Blue Coast World to distribute Emily Palen's Solo Violin Recording, "Glass"

Hi friends,
We are pleased to announce that Blue Coast World will be distributing the recording of Emily Palen's Solo Violin recording called "Glass".

The disc will be priced at $30 but for a short time, will be available for $25 at this website.
http://valencerecords.downloadsnow.net/glass

It was recorded at the extraordinary Grace Cathedral, San Francisco using the Extended Sound Environment technique.  Emily's exquisite violin improvisations have been used extensively in sonic comparison tests because the masters were recorded to DSD and all recording processes have been under control from record to digital delivery.

We have kept the one bit DSD format throughout.  The CD layer was mastered in the same process, so you can compare your CD layer with your DSD or SACD playback systems.  At CES we used Track #3 (Light in the Fracture) to test the audio response on the Sony AR1 speakers (This year's winner of Absolute Sound's speaker of the year).

Those present for the demo comparisons had the unique opportunity to also hear the SACD coming from the Meitner DACs against the DSD masters from the Sonoma Systems playback master through the Meitner professional DSD DACs.  Gus Skinas from Super Audio Center was onhand along with Yuki Sugiura from Sony to help with the demos as hundreds of people passed through our room to experience the comparisons.

The CD to SACD comparisons were obvious.  Shrunken images and lack of dynamics could be heard in the CD sound.  What was most surprising is that we could hear a clear difference in the Meitner DACs both playing back DSD.  We can only suggest that the best sound is with DSD DACs for playback.  It was a small difference, but audible.

Now, those of you who have an SACD player can experience Emily's violin performances the way we intended.

Many of you already own downloads these wonderful masters.  Those that would like to experience a FREE DSD DOWNLOAD of one piece from the album can click below to download.  (Requires Foobar or Audiogate to play)
http://audiogate.bluecoastrecords.com/

Positive Feedback, article one!
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue59/marenco.htm
Thank you to Positive Feedback for asking me to be a writer for their publication.  If your interested to know some of the reasons why and how I came to be a recording engineer, along with the challenges we face as engineers, this article is for you.  I'll be writing from a professional engineer standpoint for PF as I can.  Please feel free to ask questions that I might be able to write and article on.

2012 is going to be a great year for DSD. 
It was a pleasure meeting many of you in person.

Cookie and the Blue Coast Crew

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Congratulations to Alexander Baker for Being our 9000th member at Blue Coast Records!

Blue Coast Records is pleased to announce its 9000th member, Alexander Baker!  Very exciting for us.  This is a 300% increase since the beginning of this year.

Alexander found our site while googling for DSD Downloads.  This lead to a site on the Sony playstation that discussed DSD capabilities which had links to Blue Coast Records.  He found, he listened, he purchased!

And then he signed up to our Blue Coast Records mailing list.   Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!!!!  He's our 9000th member.

"Basically I'm a computer audiophile nutcase, always looking for higher quality material.." Alexander said in a note to us.

 

For being the 9000th member, Alexander will win a free download album of his choice.   Our guess is it will be in the DSD format.  :)

Who will be the 10,000th member?  Join our mailing list.  Maybe it will be YOU!

Congratulations

Blue Coast Records

What is an Audiophile? Part One (repost)

This is a repost of the article written by Cookie Marenco for PStracks.com 

We welcome your continuing comments at the PStracks.com  website.

 

What is an Audiophile?

Featured Opinions — 30 August 2011

Why does the term “Lunatic Fringe” come to mind?
Since When Did It Become Controversial Listening to Music with Great Sound?
After all, sound is a huge part of everything we do as humans, from how we communicate with each other to how we choose to spend time alone. What is wrong with wanting the sound we interact with to be the best that it can be?
I travel in music circles with pro audio engineers, recording artists, label execs and audiophiles. It surprises me that more industry people don’t go to the audiophile shows where the rubber meets the road — the people who create the music meeting those that love and buy their products.

When I ask my industry cohorts ‘why’ the first words coming from their mouths seems to be ‘lunatic fringe’ — as if ‘audiophiles’ have the plague and should be avoided at all costs.

What is defining the word ‘audiophile’ that is so bad in their minds? Can we reintroduce ‘audiophile’ to a new generation? Do we need a new word to describe a passionate listener?
A recent survey by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) indicates that music lovers are everywhere. They’ve analyzed the results in a study called “Notion of Quality: Audio Expectations of Consumers.” Participants were asked to rate themselves as to their music listening habits divided into 3 categories. Here are the results of how people thought of themselves.
Audio Enthusiast –34%
Moderate Interest – 34%
Low Interest – 32%
CEA estimates that there are 80,000,000 Audio Enthusiasts in the USA alone. Audio Enthusiasts would pay more money for better quality content and listening gear. Their ages run relatively equally from 18-55+, with 77% having household incomes of less than $75,000 annually and 48% are women. Is it possible to expand the ‘audiophile’ profile to include these demographics or do we need a new word? “Audio Enthusiast” isn’t a bad term. As a product manufacturer, broadening the demographic to be more inclusive is a very healthy sign and benefits the whole community.
Today, the profile for ‘audiophile’ seems to be over 50 years old, male, with income over $100,000 annually. Some manufacturers feel that the estimate for ‘audiophiles’ is about 500,000 worldwide. That’s a tough nugget for any of us in the business to develop new products. Adding new categories of the demographics from the CEA report could be advantageous.
Take for instance, “women”.. something I know a bit about. I have often wondered why more women don’t consider themselves ‘audiophiles’? And, why more manufacturers haven’t taken advantage of the power of a woman’s dollar as the auto industry did in the nineties. Whether you like ‘Beats’ headphones or not, they’ve made it ‘cool’ to want better sound for a younger generation. Spending $299 on headphones is a start. If anyone feels ‘kids today’ don’t understand ‘quality in sound’, please come to my studio and experience my fresh faced interns working on analog tape, buying vinyl and unhappy with mp3 sound.

Once exposed to great sonics, they can’t go back to mp3.

In upcoming articles, I would like to poll the readership as to what it means to be called an ‘audiophile’. I welcome suggestions for questions. Is an audiophile someone who pays $xxxx for their listening environment? Someone who builds their own set of speakers? Goes to meetings with fellow listeners? Pays $1000 a foot for cable? Buys ‘Beats’ headphones? Hates mp3s? I’d like your opinion to help open our world to new ears. Let me know what you think.
This is a great forum to place your comments so we can all share.  Simply comment on this post.
Thanks and enjoy your music experience!
Cookie Marenco
Founder and Producer, Blue Coast Records
http://bluecoastrecords.com
Special thanks to Gene Bryan Johnson for his editing skills and the volunteers at
DownloadsNOW.net

Chi McClean, the latest Blue Coast Artist to have music available in the DSD format!

Hello DSD friends! 

We have a free DSD download for you to enjoy at our AudioGate.bluecoastrecords.com page by our newest Blue Coast Artist, Chi McClean!
http://audiogate.bluecoastrecords.com/

Chi has been touring the country singing and playing guitar, surfing, camping and booking more shows as he goes.  He is a true road warrior who's talent doesn't go unnoticed.  His songs are reflective of his life, loves and travels. At times, he'll remind you of John Mayer with a southern rock twist much like Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes.

You can hear the rest of his album, also available as a DSD, 9624WAV and CDQ download, by clicking on the link below..
http://chimcclean.downloadsnow.net/a-thing-or-three

This album of guitar and voice, performed live in the studio, recorded in my E.S.E. technique with no headphones or overdubs.  A different version of Hole in My Heart is now on the Blue Coast Collection 2 (song #3).  http://bluecoastrecords.downloadsnow.net/blue-coast-collection-2

Check out the article for PSTracks.com called What Is An Audiophile?  http://www.pstracks.com/2011/08/30/what-is-an-audiophile/
and join in with comments!

Special thanks goes to Paul McGowan at PSAudio and to Gene Bryan Johnson for editing expertise. 

Thanks again for all your support and

Enjoy the music!

http://bluecoastrecords.com/

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or Twitter.com/bluecoastworld

Three Free DSD Audio Downloads from Blue Coast Records!

Hi friends, each month we upload one new song for your DSD listening experience.  This month our featured artist is Keith Greeninger performing a song he wrote called, "Hop in the Truck".  Keith also has a youtube video coming featuring that song.
http://audiogate.bluecoastrecords.com/

This selected DSD comes from our archives.  Brain (drummer with Tom Waits) plays some classy percussion while Chris Kee supplies the bottom end bass.  All the songs from this session were recorded using E.S.E., no headphones, no overdubs, just live in a few takes.  Great musicianship is all that's required!  We'll have the rest of these songs available as DSD downloads by September 1st!
http://bluecoastrecords.com/special-event-02-may-2009

Also featured is a solo acoustic guitar piece by Gregory James called "Taos".  A wonderfully moody piece he composed.  Houston Jones, "I Found a Heart" is going to retire to the catalog in a month.  Be sure to get it while it's free.  One of my favorite songs.

Be sure to check our page with free DSD music downloads every month.  You can also find the Korg AudioGate software on the same page.

Come back soon!

Stereophile -- Northern California Audio Show and Blue Coast World

The Second (Northern) California Audio Show Starts Friday

By Jason Victor Serinus • Posted: Jul 11, 2011

The pendulum has swung back to the West Coast. Just one week after the Capital AudioFest, three weeks after AXPONA NYC, and six weeks after T.H.E. Show Newport Beach, the second California Audio Show is set to begin. Scheduled for July 15–17 in the Crowne Plaza SFO in Burlingame, the show is located just minutes from San Francisco Airport, a few giant steps from a major freeway, a free shuttle ride away from the airport's BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stop, and an eight-minute walk from CalTrain's Broadway Station. Show organizer Constantine Soo, founder and editor of Dagogo.com, reports that the show currently promises 42 rooms of various sizes, all with active exhibits playing music. The list of exhibitors and brands, complete with a generous helping of California retailers, service providers, and distributors, includes a host of companies whose equipment resides in the homes and dreams of Stereophile readers.
Especially enticing are the seminars from Acoustic Science Corporation, Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, Cookie Marenco's Blue Coast World, and MIT Cables (aka Music Interface Technologies). The latter two will attempt to look into the audiophile crystal ball, with MIT's "The Past, Present, and Future of High-Resolution Audio" coming directly after Marenco's "DSD—Then, Now, and Tomorrow."
Marenco's DSD seminar dovetails with the launch of Channel D's DSD-equipped Pure Music v1.8 computer playback software and the expected California Audio Show preview of Sonic Studio's forthcoming Amarra 2.3 with its own set of DSD features. Chris Connaker of ComputerAudiophile.com will join Marenco to co-moderate a panel that includes original members of the Sony DSD design team, Gus Skinas of the Super Audio Center, Leslie Ann Jones of Skywalker Sound, and legendary Telarc engineer Michael Bishop of Five/Four Productions.
On an extraordinary system assembled by Tim Marutani Consulting for Blue Coast World in the Plaza Ballroom 1, Bishop will play many of his live-to-stereo DSD masters, including previews of new Five/Four direct-to-DSD masters and new FIM re-releases of great Telarc titles. State-of-the-art equipment from Magico, TAD, Constellation Audio, Continuum Audio Labs, and Bottlehead will unite with a cutting edge computer and reel-to-reel playback set-up. Expect a first hearing of Merging Technologies' new Emotion high-end media server. The Swiss company, known for its award-winning Pyramix Digital Audio Workstation, has for the first time managed to embed its DAW Audio Engine in a stereo, multi-channel, and multi-zone Media Server that handles PCM, DXD, and DSD.
Marutani also promises to showcase Bill Schnee's Bravura Records live-to-two-channel, 192/24 recordings and Reference Recordings' HRx 176.4/24 masters. He will even offer sneak previews of RR's forthcoming Reference Mastercuts LPs. Marenco, in turn, will also offer the show's only live performances, which she will record direct-to-DSD twice daily and upload for immediate free DSD downloading. These performances were packed at the 2010 California Audio Show.
Bay Area and California retailers are also making a strong showing. AudioVision San Francisco, which sat out last year's show, is sponsoring four different rooms, with gear from Devialet, KEF, Naim, Nola, Clearaudio Simaudio Moon, Dynaudio, Bel Canto, and Anthony Gallo sending a lot of music through Crystal Cable, Nordost, Shunyata, and Cardas.
"This is actually low key for us," AudioVision co-owner Randy Johnson explains. "We first opened the shop when Stereophile held its show in San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel. We had nine rooms, which put us on the map. We're never going to attempt something like that again!"
Hardly on the sidelines, the two rooms from Music Lovers Audio Video of San Francisco and Berkeley promise Wilson, Ayre, and a whole lot more. Audio Image Ltd. of Oakland, Soundscape of Santa Rosa, Loggie Audio of Redwood City, Angel City Audio of Rancho Cucamonga, Audible Arts of Campbell, High Value AV of Santa Cruz, and Bob Hodas Acoustic Analysis of Berkeley (pairing Focal with VTL) are some of the other California Dealers who will tout premium value equipment. In addition, from the Northwest, Puget Sound Studios will play some of its fine masterings of classic and new recordings. Apologies to anyone I've missed.
Soo may not be bringing a wine show, cigar show, classic car show, and pornography convention to Burlingame, but he is enticing people with great sound and astoundingly low admission rates. Online pre-registrants can attend all three days for $10; those who buy tickets at the door will shell out a hardly gargantuan $20 for a three-day pass.
Bay Area jazz station KCSM-FM will have a live booth at the show. Every hour, they'll interview attendees, and invite audio reviewers to answer questions from their listening audience.
"We're trying to bring fresh blood to the hotel," says Soo. "Our goal is to reach a music-loving public. I want to give people an opportunity to experience this hobby and passion of ours."
To ensure that your window on the show is just as fresh, Stephen Mejias will be blogging for Stereophile. Stay tuned.

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Rob Ickes on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine!

Coming soon!  The whole article.
We're proud of Blue Coast Artist, Rob Ickes, for making the cover of Guitar Player magazine, August 2011!  Congratulations!