A very topical post Peng.
A good recording starts with top of the line microphones. These microphones have to be placed with intelligence. Then you need a really high quality mix desk coupled with the smarts and intelligence to know how to use it. The next step is really good mastering.
If those basics are not there and done properly, it does not matter what format you use, how many bits or the sampling rate it will be a dog.
In the main most of my recordings are excellent, whether LP, tape, CD, SACD, high res. FLAC, or BD. DVD is a weak a weak brethren, at least in multichannel.
However there is a pecking order. The best SACD win out over CD. However the biggest improvement comes from multichannel BD, with the best recordings.
This BD, I recently got, recorded on a label I have never heard of before, is stunning. I would say absolutely as good as live, and probably better then other than the best seats in the hall. I actually just can't believe it. It has told me my rig is better than most media, which is interesting.
Apart from everything being correct, it is the first recording that actually captures a hard crash of big cymbals, just like you hear live. The body of the crash is full and powerful as well as the HF, just like live. I think the reason for this is the huge dynamic range. The energy and spl, in a massive crash of symbols is enormous. BD can deliver the goods, if you have enough fire power in your speaks and amps. There is no part of the frequency spectrum that is not spot on in this recording. It is stunning and the best recording I have heard to date anywhere any time. The performance is wonderful also.
I think the main reason BD is better than SACD, and I believe it is, is because of the ability to set delay correctly.
The next issue is bass management, that on classical SACDs in not catered for.
Now this latter is interesting. You can not mike an LFE channel, it has to be derived at least by crossover.
Now on some BDs they sound better not using the LFE channel and some are improved. Now on this BD using the LFE channel is a big improvement. I strongly suspect, that zero time and phase shift digital crossovers were used and very likely some additional processing.
The bottom end of this recording is also stunning on the drums and bass strings.
The other huge advantage over SACD is that you have a picture as well!
I think engineers are just getting used to multichannel recordings and how to master for 5.1 and 7.1. I think we are still in the learning stage phase.
The other issue is money. In times past the quality of recordings and artist roster of the major labels was fabulous, especially EMI, Decca, Philips and DGG.
Most of these labels are now in this Vivendi/Universal meat up. Another classic French mess. They claim poverty and do not record major scores.
There quality is now below, not only what it was during the analog era, but below the small independents, which tend to be run by struggling enthusiast. Many come a go, which is a problem.
Hopefully, as the economy improves some of these enthusiasts will develop the resources to become major and influential players.
I don't think we will have the bandwidth on the Internet for some time to make download sales of the type of disc I featured above feasible. So I think BD will sustain profitable physical media sales fro some time to come.
Downloading and poor quality compressed downloads are taking the profitability out of the music business. This is particularly true in the classical area, were it was the thinking that a classical recording would return a modest return of many decades. On that basis the classical divisions were actually very profitable. Under the current set up and eyes on short term profits, the whole square has changed.
To illustrate what I'm talking about, conductors are now having to raise money form donations to record a major work.
Here is just what I'm talking about.
Now these forces performed this at the 2011 Proms. I heard it on the BBC iplayer. Now this performance was in the revelatory category.
In times of old the majors such as EMI and Decca would be falling over themselves to record and issue this performance.
So the world has turned on its axis.
