The Art of HiFi: Soundstage

The Art of HiFi: Soundstage was recorded at multiple live venues as well as at Octave Studios with the goal of capturing sound in a variety of spaces. Whiskey by Boulder's own bluegrass quartet, Jake Leg, appears twice on the album, once at Octave Studios and once at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, CO. As you compare and contrast the two recordings, you not only hear the difference in the room sound, but you’ll be able to detect a difference in tempo as the band responds to the energy of a live audience. Octave’s Director and leader of Clandestine Amigo, Jessica Carson, creates an a cappella experience at the Octave studio by singing seven vocal parts to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. By singing each part at a different distance from the microphone and engineer, Paul McGowan’s, addition of reverb, a deep and wide soundstage is created using studio magic. First Congregational Church UCC in Boulder has a natural reverb that is perfect for the Duo Azure performance of Italian piece, Diporti di Euterpe, Op. 7, No. 4: Lamento. Dr. Jessica Nilles Kressin and Russian soprano Ekaterina Kotcherguina, give a soft and beautiful performance on piano and vocals, you can almost feel the snowy Sunday afternoon. Soundstage begins and ends with a bang as the footfalls of dancer Salli Gutierrez transport us to an old platform stage at an intimate venue. With live performances from Octave’s own, Gabriel Mervine, and up-and-comers Enmanuel Alexander and Sturtz, this album showcases a variety of artists, genres and soundstages.