Yang Lining is a qin master touring in France. Since nine years old, she started learning qin from various qin masters including Wu Jinghue, Li Xiangting, and Wu Wenguang. She is also a master in Ruan and Guzheng. Yang has been invited several times to perform in Hong Kong and Japan. After graduated from the Central Musical College in Beijing in 1987, she went to France and started her career there, touring and performing in art festivals, radio and television stations. In addition, she also performed in the art festivals of Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, Morroco, etc. In 1999, her last album China Roots was presented with the Golden Fork award by the French authoritative musical magazine 'Diapason'. During the same year, her Qin performance in one of the concert aroused the interests of the President Jacques Chirac. He wrote to her personally to praise the beautiful Chinese ancient music. Yang Lining a composed, translated and performed in the movie 'La Fable des continents'. LPCD: Artistic Sense + Advanced Technology LPCD is the latest and most advanced technology researched and developed by Mr Aik Yew-Goh, the founder of Hugo Productions. Mr Aik is a renowned recording producer and musician who spends 35 years in musical experimentations and 20 years in professional music production. LPCD is developed based on a unique set of digital processing technology which enables listeners to experience the analogue sound of the vinyl LP record from an ordinary CD player. Mr Aik has been researching this technique for a long time. He has produced over 300 music records in the last 20 years. Every time when he compared these recordings with the master tapes, he would find that there was a difference in the audio quality, but he was unable to work out a solution due to his busy schedule in music productions. Until 2003, after producing two LPs, Mr Aik revisited this subject and did a detailed analysis on the sonic differences between CD, XRCD, SACD, etc., to pinpoint the reason why the CD and LP differ much in their tonal quality. The general consensus among most audiophiles being that when comparing with LP, CD (including normal CD, 24K CD, XRCD, SACD and DVD-Audio) would sound tight, tensed and compressed (especially when playing at loud sound level, one would find it difficult to maintain concentration in appreciating the music and the sound system). Besides, the lack of extension at the low and high sonic frequencies has resulted in a harsher treble, inelastic bass, poor dynamics, etc. Being an LP audiophile, Mr Aik is well aware of the problem. He reckons that the only way to seek out the answer is to listen to his own recordings extensively and repeatedly, before he is entitled to voice his views. Presently, the manufacturing of CD from the master tape requires changing the digital audio formats 5 to 6 times in the following processes: Master Tape - Master CDR - Glass Master - Metal Stamper - Pressing - CD. The last two processes are especially important as they could make or break the sound quality. It is common knowledge to audiophiles that whether it is LP or CD, the first pressing always sounds the best. A simple experiment of duplicating a CD 5 or 6 times on a home computer will prove that the last pressing will sound much inferior to the original CD. How then to ensure that audiophiles who have been faithfully supporting the HUGO Label can enjoy the highest level of sonic fidelity? Having identified the digital distortion problem of CD, Mr Aik has focused his research of the LPCD in the following two parameters: 1. LPCD mastering Applying HUGO's proprietary sonic spectrum processing software system on the following procedures: (a) Using the highest specifications to convert the original analogue master tape into a digital format; (b) Upsampling the original digital master to the highest specifications. Thereafter, adjust the tonal density, dynamic range, bandwidth, etc., using a highly precise digital processing system. Finally the digital master is encoded into a 16 bit/44.1KHz CD format. Throughout the entire digital processing, the digital system is operating in an optimal configuration with the highest purity of the AC power supply and a highly precise, military-grade digital clock. All the equipment used were protected by a proprietary anti-vibration system to ensure that all the components and the production process are free of distortion. Although the top-notch equipment can effectively benefit the mastering production, mastering process is still very much a complex manual project which requires the mastering engineers to apply their skill and artistry meticulously at each step of the process. It is therefore not just a simple technical "transfer" from one medium to another. It is hardly surprising that the mastering of a LPCD takes a labourous 20 studio hours! Yang Lining biography This unique place, imagined and restored by Jean-François Chuet for his wife Yang Lining, is located in the centre of the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in Paris historical district of fashion, luxury and arts. It was built in 1728 by Mazin, a knight and architect for the arsenals of Louis the XVth. He designed a suite of various drawing rooms with an eye for perfectly proportioned, harmonious interior volumes, reflecting his inventive classicism as well as liberal thinking. The most famous host of the place were the Marquise de Pompadour (king Louis the XVth mistress) and later the General Marquis de La Fayette. The construction miraculously survived Baron Haussmann's 19th century urbanization. It has been remodelled throughout the centuries following the various architectural styles of the times from Louis the XVth to Charles the Xth. The 1728 restaurant is situated in what were the reception rooms of Mazin's townhouse. The interior's renovation, carried out between 2001 and 2004, aims to reflect and respect the spirit and original style of the place. Yang Lining shares her time now between classic music and the directorship of the 1728 restaurant. Website : www.restaurant-1728.com / www.galerie-1728.com 2007: Yang Lining concerto for Guqin and the Orchestra, Mastering and Manufactured by HUGO Productions (HK) Ltd, © 2006 HUGO Productions. Direct Cut, Super Master. Ordinary CD included for comparison. |