DSD-Guide.com | Direct Stream Digital Audio

Free Downloads in several formats! Can you hear the difference between them? Does it matter?

Test Your Systems with 4 Formats of Playback!

Many people don't hear the difference or care if there is a difference in sound. We at DSD-Guide support those people who just want to listen to music regardless of the format. If you would like to test your ears and your playback system for what formats you prefer read more to find free downloads and how to do a comparative listening test.

Where can you find DSD Music Downloads?

A list of websites where you can find Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and other High Resolution music to download. If you are a DSD distributor of downloads and would like to be added to this list, please contact support@dsd-guide.com

An article in the New York Times presents an ugly picture of what might happen if Spotify goes away. But really, it applies to all streaming services. Are you keeping your entire music library on playlists and relying on big business to treat your music library as carefully as you would?

Recently, a subscriber wrote to us and asked this question. Everyone is going to have a different opinion and to a certain extent, if you're happy with how you listen, that's the only opinion that matters. But, if you're asking which sounds closest to the final mixed or mastered version of a music track and from an audio engineering point of view, there are a few critical processes to consider.

Is this really better for the consumer that the price doesn't increase? It could lead to cheaper prices in the short run and in the long run... a bunch of crappy audio recordings upsampled to HD or Apple selling plugins for quick immersive sound experiences. It also means that if you want an HD experience you'll need to get a set of headphones and a bunch of adapters for your iPhone if you really want to have the experience Apple suggests.

With the announcement that Apple is going to offer streaming FLAC and Atmos, we believe DSD is going to benefit from the chaos that will ensue. Apple has no idea what they've just committed to.... killing off great sound except for the few who are committed to DSD.

Positive Feedback - Pure DSD256 - What We Hear

Rushton Paul writes a very good article on the challenges of DSD recording and how different engineers, labels and resellers approach it. Rushton investigates the variables and gives examples from different labels.

Somehow, the discussion of 'what sounds better' has gone from bad to worse. Click bait videos, angry arguments online, people trying to conjure up proof without getting enough facts. And what happened to DSD in all of this? Is it forgotten? We hope not.

It's hard to mess up a DSD recording. At the same time, it's not easy to DO a true DSD recording. DSD won't improve a bad recording and neither will a $100,000 stereo system.

Today we lost a giant... It's hard to believe. Michael Bishop was a pioneer in DSD audio recording and immersive sound, now gone.

Michael was an audio engineer for Telarc and later a co-founder of Five/Four Productions, which recorded classical, jazz and other acoustic music. He was a driving force for DSD and always outspoken for fair practices when it affected all of us. When we had a question or wanted an opinion, Michael was always someone to turn to.

11. The Recording Session: Getting the perfect take

Our session is well underway now and everyone knows their part. The goal now is to get the perfect rendition of the song.

There's a lot of controversy in the audiophile community.. almost as much to say that you can't be an audiophile without an argument. Of course, I'm joking, but many of you experience the strong opinions of 'right and wrong' ways of listening. We hope to start a conversation about being an audiophile without all the arguments... Here's our questionnaire....

Is this for real? Spotify offering a HiFi tier? What Happens to DSD?

DSD playback can be frustrating on a Macintosh or an iPhone.. but it's possible with the right software. In this article, a music lover, Phil Lewenthal, discovers a solution for playing DSD on an iPhone - with help by Native DSD.

Gapless or Seamless Playback means your tracks will flow into the next song without pause. Crossfade is fairly similar: it fades one track into the next. Usually, the crossfade is something the end user can set in their playback software so that no silence is heard between songs. Gapless or Seamless playback is a term more used when two parts of the music are joined together by the musicians/producers/engineers of the music as a creative choice then a point or index mark is to separate the tracks if you want to skip forward. Hmmm.. that's hard to explain...

Basic guide to Sampling Rates - What is it and how does this affect the sound of your music?

Paul McGowan, founder of PS Audio, has a wonderful daily newsletter. Today he offered a very simple explanation of sampling and bit rates... you know.. 44.1, 176.4, 9624, One bit DSD and all the variations between.

Have a look.
https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/sample-rates/

Digital downloads seem to be the losers in the battleground for the music listeners attention if you look at the decline in sales. But, will this still be true 5 years from now? People thought the CD would clobber vinyl sales when it first emerged... and it did for awhile, but now we see declining sales in CD and growth in vinyl sales. Will the same thing be true for DSD downloads?

Not all of my friends listen to HD audio. It's not a requirement of my friendship. The good news is that many want to know more. So, if you're not familiar with the many forums or publications that focus on HD listening you might not even be knowledgeable to search for the word "audiophile". So today, I decided to put in a few arbitrary words to see what comes up when I went to see what was offered to those new to HD audio.

Perhaps the most important decision of all is choosing the right music to record. Many artists compose their own music, but some do not and rely on other songwriters, collaborators, or composers to provide material. In our example, the artist writes songs, and has been doing so for a while and has many compositions to consider. Who makes the decision on what songs to record?

Chris Connaker, founder of Audiophile Style and Computer Audiophile, wrote a very interesting piece on playing back music from Amazon's new HD audio services. He's outlined his process and done a very good job setting up a system to test what is coming through his systems.

What is a DAC anyway? Every cell phone or laptop or device that is playing sound of any kind is a DAC. DAC means Digital Audio Converter and is the the short version of what we call the 'chip' inside a device that changes the 1's and 0's into audible analog sound. DACs come with various ability to play "formats" like mp3, WAV, FLAC and DSD. So if you've heard of DSD and want to use it, how do you know if your DAC is capable?

Last time we talked about the three basic types of microphones, based on their method of operation (the dynamic, ribbon, and condenser microphones). This time we will look at the directional patterns of microphones and how they influence the sound of a recording.

Omnidirectional Microphones

We don't know how long you'll be able to hear this comparison test, but for a short time you can test your skills and hear for yourself what can happens when a record label delivers its files. In good faith, a label delivers the best master possible. What happens after that is a crap shoot.

The Soul of a Song - By David Flitner - Perspectives on Today's Music World

David Flitner is a writer, musician, music lover and friend. Here, he brings his thoughts to the new world of music from his unique perspective.

Enjoy the read and feel free to comment on from your own perspectives.

As businesses around the country consider how to proceed with plans for partial and staggered reopenings, The Recording Academy understands that there is a deep sense of responsibility and trepidation. Directives for opening are, of course, on a state-by-state and city-by-city basis. The Producers & Engineers Wing®, like its membership, is resilient and created this set of guidelines after much research.

The pandemic has accelerated the desire for musicians and others to record at home. Unfortunately, it's going to be difficult to replace the feeling of rehearsing or playing with bandmates when everyone is in the same room. What many people don't understand is how to get a song recorded when you're overdubbing drums, bass, guitar and vocals from different locations. There are so many factors beyond just getting a good sound from a microphone it's hard to know where to start. Even if you're not a musician, it could be interesting for you to understand the mechanics of how some recordings are made. Here are my top factors to achieve or avoid when building tracks in this way.

Systems for Exceptional Audio or SEA is a process that takes any ordinary file and transforms it through an analog process to DSD256. Joke about the acronyms all you want, but in the studio, life is easier when we have defined process that can be uttered with one word. That then transfers to the music buyer to ensure what they've purchased. If you've optimized your playback system for DSD256 or DSD128 you'll know why the SEA process is important.

Livestreaming has become an important tool for every musician. Before the pandemic, we all thought about livestreaming's potential but after the pandemic and the cancellation of concerts, local gigs and touring, livestreaming rose to the top of the "must do" list for everyone in the music industry. Reality hit hard.

Extended Sound Environment (E,S,E,) is as relevant today as it was when we invented it back in 2002. Some people wonder why we come up with names for recording techniques and here's why....

8. Microphone Characteristics

There are hundreds of professional microphones to choose from, and all have different characteristics and each model sounds different. We can divide these microphones into three basic operating principles, and look at the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Recently the question came of what I use for mastering. It may comes as a surprise to know that mastering engineers don't all agree on how to listen or the processes involved. Even the loudness wars (louder sound vs more dynamics) has divided sides. I'll talk about my process.. the one I know. :)

Brian Moura wrote this terrific article for Positive Feedback.in 2017 when Blue Coast Records hosted the first livestream DSD concert with Alex de Grassi and Jenna Mammina. Take a trip down memory lane.

I watch a lot of youtube. The other day a video came up where a audiophile vlogger (name withheld) put together an 18 minute video about DSD vs PCM and what the differences are. He was 50/50 on getting the information right... but still, he spoke with authority when he was wrong. Why is this still happening?

We had heard about a few drive-in theaters opening up, but the idea of going to a concert at a drive-in sparked our interest! Certainly, during a pandemic where people are asked to socially distance themselves, the idea of being in a car, correctly spaced sounds pretty good if the reward is to see a great band.

Our discussion so far has looked at the recording process as it occurs in a recording studio. But, with rare exceptions, studios are not large enough nor acoustically suitable for recording a symphony orchestra.

Consequently, most classical recordings are done “on location,” which might be a concert hall or other large venue with suitable characteristics. Music that was composed to be performed in a concert hall should logically be recorded in that environment.

Paul McGowan tells a fascinating story of a unique discovery by Randy Crowell. What happens when you pair a French Horn with an iPhone?

Written by Doug Fearn, founder D.W. Fearn

This article is Part 6 of Doug's continuing series of what it takes to get a great recording. Microphones 2 is an extensive description of microphone placement and challenges faced during an acoustic music setup.

We found this interesting article that describes how the world is slowly changing to a better quality audio playback. With Amazon's HD Music, Tidal, Qobuz and others, it seems the time is ripe for better sound.

Our brains reward us for seeking out what we already know. So why should we reach to listen to something we don’t? Pitchfork, one of the leading music magazines available in the mainstream, explores this question using Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring as an example.

Time on your hands? How about learning to do a comparative listening test?

The world is in lockdown mode, but you still have your music and listening system. Suddenly, you feel the urge to test the difference between all the different formats. You think it's an easy task? It's even harder on your own. If you have a family member, bring them onboard to help you with this test. Make it a fun family event!

Download 9 formats of one song recorded in DSD here.. and it's free!

Patrick Metheny describes what it's like to improvise and melody. Most importantly, he talks about how to listen. Neuroscientists later interview him about music, emotion and the brain.

Devasting Fire at a Vinyl Plant -- does this spell the end of vinyl?

Even though we specialize in DSD audio we understand the value vinyl brings to the music industry. As much as this fire represents a set back for many, we don't believe it spells the end of vinyl. Read for yourself, add your comments, let us know what you think!

Microphones 1

We have a properly-constructed and acoustically-treated studio and it’s time to record some music. We will start with a very simple performance: a singer playing acoustic guitar.

Our first task is to determine where to place the performer in the room. This can be more complex than it might first appear, because many factors need to be considered. Some are technical, some are artistic decisions, and some are psychological.

Andreas Koch is a pioneer of digital audio from the days of developing digital audio recording in the 1980's for Studer Dyaxis to his leading edge work with Sony working on DSD and the first recording device for DSD - the Sonoma System. Here Andreas explains the differences between PCM and DSD audio.

HD Music Day's first event was held at the Hilton Anaheim during the NAMM Show on January 19, 2020. The half day event was very well received and packed with interested professional audio engineers, artists and others wanting to up the quality of their listening. AES (Audio Engineering Society) has suggested a repeat performance in October 2020 at the New York City AES convention. Join the HDMusicDay.com mailing list to stay up to date on activities.

Who was the best in HD Audio during 2019? Click here!

It's coming to the close of 2019 and we want to know what you think about HD Music! Fill out the survey form listed in the article and we'll announce the results in January 2020.

Mark your calendars for January 19, Sunday. Sign up to receive the latest information at http://hdmusicday.com/

From 10am-2pm at the Hilton Annaheim, NAMM and AES will be giving Blue Coast Music free reign to put on 4 panels for the professional audio community. Representatives from Sony, Qobuz, Roon, Blue Coast and others will be there to introduce the professional audio community what the consumers have been listening to for years.

The world’s coral reefs have been affected from the devastating effects of climate change which has given rise to some radical solutions. Last week, British and Australian researchers suggested another way they say could help restoration efforts: broadcasting the sounds of healthy reefs in dying ones.

CDs, vinyl and cassettes used to be an easy way to give someone you love a gift at the Holidays. Kind of like baking cookies, it was something we did that could express an emotional feeling from yourself or because you knew the other person so well that you could introduce them to new music or give them a cherished sound. Do gift cards have the same sentiment? Can a $20 gift card to Starbucks offer the same feeling as the time you'd spend on those Holiday cookies? We're going to offer several new ways to express your love and friendship....

If you read the latest Universal Music email, nearly all the Christmas packages include colored vinyl, a cassette and t-shirt... from Billy Eilish ro Mumford & Sons. Sony and other companies are offering the new Tik Tok Karaoke performers million dollar contracts.

Do you own a portable DAC and a DAC for your stereo?

We're curious how audiophiles listen. What's the highest sampling rate of your portable DAC... click here to tell us!

The proportions of the room may seem like it would only affect the visual aesthetics of the space, but the ratio between the height, width, and depth of the studio can have a profound impact on how it sounds. This applies to all rooms where acoustics are important, including the recording control room, a listening room, a classroom, a church, or a concert hall. Read how you can improve the sonic response of your room.

Most people know of Neil Young as the iconic rocker from days of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and his decades long career in music that influenced the likes of Pearl Jam and others. Audiophiles might remember him for the Pono high resolution portable music device. Wired Magazine offered a wonderful interview of his recent enthusiasm for high resolution music and why he feels Amazon's Ultra HD Music subscription is the biggest event to happen to digital a

With Amazon, Apple, Qobuz and others beginning to offer streaming services for high resolution audio, we are about to see the "war of words" and definitions hit music lovers hard. Brace yourself as the mainstream enters the audiophile world and subscribes to Amazon's Ultra HD Music service for high definition audio. What does it all mean?

Immersive Sound is the latest term coined by the music industry to mean music that has a consumer playback using more than 2 channels of playback. Surround Sound, Quadrophonic, Atmos, 360 RA, Auro-3D and more.

We've all known it was a matter of time before Amazon, Apple and all the other streaming companies would have high resolution streaming. Qobuz, Tidal, Deezer and others had already been offering high resolution streaming. Amazon's announcement could have a huge impact on the music industry... find out why.

It's not that you need to care about this question and many of you may not know whether you're listening to a digital conversion or an analog transfer. Bottomline, if you're happy with your music then GREAT! Continue listening...

But, for those of you interested in the processes recording engineers often use, then read on.

What is a digital conversion?

NARAS Recommendations for High Resolution Audio Production

View/Download PDF:

recommendations_for_hi_resolution_music_production_05_10_17.pdf

The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) defines HRA (High Resolution Audio) . What do you think? Do you agree? please comment on the page and let's talk!

Part Three -- The Recording Room. Doug Fearn examines the effect the studio room has on the sound of the recording.

July 8, 1998... Liquid Audio's IPO. What was Liquid Audio? It was the first company to offer legal digital downloads delivered worldwide. I was fortunate to be part ot the crew that helped make history. Liquid Audio was a software program that predated Napster and iTunes for delivery of audio files. In a sense, we were the first aggregator for digital audio even though the word "aggregator" didn't exist.

Part Two -- The Recording Chain- examines the steps that music goes through from performer to listener. This is a simplified version, since real-world recording is usually a lot more complex than this. Follow the twelve part series from renown engineer Doug Fearn as he takes us through the recording process and to your speakers.

Andreas Koch Details what higher sampling rates mean to DSD - is there a sweet spot? By Andreas Koch

Direct Stream Digital, or DSD, encoding has been used for years already for SACD and also as an intermediate format inside analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. It's basic concept is DeltaSigma modulation and uses 1 bit per sample with a sample rate of at least 2.8224MHz (64 x 44.1kHz). Read the entire white paper by Andreas Koch, one of the pioneers of digital recording. Download the PDF.

Recently there has been some curious questions about the meaning of "analog" vs "digital". Many engineers working with DSD (Direct Stream Digital) feel strongly that DSD digital sounds much better than PCM digital. Many of us feel that DSD is the closest thing to analog that the digital world can offer.

Part One - Understanding the Recording Process -- in a continuing series written by Doug Fearn of D.W. Fearn. Doug has committed his life to the pursuit of excellence in audio engineering. That led him to manufacturing tube products of top quality for the professional audio engineer. Today Doug is an advocate of DSD recording. In this series Doug writes about the recording process to help music lovers understand the choices and complications we make before they have the music on their listening systems.

Technology is what brings us the ability to transform live performances into repeatable audio events using equipement and source material formated for a specific technology. Over the years, technology advances change for various reasons.

The power of community is strong! We want to thank our ambient music fans for alerting Roon the issues of large file playback. Credit Roon for contacting us right away to solve the issues and they have! Read the article for how to get the updates.

Are you interested in workshops or classes to learn more about high resolution audio?

Are you interested in workshops or classes to learn more about high resolution audio? Fill out the survey so that we can setup future classes for those interested.

What is AMSR and why is it so popular?

AMSR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response -- that's the long version for "natural sounds". The current trend uses the sound of whispering, opening beer bottles, birds chirping or any other sounds that occur in nature. Crinkling paper has had millions of views on youtube. Some say it helps one to fall asleep. Others look for a tingling sensation. How does the audiophile community use it?

Do you love ambient, electronic or classical music that has long passages? More than 30 minutes in length? If you're a fan of DSD256 or other large files your gear might present challenges. We're looking to change this issue for the future with your help.

So what happens when two frequencies in the megahertz range are within beating distance? They behave in exactly the same manner as two strings. The periodicity of the beating generates a fundamental that occurs within hearing range. Noise is a cloud of frequencies. As a result there are myriad frequencies interacting, generating a myriad of audible fundamentals. Joe Cohen of the Lotus Group presents his explanation of how overtones / harmonics affects a manufacturer's design decisions.

A high resolution music lover wrote in and mentioned that his portable device got hot and battery died faster when he played FLAC files over the same sampling rate WAV file. Does this happen to you? Have you compared your battery drain with a similar DSD file?

An interesting video of how music affects your brain by WIRED magazine. Explore how getting goosebumps or chills when you hear certain music happens. See what improvisation and creation is a different brain reaction than performing music. Very interesting information!

Customer's Helpful Tips to Test Your Mac for Playing DSD

Kathering N give us a playback description of how she got her Mac to play DSD using Colibri and how to test your Mac as she did. This is her letter to Blue Coast Music. Enjoy!

We hear a lot about comparing formats, streaming services, analog vs digital, etc. Which is right for you is a purely personal decision. There is no right or wrong when it comes to music playback. "Better" is a tricky word. At DSD-Guide we support music first and encourage your to support artists, record labels and manufacturers that you enjoy.

"A blaring television commercial may make us turn down the volume of our sets, but its sonic peaks are no higher than the regular programming preceding it." Greg Milner -- New York Times

CES was never intended to be "for the consumer" but for manufacturers to meet with distributors, reviewers, etc to talk about new products and innovation coming up. Here we examine the high resolution portable, immersive sound and why the audiophiles no longer attend. Join Blue Coast Music's romp into the future of music

DSD is not dead. In fact, more portable devices are capable of DSD listening than ever. Sure, file sizes can be an issue but it seems many of music lovers will handle that barrier in favor of better sound. We'd like to hear from you. What devices are you listening on?

Who would think these could present a technology problem? Well, they do. Most of the music in this genre has been produced using CD quality wave files. Those files are about 700MB and handled easily in most audio players. Of course, mixing and working in DSD256 has brought an interesting situation... one track of 60 minutes and 10 gigabytes in size. Have a read and find out more

Musician? Audiophile? Recording enthusiast?

So many of our readers enjoy sound, music and audio engineering that we decided to find out where your interests lie. If you're an audiophile, we want to know what formats you listen to. If you're a musician, what instrument do you play. If you've recorded something, what gear are you using. Take our survey and help us out!

Here's the link to the survey. You'll need to have a gmail account for this to work best.

There are many pieces of a musical puzzle that delivers music from the studio to home listening. We've have identified 6 categories that we call "Six Parts of Production" or the "Six Degrees of Degradation' (much to the chagrin of our audio engineers and audiophiles). It's true.. every stage is another step of audio degradation that needs to be managed so as to lose as little quality as possible to produce the best end result.

In this article we focus on Part 3 (mastering) and Part 4 (authoring) for DSD downloads and SACD production.

In today's world, it's hard to understand that systems of tuning used in the majority of popular music have only been established for about 150 years. That's a short period of time in the scope of music history. How does it affect your experience of music?

Certainly, we are not experts in the field and welcome your thoughts on how music makes your life better.

This is a question that has perplexed many of us who record in high resolution audio. Sure, our focus is on DSD / one bit recording... but why are most audio engineers recording at 44.1 or 48? You think it would be easy to move to PCM 9624 or 192. Heaven forbid anyone should move to recording in DSD!

It's not a simple answer.

What happens post mastering to the sound and why isn't there one master for all formats?

Recently the subject has come up as to why downloads and streaming services play back differently? This article begins to explore why that happens and welcomes comments about your experiences.

Have you listened to the same song playing from Tidal? Qobuz? Applemusic? Youtube? Do you notice subtle differences? We're going to explore this concept and welcome your explorations comparing these services. Where do these companies get their files from?

How to do a comparative listening test

Setting up a listening test to compare various types of files is not easy. You need a base of equipment and a trusted set of files to start. Set aside several hours and have a few people involved. We rarely do a test with fewer than 3 people. Here we'll explore some of the basics steps to compare files.

In a recent discussion at computeraudiophile.com I was asked to participate on a thread about a math experiment that led to this conclusion... "The math says there's no difference between the FLAC and the WAV file". We do listening tests.. regardless of math. If we hear a difference... even the slightest difference and it can be duplicated several times, then something is wrong and needs investigation.

Recently some prominent audiophile reviewers have voiced their opinion on what they believe an audiophile recording is. Opinions vary greatly and seem to depend on the favorite genre or listening style of the reviewer. Written by Cookie Marenco, Blue Coast Records

What new music are you listening to?

Forums:

General discussion

Tell us what your newest favorite album is or tell us what's been on your playlist for years. We want to hear from you what you're listening to and all about it (artist insights, what format, how you compare to other albums, instrumentation, genre, etc)

Pro Audio Magazine, Tape Op, Weighs in on the Loudness Wars

The discussion of the Loudness Wars has finally reached a few ears in the pro audio community. We are grateful to Tape Op for presenting this article written by Aaron Mullan.

More and more people want to get involved with DSD audio but don't know where to start. What do you suggest to friends who have an interest in better quality sound but don't have the inclination to spend a lot of time or money setting it up? Send us your best ideas and we'll post here!

Send your ideas to support@DSD-Guide.com

JRiver Runs a Poll on the Importance of DSD -- Time to vote? We think so!

JRiver Media Center is running a poll on the importance of DSD for your listening. Now is the time to vote! JRiver was one of the first media programs that helped catalog, playback and convert DSD files. It is considered one of the finest when it comes to sound. They promise to continue their excellent service to audiophiles and TV viewers.

Andrew Jones, legendary speaker designer now with ELAC, explains to John Darko of Darko.Audio web magazine that Direct Stream Digital (DSD) master recording tracks usually transfer into another format such as Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) for mixing, mastering and other processing. Enjoy the entire 14 minute interview about DSD, new ELAC products and topics discussed at the Munich Audio Show.

The Loudness Wars... you may have heard about it ... or maybe not. What it means is the 'relative' volume of playback for any given song.

Relative Playback? what does that mean?

Doug Fearn of D.W. Fearn Pro Audio Offers a Video of Recording to DSD

Doug Fearn is no stranger to the recording studio. One of his first recordings was in 1968 captured on a 4 track Scully tape machine. His fondness for higher quality led him to launch his company, D.W. Fearn in the early 1990's specializing in vacuum tube products for professional audio engineers. In association with Tommy Mcintyre (guitarist) and support musicians (Hazelrigg Brothers) Doug demonstrates his technique for recording direct to DSD on the Tascam DA-3000.

What is mastering? Mastering is what we call the 3rd part of the production process (recording is part one and mixing is part two) that has the potential to change with improvements or degrade the sound. As we talked about in Part One of our series, the final stage 6 is the listening environment in the home.

Why doees my vinyl sound so much better than the PCM 192 files of the same music?

There isn't a simple answer. Mastering is only the 3rd of 6 stages of degradation that audio has to deal with... the final stage being the home listening system. Let's start at your listening systems..the 6th Stage.

For Immediate Press Release: Fiona Joy Hawkins and Cookie Marenco Re-Team to Share a High-Fidelity STORY

True to the haunting title of her extraordinary new solo piano album Story of Ghosts, Fiona Joy Hawkins had a harrowing year in 2017 – and makes no attempts to sugarcoat the emotional upheaval. She bares it all over the course of these mostly grey-toned melancholy and vulnerable pieces, expressed in raw bursts of dark beauty that draw on her classical background and impressionistic modern yet melodic compositions. The album was produced by Cookie Marenco, who is releasing Story of Ghosts in SACD and CD format today on her label, Blue Coast Records.

It's been more than 5 years since Blue Coast Collection 2 debuted. Blue Coast Collection 1 launched in 2007. Blue Coast Collection 3 is destined to be another smash for Blue Coast Records.

Fiona Joy Hawkins -- her name resonates in the acoustic music circles as one of this generation's top contemporary solo piano artists. Having won many awards for her two previous albums, Fiona's new album, Story of Ghosts, is destined to do the same.

Paul Wilson writes has an interesting review of his streaming vs other playback devices for high end audio.

Eamonn Flynn was born into a musical family in Dublin, Ireland. His soulful mastery on piano, keys, and organ landed him on the 12 million selling movie soundtrack for "The Commitments." He’s recorded & toured worldwide with many major artists including Michael Franti & Spearhead, Elvin Bishop, Coco Montoya, Michelle Shocked, Evelyn "Champagne" King and a ten year stint with New Orleans drumming legend Zigaboo Modeliste. Eamonn's solo album "The Irish Channel" reflects a unique blend of Irish & American influences, expressing music that is rich, heart-warming and rousing...a fusion that Eamonn himself calls "Irish Soul".

The CD Is Not Dead. Results of Blue Coast Music / DSD Guide Survey

During April Blue Coast Music and DSD-Guide conducted a joint survey using their readers (now numbering 32,000) to find out what and how they were listening to music.

Jenner Fox and friends were recently recording at Blue Coast Studios for their just released album, Buffalo.

Here's a sneak peek at what it's like to be in the studio with Jenner. A brilliant combination of mixed performances and actual performance captured of rehearsals from the video camera perspective. In one minute, you'll hear the music transform from mixed to live to mixed all locked to video captured of the musicians, engineers and others during the session.

Calming Relaxation Music in High Resolution Audio? Are you ready?

There's been an interesting trend in music the last few years. While hip hop and pop music still dominate the charts, artists are creating sonic calming music that can last as long as 8 hours. It's not meant to be exciting. It's meant to relax and sometimes put you to sleep. Millions of people are tuning in to it.

Apple and Amazon dumping their mp3 downloads in 18 months?

Commentary by Cookie Marenco on Daily Dose of DSD. Comment on how you listen.

Hello music lovers and welcome to the daily ramblings of Cookie Marenco, music producer, audiophile, and lover of sound. This is her daily blog.

Live in the studio with Meghan, Larry, and Marco

Everyone wants streaming... and why not in DSD256?

Primeseat and Blue Coast Records have teamed up to test your interest for streaming dsd 256. In the first Live-in-the-Studio FlashJamm Meghan Andrews, Larry Mitchell and Marco Ferrero bring their talents while producer, Cookie Marenco and the Blue Coast Studios Crew records this session live to DSD256.

Super Audio CD Disc Patent License

You might already know that the patent for the SACD is about to expire. Not much will probably change but we thought this was an interesting document for the licensing procedure from Phillips / Sony who jointly share in the patent.

PRESS RELEASE -- BLUE COAST RECORDS; 2/16/2018; San Francisco, CA

High Fidelity Recording Artist - Fiona Joy Hawkins - Nominated for Best New Age Album in the IMAs

Positive Feedback is publishing a series of articles written by Blue Coast Music founder, Cookie Marenco, on the various audio shows. Part 1 in this series provides the difference between the Consumer Electronics Show 2018 (CES held in January) and the National Association of Music Merchants 2018 (NAMM held two weeks after CES in January).

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Jenna Mammina's album is the #2 seller in 2017 at Blue Coast Music

Looks like a great year for DSD recordings! Nine out of 10 of the top selling albums on Blue Coast Music were mixed to DSD. Seven out of 10 albums were recorded to DSD or analog tape. Four albums are led by women musicians, three by men and three are compilations. Three albums are first artist albums (Smolder - Coco Scott, Run With Me - Derek Jones, Just Let Go - Meghan Andrews)

Story of Ghosts - Fiona Joy - Blue Coast Records

Cookie Marenco of Blue Coast Records does a comparison test using a $700 Ethernet cable and a regular cat5 Ethernet cable. Read the article to find out the results.

Blue Coast Music Announces New Music Series Recorded in DSD 256 -- FlashJamm!

Blue Coast Music is ready to test a new concept of creating music for fans of DSD256 called FlashJamm. The concept is 3 songs performed live in the studio, unrehearsed and under artistic guidance of the producer. Raw, inspired and recorded at DSD256 live in the studio. Easy to do, you think? "Not so", says producer, Cookie Marenco from Blue Coast.

Blue Coast Music is offering free downloads to test your playback system for DSD, FLAC and WAV files. Did you recently upgrade and want to know if your system will play DSD 256? Does your iTunes play FLAC? Is there really a difference between DSD, FLAC and WAV that you can hear? Now is your chance to test and optimize your music system.

NARAS Recommendations for High Resolution Recording

The complete pdf Recommendations for High Resolution Audio Production. Issued in 2017 for the purposes of providing professional audio engineers guidelines for how producing music on a high resolution format.

Garett Brennan is a recording artist for Blue Coast Records based out of the Portland, Oregon. This is an article of the recording session with Cookie Marenco at her studio in 2014. For those interested in being a "producer" Blue Coast Records has released a 35 minute rehearsal of Garett and friends as they prepare the song "I Will Walk" for eventual release.

Are you the kind of passionate music lover that wants to know more about the behind the scenes action that happens for a high end recording? Blue Coast Music and DSD-Guide are teaming up to bring you something very special in the upcoming months. Find out how you can contribute to this exciting new effort. Follow the link to read more.

Inside the Sony Sponsored Magic Bus -- Troyce Walls Photographer

Los Angeles Sheraton was filled with audiophiles for the 1st annual LAAS Event. Fiona Joy took the opportunity to try something new with her album release on Blue Coast Records... she gave a release party at the Sony Sponsored Magic Bus!

Why DSD is the Best Archiving Format for Analog Tape

There is the 'digital' camp and the 'analog' camp and the 'just give me the best of it' camp. Everyone has an opinion but the truth is... "the best" is expensive to record, mix, master, convert and preserve. Compromises are made for greatness to provide a supply of new music to the audiophile that is 'affordable'. Sadly, most audio engineers compromise the audio at the first stage of recording.. the multitrack. This is an opinionated article by Blue Coast founder, Cookie Marenco.

A Music Lover's Creates His Own Test for Dynamic Range -- No Surprise, DSD Wins!

Like many passionate audiophiles, there is a desire to understand more about the music they love and why. In this article, David Slattery tells us the results of his Dynamic Range (DR) testing. He also supplies the "how to" of setting up your own test at home. Recommended for the more computer savvy audiophiles.

Blue Coast Music Announces Expansion and Beta Test Group

Blue Coast Music has been at the forefront of high resolution audio with its efforts recording music, developing an audience and addressing the requirements for large audio file distribution since its debut. Behind closed doors they have been developing a new website to address the needs of the audiophile music lover. Blue Coast Music is now looking for beta testers around the world to test the site. If you would like to be a beta-tester, signup for the newsletter on this page and send a note to support@bluecoastmusic.com with "BETA-TESTER" in the subject line.

Believe What You Hear, Not What You Read. DSD - WAV - FLAC Conversions - What Does It Mean?

There has been a lot of controversy over the years about whether WAV conversions to FLAC are exact duplicates and sound exactly the same. It's Ears vs Math. Which do you subscribe to? The Crew at Blue Coast Records believes there is a difference after doing dozens of blindfold listening tests over the last decade. Why is this important to DSD listeners? Understanding how to do a blindfold listening test is complicated. Included in this article are methods how you can have a blindfold listening party to test for your own ears.

Sony unvailed their new Walkman and car media reciever, RSX-GS9 at the 38th Bangkok International Motor Show. With this setup you can play native DSD 11.2MHz in your car.

"What would it take to launch a new format today, and what problems could it possibly solve?" Andreas Koch and Positive-Feedback try to answer this and other questions about digital audio formats. Andreas Koch led a team of engineers designing the world's first multitrack DSD recorder and editor. He has been a pioneer in all things DSD.

Playing back DSD files requires a bit more effort than most other formats, such as WAV or MP3 files. Most computers these days aren’t capable of converting DSD into audio because their audio hardware is limited to PCM files, so you have to use something else.

Why Open Source Digital Audio Formats Matter: DSD vs. MQA

Simply put, open source is when the source code for a piece of software is free and open to the public. This means that people who use the software are not required to pay a licensing fee because it is not owned by one person or company. DSD (.dsf) is an example of an open source digital audio format, FLAC (.flac) is another.

Music Lover Compares DSD128 to DSD64.. Can You Hear the Difference?

Music lover and audiophile, David Slattery, took time out of his busy day to do a comparison of DSD128 to DSD64. Many people wonder if it's possible to hear the difference between a FLAC, WAV or DSD file. David gives a wonderful assessment of what he hears.

The music tested was Meghan Andrews from Blue Coast Records Special Event 43. Blue Coast Records offers music recorded in DSD and without overdubs and effects making the comparisons easier than overly processed music.

Here's what David has to say...

Excerpt from Positive-Feedback and written by Brian Moura. One packed seminar featured a discussion of The Future of DSD hosted by Cookie Marenco, owner of Blue Coast Music along with Gus Skinas, chief of the Super Audio Center and Marc Sheforgen, Chief Operating Officer for Acoustic Sounds. DSD Audio is predicted to be the format of choice for high resolution audio and music.

Having Trouble Playing DSD with your iTunes Player? DSD Master Has a Solution

DSD Master has a new process to wrap files into a "container" that allows both PCM and DSD files to be imported into iTunes. Get free downloads from Channel Classics and Blue Coast Records to test!

Why High Resolution Audio? FLAC or DSD

High resolution audio is becoming more and more common these days. Although there’s no standard quality the audio should reach in order to be classified as high resolution audio, we can easily assume that a file with a quality of at least 44.1 khz/16 bit is a high resolution audio file. But why would you listen to high quality audio material instead of MP3?

Keith Greeninger Performing Live and Heard Streaming on DSD at Primeseat

On January 26, 2016, Alex de Grassi and Keith Greeninger became the first two artists to have their music available for on demand streaming at DSD128. The new technology comes from Primeseat, a company from Japan that boasts some of the top technolgists from Sony, Korg and IIJ.

I bought my first DSD download. What do I need to play it?

Answer

True DSD playback needs a DSD DAC or digital to analog converter capable of converting the DSD stream directly to analog for playback. It's also possible with software like Korg's AudioGate, Foobar, JRiver Media Center and others to play the DSD file but convert it to PCM during playback so it can be heard on standard DACs like you would have built in to your computer. The sound quality is not the same as using a DSD DAC but many people prefer to download the DSD even though they're gear is not quite ready to get the optimal sound.

If you're using a Mac I would try Audirvana; on PC I usually recommend JRiver. They both should have trial versions available. It will be a little investment of time (and money) to get yourself set up for DSD playback.

A Music Lover’s Reaction To DSD and Blue Coast Records

Dennis Wade is a music lover who tells his story, like so many, of how music affects his life. We are honored to present his wonderful recounting of his personal journey in music. We also thank Corey in the Arctic for prompting Dennis to write this piece.

Audiophile Labels Agree to Use RIAA Hi Res Logo on their Websites... What is Hi Res Anyway?

Blue Coast Music, HD Tracks, IsoMike and many other digital music retailers have agreed to use the RIAA's Hi-Res Logo to point out Hi Resolution Audio. David Huges from the RIAA, attempts to explain what defines "hi res" by these standards.

Some of my DSD recorded music is much softer in volume than the rest of my music. Why is that?"

Answer

If you are new to high resolution audio, you might experience music that is softer in volume than the mainstream music catalog. There is nothing wrong with the music. It is a choice made by the engineers and producers to allow full dynamic range, which mean the body of the music may sound softer in order to not "flatten" or "compress" the peak signals in the music.

Many of these peaks in music happen when acoustic instruments are plucked or struck like a cymbal, piano, guitar or other percussive instrument. The first 'attack' of an instrument can be quiet dramatic in peak volume yet drop off quickly to a lower volume, which is natural. If the volume levels are raised, these peaks will cause distortion.

Mainstream music has adopted the practic of 'compressing' the peaks and increasing the body of the music's volume. It is often referred to as the 'volume wars'. Over the last 20 years, music production has leaned towards louder music as being 'better'. Most audiophile engineers and listeners feel this increase in volume negatively affects the actual tone and sound. These engineers have chosen to not compress the mixes and instead ask the listener to use their volume controls to increase the sound to receive an enhanced listening experience of tone.

I've purchased my first DSD recording -- what do I do next?

Answer

DSD is different from the normal PCM digital audio you may be used to, so you will need some software that is compatible with DSD.

We generally recommend trying JRiver Media Center for Windows or Audirvana for Mac systems. Each of these has a trial version available so hopefully you can see how it works for you.

DSD playback is also somewhat dependent on the hardware available on your system and strictly speaking true DSD playback also requires a DSD DAC, though most DSD capable software also provides conversion that allows playback on most any system.

What is Quad DSD? Check out a Few Releases

Don't confuse "Quad" with the surround system recordings of yester year - this Quad is Direct Stream Digital at a sampling rate of 11.2 Million samples per second in one bit. These downloads are huge! An Album can be 8-10 gigabytes in size. Another name for Quad DSD is DSD 256.

Today Blue Coast Records announced their foray into delivering Quad DSD downloads to music lovers worldwide.

Current DSD Hardware, Software and Content

Find information on DSD DACs, Hardware, Software, Music, etc. Direct Stream Digital -- One Bit Audio. Read more to get the link.

Sony and Korg Team Up for First DSD Live Streaming Event

On April 4, 2015 at 7pm PDT, the world's first DSD128 live streaming concert event will take place. A joint project team of Sony/Korg/IIJ/Saidera Paradiso have joined to demonstrate the future of high-quality streaming with two upcoming concerts.

Pono Supports DSD64 and DSD128 in Firmware Update!

It has just been announced that the Pono device now supports DSD64 and DSD128. Here is a link for the firmware update associated.

https://ponomusic.force.com/ccrz__CCPage?oId=a201500000BtI4vAAF&pageKey=product&type=Update

The High Resolution Audio Movement - A NAMM Hot Zone Presentation by Cookie Marenco

On Saturday, January 24, 2015, at 1pm, Cookie Marenco will do a presentation at the annual NAMM show held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Ms Marenco will discuss High Resolution Audio with musicians, equipment manufacturers, professional audio engineers, and instrument builders who go to hear the latest developments in the world of audio.

The Absolute Sound's Guide to Music Backup

Writer, Vade Forrester, offers a very good guide to backing up your precious music files. This is a portion of the article from the December 2014 issue of The Absolute Sound.

"If you’re a computer-audio enthusiast, no matter how expensive your equipment may be, your largest investment will be your collection of music files. Downloads cost money, and the higher their resolution, the more money they cost. Even if most of your music files come from your ripped CD collection, you’ve still invested a lot of time ripping them to your hard drive."

PS Audio's Paul McGowan Offers a List of Music to Evaluate Your Setup

Paul McGowan's company, PS Audio, is well known in audiophile circles for being some of the highest quality gear available on the market. We've included a partial list of titles that we happen to also enjoy. For the complete list, visit here http://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/pauls-picks or read more!

The Next 20 Years in the Future of Audio Engineering - By John La Grou

John La Grou is no stranger to pro audio and the advancement of audio technology. A long time friend of DSD recording with many of the top producers using his Millennia's professional grade preamps, John now takes us on a journey of the future of sound. A great read!

Sony's Kazuo Hirai Declares High Resolution Audio is the Future of Music

On stage at the Europe’s largest electronics trade show, IFA in Berlin, charismatic Sony chief executive Kazuo Hirai declared that Hi-Res audio as crucial to the success of its audio products.

Build a Music Server Using the Mac Mini

Paul McGowan of PS Audio provides a thorough description of how you can turn your Mac Mini into a music server for your DSD, WAV, FLAC and other files.

NPR Morning Edition Features Discussion on DSD Audio

Laura Sydell interviews Cookie Marenco (founder Blue Coast Records) about DSD and the high resolution audio movement.

"...Sony Corporation announced a new line of high-end audio components that promise to deliver a better online audio experience. The announcement comes amid growing evidence that music fans are tired of the crappy sound they hear on their portable music players."

Size Comparison Chart of Various Formats DSD-WAV-FLAC-mp3

If you've ever wanted a rough guide as to the size of a DSD file compared to a WAV or mp3, here is a chart created by Romain Delbos and Quentin Brard.

What is DXD? Is it DSD?

Answer

DXD is not DSD (direct stream digital, one bit recording). DXD is a PCM format that is a very high sampling rate of 352.8kHz / 24bit. Merging Technologies and Pyramix incorporated the DXD format into their recording systems to provide PCM like tools at a much higher standard than was available at that time. DXD at 352.8 is approximately 4x larger file size than DSD2.8 though, among avid DSD recording engineers, some may hear a more PCM like quality to DXD that is not to their liking.

The Sonoma system for recording to DSD has limited editing capabilities but can stay in the DSD format without going to PCM/DXD. The limitation for the Sonoma system is that is currently only records in DSD 2.8 (also called DSD64)

Some labels, like 2L, have chosen to record in the DXD format and release in DSD. This allow for more editing that is common to PCM. DSD as a "container" for DXD is a very suitable solution for delivering files to end users/music lovers. Some labels, like Channel Classics, choose to record in DSD and on occasion will convert to DXD for minor editing purposes. Some labels, like Blue Coast, record using the Sonoma system and limit their editing to stay in the DSD format.

What the future holds is up to the consumer. Eventually, the acceptance of DSD will provide recording equipment capable of DSD tools equivalent to that in the PCM world. As a container, DSD has proven itself to be efficient for delivering files at about 25% of the file size of industry equivalent PCM formats. As broadband continues to have bigger 'pipes', DSD could be the optimum choice for streaming and downloading our music in the future.

The best test is to listen and decide for yourself about DSD vs DXD or PCM.

Will my Mytek unit play DSD128?

Answer

DSD128 is a new format. We suggest that if you own a DSD DAC only capable of DSD64 (most common format) save your DSD128 and use Audiogate to convert your 128 to 64 until more tools are available for professional recording and mastering. We are looking forward to that day ourselves.

In the meantime, jump on board the road to adventure as we all take the ride of new challenges and experiences. :)

As of 3/27/2013, the very popular and affordable Mytek DSD DAC has the following ability to play (or not play) DSD 128.

Which computer with what Players....

Using a PC and JRiver Media player... YES!

Using a MAC and Audirvana -- not yet

Damien at Audirvana says the next update v1.5 to be able to work with the Mytek. We'll let you know when that is possible.

Using a MAC and Pure Music -- not yet and why
Directly from Rob at Pure Music...a great explanation of the coordination needed between hardware, software and content format

Support for 128Fs depends on the hardware capability. DSD DACs such as Playback Designs will play 128Fs DSD with Pure Music, because they support a 352.8 kHz sample rate.

It is possible for the Mytek to play 128Fs using an ASIO device driver, but ASIO is the driver used on Windows machines. We are waiting for Mytek to provide a CoreAudio (Mac format) version of their driver that supports 128Fs via a dual-wire scheme (the Mytek does not provide a 352.8 kHz sample rate needed for standard 128Fs, such as on the Playback Designs), and then this will be possible with the Mytek on the Mac.

If you have direct experience, use another player or have figured out a work around, let us know!

support@dsd-guide.com

Happy DSD Music Lovers Chat Up Their Experiences at ComputerAudiophile.com

Music lovers tell it best when it comes to DSD Audio! Tips for free conversion using Korg's Audiogate, links to video interviews, thoughts on ripping Redbook CDs to DSD Audio.

Direct Stream Digital (DSD) in Stereo and Surround Sound at CES 2013

The 30th floor of the Venetian Hotel was buzzing with activity and one of a kind DSD listening experiences over the 4 days of CES 2013. From January 8 through 11, Gus Skinas (Super Audio Center) and Cookie Marenco (Blue Coast Records) were giving Carte Blanche to play any music they pleased.

JRiver was recently chosen as a "Best of 2012" by Positive Feedback Online and Home Theater Review

DSD-Guide would like to congratulate JRiver Media. JRiver was recently chosen as a "Best of 2012" product by HomeTheaterReview.com and "Writers' Choice Awards for 2012" by Positive Feedback Online. You can find the complete list of reviews here: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Reviews JRiver Media Version 18 is an excellent choice for a DSD audio song manager

Sony and Blue Coast Records Offer Buy 2 DSD Songs Get 1 Free

Sony and Blue Coast Records have collaborated on a 3 song DSD sampler of favorite selections used for demoing their highly acclaimed AR 1 Speakers. The songs include "Looking For A Home", "Romance" and "Mutineer". You can hear these songs and buy them as a bundle at

http://bluecoastrecords.com/sony

What is DSD audio-- A Simple Explanation

Paul McGowen, of PS Audio, wrote a wonderful short explanation of what DSD audio is and how it differs from PCM audio. Here is an excerpt from his post on DSD audio or 1-bit audio and why it sounds closer to analog sound than PCM.

Benchmark Adds DSD DAC2 to their list of Playback Devices

October 22, 2012, Benchmark announces a 2-Channel DAC that plays DSD natively. Here is the spec sheet: http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac2-hgc

If you've tried the unit, let us know! support@dsd-guide.com

Thirteen New Songs Recorded to DSD and Available as DSD Downloads from the California Audio Show.

Blue Coast Records and Sony Home Electronics hosted 6 artists from whose performances were recorded to Direct Stream Digital (DSD) at the California Audio Show....

Michael Bishop and Cookie Marenco YouTube video on DSD by Nicho Mageras

Early June was the gathering of audiophiles at T.H.E. Show at Newport Beach. In the Sony AR1 room, Michael Bishop (FiveFour Productions) and Cookie Marenco (Blue Coast Records) were asked to offer their thoughts on DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording -- "Super Resolution" Audio. Thank you Nicho Mageras of AudioLuxuries.com for capturing this on video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFRG6IMLRV4

Jenna Mammina and Matt Rollings Live Performance in DSD Audio!

From Blue Coast Records - one of the most critically acclaimed acoustic record companies of the last 5 years. Used by manufacturers and industry professionals to test their equipment, Blue Coast Records became one of the first to offer native DSD masters distributed to the public as DSD audio.

DSD Audio has International Appeal Especially From Japan!

We are delighted to report that our first few weeks since launch has driven a huge amount of traffic. To our surprise, most of the visitors are coming from Japan followed by the USA, Canada, Germany and the UK. The main source of the drive from Japan has been from a blog that is new to us called Music To Go. We would like to thank Yoshihiro Sasaki for writing about us.

DSD vs PCM Interview with Ed Meitner

First presented at Positive Feedback, Issue #11, Mike Pappas interviews master engineer Ed Meitner about the originations of DSD audio. We have highlighted one section below that describes the differences between DSD and PCM digital audio. You can read the entire article at Positive Feedback.

Direct Stream Digital Audio

DSD Music, Information, Equipment, News and Answers