The Art of Hi-Fi, Volume 6: Guitars from Octave Records Features an Extravaganza of Playing Styles and Sounds – Octave’s latest offers a wide selection of guitar styles and genres, from solo acoustic to all-out rock on overdrive – September, 2024 – What’s not to love about guitar music? Especially when it’s as well-recorded and soulfully played as the selections on The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars, the latest release from Octave Records. The album features a wide range of artists, styles, and instruments, from the solo acoustic 12-string guitar of Bill Kopper on “Hungry Heart” to Americana, jazz, pop, well-loved covers, and Connor Terrones tearing it up on Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression.” It’s all here, captured in Octave Records’ stunning Pure DSD high-resolution recording quality. Paul McGowan, Octave Records’ CEO pointed out: “Guitars are part of the soundtrack of our lives, from sweet acoustic and warm jazz tones to the powerful electric guitar sounds that have galvanized generations of listeners. Yet it’s extremely challenging to capture these many and varied musical and sonic flavors on a recording. We are thrilled with the sound and performances of our Octave artists on The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars, who did a fantastic job of showcasing the almost limitless potential of the instrument.” The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars was recorded with Octave’s Pyramix-based Pure DSD 256 recording system, using a variety of microphones to capture the wide variety of guitars on the album: steel-string and nylon-string, 12-string guitar, electric, pedal steel, resonator, and even baritone guitar. Everything from the crystalline overtones of a steel-string guitar to the roar of a guitar amp speaker pushed beyond its limit is here to enjoy. The album was recorded, mixed and produced by Paul McGowan, with Terri McGowan and Jessica Carson assisting in the recording and production duties. It was mastered by Gus Skinas. The album begins with Julian Peterson’s soulful Americana-tinged “Am I Wrong” by Keb’ Mo’, singing and playing a resonator guitar using a slide, a deep, elemental sound. The bossa-nova-tinged “Amor Prohibido” features Bill Kopper on nylon-string, accompanied by bass and percussion. It’s a lively musical dialogue, beautifully recorded. Kopper and the trio also contribute “Sweet Lorraine,” played gypsy jazz style with a snappy, cutting guitar tone, and he goes solo with the gorgeous 12-string sound and complex fingerpicked voicings of “Hungry Heart.” The wailing sound of the pedal steel guitar is featured on Greg Schochet’s country original, “Broken Down Chair,” with Schochet’s plaintive singing and sparse acoustic guitar playing carrying a wry tune about likening his life to the well-worn piece of furniture. Khabu Young contributes a dazzling instrumental version of the Beatles’ “Come Together” on solo baritone guitar, and the amount of sound he gets out of just the one instrument is remarkable. The Seth Lewis Trio offers intimate versions of the Bacharach/David classics, “The Look of Love” and “Close to You,” featuring the warm, rich tones of Lewis’ acoustic and electric basses, along with piano, organ, and drums. Wyn Walke digs into the 1930s American classic “Deep Elem Blues,” made popular by the Grateful Dead in the 1960s, performed here in a stately version with vocals, lap steel guitar, bass, percussion, and piano. The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars closes with a dramatic musical shift: Connor Terrones’ incendiary instrumental version of “Manic Depression,” with multiple guitars, bass, and drums blasting away to bring the album to a roaring no-holds-barred conclusion. Turn it up! The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: $29usd / $39 cad.) |
Tag Archives: Pure DSD 256
Audiophile Pure DSD Release Showcases Classical Guitarist Ana Vidovic
| Guitarist Ana Vidović Performs a Spellbinding Selection of Classical Works On Live at Hampden Hall — Renowned classical guitarist Vidović offers a program of J.S. Bach, Barrios, Scarlatti, Sor and more in an intimate Pure DSD 256 live recording– Boulder, Colorado, September, 2023 – Octave Records is honored to present internationally-acclaimed classical guitarist Ana Vidović on its latest release, Ana Vidović Live at Hampden Hall. Recorded with impeccable clarity using Octave’s Pure DSD 256 process, the album features Vidović in an intimate live setting performing a two-disc set of works by J.S. Bach, Barrios, Scarlatti, Sor and other composers. Ana Vidović has been hailed as one of the world’s finest classical guitarists. She began playing at age eight and became the youngest student to attend the Academy of Music in Zagreb, Croatia. She has appeared at recitals, concerts and festivals worldwide and won numerous international awards including the Fernando Sor Competition in Italy, the Francisco Tarrega Competition in Spain, the Eurovision Competition for Young Artists, and many others. She is a graduate of the Peabody Institute. Vidović plays with a beautifully expressive, rich tone, where notes seem to bloom out of her instrument, an Australian Jim Redgate guitar. Vidović said, “Guitar is a very interesting instrument with such a wide range of colors and dynamics. I really try to explore that.” Ana Vidović Live at Hampden Hall presented her with the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream. “My wish has always been to do a live recording. And finally, I had a chance to do that, so I’m very happy.” Recorded at Hampden Hall in Englewood, Colorado, all the nuance and expression of her playing were captured using Neumann U67 large-condenser main and close mics, along with a stereo Telefunken mic at a distance for hall ambience. The album was recorded using Octave’s Pure DSD 256 process to convey the highest level of clarity, depth, spaciousness and musical realism. The double album, available on disc or in two volumes via download, was recorded, mixed and produced by Paul McGowan, with assistance from Jessica Carson and Terri McGowan. It was mastered by Gus Skinas. Ana Vidović Live at Hampden Hall features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the discs are playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. They also have a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: two disc-set, $58usd / 78$cad ; each volume via download, $19 – $39usd / 26$- $53cad depending on format.) The album begins with a masterwork – a guitar transcription of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major. Vidović performs this extremely challenging piece with a spellbinding depth of feeling. Other selections include Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 1, the Gran Sonata Eroica, Op. 150 and Grande Ouverture Op. 61 by Mauro Giuliani, Intro and Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 9 by Fernando Sor, and Augustin Barrios’ magnificent La Catedral, all performed with Vidović’s remarkable virtuosity and connection with the music. She noted, “My goal is to present each piece in a unique way, to try to find things that always have the guitar in mind and what the instrument can do.” For the Silo, Frank Doris. |