An original DSD recording from piano master Don Grusin. It's a sonic stunner, in CD, high res and DSD. Nothing short of amazing, both musically and sonically.
Album

Out of Thin Air

Artist

Don Grusin

An original DSD recording from piano master Don Grusin. It's a sonic stunner, in CD, high res and DSD. Nothing short of amazing, both musically and sonically.

Just released. A limited-edition, individually numbered, 180-gram collector’s vinyl. These won’t be around long.

From the brilliant pianist, Don Grusin comes a remarkable recording of original compositions. Recorded in pure DSD on the Sonoma Multi-track recorder, this is one of the very best recordings you’ll have in your treasured collection. The 2-disc SACD set is sold out but remains available as a download or a limited edition vinyl release. Do not miss out on what remains available on this limited edition release of Octave Records’ premier launch of its Master Series.

Digital downloads available now
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About

Don Grusin

Octave’s premier release, Out of Thin Air, is from world-renowned pianist and composer, Don Grusin. Don has recorded with hundreds of artists and has received three GRAMMY awards and nominated for a fourth, with his 2006 live album The Hang. His recording projects and live performances have taken him around the world. He is the founder of Moose Sound LLC, a recording studio outside of Salida, Colorado where Out of Thin Air was recorded. Don Grusin grew up in Littleton, Colorado, studied at the University of Colorado Boulder in the 1960s and went on to teach economics. At the same time, he pursued his musical interests and in the 1970s, while teaching at Foothill College, he started playing with Latin-jazz Bay Area superband Azteca. When Don got an invitation from Quincy Jones to join his touring band, he dedicated himself to music full-time, as a bandleader and studio musician in Los Angeles. Don has worked with a variety of artists including: Quincy Jones, Sergio Mendes, Zoot Sims, Joe Pass, and many others; and with the 1980s Friendship band, which featured guitarist Lee Ritenour, drummer Alex Acuna, saxophonist Ernie Watts, bassist Abe Laboriel and percussionist Steve Forman. Don’s older brother, noted composer/pianist/producer and co-founder of GRP Records, Dave Grusin, had a major influence on Don’s interest and approach to music generally and in jazz in particular. They’ve played together at The Conference of World Affairs at CU for many years, and have frequently played two-piano concerts on tours in the US and internationally.

The Music

01 - Classical September
02 - Caréncia
03 - Hermano Hidalgo
04 - The Last Train
05 - Minute Study in E
06 - Willow Dance
07 - When Last We Spoke
08 - Grusin Likes Gershwin
09 - Self Quarantine
10 - Jam suite 1 Keyrows
11 - Jam Suite 2 - Colorado Peach Jam
12 - So Nan Desu

The Recording

Recorded on the Sonoma multi-track workstation which uses pure one-bit Direct Stream Digital® (DSD) technology. From the format’s inception, the point man on DSD recording has been Gus Skinas, who has worked on countless SACD and other releases including reissues of nearly two dozen Rolling Stones titles, plus numerous classics from Nat King Cole, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Sheryl Crow, George Harrison and others. Recorded and Mixed at Moose Sound, Poncha Springs, CO. on February 29, 2020, by Robert Friedrich, Five/Four Productions, Ltd. Edited and Mastered by Gus Skinas, Octave Records, PS Audio Recorded and Mixed using Five/Four REVEAL SDM TM Technology. Five/Four Productions’ exclusive REVEAL Superior Dimension Music TM Technology is employed to raise the standard of excellence in both the recording of music and the music listening experience. Microphones: AEA R88; Sanken CO-100 Microphone Preamplifiers: Forsell Technologies SMP-2; Integer Audio RMP2; Mix Console: SSL SiX and Studer 963 Interconnecting Cables: Brown Electronics Labs BEL “The Wire” Type P1; Mogami Neglex; Monster Cable Studio Pro1000 Digital Recording System: Sonoma DAW with Meitner ADC/DAC Mk IV Monitor Speakers: ATC SCM 50 and Hafler TRM8 Digital Editor: Sonoma DAW Piano: Yamaha C7FII Piano technician: Kevin Stock

Album Features

  • Austrian gold pressed dual-layer SACD
  • DVD data disc with high resolution PCM and pure single rate DSD for copying to your computer
  • PCM 192kHz 24 bit
  • Pure DSD mastered by Gus Skinas on the Sonoma mastering system
  • Full surround sound mix and stereo included on SACD
  • No compression in the mastering process
  • CD layer of SACD playable on any CD player
  • CD layer PROMastered by Gus Skinas to sound nearly as good as the high res version
  • Mastering monitored through the PS Audio DirectStream DAC
  • All tracks hand curated on the Infinity IRSV in PS Audio’s Music Room One
  • Limited edition, available until supplies are gone

Collector's Vinyl

There's a certain magic vinyl brings to the listening room: a magic unlike any other. Where DSD captures every nuance in the music, a vinyl release directly from the DSD master is on yet another level altogether. Octave Recordings features limited-edition collector's vinyl on most releases. Each of these albums is build to perfection on 180-gram virgin vinyl, individually numbered and exemplifying everything great in the art of producing world-class vinyl. When you strive for perfection, every detail counts. The finest pressing equipment: In order the ensure maximum quality and perfection in every numbered disc, the pressing plant we use spares no expense by employing a state-of-the-art closed-loop heating/cooling system and programmable logic controllers to precisely temperature control the vinyl molds. This attention to detail is unlike just about any plant in the world where differing temperatures and times of day can change the final discs. Materials matter: Not all records run the same way during manufacturing. In order to maximize heavy gram-weight vinyl pressings, using the highest quality vinyl grades available from Neotech. Plating is critical: An essential step in producing vinyl discs is the electroplating of the masters. Our manufacturer has an exclusive agreement with world famous NiPro Optics as an electroforming partner. This provides noticeably superior sounding masters as a result of using the best metal work from the most technologically advanced and modern electroforming facility in the world. In addition, a proprietary reverse-osmosis (RO) water system is used, verses the more traditional deionization (DI) water systems in use at other plating facilities. GrooveCoated Stampers: NiPro Optics and Gotta Groove Records also co-developed and provides the first new form of record plating technology in the past 30 years, called GrooveCoated™ stampers. This combination of superior electroplating and groove coating dramatically increases the lifespan of the stamper, and reduces high-frequency loss as pressing cycles continue over the course of manufacturing so that our short-run single pressings are perfect from number 1 to number 500. Limited edition single pressings: To ensure that every Octave Record's vinyl release is as close to perfect as the current state of the art allows, we limit our runs to 500 pressings per stamper and offer them in individually numbered albums, each hand-inspected for perfection. QA at an unprecedented level: At our vinyl pressing plant of choice, Gotta Grove Records out of Ohio, one of the reasons we chose them is they have more quality control workers than any other pressing plant in the U.S. — one quality control employee per every two pressing machines listening to approximately every 25th record off the press during every shift. If you know the magic of vinyl, then may we suggest you've yet to hear what a remarkable combination of pure DSD recording and single pressing virgin vinyl collectors’ vinyl can sound like. Available exclusively at Octave Records.

Watch the Video

"The sound quality for a piano is the best I’ve heard on my system (KEF R7 speakers). I compared it to another solo piano album that I always thought sounded very good - Cole Porter On A Steinway (96kHz / 24bit) Grusin’s piano sounded fuller, with more depth to the overall sound." "I’m writing to tell you that I really cannot write how much I’m enjoying Octave Records Inaugural SACD from Don Grusin. I can’t seem to come up with enough good words." "The sound, and performance, are absolutely phenomenal. By far the best sound my system has ever put out. I have never heard such a realistic rendering of a piano. Thank you Paul! Thank you Gus! and THANK you Don!!"

Record Reviews

Best I've heard
The sound quality for a piano is the best I’ve heard on my system (KEF R7 speakers). I compared it to another solo piano album that I always thought sounded very good - Cole Porter On A Steinway (96kHz / 24bit)
Grusin’s piano sounded fuller, with more depth to the overall sound.

- Snafu

Awesome Sound
I received my copy and just want to say how phenomenal I’ve found it. Many Thanks for providing an avenue of awesome sound Paul!

- Senna 1A

The playing is beautiful and emotional
I’m writing to tell you that I really cannot write how much I’m enjoying Octave Records Inaugural SACD from Don Grusin. I can’t seem to come up with enough good words.
Like a lot of audiophiles, I bought this project because of the promised technical and sonic merits, which it more than lives up to. I don’t have any other acoustic recordings that sound as REAL as this one, certainly not any recent ones.
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- Doug Hanna

By far the best sound my system has ever put out.
I just got mine maybe 20 minutes ago, and immediately copied the DSD files into mt Roon library. The sound, and performance, are absolutely phenomenal. By far the best sound my system has ever put out. I have never heard such a realistic rendering of a piano. Thank you Paul! Thank you Gus! and THANK you Don!!
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- Tarheelneil

It sounds real
I can confirm that this disk sounds great, from performance, to mastering. It sounds, if I had to choose a word, real. You had talked about Octave on the forum, when I saw the release I immediately ordered it. As I listen now I’m glad I did.
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- Huang

Sounds like a real piano in my room!!!
Sounds like a real piano in my room!!! A little wide, but that’s OK. Kind of fill the back spaces behind the speakers with a live piano. And that’s playing it with my DMP. But the data disk sounds even better if that’s possible.
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- Waymanchen

The sound stage is really massive.
The sound stage on this album is really massive. At times I wondered if there were two pianos. I generally don’t listen to single piano recordings and this isn’t the typical music I play so maybe this is common with this type of recording? I do like this album and the recording overall is outstanding. I’m excited to see what else will come out of this studio! Oh, and the packaging is really nice. SACD plus data DVD. I love this and hope it is a trend!
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- ckom81

It sounded like I was in the room
What a fine recording! It sounded like I was in the room. My media room has a Spinner piano at one end and a multi-channel system at the other. My Oppo 203 plays both the data disk, and the SACD without issue. Love the sound stage of the stereo and appreciate the effort to get me so close to the piano. My system, (almost near field), resolves it well. Thanks to all involved. Don’s playing is so fine, and Gus’ mix. . ., can’t thank you guys enough. I’m looking forward to your next release.
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- ChristopherP

Fantastic Sound!
Received my copy today! Fantastic sound playing the dsf file thru the DirectStream dac. Please let this become a trend including the high resolution files on a separate disc with the SACD! Bravo!!!
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- Paul172

About Octave Records

Honoring the Music and Those Who Make It

Our mission at Octave Records™ is simple – respect musicians by paying them fairly, and respect their music by bringing it to life in the highest-quality possible.

Too often, musicians have to absorb the costs of production, leaving them little or any earnings – or even putting them in debt. And the quality of their recordings end up in last place. We at PS Audio and Octave Records are dedicated to correcting these inequities.

To support musicians, Octave™ covers 100% of all studio, mixing, mastering, production, distribution, and marketing expenses so that artists may directly share in retail sales revenues – while retaining ownership of their music.

Octave Records is dedicated to offering the highest-quality recordings in high-resolution formats including pure DSD on SACD , as well as 192kHz PCM. Located in Boulder, Colorado, Octave utilizes the world’s finest studio equipment, based around the acclaimed Sonoma™ DSD recording, mixing, and mastering system. Gus Skinas, our world-renowned mastering engineer, has hundreds of album credits and helped design the Sonoma system.

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Join the hi-fi family

Stop by for a tour:
4865 Sterling Dr.
Boulder, CO 80301

1-800-PSAUDIO

Join the hi-fi family

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