Mixing on Gabriel Mervine's Say Somethin' release

[jazznut]

Here a few of my historic comments which are still valid.

I also agree with this one from ELK:

Octave Records PS Audio

It is not how we hear a piano. It is not what one hears when sitting and playing. It is not what we hear when it is played either ten feet away or on stage. As I mentioned a good time ago, it is a bit like standing in the saddle of the piano, facing the player. It is odd. But it is a nice warm sound. It depends on what one wants in a recording. Lifelike, impressionistic, etc.

Here mine on the topic:

Octave Records PS Audio

yup, a perspective like this is like watching a football match from standing in the middle of the field. Interesting, new, somehow spectacular, but also unrealistic, odd and not what a meaningful camera perspective (or in the other case stereo high fidelity) is really meant for. But I think 60% of listeners may have a speaker positioning where they don’t even take notice and where this may sound in a strange way much better than the normal stuff.

Octave Records Dave Grusin Out of Thin Air

I could now listen trough the DSD version of the Grusin album. There was enough said about the odd recording perspective, but anyway if you ignore it, the sound is nicely overall in the room, open and natural. What I really like is the recorded detail of the piano attack, decay and tone, even if I’d expected a darker low end of the Steinway. I just wished, Grusin would play a little more dynamic and captivating music at least on some tracks.

Next DSD firmware update in 2020 or 2021?

As odd as I find the perspective, I just played the Grusin after the Evans and it’s clear how much more overtones it has and how much more vibrant the sound is compared to the vintage Evans recording. It sounds as if Grusin’s piano cover was up while Evans’ was closed and sounds somehow damped in comparison. The Octave recording simply sounds as if played back with an omnidirectional speaker You have to go somewhere back in the room, then it sounds as a distant live piano filling the roo…