• From: London
  • Registered: 2007-05-04
  • Posts: 95

Topic: Making a SACD. Question.

Is there a prosumer level product that allow me to record in DSD and make a SACD? That will playback on a normal SACD player?

Surely it's no mode complicated than a DVD?

RME RPM + PCI, SL1200, Nad c350 , Dynaudio Audience 52, Ableton, Traktor. Dell 9200 E6600 XP Home
  • From: Melbourne, Australia
  • Registered: 2007-05-16
  • Posts: 495

Re: Making a SACD. Question.

There are semi-pro devices that record in DSD format.   The Korg MR-1 and MR-1000 do this and also the TASCAM RV-DA1000:

http://tascam.com/details;8,11,42.html

But there is to my knowledge no authoring facility for SACD format outside the top pro field.  The encoding and formatting is quite complex, especially with DRM built into the format.  Even DSD editing software is somewhat limited - you get conversion software with the KORG and TASCAM that converts it to PCM and back again.  The TASCAM is the nearest you get to being able to record and playback.  You can store DSD files on the DVD, but you can't make one in SACD format.

Never really taken off enough.  But play with DVD-Audio and have some multitrack fun in the meantime (DiscWelder Bronze or WaveLab come to mind).

De gustibus - et sonus - non est disputandum
  • From: London
  • Registered: 2007-05-04
  • Posts: 95

Re: Making a SACD. Question.

Thanks will take a look. Didn't realise SACD's were that hard to make . Or that compared to a CD the barrier to entry was so high.

RME RPM + PCI, SL1200, Nad c350 , Dynaudio Audience 52, Ableton, Traktor. Dell 9200 E6600 XP Home
  • JLU
  • New member
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  • From: Munich, Germany
  • Registered: 2007-06-11
  • Posts: 6

Re: Making a SACD. Question.

In fact today for DSD recording TASCAM and the new KORG MR-1 are the "cheapest" available devices.
But they only record in stereo (2 channels). If you like to record more than 2 channels, DSD-compatible workstations like "Pyramix" from Merging Technologies, or SADIE DSD system, or Sonic-Studio are needed. Here we talk about a price range starting at ~ 15.000 EUR.
(As stand alone multichannel recorder, i.e. GENEX offers such a system, but this is only Player/Recorder)
For editing, mixing, (pre)-mastering and authoring the mentioned DAWs offer different tools.
Also with all these DAWs you are not able to produce a SACD "InHouse". Only PreMasters (Edited-Master and Cutting-Master) can be written to a DDP TAPE (AIT), which then needs to be shipped to SACD-manufactures like SONOPRESS. (To be able to create Cutting-Master on these DAWs you may add another ~ 4000 EUR).

Apart from the DAW you will need DSD-ADCs and DSD-DACs, starting at ~ 500 EUR per channel!

Sonic Studio offers stand-alone software for PreMastering/Authoring (~ 5000 USD each!) and ProTools PlugIns for PCM to DSD conversion (~500 USD each)

I may report, there was a comparison test (the best I know) at the music high school in Detmold (ETI), they compared HiRes-PCM (24Bit/176.4kHz SR) versus DSD (1Bit/2.8MHz. Almost all of the participants (all with "experienced" ears) were not able to recognice the different signals (PCM and DSD) in an double blind ABX test. Only few people reconized (maybe cause there was a very very small click when switching the ABX-Tester).

There is still an argument for SACD, you can't copy! And this is the reason why you are not able to create a SACD "inHouse" (on your PC).

Joram Ludwig
Product Management
Synthax Audio AG