dCS World Premiere Presentation

Friday and Saturday September 23rd & 24th, Northstar facilitated dCS's world wide introduction of a new format for audio playback on their Debussy DA converter... DSD master files played through a standard USB interface on a standard MAC/PC. This groundbreaking feature might forever change the way we will have access to high resolution audio formats. SACD will no longer be the sole carrier for this wonderful format for sure...!
Northstar was chosen to deliver the DSD source material and Bert van der Wolf gave a lecture on the use of DSD & DXD in the recording process and on why it is such a splendid alternative for traditional PCM formats. The event took place at Rhapsody Sound Masters in Hilversum, Holland.
After this the international press embarked on a tour to the Northstar Studio to get a glimpse of what might become possible in the forseable future with DSD surround files and Ultra High End playback systems!

"...Impressive!"
(Werner Ero / Music Emotion Magazine)

• dCS_ME12-11.pdf

Northstar features in Audio Beat

Northstar features in Audio Beat
Audio Beat's Chris Thomas visited the Northstar Studio and wrote a great article...

"...Piece after piece followed. These were mainly classical and all had equal effect. This was dynamic range like I've never heard from CD, but the sound was tonally acute as well, and I never got the impression that the medium itself was inhibiting what Bert was trying to convey with his recordings..."

"...I actually couldn’t stop smiling. This was dynamic range and transient freedom like I have never heard -- nor expected..."

"...Bert is a truly great producer of the type that I haven’t met for many years, and he has built this amazing installation purely for his own enjoyment. I admire that..."

• The Audio Beat - DSD Over USB_ An Open Standard.pdf

HQMM Mastering

High Quality Musical (Surround) Mastering
In this article the HQMM principle, which is developed by Northstar and executed in all of our recording projects, is explained. The principle is more of a philosophy, ("good") taste if you like, than a technical requirement and has it's basis in 25 years of recording practice with a large variety of artists and ensembles. The level of success of the principle is nevertheless largely dependent on the quality of the equipment used, because extremely correct temporal behavior and proper tonal and harmonic balance are certainly key elements. Most of the traditional Pro-Audio gear does not perform adequately and Northstar collaborated with many "High End" audio manufacturers to be able to reach an extreme high level of music reproduction which truly defines the HQMM.

• HQMM verhaal.pdf

Live optreden Jungle Boldie bij Rhapsody

How "real life" can sound reproduction be...?
...De Hilversumse high-end winkel Rhapsody staat al sinds haar oprichting in het teken van muzikale diepgang. Daarvan getuigen niet allen de vele jaarlijks gegeven demo’s en shows, maar het is vooral het gedurfde abstracte buiten de gebaande paden denken, wat Rhapsody altijd tot zo’n bijzondere winkel heeft gemaakt. Een prachtig voorbeeld hiervan is het onlangs op 5 juni gehouden unieke live concert van Jungle Boldie (Maarten Ornstein, Tony Overwater en Wim Kegel). Uniek in de zin dat dit keer het optreden is vastgelegd door niemand minder dan Bert van der Wolf van Turtle Records en meteen na het concert in dezelfde ruimte op een top high-end systeem weer is afgedraaid!...

• JungleBoldie.pdf

Artikel Music Emotion

Interview door Werner Ero met Bert van der Wolf.
Passie voor Muziek...
"Hij startte een opname, gemaakt in een kleine kerk, die zo ontzettend realistisch op alle parameters scoorde dat mijn hersenen totaal in de war raakte."

• Passie_MusicEmotion4_07.pdf

Interview Studio Magazine (DE)

Interview with Bert van der Wolf by Dieter Kahlen from Studio Magazin.
"Timing ist alles..."
Many issues about Northstar's recording philosophy are discussed.

• InterviewStudioMagazin2005.pdf

Off to meet the Wizards...proof that pros realy do care

Interview by Richard S. Foster.
"His Post Production Studio is absolutely out of this world"

• visit_Hi-Fi_plus.pdf

Super Audio CD Artikel Pro Audio Visie / Bert van der Wolf

• Super Audio...waar we wel rekening mee moeten houden.pdf

Variaties op een filter...hoorbaar of voelbaar?

"Variaties op een filter..."
Een grondige luistertest om de hoorbaarheid en/of "voelbaarheid" van verschillende filters bij "hogere" sample rates te onderzoeken.

• variatiesopeenfilter.pdf