Here's the 6th English translation of our free booklet "Onban Domei"
Translation for page 20 this time,
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Recommended music software from an audio perspective
V.A. / Electronic Music for Loudspeakers Selected by audiounion
(Phoridge / PHOR1 / Release: 2020)
Price：3,300 YEN
Format：MQA-CD（176.4kHz/24bit）
Artists：AOKI takamasa, aus, GONNO / XTAL / INNER SCIENCE, HIROSHI WATANABE aka kaito, mouse on the keys, YAMATO LOUNGE, Yosi Horikawa...
It is the 1st title from Audiounion’s label, “Phoridge”. It is a compilation album selected and supervised by Audiounion staff under the theme of “enjoying the compilation sound through speakers”. With the key word “electronic music”, the compilation contains 10 selected songs from Japanese artists who are active both in Japan and internationally. The songs have previously been released, but some songs have been remixed for this album. The album does not only feature electronic samples, but also live elements such as drums, koto, field recordings, etc. The album was produced using the master that was upgraded to Hi-Res audio and was released on MQA-CD that is playable in 176.4kHz/24bit. (It can be played as a standard CD as well.)
“Hi-Res” is an abbreviation of “High-Resolution”. Generally, it refers high resolution digital sound sources which has more information data than a CD. (PCM 96kHz/24bit, 192kHz/24bit, DSD 2.8MHz/1bit.) So, do all Hi-Res audio have better sound than CD? Actually, it cannot be said that it has a higher sound quality, by only judging from the specs, and sound quality and sound frequency range must fit with the specs.
Let’s take the compilation album introduced here as an example. For the master, we used the 192kHz/24bit Hi-Res master data that was done treatments of Dynamic Bit-Allocation and overtone complement using technology of “Eilex HD Remaster”. This means the master data which was originally 96kHz/24bit upgraded to 192kHz/24bit. Although each person has different tastes, it is the Hi-Res master that sound quality and sound frequency rage fit with the specs. (of course, there are many Hi-Res sound sources so-called “studio master quality”, which convert the original studio quality sound into sound source date as it is, instead of up-converting it as in this project.)
There is one problem here. As CD specs are 44.1kHz/16bit, no matter how much you can create a Hi-Res master that fit with specs, it is unable to record that master as it is on a normal CD. Therefore, we folded 176.4kHz/24bit Hi-Res master with a special “folding” technology called “MQA”, then recorded onto a CD. For your information, the reason why a sampling frequency is 176.4kHz instead of 192kHz is because it should be the integral multiple of (the format of CD) 44.1kHz (88.2kHz/ 176.4kHz/ 352.8kHz) in order to be created on CD-format.
* In order to play 176.4kHz/24bit Hi-Res as MQA-CD, you need a device that is compatible with MQA. If you do not have a device compatible with MQA, you can still play and enjoy as a standard CD.
This album was completed and released in that format. It is our pleasure if the listeners will have an interest in “music playback” and “sound quality” through this album. The feeling of“I want to listen with the better sound” will never disappear as long as music exists. However, “good sound” is not always found within the wide range Hi-Res sound. That is also one of the fascinating parts of music. Please try to find your own “good sound” preference.
Written by Makoto Yamaguchi (Audiounion Shinjuku)