More sales of BitPerfect are made in Japan
than anywhere else, and by quite a large margin! We only wish we were
able to communicate in Japanese with our largest and most loyal customer
base! So, with the help of Google Translations, I am here to say a very big and heart-felt ありがとうございました
In recognition of this fact, I am recommending to you one of my
all-time favorite jazz recordings, Misty, by the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto trio.
Those who still cling to the belief that only American musicians could
possibly understand jazz, take note!
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2567
This was originally released on LP way back in 1974 by the boutique
Japanese label Three Blind Mice, which was formed to promote the
accomplishments of Japanese jazz musicians around the world. Misty is
probably their single most successful album, and is lauded worldwide as
one of the very finest all-time jazz albums regardless of origin. In
part, this is due to its original renown as an audiophile classic, but
over the years the quality of the performance has garnered a more
widespread acknowledgement among jazz aficionados.
Starting
with the sonics. Oh yes, this is an audiophile must-have. Misty has
some of the finest, most crystalline piano playing ever captured on
tape. The clarity and purity of tone captured by the engineers at Three
Blind Mice sets a standard that is rarely approached, even by today’s
finest recording engineers. But then there’s the double bass, which, on
the right equipment, is there with you in the room. I should mention
the drums too …
Performance-wise, it is one of those albums
that so totally immerses you in the music that you can easily forget the
passage of time. I sat down to listen through it once more before
writing this, and before I knew what happened I had played through the
whole thing. I had to play it again, just so I could write more
objectively about it. This is the sort of jazz I love – where the
players are out to impress you more by their musicianship than by their
virtuosity. And the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto trio are consummate musicians.
Misty is still available as an LP, and I still play mine, which I
bought back in 1980. But you can also buy it in various guises of CD,
both standard issues and audiophile grade, plus an SACD release which I
am dying to get my hands on as a DSD download.
Highly recommended – whether you are Japanese or not! さようなら
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Friday, 21 December 2012
Come and see BitPerfect at C.E.S.
Anybody going to the 2013 International CES in
Las Vegas? The whole BitPerfect team will be there, in the Light
Harmonic rooms. Please drop by to say hello, and let us hear of your
experiences with BitPerfect. You will also have an opportunity to hear
some of the greatest sounding audio systems money can buy!
http://www.cesweb.org/
http://www.cesweb.org/
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
BitPerfect 1.0.5 is Released
BitPerfect 1.0.5 has been released to the App Store. This is a maintenance update which addresses a number of issues which relate to the Permissions Scan process. For those users who still cannot get the automatic Permissions Scan to function, there is now an option to set the Permissions manually. A number of other, relatively minor bugs have also been fixed. All users are advised to upgrade to this version.
The main features of BitPerfect 1.0.5 are the same as for BitPerfect 1.0.4.
The main features of BitPerfect 1.0.5 are the same as for BitPerfect 1.0.4.
Sunday, 16 December 2012
40 Most Beautiful Arias
I wouldn’t normally give a “Rack Filler” CD a
moment’s thought, but here I am actually recommending one! “40 Most
Beautiful Arias” is pretty much exactly what it says it is, and at $14
from Amazon for over 2 hours of achingly beautiful music, it is a great deal.
http://www.amazon.com/Most-Beautiful-Arias-Vincenzo-Bellini/dp/B0012908F0
These opera arias are collected from the Warner catalog, and it is pretty much stacked from beginning to end with major international names, including Plácido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, Cecilia Bartoli, José Carreras, Barbara Hendricks, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Marylin Horne, Karita Matilla, Jennifer Larmore and many others.
The recordings themselves range from good to very good. Nothing really stands out as being either very bad or truly exceptional. But whoever has selected 40 arias to cram onto two discs has actually done a very creditable job. With one exception though, which might make you spill your drink in frustration. The famous duet from Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers” suddenly stops half way through – an almost unforgivable omission.
A lot of people find opera to be too heavy going for them, and that is fine. But a lot of those same people do enjoy the occasional highlight aria when they hear them, often out of context. This album is for those listeners. It is not designed to make an opera fan out of you, but it is an album you’ll want to play from time to time, just to make you feel good.
These opera arias are collected from the Warner catalog, and it is pretty much stacked from beginning to end with major international names, including Plácido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, Cecilia Bartoli, José Carreras, Barbara Hendricks, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Marylin Horne, Karita Matilla, Jennifer Larmore and many others.
The recordings themselves range from good to very good. Nothing really stands out as being either very bad or truly exceptional. But whoever has selected 40 arias to cram onto two discs has actually done a very creditable job. With one exception though, which might make you spill your drink in frustration. The famous duet from Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers” suddenly stops half way through – an almost unforgivable omission.
A lot of people find opera to be too heavy going for them, and that is fine. But a lot of those same people do enjoy the occasional highlight aria when they hear them, often out of context. This album is for those listeners. It is not designed to make an opera fan out of you, but it is an album you’ll want to play from time to time, just to make you feel good.
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
B&W's Society Of Sound
If you haven't already done so, you owe it to yourself to check out B&W's Society Of Sound.
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Society_of_Sound/Society_of_Sound/Music/Subscribe.html
For just $60 you get access to two free downloads every month, usually at 24-bit 48kHz resolution. The music is an eclectic mix of current release orchestral heavyweights from the London Symphony Orchestra's LSO Live collection, plus an interesting assortment of mostly world music from artists you may not otherwise have the opportunity to check out. Some are good, a few are great, others meh... But the recordings are all of the highest quality.
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Society_of_Sound/Society_of_Sound/Music/Subscribe.html
For just $60 you get access to two free downloads every month, usually at 24-bit 48kHz resolution. The music is an eclectic mix of current release orchestral heavyweights from the London Symphony Orchestra's LSO Live collection, plus an interesting assortment of mostly world music from artists you may not otherwise have the opportunity to check out. Some are good, a few are great, others meh... But the recordings are all of the highest quality.
Plus - big plus -
you also get to download everything that was released during the
preceding 12 months. That's 48 hi-res albums for $60!! Certainly the
best $60 value I ever spent on music - I'm now in my second year of subscription.
Friday, 7 December 2012
That Parted My Hair!
One of the most famous “Demonstration Discs”
of all time is Telarc’s 1812 Overture, with Erich Kunzel and the
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. With its real firing cannons and peals
of church bells, it is the ultimate in musical Special Effects!
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HX00089408054129
As early as 1958, Mercury Records, seeking a flagship recording for their “Mercury Living Presence” label released a recording with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati, with brass cannons and a real carillon. The recording was massively popular, and in truth, there was absolutely nothing like it on record at the time. To this day it remains a well-known and highly desirable collectors piece.
Twenty years later, in 1978, Telarc decided that they needed their own 1812 overture as a flagship for their quality-oriented record label. They commissioned Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and pulled out all the stops with their own real brass cannon and bells. This recording, however, presented the cannon blasts at a much higher volume, with far greater bass energy, and the resultant LP came with dire warnings about blowing the cones off your loudspeakers!
Whether originating through genuine concern, or unabashed marketing hype, the dire warnings spread like fire and Telarc all of a sudden had a major hit on their hands. It sold phenomenally. Arguably, this recording put Telarc on the map all by itself.
The recording was refreshed for CD by the addition of digitally recorded cannons, but by then the novelty was wearing off and the recording was being criticized for its poor acoustics and for the less than stellar playing from the orchestra. But the record still had enormous public appeal, so Telarc took the unusual step of re-recording it in 1999, using the same performers. Indeed the same cannons were used, and were in fact fired by the same cannoneers. This performance also added a choral introduction by the Kiev Symphony Chorus and a brief (and very effective) choral interlude from the Children’s Choir of Greater Cincinnati. As far as I can tell, Kunzel was instructed (or chose, I don’t know) to recreate precisely the tempi, sonorities, and presentation of the original. The only problem is, they’re still not the Berlin Phil. The string playing in particular fails to impress.
This completely new recording shares a deceptively similar sleeve and cover design to the CD of the original, so it is easy to go out and buy the wrong one. The key is to look for the accreditation of the Kiev Symphony Chorus on the sleeve.
The new recording is every bit the Audio Special FX reference! Available as a dual-disc SACD/CD, and as a high-resolution 24/176 download from HDtracks, those cannons still kick butt. I have just played through both the “original” CD version and the new recording. The new one is most assuredly the one to have. The two choirs are fabulous. The brass and drums have authority, power, and weight. The balance of the recording is impeccable. Almost flawless, in fact. The cannons are particularly impressive, thunderingly, percussively loud, and with real spatial definition, their sound probably limited more by the microphones than by anything else. You still need to fear for your loudspeaker cones!
As my friend Nigel put it – “Wow! That parted my hair!”.
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HX00089408054129
As early as 1958, Mercury Records, seeking a flagship recording for their “Mercury Living Presence” label released a recording with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati, with brass cannons and a real carillon. The recording was massively popular, and in truth, there was absolutely nothing like it on record at the time. To this day it remains a well-known and highly desirable collectors piece.
Twenty years later, in 1978, Telarc decided that they needed their own 1812 overture as a flagship for their quality-oriented record label. They commissioned Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and pulled out all the stops with their own real brass cannon and bells. This recording, however, presented the cannon blasts at a much higher volume, with far greater bass energy, and the resultant LP came with dire warnings about blowing the cones off your loudspeakers!
Whether originating through genuine concern, or unabashed marketing hype, the dire warnings spread like fire and Telarc all of a sudden had a major hit on their hands. It sold phenomenally. Arguably, this recording put Telarc on the map all by itself.
The recording was refreshed for CD by the addition of digitally recorded cannons, but by then the novelty was wearing off and the recording was being criticized for its poor acoustics and for the less than stellar playing from the orchestra. But the record still had enormous public appeal, so Telarc took the unusual step of re-recording it in 1999, using the same performers. Indeed the same cannons were used, and were in fact fired by the same cannoneers. This performance also added a choral introduction by the Kiev Symphony Chorus and a brief (and very effective) choral interlude from the Children’s Choir of Greater Cincinnati. As far as I can tell, Kunzel was instructed (or chose, I don’t know) to recreate precisely the tempi, sonorities, and presentation of the original. The only problem is, they’re still not the Berlin Phil. The string playing in particular fails to impress.
This completely new recording shares a deceptively similar sleeve and cover design to the CD of the original, so it is easy to go out and buy the wrong one. The key is to look for the accreditation of the Kiev Symphony Chorus on the sleeve.
The new recording is every bit the Audio Special FX reference! Available as a dual-disc SACD/CD, and as a high-resolution 24/176 download from HDtracks, those cannons still kick butt. I have just played through both the “original” CD version and the new recording. The new one is most assuredly the one to have. The two choirs are fabulous. The brass and drums have authority, power, and weight. The balance of the recording is impeccable. Almost flawless, in fact. The cannons are particularly impressive, thunderingly, percussively loud, and with real spatial definition, their sound probably limited more by the microphones than by anything else. You still need to fear for your loudspeaker cones!
As my friend Nigel put it – “Wow! That parted my hair!”.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Problems with Permissions Scan with iTunes 11
We are receiving reports of problems with BitPerfect 1.0.4's Permissions Scan process with iTunes 11. As you may already know, BitPerfect 1.0.4 was submitted to the App store for approval long before iTunes 11 was released, and it has not therefore been pre-tested with iTunes 11. Unfortunately, we are quite unable to reproduce any of these problems on any of our own systems. We are therefore in the process of collating as much data and customer feedback as we can, and hopefully we will be able to identify the root cause as soon as possible.
Once we know what the cause is, we can determine the best course of action. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Some (but not all) users are reporting that the problem can be resolved by quitting BitPerfect, and launching iTunes manually. Then, once iTunes has had a chance to get itself fully up to speed, stating BitPerfect again and running the Permissions Scan manually (click on "Change Music Directory" in BitPerfect's status bar menu).
UPDATE: Thanks to BitPerfect user Bill Riel for pointing this out: "Like many others I had quite a bit of difficulty getting BitPerfect 1.0.4 to scan my library when using iTunes 11. It seemed that no matter what I did, at best BitPerfect would start the scan, then immediately shut down before finishing. I just tried something a bit different: I had iTunes already open **and playing some music**. I then launched BitPerfect while iTunes was playing, and this time, the scan was successful. I then quit iTunes from the BitPerfect menu, re-launched it and things appear to be functioning as they should." We have a lot of very helpful users out there.
UPDATE: With BitPerfect 1.0.5 we now have an additional option to execute the Permissions Scan manually. Please read the revised User Manual for more details.
Once we know what the cause is, we can determine the best course of action. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Some (but not all) users are reporting that the problem can be resolved by quitting BitPerfect, and launching iTunes manually. Then, once iTunes has had a chance to get itself fully up to speed, stating BitPerfect again and running the Permissions Scan manually (click on "Change Music Directory" in BitPerfect's status bar menu).
UPDATE: Thanks to BitPerfect user Bill Riel for pointing this out: "Like many others I had quite a bit of difficulty getting BitPerfect 1.0.4 to scan my library when using iTunes 11. It seemed that no matter what I did, at best BitPerfect would start the scan, then immediately shut down before finishing. I just tried something a bit different: I had iTunes already open **and playing some music**. I then launched BitPerfect while iTunes was playing, and this time, the scan was successful. I then quit iTunes from the BitPerfect menu, re-launched it and things appear to be functioning as they should." We have a lot of very helpful users out there.
UPDATE: With BitPerfect 1.0.5 we now have an additional option to execute the Permissions Scan manually. Please read the revised User Manual for more details.
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