On September 16, 2003, Columbia/Legacy will release 15 classic albums by Bob Dylan in the Hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD) format. Sterling Sounds Greg Calbi mastered all of these discs, with five titles being mastered in 5.1 surround by Sterling Sounds George Marino.
Calbi worked from a variety of master tape formats, dating from 1962 to the present day. Working from these analog masters, the whole of the Dylan project remained in the analog domain. The analog signal processing in my room is ideally suited for SACD. It does a great job of taking the analog signal and transferring it into the best digital data thats available, says Calbi. The low-end and all of the rhythmic elements are working in such a way that the combination provides a much more musical experience.
Recently, some new features were added to Calbis room, including complete new console wiring (featuring Wireworld cables), all tube signal processing, and a new patchbay to minimize signal path. Those three elements created an immediacy of the sound on the Dylan project that just blew away anything that existed on the market before, says Calbi.
Earlier this year, Sterling Sound completed the development of a custom analog surround-mastering suite for George Marino, which gives him the ability to master multichannel audio for DVD-A, DVD-V, and SACD formats.
Marino worked mainly from brand new multitrack mixes by mix engineers Michael Brauer and Chris Shaw, along with senior VP of A&R at Sony Legacy, Steve Berkowitz. It was a pleasure to work from the Dylan mixes brought in by Michael, Chris, and Steve, says Marino. They are faithful to the original two-track stereo mixes while adding a whole new element that Dylan fans will find very interesting.
For more information, visit www.sterling-sound.com.
