Majestic Dimensional Fidelity
- Overview by Angelo Montrone
Majestic Dimensional Fidelity (MDM) is our own standard of audio excellence assuring the listener that the audio has been recorded, mixed and mastered to the highest standard and is exceptional in clarity, detail, dynamics and dimension.
The determination for this is made by audio professionals at Majestic Music and we stake our reputation on it.
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In the past, as a Staff Producer/A&R at record labels I was tasked with assuring the mixes and final masters met their standards of quality.​
With MDM I have established an even higher standard of audio excellence. It is based on decades of experimenting with recording, mixing and mastering techniques, custom equipment modifications, endless listening tests of equipment, converters, wire, electrical systems etc, and it includes the development of our own unique techniques and audio philosophy.
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Most often the recordings made in-house will bear the MDM stamp, however, we also sell music that we feel is musically noteworthy, but may not meet the audio standards of MDM, and these recordings will not bear that stamp.
We constantly strive to push the boundaries of what can be done. Our techniques, tools and general philosophy are outlined below and on our Audio Evolution page.
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How should sound sound?
Judging sound quality, like judging food, wine and art, is somewhat subjective. Our measurement of this begins with asking a question.
Does it have emotional impact?
In other words, does it capture and involve you, and does it make you want to listen more?
A related question is, does it achieve the intended goal of the production? In some cases, the goal might be to make you feel as if you are in the room with the musicians, with the elements like the singer, the brass section, the guitars being so real you feel you can reach out and touch them.
In other cases, there is intentional artistic abstraction. Perhaps the goal is to sound like a vintage recording or conversely for the musicians to sound like they are performing in a huge stadium. In each of these cases, you want to be fully convinced of the intended sonic vision.
So, what are the common factors that contribute to all of these scenarios?
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Great Songs and Passionate Performances
This has to be said first. It's the reason we listen to and love music.
Detail
Our brains are highly evolved to process sound and can pick up on the most subtle aural cues to create a sound picture. This means that the more detail we deliver in our recordings, the more impactful and involving the listening experience will be.
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Capturing maximum detail is a holistic process involving every aspect of the recording process: the equipment, the recording techniques, the acoustics, wiring, electrical system etc. Majestic Music Studio was built with all of this in mind.
Ambience (the acoustics around the sound source)
Milliseconds after we hear a sound, we begin to hear reflections of that sound bouncing off of walls, the floor, the ceiling and any other objects in the room, which provides information about what type of acoustic space the sound is in. This is called ambience, and it has a strong emotional impact on us. An instrument or voice in a small room can sound intimate, but in a huge concert hall it can sound powerful and majestic. Additionally, ambience creates a sense of dimensional space for the listener.
We have put tremendous effort into our acoustic spaces and how we use and manipulate ambience both real and artificial (ie any devices used to create reverb & echo). This is addressed in detail on our page Audio Evolution
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Additional important factors are…
Recording Technique
Quality recordings start with a mastery of the fundamentals of recording and mixing learned from golden ear engineers of the past, then we add our own techniques and insight to move things forward.
Microphone technique, the sometimes overlooked art of selecting the right microphone and position(s) to capture an instrument can have a huge impact on the sound quality and realism.
Our Dimensional Ambience Process, Hybrid Mixing Technique, Enhancement Chamber, and use of Analog Tape are just a few of the techniques we've developed/adapted in order to provide the detail and ambience that results in an impactful and involving listening experience.
Our page Audio Evolution pulls back the curtain on many of these techniques.
Mastering and Dynamics
One parameter that is not subjective because it can be measured is dynamics. Dynamics are so important to music that Beethoven actually devised his own notation for this. However, dynamics can be easily lost in mixing & mastering with a process called “Brickwall Limiting” which digitally chops off peaks in level, reducing dynamics in an attempt to make the music seem louder (see Loudness Wars). It’s essentially a way to trick the listener, LIKE USING ALL CAPS TO MAKE A POINT, rather than having a good point to make. It would be like Beethoven telling his symphony to only play LOUD, since that’s the most exciting part!
We go into this in greater detail on the Audio Evolution page, but suffice to say that we keep the dynamics through the mastering process (adhering to at lease the current recommendation of -14LUFS).
Equipment
World class equipment in the hands of an experienced recording engineer is a recipe for success. Microphones, mic preamps, compressers, equalizers, tape machines and effects processors form the pallet of colors from which an engineer can paint the sound: accurate, romantic, exciting, somber…​​​
Acoustics
It starts with excellent recording room acoustics and a highly accurate control (listening) room. Of course, one needs excellent microphones to properly capture the performance. The rest of the signal chain needs to be on par: mic preamps, compressors, equalizers, effects processors and digital converters. In addition are considerations of sample rates, the electrical system, wiring, tubes.
Instruments and Musicians
Even with all of the above, a great musician really makes a difference not just in performance, but in sound quality. Great musicians have both musical virtuosity and the ability to make their instruments sing beautifully! Pairing a musician with a beautifully resonant instrument gives them an expressive tool with which to convey their feelings and can inspire them. We have a collection of instruments (new and vintage) ranging from drums to guitars, amps & keyboards that were all hand picked for their sonic excellence and took decades to acquire.
What it isn't
MDM is not: a digital or analog encoder that the sound is run through, anything to do with Spacial Audio, Surround, Atmos and the like.