PlayClassics master file giveaway for CA members

[Silvio Pereira]

Dear Mario,

 

I would like to thank you for the giveaway offer. I have just downloaded the sample files and was delighted with its overall quality! Could I have the code for the "Cabrera plays Debussy" record plus the Flamenco recording? I intend to download all the other titles through donation and would like to congratulate you for the excellent work.

 

Best regards,

 

Silvio

[DMM]

Thanks for the download!

I just listened Iberia, Albéniz by Luis Grané. Extraordinary performance and musicality. As for recording, one of the best (if not the best) piano sounds I've heard in a recording. Congratulations!

[odelay]

Loving the flamenco Mario!

 

It takes me back to the cobblestone alley ways of Lisbon's Alfama district. Last month, we had such fun meandering our way through the cute bars with fado in the air. I know flamenco ain't fado, but I don't care ?

 

Really appreciating your unadulterated approach. Guitar is reproduced with incredible detail. Her voice soars with abandon. High five on the lack of compression!

 

Arresting. Beautiful music.

 

Top notch recordings that I'm sure I'll use as reference material for some time to come.

[tne]

Adding my thanks and my appreciation to Mario for this excellent music.

I donated for the Iberia piano album, and got the Chopin Polish Songs and the Flamenco for free.

 

Beautifully done musically and technically.

[Mario Martinez]

Thank you all for your wonderful comments! Everybody is welcome to download these flamenco files. I am going to need the feedback to convince them to make an album

 

As for the albums; we have given out 82 codes so far. Does anybody know how many members does CA have?

[semente]

Last night I was finally able to listen attentively to the "Iberia" recording.

The music has a real spanish taste, unlike some "Spanish" works by foreign composers that are plagued with obvious clichés.

The sounds is very "natural" both in tone, dynamics and perspective and without the exaggerated detail that has become so fashionable; I don't remember ever listening to the mechanical noise made by instrument at live performances, even when I was sitting very close, and yet people are obsessed about these hyper-realistic, unmusical noises.

You also seem to get the tonal balance right, with a gentle roll-off at the top that sounds very "realistic".

It might be a matter of taste but I find that many "classical" music recordings have an exaggerated top octave sound that makes them sound "unnatural" and sometimes quite unpleasant.

Overall I find that the sound quality matches the best piano recordings I have listened to.

 

Cheers,

Ricardo

[victor]

Hi Mario,

 

I would like to try pianist Luis Grané's recording of Iberia by Albéniz.

 

Cheers,

 

Victor

[enloji]

Hi Mario,

 

I listened the Debussy Préludes and I am absolutely astonished by the natural and relistic sound of the recording. Keep doing so amazing recordings. Why not jazz recordings? Thanks a lot

[DMW86]

Hello Mario

 

I am intrigued to hear the Quirós Debussy Préludes, please.

 

Happy to donate for these.

 

Best wishes

 

Duncan

[Mario Martinez]

Why not jazz recordings?

 

We have not had the chance to try everything yet. Besides the Classical, we have only been able to try the Flamenco, but I sure would like to try some Jazz too...

[mansr]

We have not had the chance to try everything yet. Besides the Classical, we have only been able to try the Flamenco, but I sure would like to try some Jazz too...

 

I for one would like to hear some.

[Jud]

 

I'd like a code for the Quirós Debussy Préludes, please.

 

These were excellent. The word that comes immediately to mind regarding the sound is "natural." There is not a sense of a recording being made so much as listening in on a performance.

 

I don't know whether you choose the artists, they choose you, or both, but someone chose well, because the performance is beautiful.

 

Thank you, I'll be donating.

[Guidof]

Hello Mario:

 

I truly enjoyed listening to Iberia. Great performance. Excellent sound.

 

Best wishes for success in your project, and look forward to future recordings.

 

Regards,

 

Guido F.

[audio.bill]

I'd be very interested in any acoustic jazz or blues recordings you could offer, and would be happy to donate towards them!

[Mario Martinez]

I don't know whether you choose the artists, they choose you, or both, but someone chose well, because the performance is beautiful.

 

Thanks Jud, it actually works both ways.

 

I know my way around classical (I once was a classical pianist myself) but if we start doing other genders I am going to have to ask for suggestions or maybe I should make a poll "Who do you think the next artist should be?" and I will try to convince them to make an album with us

[DEANO2]

Iberia, would love it.

 

Sent from my SM-T113 using Tapatalk

[JoeWhip]

Listened to Iberia finally last night in a late night session. Sensational sonics. Well done Mario.! As for jazz, a trio (piano, upright bass and drums) would be a great place to start. Think of the great Oscar Peterson trio with Ed Thigpen and Ray Brown or the sensational Ray Brown Trio with Gene Harris and Jeff Hamilton. I would love to hear that type of music recorded as you have recorded the Iberia album.

[qdwieertteyrujpo]

Dear Mario,

 

I downloaded Cabrera. First I played it through iFi Nano and Focal XS Book speakers: while the higher notes came out beautifully, as if - as many people say - the piano was right in the room, the lower notes sounded a bit like under a veil.

Now I am listening through Devialet 200 and Focal Aria926: simply stunning! Mr Cabrera sits with me in my room and plays for me; never heard anything like that before.

 

You certainly have me hooked and I will donate to get your other recordings.

 

Kind regards,

Dieter

[pooger]

I chose the Chopin, both because I'm extremely fond of piano accompanied lieder, and total unfamiliarity with Chopin's lieder. While I am going to get more of these truly great recordings—I'm sure I made the right choice! The piano is, as everyone has written, unusually natural sounding—one of the few recordings I have that simply put a piano 15 or 20 feet in front of you. The soprano is even more natural. At first, I missed some of the throat and chest sounds that closer miking has gotten me used to. But, as her voice swelled and filled the room, it had that "harmonic float" that I get at live performances. It's all of one piece, the pianist and singer, in the smallish venue. And the performances are beyond the "nothing to fault" classification, they are both top notch.

 

Interesting how quiet the recording is too. My system can play at full bore on quieter recordings, and I didn't realize I had maxed out my volume until I looked after the last song. I got curious and used the db meter in my iPad. The quieter sections were around 33db at my listening position (that evening with nothing playing, I measured 31db). Now, I felt there was still a noticeable dynamic (mainly note decays) even at this low level, which is not something I'm used to. Fortes were peaking in the low 80s, which has more to do with the gain structure my system has, but means there are about 50 db of clean range here. I'd love more producers to be exposed to recordings like this. Donation is on the way!

[mansr]

Interesting how quiet the recording is too. My system can play at full bore on quieter recordings, and I didn't realize I had maxed out my volume until I looked after the last song. I got curious and used the db meter in my iPad. The quieter sections were around 33db at my listening position (that evening with nothing playing, I measured 31db). Now, I felt there was still a noticeable dynamic (mainly note decays) even at this low level, which is not something I'm used to. Fortes were peaking in the low 80s, which has more to do with the gain structure my system has, but means there are about 50 db of clean range here. I'd love more producers to be exposed to recordings like this. Donation is on the way!

 

There's no (or very little) dynamic range compression applied to these recordings. Across the entire album, the RMS level is about -30 dB and peak level -0.18 db. Most albums have only 20 dB of peak to RMS difference.

[Mario Martinez]

These masters do not have any dynamic range compression. As a matter of fact, they do not have anything at all

 

That is what we are trying to say when we explain the Truthful Recording Technology on our web page: Musicstry Studios, discover the Truthful Recording Technology

 

In our studios the recording hall is configured so that the sound of the hall is exactly the same as the sound of the take. [/Quote]

 

We do not do anything to the sound after it has been captured by the microphones. We have built our sound quality by working the acoustics of the hall itself. This is the single most important aspect of our technology. That is what makes it truthful !

[sandyk]

Hi Mario

Iberia is most definitely REFERENCE quality demonstration material. I can only imagine just how much better Michael Tilson Thomas, Richard Clayderman, Roger Woodward , Carmen Cavallaro, Stanley Black and others, would have sounded with more popular fare if they had been recorded by you using these methods, but without the added improvisation that some were prone to.

 

Kind Regards

Alex

[esldude]

Thanks for this very nice offer.

 

I would like to try Cabrera plays Debussy.

 

I have had a chance to listen undisturbed to this twice now. This is an excellent, honest, un-hyped piano recording. The performance and recording quality are such that when I begin listening I quite naturally listen all the way to the end. It is un-fatiguing, engaging and enjoyable. An excellent example of unprocessed recording done well with a good musician and someone who knows how to place their microphone. A piano recording you can play at realistic sound levels.

 

Well done.

[Mario Martinez]

Thank you all for taking the time to listen to these albums. It is really rewarding to read so many wonderful comments. This is great feedback, we have already incorporated a lot of your testimonials to our web page.

 

So far we have given out 90 codes: 47 for Albéniz Iberia, 18 for Cabrera plays Debussy, 14 for Debussy Préludes, 7 for Chopin Polish Songs and 4 for Songs of Paolo Tosti.

 

As for the flamenco samples, we have only given out 9. We would like everybody to have these too. I think it is really revealing to hear how the guitar sounds compared to the piano knowing that it was recorded the exact same way.

[JoeWhip]

Mario, let's make it 10 then!☺️