Palo Alto, Calif., November 20, 2000 -- The recent sold-out concert by legendary showman Elton John at New York's Madison Square Gardens was captured for posterity using the remarkable Euphonix R-1 Digital Multitrack Recorder. Capable of achieving three times the sonic resolution of conventional recording systems, multiple R-1s secured every nuance of the concert with 24-bit precision at a sampling rate of 96 kHz. The project was supervised by legendary Grammy-Winning record producer, Phil Ramone.

"I am always looking for new advances in technology," Ramone says. "High-resolution formats are now part of our life; consumers will be able to hear the difference between 'conventional' CD releases and those made using latest-generation systems like the R-1. And the new [surround-sound] DVD-Audio format will further extend the high-quality envelope. For Sir Elton John's concerts at Madison Square Gardens, we decided to evaluate a higher-performance format: the Euphonix R-1's 24-bit/96 kHz resolution. Not only could we capture three times as much sonic information compared to conventional 16-bit/48 kHz formats, the material would also translate perfectly to DVD-Audio."

The "One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live" CD will be released on November 21 by Universal Records. A CBS Television Concert is scheduled to be aired in early December, in addition to a BBC Television broadcast. The Euphonix R-1 served as playback source for both the CD remix and soundtrack for the TV shows. "The results were outstanding," says session engineer Frank Filipetti, who recorded and remixed the CD and CBS Television Special at Right Track Studios, New York.

"We also needed a fast turnaround from the concert recording in late-October," Phil Ramone continues," and the CD going on sale in stores during November. The R-1 made everything so much easier to coordinate during the post-production process."

"Randy Ezratty [founder of Effanel Music, and who oversaw the live recording session] provided a special back-stage area for the R-1 systems, where we captured the performance coming directly from the stage without equalization and compression," the producer says. In the specially-outfitted Recording Suite set up at Madison Square Garden, three Euphonix R-1 48-track systems linked to the stage via high-resolution pre-amplifiers; no mixing consoles were used between the musicians and the recorders.

A total of 144 simultaneous 96 kHz Digital Audio Tracks - A World's First. The main R-1 systems provided a total of 96 tracks of 24-bit/96 kHz resolution, while a third machine was used to provide backup for either deck. The total track count was 144: 48 + 48 on the main machines, and 48 on the back-up - a world's first! To provide a full three hours of uninterrupted recording capacity, the backstage rig comprised some 24, 18-MByte hard drives. The concert was also recorded to an array of synchronized Sony PCM-3348 digital tape machines, hard-disc recorders and Tascam DA-88 machines running at a sampling frequency of 48 kHz.

Following the concerts, the high-precision material was taken to Right Track Studios for editing and remix on the facility's digital console, which operates at a sampling frequency of 48 kHz. To retain enhanced audio quality, the R-1 96 kHz material was down sampled through a Euphonix FC-7272 Format Converter to 48 kHz. As a bonus, the entire project now fitted onto a single R-1 system, and hence provided simple and single-button playback control. "Having all of our tracks from the concert recording on a single machine made life a whole lot easier, and dramatically reduced access time," Ramone recalls."

According to Martin Kloiber, Euphonix' VP of New Technology, and supervising engineer on the all-digital project, "The R-1 behaved flawlessly. We were able to record over 100 tracks of next-generation 24/96 audio on one system for two and three-quarter hours. And even when downsampled to 48 kHz, the R-1 material sounds so much better than tracks recorded on standard 48 kHz digital machines."

"Operationally, functionally and ergonomically," session engineer Frank Filipetti offers, "the Euphonix R-1 is terrific. It is very easy to use, and offers a natural feel to the operator. And because everything was being played back from the one system - so we had instant access to any segments, and fast lock-up time - the R-1 saved us a lot of time on the session!"

Filipetti was also impressed with the R-1's "professional feel." "Other hard-disk systems have never made it for me," he confides. "I have never been a big fan [of such systems], even though I own a [Digidesign] Pro Tools rig. But the R-1 is far better built than other units, which look more at home in a project studio than a place like Right Track. The R-1 is a very well thought-out, ultra-reliable system."

"The R-1 is the first hard-disk system I have come across that looks like it was developed for use in a professional environment," Filipetti concludes. "It feels, works and acts like a fully pro machine. I will be working in Los Angeles during the next couple of weeks with a well-known rock and roll band, and I plan to use the R-1 hard disk. The Euphonix R-1 is now my machine of choice for recording sessions."

From its inception, the R-1 High-Precision Digital Multitrack was designed to combine the user familiarity of tape-based multitracks, with the creative editing capabilities and enhanced speed of operation offered by random-access, disk-based technology. A single R-1 provides up to 48 tracks of 24/bit/96 kHz sampling for Compact Disc, DVD-Audio production and Digital Television production.

Recent enhancements include Waveform Display; Enhanced File Transfer of 24-bit/96 kHz files to DVD Authoring Systems in multichannel WAV format; Increased Storage Space to 100 Gbyte to accommodate long, continuous recordings; Editing enhancements with clip-based selection/editing; Bars and Beats with automatic click-track generation.

"As the first multitrack digital recorder to support 24-bit/96 kHz recording, the R-1 is the system of choice for professional 48-track studios," says Euphonix's recently named CEO, Steve Vining.

The three Euphonix 24/96 R-1 Digital Recorders - two primary systems for full 96-track capacity, plus a backup - set up in a specially-outfitted Recording Suite back stage at Madison Square Garden, New York, to provide a full three hours of uninterrupted recording capacity. Total track count was 144: 48 + 48 on the main machines, and 48 on the back-up - a world's first!

Based in Silicon Valley California, Euphonix Inc. develops, manufactures and supports networked digital audio systems for music, film & TV post-production, broadcast, sound reinforcement and multimedia applications. Through innovative design, Euphonix products enable professional artists, producers, and engineers, to be more productive and creative than ever before.

Founded in 1988, Euphonix has delivered more large format digital-control mixing consoles worldwide than any other manufacturer and is the first professional console manufacturer to deliver a 24bit 96kHz audio console and multitrack recorder to the industry. For more information call (650) 855-0400 or visit the Euphonix web site at www.euphonix.com.


Source: Euphonix Inc.
Web: www.euphonix.com