Műszeroldal

Telarc and the Dawn of Digital Telarc was founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods, filling a niche in the growing audiophile record market. Renner had launched the roots of the company in 1962, when he established a custom recording business that produced high-quality, realistic sounding recordings, made in a variety of challenging acoustical venues. The Mercury Living Presence recordings made by C. Robert Fine in the '50s and '60s served as his sonic role models. Renner experimented and further honed his own "minimal miking" approach, which is still the primary model for the company's engineering practices today. The first recordings under the Telarc banner were not digital, but rather modern-day direct-to-disc recordings made with The Cleveland Orchestra and with organist Michael Murray. With these singular projects in place, Renner and Woods pursued the budding technology of Tom Stockham's Soundstream, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1978, they decided to take the first of many risks that are characteristic of Telarc's history, in order to stay on the cutting edge of recorded sound technology, by making the first commercial classical recordings in the U.S. in the digital format. Says Woods: "Digital technology immediately broadened the dynamic palate of sound recording, and was a perfect marriage for our minimal miking approach. In particular, it allowed us to put the previously 'missing' low frequencies of the sound spectrum back into the sonic picture. The major labels had produced recordings for years that had attenuated low frequencies, due both to their perception of consumers' tastes and to the technical limitations of the disc mastering process. The digital recordings we made were a nightmare to master for LP's, but we knew it was the only way to create the realism of live performance that had just become technically possible." Initially, the two partners were not satisfied with the digital system's high frequency response. They approached Tom Stockham, whom Renner calls "the father of digital signal processing," to see if he could improve it. Stockham agreed not only to find a way to increase it from 17 kHz to 20 kHz, but managed to take it to 22.5 kHz at a sampling rate of 50 kHz—unheard of at that time in digital processing (and beyond the response ultimately adopted for CDs). "He was," says Renner, "way ahead of his time." It was Stockham's dedication, inventive genius, and persistence that encouraged Renner and Woods to commit completely to digital in advance of all the major labels. Paving the Way for DSD and More Recently, working in cooperation with Canorus, Inc., dCS (Data Conversion Systems), and Nagra, Bishop made the first-ever jazz recording in the United States utilizing a high-resolution 24-bit/192 kHz recording system. The groundbreaking recording featured the Ray Brown Trio with guest vocalists. The vocals for the session were recorded in stereo with a pair of prototype microphones from Canorus, while the recording system consisted of a pair of Nagra-D digital recorders outfitted with the dCS 904 ADC and the dCS 954 DAC. "The musicians loved the 192 kHz recording," says Bishop. "Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater heard the difference immediately, remarking on how transparent it was—like a lid had been lifted off the sound." The use of highresolution PCM and DSD technology has prepared Telarc to take full advantage of the potential of DVD-audio and SACD release formats. Invisible Editing—The Telarc Editors The talented and precision-oriented editing team members at Telarc are deservedly proud of their artistry. Theirs are the final hands that shape Telarc recordings before they become CDs ready to go to the consumer. But though their names are listed in the CD booklets, a certain anonymity exists as part of an editor's role. "That's as it should be," according to Erica Brenner, Telarc's Manager of Editing Services. "The better the job an editor does, the more seamless, and ultimately invisible, his or her work becomes," she says. As with every other aspect of the Telarc recording philosophy, "less is more" in the editing department. "We are all performers in one way or another," says Recording Editor Thom Moore. "We understand the performance and all of its complexities. Both artist and editor are on the same team." Telarc's editors work at the company's Cleveland production studios, using a collection of Sonic Solutions and SADiE 24-bit PCM and DSD editing systems to prepare the master tapes for CD manufacturing. "We've had a wonderful long-term relationship with the technical staff at Sony's manufacturing facility in Terre Haute (SDM: Sony Disc Manufacturing)," says Renner. "We manufacture our CD releases for North America and Asia, and use their plant in Austria for our European distribution," he explains. "We work very closely with them to make sure that the product the consumer receives is a faithful replication of our masters." High Resolution Recording Telarc's Proprietary A to D Converter Long before it was an industry standard, Telarc jumped into the future by committing to true 20-bit recording, and invested in the development of its own proprietary 20-bit analog to digital converter (ADC). "This has been one of the most variable areas in all of digital recording," says Renner, "along with the digital to analog converter (DAC). If you don't get the signal properly converted from analog to digital to begin with, then the best DAC in the world isn't going to make it sound better." To accomplish this task, Telarc called upon Tom Stockham for his expertise in digital technology. Stockham, along with Kenneth Hamann of Suma Recording in Cleveland and Gary Gomes of UltraAnalog (manufacturers of the ADC chip used in the converter), designed and built the Telarc/UltraAnalog proprietary 128x oversampling 20-bit ADC. The proprietary converter gave Telarc the advantage of recording with 20-bit technology at a time when other ADCs were barely capable of delivering true 16-bit performance. Although Telarc's engineers have used alternative converters from time to time, they believe the Telarc proprietary ADC to be one of the finest sounding PCM converters ever developed. 20/24-Bit Recording Techniques Since 1988, Telarc has been recording in the 20-bit format. "We found that 20-bit made a substantial difference to the end result," says Renner. "Our 20-bit recordings enabled more detail to be captured, and provided us better control of dynamic range, with a far lower noise floor and increased resolution. It's been a flexible and successful medium." "Telarc began making recordings in various 24-bit formats starting in 1996, sampling the signal at higher rates than much of the rest of the industry," says Bishop. "This has allowed us to make recordings that can exceed the dynamics found in the performance venue." An extensive network of designers, builders, and manufacturers use Telarc to test prototypes of cutting-edge audio equipment at Telarc's recording sessions, giving the company the unique experience of working with future products and technology, as well as having a hand in their development. Minimal Miking The Choice of the Recording Venue "With the advent of digital recording, the selection of a recording site became more crucial than ever before," Renner affirms. He and Bishop look for sites that possess an acoustic capable of supporting a recording made with minimal miking, which also requires that the location be as quiet as possible—inside and out. At times, the engineers have had to modify or move the acoustical shell in certain concert halls, or even add plywood over seats in order to "gently extend the reverb time in a natural way," says Renner. "It's Telarc's policy to avoid tampering with a recording's sound in an artificial manner." Once the site has been selected and physically balanced according to their satisfaction, Renner's and Bishop's next step in making the recording is to determine the type and placement of the microphones, which is critical to capturing the performance within the ambience of the venue. The Microphone Array When Renner talks about "minimal" miking, it means using the fewest number of microphones that are absolutely essential to get the job done. This means using only two, three, or four main microphones for recording a full symphony orchestra. Only in extreme circumstances will he employ "highlighting" mics. "It really depends on the acoustic of the hall, the size of the group being recorded, and on the repertoire—whether the texture of the score is extremely complex, and only if we can't achieve a critical detail from a certain section of the orchestra without additional mics. That is what I call a distinctive Telarc Sound. That sound is a result of using omni-directional microphones for the main pick-up, and the way they are placed so that the acoustic of the venue and the performing group are successfully integrated into a single, successfully-balanced sonic picture. In addition, the quality of the entire recording chain adds its own personality to the finished product." Renner acknowledges he is conservative in his microphone selections and likes to stick with his favorite set-ups. He often uses two pairs of high-quality Schoeps omni-directional microphones, as well as vintage Neumann M50 omni microphones with tube electronics. "We choose microphones for their unique sonic characteristics," says Renner. "Microphone choice depends upon the acoustic, as well as the repertoire—for instance, the Bruel and Kjaer (B&K) condenser microphones tend to be particularly accurate for piano recordings." Renner emphasizes, however, that the choice of microphones is only one aspect out of many when it comes to getting the desired results. "It's fine to take into account the laws of physics when deciding where to place microphones, but the real key is instinct achieved by working for many years in hundreds of different environments around the world," Renner reflects. "For an orchestral recording, I normally start with the inner pair of mics some ten feet above the floor of the stage, and between three and five feet from the first row of musicians. Then I position my outer mics around twelve to thirteen feet from center stage. From that point, fine-tuning adjustments are made until the desired sound picture falls into place." Renner also prefers a simple microphone array for chamber orchestra and operatic sessions. In addition to the central microphones used in an opera recording, he will use additional mics for solo singers and choruses that help give definition and balance. The output from these microphones is integrated into the main mix only at the lowest level necessary. Jazz recordings present different challenges to the engineers, but both agree that they transfer the "less is more" approach used in classical recordings to all other acoustic genres. "This," says Bishop, "also includes studio recording." Bishop draws on his eighteen years of studio experience before coming to Telarc, as well as his classical recording work, to create his own composite of the two techniques.

Telarc and the Dawn of Digital

Telarc was founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods, filling a niche in the growing audiophile record market. Renner had launched the roots of the company in 1962, when he established a custom recording business that produced high-quality, realistic sounding recordings, made in a variety of challenging acoustical venues. The Mercury Living Presence recordings made by C. Robert Fine in the '50s and '60s served as his sonic role models. Renner experimented and further honed his own "minimal miking" approach, which is still the primary model for the company's engineering practices today.

The first recordings under the Telarc banner were not digital, but rather modern-day direct-to-disc recordings made with The Cleveland Orchestra and with organist Michael Murray. With these singular projects in place, Renner and Woods pursued the budding technology of Tom Stockham's Soundstream, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1978, they decided to take the first of many risks that are characteristic of Telarc's history, in order to stay on the cutting edge of recorded sound technology, by making the first commercial classical recordings in the U.S. in the digital format.

Says Woods: "Digital technology immediately broadened the dynamic palate of sound recording, and was a perfect marriage for our minimal miking approach. In particular, it allowed us to put the previously 'missing' low frequencies of the sound spectrum back into the sonic picture. The major labels had produced recordings for years that had attenuated low frequencies, due both to their perception of consumers' tastes and to the technical limitations of the disc mastering process. The digital recordings we made were a nightmare to master for LP's, but we knew it was the only way to create the realism of live performance that had just become technically possible."

Initially, the two partners were not satisfied with the digital system's high frequency response. They approached Tom Stockham, whom Renner calls "the father of digital signal processing," to see if he could improve it. Stockham agreed not only to find a way to increase it from 17 kHz to 20 kHz, but managed to take it to 22.5 kHz at a sampling rate of 50 kHz—unheard of at that time in digital processing (and beyond the response ultimately adopted for CDs). "He was," says Renner, "way ahead of his time." It was Stockham's dedication, inventive genius, and persistence that encouraged Renner and Woods to commit completely to digital in advance of all the major labels.

Paving the Way for DSD and More

Recently, working in cooperation with Canorus, Inc., dCS (Data Conversion Systems), and Nagra, Bishop made the first-ever jazz recording in the United States utilizing a high-resolution 24-bit/192 kHz recording system. The groundbreaking recording featured the Ray Brown Trio with guest vocalists. The vocals for the session were recorded in stereo with a pair of prototype microphones from Canorus, while the recording system consisted of a pair of Nagra-D digital recorders outfitted with the dCS 904 ADC and the dCS 954 DAC. "The musicians loved the 192 kHz recording," says Bishop. "Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater heard the difference immediately, remarking on how transparent it was—like a lid had been lifted off the sound." The use of highresolution PCM and DSD technology has prepared Telarc to take full advantage of the potential of DVD-audio and SACD release formats.

Invisible Editing—The Telarc Editors

The talented and precision-oriented editing team members at Telarc are deservedly proud of their artistry. Theirs are the final hands that shape Telarc recordings before they become CDs ready to go to the consumer. But though their names are listed in the CD booklets, a certain anonymity exists as part of an editor's role. "That's as it should be," according to Erica Brenner, Telarc's Manager of Editing Services. "The better the job an editor does, the more seamless, and ultimately invisible, his or her work becomes," she says.

As with every other aspect of the Telarc recording philosophy, "less is more" in the editing department. "We are all performers in one way or another," says Recording Editor Thom Moore. "We understand the performance and all of its complexities. Both artist and editor are on the same team." Telarc's editors work at the company's Cleveland production studios, using a collection of Sonic Solutions and SADiE 24-bit PCM and DSD editing systems to prepare the master tapes for CD manufacturing.

"We've had a wonderful long-term relationship with the technical staff at Sony's manufacturing facility in Terre Haute (SDM: Sony Disc Manufacturing)," says Renner. "We manufacture our CD releases for North America and Asia, and use their plant in Austria for our European distribution," he explains. "We work very closely with them to make sure that the product the consumer receives is a faithful replication of our masters."

High Resolution Recording

Telarc's Proprietary A to D Converter

Long before it was an industry standard, Telarc jumped into the future by committing to true 20-bit recording, and invested in the development of its own proprietary 20-bit analog to digital converter (ADC). "This has been one of the most variable areas in all of digital recording," says Renner, "along with the digital to analog converter (DAC). If you don't get the signal properly converted from analog to digital to begin with, then the best DAC in the world isn't going to make it sound better."

To accomplish this task, Telarc called upon Tom Stockham for his expertise in digital technology. Stockham, along with Kenneth Hamann of Suma Recording in Cleveland and Gary Gomes of UltraAnalog (manufacturers of the ADC chip used in the converter), designed and built the Telarc/UltraAnalog proprietary 128x oversampling 20-bit ADC. The proprietary converter gave Telarc the advantage of recording with 20-bit technology at a time when other ADCs were barely capable of delivering true 16-bit performance.

Although Telarc's engineers have used alternative converters from time to time, they believe the Telarc proprietary ADC to be one of the finest sounding PCM converters ever developed.

20/24-Bit Recording Techniques

Since 1988, Telarc has been recording in the 20-bit format. "We found that 20-bit made a substantial difference to the end result," says Renner. "Our 20-bit recordings enabled more detail to be captured, and provided us better control of dynamic range, with a far lower noise floor and increased resolution. It's been a flexible and successful medium."

"Telarc began making recordings in various 24-bit formats starting in 1996, sampling the signal at higher rates than much of the rest of the industry," says Bishop. "This has allowed us to make recordings that can exceed the dynamics found in the performance venue."

An extensive network of designers, builders, and manufacturers use Telarc to test prototypes of cutting-edge audio equipment at Telarc's recording sessions, giving the company the unique experience of working with future products and technology, as well as having a hand in their development.

Minimal Miking

The Choice of the Recording Venue

"With the advent of digital recording, the selection of a recording site became more crucial than ever before," Renner affirms. He and Bishop look for sites that possess an acoustic capable of supporting a recording made with minimal miking, which also requires that the location be as quiet as possible—inside and out. At times, the engineers have had to modify or move the acoustical shell in certain concert halls, or even add plywood over seats in order to "gently extend the reverb time in a natural way," says Renner. "It's Telarc's policy to avoid tampering with a recording's sound in an artificial manner." Once the site has been selected and physically balanced according to their satisfaction, Renner's and Bishop's next step in making the recording is to determine the type and placement of the microphones, which is critical to capturing the performance within the ambience of the venue.

The Microphone Array

When Renner talks about "minimal" miking, it means using the fewest number of microphones that are absolutely essential to get the job done. This means using only two, three, or four main microphones for recording a full symphony orchestra. Only in extreme circumstances will he employ "highlighting" mics. "It really depends on the acoustic of the hall, the size of the group being recorded, and on the repertoire—whether the texture of the score is extremely complex, and only if we can't achieve a critical detail from a certain section of the orchestra without additional mics. That is what I call a distinctive Telarc Sound. That sound is a result of using omni-directional microphones for the main pick-up, and the way they are placed so that the acoustic of the venue and the performing group are successfully integrated into a single, successfully-balanced sonic picture. In addition, the quality of the entire recording chain adds its own personality to the finished product."

Renner acknowledges he is conservative in his microphone selections and likes to stick with his favorite set-ups. He often uses two pairs of high-quality Schoeps omni-directional microphones, as well as vintage Neumann M50 omni microphones with tube electronics. "We choose microphones for their unique sonic characteristics," says Renner. "Microphone choice depends upon the acoustic, as well as the repertoire—for instance, the Bruel and Kjaer (B&K) condenser microphones tend to be particularly accurate for piano recordings." Renner emphasizes, however, that the choice of microphones is only one aspect out of many when it comes to getting the desired results.

"It's fine to take into account the laws of physics when deciding where to place microphones, but the real key is instinct achieved by working for many years in hundreds of different environments around the world," Renner reflects. "For an orchestral recording, I normally start with the inner pair of mics some ten feet above the floor of the stage, and between three and five feet from the first row of musicians. Then I position my outer mics around twelve to thirteen feet from center stage. From that point, fine-tuning adjustments are made until the desired sound picture falls into place."

Renner also prefers a simple microphone array for chamber orchestra and operatic sessions. In addition to the central microphones used in an opera recording, he will use additional mics for solo singers and choruses that help give definition and balance. The output from these microphones is integrated into the main mix only at the lowest level necessary.

Jazz recordings present different challenges to the engineers, but both agree that they transfer the "less is more" approach used in classical recordings to all other acoustic genres. "This," says Bishop, "also includes studio recording." Bishop draws on his eighteen years of studio experience before coming to Telarc, as well as his classical recording work, to create his own composite of the two techniques.