Introduction
The ‘SACD - On Display For All To Hear’ session at the Surround Professional 2001 conference featured world-renowned producers and engineers demonstrating music they’ve put on SACD. Al Schmitt, Bill Schnee, Bruce Botnick, and Elliot Scheiner were among the panelists who showcased their work.
Demonstrations
Al Schmitt's Natalie Cole SACD
Al Schmitt presented a track from his Natalie Cole SACD, which was an all-analog recording except for Natalie's vocals done in ProTools. Despite the mixed source formats, Cole’s voice sounded smooth and detailed.
Bill Schnee's Unreleased 5.0-Channel SACD
Bill Schnee played a cut from an unreleased 5.0-channel SACD featuring Bill Tyrell. The mix featured a phantom center and subtle amounts of bass and vocals.
Elliot Scheiner's SACD of Beck's 'Sea Change'
Elliot Scheiner's demo featured Beck's 'Sea Change' SACD, which had a bit more in the center channel. However, the sound quality didn't show significant improvements compared to the CD counterpart.
Bruce Botnick's Direct-to-DSD Orchestral SACD
Bruce Botnick presented a direct-to-DSD recording of an orchestral performance with spoken word. The wide dynamics of the 5.0-channel SACD were clear, but without reference materials, it was hard to truly evaluate the benefits of SACD.
More Analog to DSD Recordings
Al Schmitt played Diana Krall's 'The Look of Love' SACD, recorded at 30ips analog and mixed down to two-inch analog. Bill Schnee followed with a cut from Barry Manilow's Christmas album, recorded directly to ProTools. Elliot Scheiner played a portion of his multi-channel mix of Toto IV SACD.
Panel Discussion
The panelists discussed various topics, including the predominance of analog and PCM recordings in their work, their mixing techniques, and their view on multi-channel formats. They acknowledged the limitations of SACD demos and weren't concerned about home theatre speaker placement.
Conclusion
The seminar showcased the work of experienced producers and engineers who primarily relied on analog or PCM recordings, using SACD as a distribution medium. Although they seemed stuck in the quad era, younger bands and producers/engineers at the conference demonstrated more adventurous and creative mixing techniques in multi-channel formats.
Despite the mixed results of the SACD demos, the Surround Professional 2001 conference highlighted the potential of multi-channel music production and the continuous evolution of surround sound technologies.
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