The Warner Premium Sound series
Encyclopedia
The Warner Premium Sound series is series of 2011 hybrid multichannel-stereo Super Audio CD
/CD releases, which an important development in the format war between Super Audio CDs (SACDs) and DVD-Audio
discs. It marks the first time that the Warner Music Group
has released titles in the SACD format; previously they had endorsed the DVD-Audio format. In a parallel development in the United States
, four albums by the Doors
, titles strongly associated with the Warner Music Group, are also to be released on hybrid multichannel-stereo SACDs by Analogue Productions
. Also Mobile Fidelity have been issuing and continue to be issuing SACDs of the Warner catalogue, but in the past these have been stereo-only discs, and for their new releases they do not specify whether a given disc might have multichannel contents also.
Super Audio CD/CD hybrid discs contain both an SACD layer and a standard CD layer. For the SACD layer, the recording is converted into a DSD file instead of the PCM Linear that ordinary CDs use. The DSD coding has a sampling rate
of 64 times the CD Audio sampling rates of 44.1 kHz, for a rate of 2.8224 MHz (1 bit times 64 times 44.1 kHz).
or DSD coding of music with both a 5.1 surround sound
and a stereo
mix, as well as an ordinary Compact Disc
or CD coding with a stereo mix, on separate layers; that is, they are hybric multichannel
-stereo
discs. Thus these discs can be played on any CD player, although the playback of the DSD contents, most importantly multichannel mix, the require a Super Audio CD compatible player. So far this series comprises ten rock
and pop
record albums
, most of which have previously been available in the DVD-Audio format in North America.
Included in the SACDs in this series are the full English lyrics of each album, and also Japanese
translations of the lyrics.
in the United States
, although at least the Deep Purple
album Machine Head
has previously been released in this format by EMI
in Europe. Some of these new releases were released as 4-channel quadraphonic LP
records in the 1970’s, although such plans for albums as Hotel California
by The Eagles, which had been mixed for a quadraphonic release, were dropped following the demise of the quadraphonic format.
The DVD-Audio and the SACD formats have been involved in a format war since the late 1990’s. DVD-Audio had been endorsed by the Warner Music Group, while the SACD format had been endorsed by Sony and Universal Music Group
, and the SACD format has also been used by Virgin Records
, most notably for the latter, for the back catalogue of the Genesis
studio albums and Mike Oldfield
’s Tubular Bells
. EMI
has wavered between the two, with titles existing in both formats. These include Machine Head
by Deep Purple
on SACD and such titles as A Night At The Opera
by Queen
and the Beatles compilation Love on DVD-Audio. The decision on the latter may have reflected the fact that it is a soundtrack for a show
that is presented in Las Vegas in surround sound, and thus has an important market in North America (see below).
For some reason, Sony failed to promote SACDs actively in North America, with the result that DVD-Audios more or less reigned in the surround music market in there. Elsewhere, though, such as in Europe or Japan, SACDs have gained more foothold. The significance of the Warner Premium Sound series in this format war is that the Warner Music Group apparently has decided that the SACD market in Japan is too large to be insignificant, and this has led to the launch of this series of SACD releases. The format war, however, is not over and done with, as some new DVD-Audio titles still continue to emerge in the rock genre, most notably the back catalogue of King Crimson
.
also released a surround receiver and a Blue Ray player which also supports SACDs and DVD-Audios. This is also an important development in the surround sound field, since before this it was common for Blue Ray players, most notably Play Station 2, not to play SACDs. Thus it is now possible to find hardware that plays any music format on the market.
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
/CD releases, which an important development in the format war between Super Audio CDs (SACDs) and DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
discs. It marks the first time that the Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
has released titles in the SACD format; previously they had endorsed the DVD-Audio format. In a parallel development in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, four albums by the Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, titles strongly associated with the Warner Music Group, are also to be released on hybrid multichannel-stereo SACDs by Analogue Productions
Analogue Productions
Analogue Productions is a record label specializing in the manufacture and distribution of reissue LP record albums, CDs and SACDs that primarily include jazz, blues, rock, folk and classical styles of music. The company is a division of Acoustic Sounds, Inc...
. Also Mobile Fidelity have been issuing and continue to be issuing SACDs of the Warner catalogue, but in the past these have been stereo-only discs, and for their new releases they do not specify whether a given disc might have multichannel contents also.
Super Audio CD/CD hybrid discs contain both an SACD layer and a standard CD layer. For the SACD layer, the recording is converted into a DSD file instead of the PCM Linear that ordinary CDs use. The DSD coding has a sampling rate
Sampling rate
The sampling rate, sample rate, or sampling frequency defines the number of samples per unit of time taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal. For time-domain signals, the unit for sampling rate is hertz , sometimes noted as Sa/s...
of 64 times the CD Audio sampling rates of 44.1 kHz, for a rate of 2.8224 MHz (1 bit times 64 times 44.1 kHz).
The Warner Premium Sound series
The SACDs in the Warner Premium Sound series all include Direct Stream DigitalDirect Stream Digital
Direct-Stream Digital is the trademark name used by Sony and Philips for their system of recreating audible signals which uses pulse-density modulation encoding, a technology to store audio signals on digital storage media which is used for the Super Audio CD .The signal is stored as delta-sigma...
or DSD coding of music with both a 5.1 surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
and a stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
mix, as well as an ordinary Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
or CD coding with a stereo mix, on separate layers; that is, they are hybric multichannel
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
-stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
discs. Thus these discs can be played on any CD player, although the playback of the DSD contents, most importantly multichannel mix, the require a Super Audio CD compatible player. So far this series comprises ten rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
record albums
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, most of which have previously been available in the DVD-Audio format in North America.
Included in the SACDs in this series are the full English lyrics of each album, and also Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
translations of the lyrics.
Background
Most of the releases have previously been available on DVD-AudioDVD-Audio
DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, although at least the Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
album Machine Head
Machine Head (album)
Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded through December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972....
has previously been released in this format by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in Europe. Some of these new releases were released as 4-channel quadraphonic LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
records in the 1970’s, although such plans for albums as Hotel California
Hotel California
Hotel California is the fifth studio album released by the American rock band the Eagles, in late 1976. It is the first Eagles album without founding member Bernie Leadon and the first album with Joe Walsh. It is also the last album featuring original bass player and singer Randy Meisner...
by The Eagles, which had been mixed for a quadraphonic release, were dropped following the demise of the quadraphonic format.
The DVD-Audio and the SACD formats have been involved in a format war since the late 1990’s. DVD-Audio had been endorsed by the Warner Music Group, while the SACD format had been endorsed by Sony and Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, and the SACD format has also been used by Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, most notably for the latter, for the back catalogue of the Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
studio albums and Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
’s Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells is the debut record album of English musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1973. It was the first album released by Virgin Records and an early cornerstone of the company's success...
. EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
has wavered between the two, with titles existing in both formats. These include Machine Head
Machine Head (album)
Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded through December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972....
by Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
on SACD and such titles as A Night At The Opera
A Night at the Opera (Queen album)
A Night at the Opera is the fourth studio album by the British rock group Queen, released in November 1975. Co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Queen, A Night at the Opera was, at the time of its release, the most expensive album ever recorded...
by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and the Beatles compilation Love on DVD-Audio. The decision on the latter may have reflected the fact that it is a soundtrack for a show
LOVE (Cirque du Soleil)
Love is a 2006 theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil which combines the re-produced and re-imagined music of The Beatles with an interpretive, circus-based artistic and athletic stage performance. The show plays at a specially built theatre at The Mirage in Las Vegas.A joint venture between...
that is presented in Las Vegas in surround sound, and thus has an important market in North America (see below).
For some reason, Sony failed to promote SACDs actively in North America, with the result that DVD-Audios more or less reigned in the surround music market in there. Elsewhere, though, such as in Europe or Japan, SACDs have gained more foothold. The significance of the Warner Premium Sound series in this format war is that the Warner Music Group apparently has decided that the SACD market in Japan is too large to be insignificant, and this has led to the launch of this series of SACD releases. The format war, however, is not over and done with, as some new DVD-Audio titles still continue to emerge in the rock genre, most notably the back catalogue of King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
.
Hardware releases
Coinciding with the launch of the Warner Premium Sound series, DenonDenon
is a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon...
also released a surround receiver and a Blue Ray player which also supports SACDs and DVD-Audios. This is also an important development in the surround sound field, since before this it was common for Blue Ray players, most notably Play Station 2, not to play SACDs. Thus it is now possible to find hardware that plays any music format on the market.
List of titles in the series
- Titles released on 17 August, 2011
- Chicago VChicago VChicago V is the fourth studio album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1972. It is notable for being the group's first single full-length release, after having released three consecutive double albums and a box set of live material.-History:Following the release of Chicago III in...
(1970) by ChicagoChicago (band)Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had... - FragileFragile (Yes album)Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
(1971) by YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets... - Hotel CaliforniaHotel CaliforniaHotel California is the fifth studio album released by the American rock band the Eagles, in late 1976. It is the first Eagles album without founding member Bernie Leadon and the first album with Joe Walsh. It is also the last album featuring original bass player and singer Randy Meisner...
(1976) by The Eagles - Machine HeadMachine Head (album)Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded through December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972....
(1972) by Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre... - What’s NewWhat's New (Linda Ronstadt album)What's New is a Grammy-nominated, Triple Platinum-certified, 1983 Jazz album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt consisting of nine songs of Jazz music. It represents the first in a trilogy of 1980s albums Ronstadt recorded with the bandleader/arranger Nelson Riddle...
(1983) by Linda RonstadtLinda RonstadtLinda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
- Chicago V
- Titles released on 14 September, 2011
- The Captain and MeThe Captain and MeThe Captain and Me is the third studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1973. It features some of their most popular hits including "Long Train Running", "China Grove" and "Without You". The album is certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.- Recording and content :This time...
(1973) by The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:... - The DoorsThe Doors (album)The Doors is the debut album by the American rock band The Doors, recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967. It was originally released in significantly different stereo and mono mixes...
(1967) by The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger... - 44 (Foreigner album)-Foreigner:*Lou Gramm – Lead vocal, percussion*Mick Jones – guitar, keyboards, background vocal*Rick Wills – bass, background vocal*Dennis Elliott – drums, vocals, background vocal-Additional personnel:...
(1981) by ForeignerForeigner (band)Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm... - The NightflyThe NightflyThe Nightfly is the first solo album by Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, released in 1982. It was one of the first fully digital recordings of popular music...
(1982) by Donald FagenDonald FagenDonald Jay Fagen is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan .... - RumoursRumoursRumours is the eleventh studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. Largely recorded in California during 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut and was released on 4 February 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. The record peaked at the top of both the...
(1977) by Fleetwood MacFleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
- The Captain and Me
External links
- Warner Premium Sound series website (in JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
). Retrieved 2011-10-31.