD software incorporates an invisible watermark that is physically embedded in the substrate of the disc. Leaving essentially no audible artifacts and virtually impossible to copy, the invisible watermark is used to conduct mutual authentication of the player and the disc. SACD players will reject and discs that do not bear authentic invisible watermark. Faint letters or images that are extremely difficult to copy clearly can be affixed to the surface of the disc, making it easy for consumers and retailers to distinguish between authentic and counterfeit discs.Software providers may choose from several disc variations specified in the Super Audio CD format, including single layer, dual layer, and hybrid disc constructions. The single layer disc contains one layer of high-density content; the dual layer disc contains two layers of high-density content; and the hybrid disc contains one layer of high density content and one layer of CD content, enabling the disc to be played back in ordinary CD players.The Super Audio CD format has been developed to offer the highest quality sound achievable with great consideration given to protecting the rights of copyright holders.For more information, contact Keith McCarthy at 212 833 5047.