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Audiophile Release Ups Ante With Innovative Mix Mastering

Octave Records Releases Temporary Circumstances by Clandestine Amigo, Recorded in Pure DSD Hi-Res Audio 

  • PS Audio label’s second release featuring singer/songwriter Jessica Carson is available on SACD and via download, with limited-edition vinyl to come  

Boulder, Colorado, October, 2020 – PS Audio’s Octave Records label has released its second album, Temporary Circumstances by singer/songwriter/pianist Jessica Carson and the band Clandestine Amigo. Featuring Jessica’s reflective songs about lost love and resilience, Temporary Circumstances is recorded in pure high-resolution Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and mastered using Octave Records’ DSD Direct Mastering process, where the mastering occurs at the same time as the mixing, thereby eliminating a generation of audio processing to maintain maximum sonic purity.  

Limited Release

Temporary Circumstances is available in a limited-edition release of 1,300 hybrid SACD discs that have a master DSD layer and a CD layer, and as a download bundle including DSD64, DSD Direct Mastered 192kHz/24-bit, 96kHz/24-bit and 44.1kHz/24-bit PCM formats. The album will also be offered as a 2-disc 45 RPM virgin vinyl edition limited to 500 copies, in December, 2020. 

Temporary Circumstances was engineered by Gus Skinas, mixed by Gus Skinas, Giselle Collazo and Jessica Carson, and mastered by Gus Skinas. The recording was made using a Sonoma digital audio workstation (DAW) in pure one-bit DSD. The C24, DPA 4006 and Sony C-100 microphones were fed into Forsell SMP-2 and Grace m108 mic preamps and an EMM Labs/Meitner ADC8 A/D converter, then to the Sonoma, and mixed on a Studer 963 console. 

Bit Wars

Currently, most DSD recordings have a short fall in that they must be converted to PCM and back to DSD a multitude of times in order to perform post production such as mixing and mastering. This is where PS Audio ups the ante- by mastering during the mixing phase, the back and forth conversion which results in noticeable degraded listening experiences is avoided.

The ‘old’ PCM pulse code modulation system.
The ‘new’ DSD direct stream digital system.

The musicians include songwriter Jessica Carson (vocals and piano), Michael Wooten (drums), Giselle Collazo (vocals), Chris Brunhaver (bass), Kyle Donovan (guitar, vocals), Miguel Ramos (violin, viola), and “The Burroughs” horn section featuring Alec Bell (trumpet), Scott Flynn (trombone), Hayden Farr (baritone saxophone) and Briana Harris (trumpet, horn arrangement). 

Jessica recorded her piano parts on a Yamaha 7-1/2-foot concert grand piano at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado. Next, the vocals and other instruments were tracked at Octave Records’ recording facility at PS Audio. Jessica’s lead vocals and Giselle’s harmony vocals were recorded simultaneously using a single Tim de Paravicini-modified AKG C24 stereo mic and a Bock Audio 507 mic. Temporary Circumstances’ sparse but full-bodied arrangements let the personality of each vocalist and player be heard with stunning clarity, presence and dimensionality. 

Audiophiles Take Note

The goal of recording and producing Temporary Circumstances was to combine musically accurate, state of the art sound with inviting and compelling music. As Jessica Carson notes, “I know what the songs mean to me but I think they’ll mean something different to every listener.” 

For the Silo, Frank Doris. 

About PS Audio 

Founded in 1973, PS Audio has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in manufacturing innovative, high-value, leading-edge audio products. Located in Boulder, Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, PS Audio’s staff of talented designers, engineers, production and support people build each product to deliver extraordinary performance and musical satisfaction. The company’s wide range of award-winning products include the all-in-one Sprout100 integrated amplifier, audio components, power regenerators and power conditioners.  www.psaudio.com/octave-records  www.psaudio.com 

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