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Surround Sound on Opus 3 |
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Acoustic music in authentic environments! |
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First it was Mono, and then came Stereo and now finally we have Surround Sound! We at Opus 3 Records greeted the development of Surround Sound as an acknowledgement of the rightness of our original aims and ambitions since our inception in 1976 "To transfer and recreate the feeling and atmosphere that we felt at the moment of recording". And when DSD (Direct Stream Digital) and SACD came along, we also found the perfect recording and storage medium for surround sound! Since we invariably record in the venue where the performance is taking place we automatically capture and retain the authentic atmosphere and feeling at the moment of recording as opposed to most studio recordings which require the addition of sophisticated (though often very good) effects, such as reverb, echo etc to achieve this. These synthetic effects may be very good for some purposes, but they are not authentic. Its a question of feeling, very difficult to describe in words, rather like trying to describe a Stradivarius compared to another very good violin. The word HiFi can be interpreted in many different ways. We at Opus 3 Records have always considered it to be the natural sound of reality, with good Depth of Image, Timbre and Dynamics or as the world renowned HiFi manufacturer Quad put it:
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"The closest approach to the original sound". With Stereo reproduction you are looking into the place where the musicians are playing, but with Surround Sound, if your system is correctly set up, you can be there with them. However this can be carried out in many different ways, depending on what "acoustic information" you want to transfer to the listener. You can be with the orchestra or seated in the audience, the choice is made at the time of recording. Normally we at Opus 3 would not want, for example, to put the listener in the middle of the orchestra where the human psyche in the form of ear-brain relationships resents sharp sounds behind the head. Ideally our main aim is to imbue to the listener the feeling that he or she is there, in the same room as the musicians, whether it be a Concert hall, Church, or your favourite seat (near the bar) in your Blues or Jazz club. Again this atmosphere or feeling of the venue is an integral part of the recording, each one is different, but never the less it is there and captured on Opus 3 recordings. This is our main priority to capture the performance with the ambience and acoustics of the venue at the moment of recording. All you have to do is close your eyes and let the walls of the listening room disappear while you are transported to your own personal heaven. (No cover charge or waiting at the door). |
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