Music Disc Reviews

The San Francisco Symphony

Continues Vad: “We do a multitrack recording when we do the actual live captures . . . but the mixes for the different formats are done in postproduction. We have a 7.1 system, and we use PMC speakers. The amplification is from Parasound. We don’t use any type of receiver — so even for playing back DVD or Blu-ray, we go into a custom-made monitoring controller. We use Oppo players for validating any of our test discs.

“As good as the components are, the most important thing for me in the production room is the room treatment. I think a lot of people overlook that kind of stuff. We have a lot of RPG diffusers, a lot of custom-made acoustical products that are in this room to make it as flat as possible — so that when we are mixing and producing these shows, we have a reference that’s very reliable.

“Because we already have the Mahler symphonies on SACD, I wanted to create a different experience for DVD and Blu-ray. The Keeping Score Mahler represents the best implementation so far of the ideas I’ve had, the result of which is a very different experience from what’s on the SACDs. Some people will like it, some people won’t.”