Audiophile Masters, Volume III features 10 all-new high-performance tracks, ranging from Monica Marie Labonte’s beautiful Loving You with Eric Wiggs on the dobro and Bradley Morse on the bass, to drummer Michelle Pietrafitta’s powerful Moonbeam, and the finger-snapping jazz of the Seth Lewis Quintet. These extraordinary tracks were captured in pure DSD 64 using Octave Records’ Sonoma DSD recording system at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado by recording engineer Steven Vidaic and assisted by Giselle Collazo. Mastered by David Glasser, this is a limited edition Audiophile Masters that will be a must-have addition to anyone’s library. Reference quality tracks. Each and every one a sonic treasure.

This reference-quality album begins with Monica Marie Labonte’s “Loving You,” recorded from an intimate perspective that lets every nuance of her vocals and acoustic guitar, and the Dobro and acoustic bass, to be heard with superb realism. Other selected tracks include the avant-garde-meets classic-jazz “Baba Yaga’s Hut” by the Tom Amend trio, and the Seth Lewis Quintet’s lush “Arborvitae,” featuring captivating solos by electric guitarist Dave Devine and Octave Records solo artist Gabriel Mervine on trumpet.

“Airs chantés, no. 4 – Air vif,” a duet written by Francis Poulenc, showcases vocalist Ekaterina Kotcherguina and pianist Jessica Nilles in a performance with stunning dynamics and depth. Andy Thorn’s “Fox Trail” is a bluegrass banjo and acoustic guitar workout with the instruments captured in lively detail. “Last Chance” is performed by the irresistibly-named duo More Than Physics entirely on handpans, a steel-drum-like instrument struck with the hands, with a surprisingly versatile range of sounds, all captured with extraordinary fidelity.

The recording was brilliantly captured by Octave Records’ engineer Steven Vidaic with assistance from Giselle Collazo at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado. All tracks were captured directly from the analog microphone preamps (Grace, Manley, Forssell) into the Meitner Analog to Digital Converters then into the Sonoma DSD Recorder. Monitoring and rough mixing was performed on a Trident analog board.

Once tracking was completed the DSD files were transferred to Steven Vidaic’s Locust Room where they were converted back to analog via synchronized 8 channel Meitner and Mytek Digital to Analog Converters, to then be mixed on a Euphonix C2000 analog console and analog outboard processors. The final two-channel analog master is then converted back to DSD through the Meitner Analog to Digital Converter before mastering.

Monica Marie LaBonte (Track 1)
Deborah Schmit-Lobis (Track 2)
Tom Amend Trio (Track 3)
Michelle Pietrafitta (Track 4)
Andy Thorn (Track 5)
Dechen Hawk (Track 6)
Duo Azure (Track 7)
Seth Lewis Quintet (Track 8)
More Than Physics (Track 9)
Mike Robinson (Track 10)