| NEWS |
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| July 2010 Edison Luister Publieksprijs 2010 |
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Challenge Records int. is proud and very happy with the
winning of the Edison Luister Publieksprijs, which was
handed out to Rudolf Koelman for his extraordinary recording,
with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jan
Willem de Vriend, of the Violin Concertos nos. 1 & 2 of
Niccolò Paganini. The Award was handed out on the 18th of
June, in the Edison Classical Award-Gala which took place in
the magnificent Kurhaus in Scheveningen and was broadcasted
on National Dutch television (Ned 2) by the AVRO.
Because this award was chosen by the public, everyone had
been able to vote themselves for their favorite Classical
Album of the year 2009 out of a selection made by the Jury
of the Edison Stichting and classical Dutch magazine
'Luister'. The album was recorded live, which makes it an
even more incredible performance. To listen to samples of
the album,
click here. |
| November 2009 GOLDEN AWARD |
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| June 2009 |
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| January 2009 |
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| November 2006 SPECIAL OFFERS |
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The X150 stereo amplifier embodies the design technology and refinements of the larger "X" series amplifiers including the patented Supersymmetry™ circuit. The X-150 is rated at 150 watts per channel in 8 ohms and 300 watts into 4 ohms. NEW |
| September 2006 |
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Soon more information on this
Northstar recording project for Universal/Flow Records |
| November 2005 |
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Announcement
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| November 2005 |
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Announcement
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| May 2005 |
Northstar supplied 8 Sonodore microphones and pre-amps and
consulting for the live recordings of Marco Borsato's
concerts in the 'Sport Paleis' Antwerp, Belgium. The
Sonodores where applied to capture the full ambience of the
event. |
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| March 2005 |
| Northstar performed a full upgrade of John Ewbank
(Producer/Songwriter) privat recording studio. Sonodore
microphones, Avalon Pro monitoring, 8 channels of dCS
converters and Siltech cables are the key elements of John's
studio now. |
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| April 2005 |
| Northstar Recording Services installed the Avalon Eidolon
'Special-X' Studio monitors and Symbol-special Sub-woofer,
custom designed for Northstar by Neil Patel (Avalon 'Musical Master Pieces'/USA) |
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| April 2005 |
| Interview Bert van der Wolf, Northstar
(Studio Magazin 2005) Was hat die holländische Fußball-Legende Johan Cruyff mit Audiotechnik zu tun? Auch wenn diese Frage zugegebenerweise nicht unbedingt ganz oben auf meiner Liste gestanden hatte, als ich mich zu Bert van der Wolf auf die Reise machte - am Ende eines informativen Tagesausflugs in die Niederlande war auch sie beantwortet. Das Ziel war Haaften, eine friedliche holländische Kleinstadt in der Nähe von 's-Hertogenbosch, rund eineinhalb Stunden vom Ruhrgebiet entfernt - und, wie es scheint, der ideale Ort, um die von vielen Menschen angestrebte Vision vom Arbeiten und Wohnen unter einem Dach zur Realität werden zu lassen. Eine Horde spielender Kinder im Vorgarten, ein kurzer Snack in der Küche und dann wieder zurück ins Studio - so läßt es sich leben. Das erste Mal traf ich Bert van der Wolf vor ein paar Jahren auf einer Audio-Fachmesse, wo er als 'Produkt-Evangelist' für dCS-Wandler aktiv war. Allerdings wurde mir damals schon nach ein paar Sätzen klar, dass ich es hier als Pressemann nicht mit einem typischen marketing-Strategen zu tun hatte, sondern mit einem professionellen Anwender, der sich eher beiläufig auch noch ein wenig um ein Produkt bemühte, das ihm ganz offensichtlich persönlich am Herzen lag. Und bis heute hat sich nichts daran geändert, dass van der Wolf sich nur schlecht in eine Schublade stecken läßt - klassisch ausgebildeter Tonmeister und -ingenieur, Produzent, Studiobetreiber mit stationärer und mobiler Technik und Berater für Produktentwicklung sind nur einige der Etiketten, die man ihm verpassen könnte. read more  |
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| Jan 2005 |
 Another
new product has been added to the Sonodore line. The
HPA-1000
is a dedicated power amplifier for the AKG K-1000 Headphone.
This amplifier is developed to expose and complement the
un-matched sonic characteristics of the K-1000. Tonal
balance, optimal transient response and ultimate
transparency are the key parameters for both the K-1000 and
the HPA-1000." |
| Juli 2004 |
| We have been getting many questions from our clients about
the new "DXD" format that we have implemented in our dCS
5,7 and 8 series products. Most of these questions were if
we could upgrade the existing 4 series to this norm which
makes use of 352,8kS/s-24bits and whether the sound-quality
is indeed equivalent to DSD 2,8MHZ/1bit. Read more (dCS News page) |
| June 2004 |
| Northstar distributes Philips PROTECH SA-CD authoring
tools: Following on from its investment in Philips’ PROTECH Super Audio CD authoring system (see Super Audio CD newsletter 01-03-04) Northstar Recording Services, based in Haaften, Holland, has signed a distribution agreement for the entire PROTECH product range in the Netherlands and the UK. Read more |
| April 2004 |
| Northstar participated in the Cetacea project of Michael
Fahres by recording the sounds of several Dolphins. The
ultra High Frequencies only can be captured by very High
Resolution digital technology, which Northstar was able to
implement with dCS converters and a Pyramix digital
workstation of Merging technologies. Cetacea will be a
musical composition that makes use of the natural sound
patterns of the Dolphins way of communication and
localization. Eventually the result will not only be played
for humans at less then a 10th of the speed, but hopefully
also for the Dolphins...The joy of spending a day with these
amazingly intelligent animals was really impressive. |
| April 2004 |
| NorthStar delivers SACD from start to
finisch in One to One Magazine / issue 165 / April 2004 Read more |
| March 2004 |
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Sony Newsletter: Northstar completes SA-CD production facility with new authoring system. Read More |
| February 2004 |
| Next to investing in the complete super audio
mastering-/authoring tools, as first independant studio,
Northstar has now also installed the official ANNEX D&E
level metering- and verification for producing standardized
disc images for SACD productions. More info |
| January 2004 |
 After
a period of almost 2 years of research and 'trial and error'
NorthStar is pleased to introduce the new professional cable
line of Siltech. Initially we will offer the Siltech
PRO S3 and the Siltech PRO S4, especially produced for
professional recording studios to be used as Microphone
cable. The Siltech PRO S4 is specifically adapted for use
with the Sonodore RCM-402 Microphone. These cables are pure
Silver/Gold based and are constructed with a 'balanced
twisting' method recently invented and developed by Siltech.
This combination results in a virtually ideal inductive
behaviour cables and ultra low distortion. For low currents
like a microphone signal this has proven to be virtually
ideal and the enhancement in audio quality of the microphone
signal is staggering! These specifications are an absolute
worlds first! The construction of the cable is adapted to
the demands of the professional user. Robustness has been a
key issue in the development. |
| January 2004 |
 Another
new product has been added to the Sonodore line. The
MPA-508 is an 8 channel microphone pre-amplifier of the
highest possible quality. The specifications are optimised
for use with the Sonodore RCM-402 microphone, but a separate
phantom power of 48V is added to accommodate other
microphones. Resistor based gain switches of 1dB steps make
a very accurate use possible and the safety devices
installed on the toggles switches makes use on crowded
stages very reliable and convenient. |
| December 2004 |
As First independent studio and recording
service, NorthStar has invested in
the complete Authoring tools for producing Super Audio CD's.
Northstar is now able to create all DST encoded files and
disc images needed for the SA-CD pressing process in
the pressing plants. For more information and prices please
contact us at:
info@northstarconsult.nl |
| November 2003 |
| Software version v 1.07 for the dCS 974 DDC
unit is available. This version is a de-bug for the initially released v 1.06. No new features, but strongly advised for those who have installed v 1.06 earlier. For more information please contact us. |
| Oktober 2003 |
| New Sonodore products. • MPA-502 2 channel Microphone pre-amplifier, optimised for the RCM-402 microphones, but also equipped with 48V phantom powering for use with other microphones. Available from November 1st 2003. • MPA-508 8 channel Microphone pre-amplifier optimised for the RCM-402 microphones. All channels also have a 48V phantom power switch and an additional tone generator (1kHz +20dBU) is added for lining up ADC's and recorders. Available from December 15th 2003. • PG-88 grid for the RCM-402 for a boosted frequency response at approximately 20kHz. Together with the standard grid and the PG-78 there now is a wide range of possibilities for acoustic equalizing the Sonodore microphones. The PG-88 delivers a virtually ideal frequency response up to 20kHz with a slight boost up to 25kHz which is often perceived as delivering a more 'open' sound stage. Many mastering engineers add this bit of 'top-end' in recordings... The Sonodore can add this now right at the source. All other qualities of the RCM-402 stay in tact, like the exceptional impulse response and omni directional character of the microphone. |
| September 2003 |
| The earlier announced Avalon Studio Pro Monitor is now available. This second product of Avalon Professional Products utilizes similar concepts as the highly acclaimed Mixing Monitor, but is placed in a lower price segment. This makes Surround applications with use of this state of the art technology more affordable for many. The specifications are such that combinations of the two models are seemless. A shielded version for center speaker applications is also available. |
| September 2003 |
| NorthStar Recording Services has invested in a second 8 channel DSD recording-/editing workstation from Merging Technologies. Together with dCS AD-and DA converters it is now possible to do productions in DSD up to 16 channels and 12 channels of 352,8kS/s-24 bit in PCM. Furthermore the system is capable of delivering masters for both SACD and DVD productions. |
| May/June 2003 |
| NorthStar delivered a 5 channel set
Sonodore
RCM-402B microphones to Ronald Prent's company Sample Sound
Productions. Quote: 'The sonodore microphone is the first
microphone I heard which does not sound like a microphone.
It sounds like what is in front of it! A unique and
incredible product and it is amazing these microphones exist
already for so many years before becoming known amongst us
engineers. Everybody should try them and find how
magnificent and natural sounding they are. If I record a
grand piano with them, this very grand piano sounds in my
control room. It gives me shivers on my back!....' |
