[James Tanner]

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Cowboy Junkies 176 Digital 

July 2015

HI Folks

One of my favourite albums of all time is being re-mastered by Peter Moore (the original mastering engineer) at 176/24 resolution on an all Bryston system.

The Trinity Session
Album by Cowboy Junkies




The Trinity Session is a 1988 album by Cowboy Junkies, their second album.

The music was recorded at Toronto, Ontario's Church of the Holy Trinity on 27 November 1987, with the band circled around a single microphone.


The Mastering System:
 
•   Bryston amplifiers

•   Bryston Middle T loudspeakers

•   Bryston BDP-2 Digital player

Bryston BDA-2 DAC

[BrysTony]

Definitely a great album!  Let us know when it is completed and where we can get it.

Tony

[Phil A]

Cool - have to look for that when it comes out.

[barrows]

Thanks for this info James, I love this recording already.  Do you have any more details on the re-mastering process?
The original recording was done direct to R-DAT in 1988, so I suspect that it is 16 bit 48 kHz at best, right?  So the increased resolution may not be of much value as the filter artifacts of the 48 kHZ sample rate will still be present.
Anyway, this does not mean there cannot be improvements by the remastering process in terms of EQ. etc.

[James Tanner]

Thanks for this info James, I love this recording already.  Do you have any more details on the re-mastering process?
The original recording was done direct to R-DAT in 1988, so I suspect that it is 20 bit 48 kHz at best, right?  So the increased resolution may not be of much value as the filter artifacts of the 48 kHZ sample rate will still be present.
Anyway, this does not mean there cannot be improvements by the remastering process in terms of EQ. etc.

I am trying to find out more so will let you know.

james

[James Tanner]

Hi Folks,

Spoke with Peter Moore today and learned that the recording will be offered as a 2 record LP set first then a CD and finally a digital file (hopefully)

Also the original was recorded on an RDAT as well as a Video Tape machine and the RDAT was not used as it sounded awful.

james

[InfernoSTi]

Very interesting...I can't wait to see (hear) the final product!

John

[James Tanner]

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston IAD Sound Card TEST

July 2015

Hi James

We tested your new Bryston ‘Integrated Audio Device’ in our BDP-2 digital player against the old card on our ‘Cowboy Junkies Mastering Project.’



E ROOM MASTERING

The exact same Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions file played out via AES/EBU of the original BDP-2 audio card into the BDA-2 D/A Converter with up sampling on. This was then recorded ‘analogue’ at 176.4khz_24bit using the DAD (Digital Audio Denmark) AX24.

We then replaced the old sound card with the Bryston IAD and the exact procedure was repeated. The 2 files are aligned and phased match on parallel tracks and played, switching A & B between the two.

No Contest, empirically proven, Night and Day Difference. As if a wool sweater has been removed!!

The High frequency definition is outstanding, in fact, it is scary how rolled off the old card top end was. Slight improvement in bass transients. Sound stage was much more stable. Less sibilance on voice. Upper midrange was more open. Depth perception much deeper and wider (better resolution of high frequency reverb reflections)

Congrats James                     
                                 
Yours Truly
Peter J. Moore
President

E-mail: info@peterjmoore.com
Web: http://eroommastering.com

[Marius]

Wow James,

this is a real treat to read. Congratulations for this.

Would Peter Moore cs happen to have made some measurements? Im really curious to see how their auditive experiences are translated into 'hard evidence'. Especially the woolen sweater which I've never noticed

Amazing stuff this, many kudos for the Bryston team making their own IAD the best!

Thanks,
Marius

[James Tanner]

Wow James,

this is a real treat to read. Congratulations for this.

Would Peter Moore cs happen to have made some measurements? Im really curious to see how their auditive experiences are translated into 'hard evidence'. Especially the woolen sweater which I've never noticed

Amazing stuff this, many kudos for the Bryston team making their own IAD the best!

Thanks,
Marius

Email me and I think I have a few shots of the IAD test graphs.

[James Tanner]

Thanks for this info James, I love this recording already.  Do you have any more details on the re-mastering process?
The original recording was done direct to R-DAT in 1988, so I suspect that it is 16 bit 48 kHz at best, right?  So the increased resolution may not be of much value as the filter artifacts of the 48 kHZ sample rate will still be present.
Anyway, this does not mean there cannot be improvements by the remastering process in terms of EQ. etc.

From Peter:

Hi James
ADAT hadn't been invented yet.The first ADAT recorders shipped in March 1992
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADAT

Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions was recorded in Nov 27, 1987.
I used a "Digital Audio Processor" which converted Analogue to Digital PCM and then converted that into a Black and White Video signal
Which was then recorded onto a Sony Betamax (analogue video recorder) as the DATA storage device only!! (Not Analogue Audio)

Sony PCM-F1 on thevintageknob.org

[barrows]

Thanks for trying to clear up the details James, but I am even more confused than ever.

R-DAT was introduced in 1987:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Tape

Here are a few of quotes from the liner notes of the Trinity Sessions CD (you probably have this, right?):
"Captured live at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto, Canada on Novenber 24, 1987"
"A Digital R-DAT Recording, using only a Calrec Ambisonic Microphone"
"An MDI Production Edited and Mastered Digitally Peter Moore assisted by Perren Baker

By no means am I trying to suggest Peter Moore is mistaken, it just does not seem clear to me exactly what the source is for the new mastering?  If there was analog tape capture at the time of the recording session in addition to the R-DAT referenced in the CD liner notes, great.  And if Peter then went from that analog tape direct to 24/176.4 via a DAD ADC for the new mastering, great (although LP fans may not be too happy).

[James Tanner]

Thanks for trying to clear up the details James, but I am even more confused than ever.

R-DAT was introduced in 1987:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Tape

Here are a few of quotes from the liner notes of the Trinity Sessions CD (you probably have this, right?):
"Captured live at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto, Canada on Novenber 24, 1987"
"A Digital R-DAT Recording, using only a Calrec Ambisonic Microphone"
"An MDI Production Edited and Mastered Digitally Peter Moore assisted by Perren Baker

By no means am I trying to suggest Peter Moore is mistaken, it just does not seem clear to me exactly what the source is for the new mastering?  If there was analog tape capture at the time of the recording session in addition to the R-DAT referenced in the CD liner notes, great.  And if Peter then went from that analog tape direct to 24/176.4 via a DAD ADC for the new mastering, great (although LP fans may not be too happy).

From what Peter told me he did not use the R-DAT recording as it sounded terrible.  He used a Sony Betamax recorder as well and used it.  The liner notes are incorrect and have been for years.

james

[Phil A]

The notes about the recording chain are also that way at All Music (among others whether they are right or wrong):

http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-trinity-session-mw0000197705

"Who says you can't make a great record in one day -- or night, as the case may be? The Trinity Session was recorded in one night using one microphone, a DAT recorder ..."