A leader in high-resolution, multichannel music mastering, Technovoice expects to hit its 150th title in either DVD-A or SACD by mid-2004. Helping Technovoice attain this achievement are Meitner Audio Products’ ADC8 and DAC8 8-channel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, as well as the Switchman multisource controller to manage and master complex titles.
Charlie Watts, president of Technovoice and former mastering engineer at 5.1 Entertainment, and who has mastered records for blues artist Walter Trout, The Belrays and Def Jux, said that most of the sources for incoming multichannel masters are analog, so the ADC8 helps to convert those masters to the digital domain. “The accuracy and warmth of the ADC8 is tremendous,” Watts said. “I know I’m getting a transfer conversion that retains the characteristics of the original analog master. I’ve been doing mastering for many years, and this is the first A-to-D converter I’ve heard that sounds like an analog tape machine.” Meanwhile, during the mastering process, Watts often leaves the digital arena and sends audio data to key analog outboard processing systems, such as the Manley EQ and compression chain. “There are still a few pieces of analog equipment that digital simply can’t emulate,” he revealed. “When I need to access them, the DAC8 gets me there with no loss of quality in the conversion process.”
During the mastering process, Watts can control all of the audio sources using Meitner’s Switchman source controller, which allows him to A/B audio from the mastering console, analog tape decks and a DVD player. “What I especially like about the Switchman is that it has a Trim control on each input signal source. That lets me match levels on all input sources during comparison playbacks, ensuring that I get an accurate sonic picture of what I’m working with.”
For more on the Meitner converters, visit its distributor, SADiE, at www.sadie.com. For more on Technovoice, visit www.technovoice.com.
