DVD-Audio and SACD Software, Surround Professional 2003 - Part One

Amid all the technical minutiae surrounding most discussions of SACD and DVD-Audio, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the even the most sophisticated formats don’t stand much of a chance of survival unless they offer something worth listening to. Or, to borrow a reminder from the 1992 Clinton campaign, "It’s the software, stupid." Fortunately, label representatives and creative artists were plentiful at Surround 2003, bringing us up to date on the latest goodies for our collections.


Jeff Dean, President, Silverline Records

Among the many labels releasing titles in the DVD-Audio format, the Silverline Records division of 5.1 Entertainment is among the most prolific, with over 200 titles already released and an ever-increasing production rate. High Fidelity Review sat down with Silverline President Jeff Dean to discuss the new directions his company is moving.

Silverline plans to ramp up to 20 titles each month, but Dean was particularly enthusiastic about Silverline Classics, a series of classical music re-issues he hopes will help dispel the reputation of DVD-Audio as a primarily pop and rock format. As reported by High Fidelity Review (see news story) the centerpiece of the new line will be a series of 39 Artemis Classics recordings featuring Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra, licensed from the Vanguard and Omega labels. Originally released as stereo LPs from the mid 1960s through the late 1970s, these recordings will be re-issued as multichannel DVD-Audio titles. What distinguishes them, aside from the well-regarded quality of the performances, is the fact that the majority of them were recorded in multi-track by engineer Seymour Solomon, using a variety of microphone configurations. "Seymour was a visionary, he recorded in ways that were way beyond the playback capabilities of the time," Dean said. "He was recording L-C-R when their was only stereo, and four-channel before there was quad." The availability of multichannel source material means a clean, higher quality conversion to multichannel without the need for electronic reprocessing and all its associated artifacts. "We are bending over backwards to make these audiophile quality all the way through our transfer chain," he added.

The emphasis on consistent quality is a sea change for Silverline, a label saddled with a "quantity over quality" stigma dating back to the uneven quality of its early multichannel releases. While he acknowledges the criticism, Dean vigorously defended his label’s ambitious catalog. "Our source materials were widely different in quality," he said. "Some were excellent, some weren’t. But we felt it was necessary to have a wide variety of genres represented. I can defend the content on the basis of its historical significance within those genres."

He also noted that product quality has steadily improved. "We’ve learned," he said. "Better tricks in the mastering. Our tools are better." He also pointed to positive internal competition between Silverline staff mixers. "Gary Lux, Rich Fowler, Mister Haynes - these guys keep raising the bar with each other, and get inspired by each others’ work. There’s very creative energy in our studios." Dean believes the biggest growth curve for the DVD-Audio format is still to come, with more current releases - which entails enlisting the artists, a slow but steady process.

At this time, Silverline has no immediate plans to release software in a hybrid DVD-A/CD disc format. "We would support it if it ever catches on," Dean said, "but I’m not involved in any discussions about it. Frankly, I’m not really sure for how long this will be a big deal - I think the days of CD players are numbered."


Dweezil Zappa

Representing the creative artist’s perspective, Dweezil Zappa offered some introductory remarks at a session screening his father Frank’s rarely-seen 1979 film, 'Baby Snakes’, recently restored for DVD release. Dweezil, who produced the 5.1 mix with Joe Travers and Kent Huffnagle, noted his father’s uncanny foresight - long before the advent of Dolby Surround, Frank originally mixed the 'Baby Snakes’ soundtrack in 4 channels (left, center, right, and mono surround).

The DVD soundtrack’s multichannel effects nicely complement 'Baby Snakes’ visual assault - a frenetic mix of live action footage and astonishing (and often disturbing) claymation sequences by Brice Bickford, some featuring a miniature replica of Zappa himself undergoing mutations. In one of the most effective sequences of Zappa in close up conducting his musicians, sounds originate from the directions in which he’s pointing - artistic potential finally fulfilled now that technology has caught up with vision.

Dweezil took the opportunity to praise the impeccable musicianship underlying the movie’s visual flair. "There are real notes here," he said. "He gave people the freedom to be the best musicians they coluld be." Steeped in an ongoing excavation of Frank’s voluminous archives for material worthy of multichannel repurposing, Dweezil described his mission as "an archeological effort of monumental proportions."


Philip Brandes 27/02/2004.

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Surround 2003 Report Index
Last update: 27th February 2004

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