Center Stage

Vivid, Colorful and Impactful – Sonic Gems with Superb Sound and Enjoyment 

Center Stage was recorded in a historic concert hall on the campus of Hampton University in Hampton Roads, Virginia.  The history of the hall is somewhat parallel to Carnegie Hall in New York; however, the hall is smaller, without much protection from external noise.  Because of the wonderful acoustic it provided, the sonic result more than made up for the necessary workarounds by recording when the university was not in session as well as during times of low traffic.

The musicians in the National Symphonic Winds came from the premier military bands of the United States as well as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.  This was a superb mix of very seasoned and assured professionals as there was no rehearsal for this single, five hour recording session. This factor was a major contributor to the apparent energy and spontaneity that is so well heard in this music.  The repertoire was chosen to be user friendly, vivid, colorful and impactful which is evident as these recordings have become sought after gems for both superb sound and enjoyment.

The philosophy of the recording process was to be as true to the natural acoustic and performance as possible which meant this was an Analog, Direct to 2 Track, Minimal Microphone Recording with no spotlighting of solo instruments.  Simply, these were not “fix it in the mix” recordings.

What you hear is what went directly on half-inch tape using what is arguably the finest 2 Track 30 IPS Analog Recorder in the world. The Wilson Ultramaster, a highly modified Studer tape deck with custom designed electronics designed by John Curl.  To accomplish this difficult, time pressure recording, the recording engineering skills of the renowned Bruce Leek were employed.  Ergo, the finest acoustic, the finest musicians, the finest recording engineer and the finest equipment were all in play under the watchful eyes and ears of David and Sheryl Lee Wilson.

This edition of Center Stage at NativeDSD features an Analog to High Definition Stereo DSD 64 Digital Transfer by Bruce Brown at Puget Sound Studios using the Meitner ADC-8 Analog to Digital Converter from EMM Labs. Puget Sound Studios received the tapes from Wilson Audiophile Recordings, LLC, in a wooden crate. Master Tapes were then cataloged in an Excel spreadsheet. Each Master Tape was then inspected, cleaned with an anti-fungal solution, and then a lubricant was applied to prepare the Master Tapes for the transfer process. All splices were inspected and repaired, if necessary.

Because of the extreme dynamic range of this music, the apparent level is low as this is not a compressed recording.  As such, the timbre of the ensemble remains intact as well as the soundstage being completely natural.  One can hear the hall because there is no added enhancement to the reverberation.  A word of caution when raising the volume please be careful as these are real world dynamics which can be harmful to equipment if one is not careful.

These recordings provide a graphic sense of time, space and naturalness. Please enjoy these significant recordings as they hold a distinctive place in the audio and musical world.

Lowell E. Graham, Conductor & Producer
National Symphonic Winds