STEVEN WILSON LOVES CHANGING THE MINDS OF SPATIAL AUDIO SKEPTICS. HE'S THE GO-TO DOLBY ATMOS AND 5.1 MIXMASTER FOR MANY HERITAGE ARTISTS, NEW-WAVE BANDS, AND ALTERNATIVE ACTS. BEST KNOWN FOR LEADING THE POST-PROG COLLECTIVE PORCUPINE TREE, RELEASING A SCORE OF GENRE-STRETCHING SOLO ALBUMS, AND SERVING AS A KEY CREATIVE CONTRIBUTOR TO SUCH EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS AS NO-MAN AND BLACKFIELD, WILSON'S APPROACH IS SIMPLE: BRING THEM INTO HIS STUDIO AND LET THE MUSIC DO THE TALKING.
"My biggest thrill is sitting the artist down in the magic chair that's in the sweet spot, and then I play them their own music that's now suddenly opened out into spatial, three-dimensional audio-and I just watch their jaws hit the floor. It's the best! It's the best feeling in the world," Wilson acknowledges. "And I've had it happen many times. I've had it with Andy Partridge, Robert, Martin, Roland, and more recently Mat, from Suede." That's King Crimson's Robert Fripp, ABC's Martin Fry, Tears for Fears's Roland Orzabal, and Suede's Mat Osman. Partridge, of course, is from XTC.
Besides handling a litany of other artists' immersive-audio catalog upgrades, Wilson also concocts far-reaching Atmos mixes for his own original material. He recently completed one for his seventh studio solo album, The Harmony Codex (Virgin Music Group), released in September 2023. The Atmos mixing was done on the 7.1.4 system in Wilson's home studio, located just outside London. There, he uses a Logic Pro DAW with Logic native and Universal Audio plug-ins, Dolby Atmos Music Panner bridging, the Dolby Atmos Renderer, and two Universal Audio Apollo interfaces, monitoring his mixes-inprogress on Genelec 8020 speakers.
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Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Stereophile.
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INSTANTLY ICONIC
AUDIO SALON HOST/ENTREPRENEUR/SYSTEM AND FASHION DESIGNER DEVON TURNBULL'S RECORD-BREAKING ART OF NOISE SHOWING AT SAN FRANCISCO MOMA.
Buckeye PURIFI EIGENTAKT 1ET9040BA1
Back in 2016,' I documented the rise of class-D amps using the early Tripath technology. Used in the Bel Canto eVo 200.2, TriPath cracked open the door to the High End but was never admitted due to a dim and opaque treble.
Moon 891
No less than eight boxes, powered by six after-market power cables, comprise my current reference front-end.'
Clearaudio Signature
The Clearaudio allowed each mix, each sonic artifact, to reveal its unique character.
Gryphon Audio Designs Diablo 333
What's in a name? Denmark-based Gryphon Audio Designs laid down a marker when company founder Flemming Rasmussen chose that name in 1985. Browsing through the current Stereophile Recommended Components list, I only found one other manufacturer that utilizes an animal moniker.
The Rega Naia Turntable. Add Lightness.
To watch as Rega very slowly expands its turntable offerings upmarket requires the patience of a Thomas Pynchon addict waiting for each new tome from the notoriously slow-working and reclusive author.
Phono Preamplifier Seduction
Give me the seduction, give me the pleasure,\" Ron Sutherland was nearly shouting into the phone. \"I want to turn off the analytical mind and just enjoy myself!\"
Record Player Revelations
Like romance or car racing, the act of playing records is tactile by design. Like drifting through curves or making out, spinning vinyl is a learned skill that requires users to touch everything with practiced assurance.
Taking Care of Business
As Jim Austin wrote in this space in the December 2024 issue, following a medical procedure that he had in mid-October, he needed to take several weeks' leave to recuperate. He delegated the magazine's production to Managing Editor Mark Henninger, AVTech Editorial Director Paul Miller, and myself. The three of us worked with copy editor Linda Felaco and longtime art director Jeremy Moyler to produce the issue you hold in your hands.
Estelon X Diamond Mk II
Taste is a funny thing. Love cilantro? Millions swear it tastes like soap.
