Final Thoughts on AXPONA 2024 with LINKWITZ

This year at AXPONA 2024, our music was presented in collaboration with LINKWITZ.audio – More specifially, they showcased a number of One Microphone Recordings from our catalogue. These are the final thoughts from LINKWITZ’s CEO Frank Brenner.

We have created a special album from the music demonstrated at AXPONA 2024!

At AXPONA 2024, the first series of speeches at the LINKWITZ®-parlor became a hub of knowledge and insight. It hosted a series of enlightening talks featuring legendary industry professionals, including Grammy winners. 

These discussions offered the audience a unique perspective into the less-explored “opposite end” of the music production-reproduction chain. We highlighted minimalistic recording techniques, the remarkable enhancements achieved through the restoration of old master tapes and much more.

On Friday, the audience was privileged to hear from Doug W Fearn, a veteran with over six decades of recording experience. He shared his expertise on minimalistic recording techniques, with a special focus on the One Microphone technique, using an A.E.A. R88 ribbon stereo microphone. 

Music samples from the same performance were presented on LINKWITZ® LX521.4MG as A/B comparisons. The “A” version represented the traditional multi-mic recording, while “B” represented the one mic recording. The difference was discernible within the first few seconds of the song.

The LX521.4MG holographic dipoles, with their profound and authentic soundstage presentation, appear to illuminate the minimalist recording techniques in an exemplary manner. Their ability to reproduce sound with such depth and naturalness truly enhances the auditory experience, allowing the subtleties of these recording techniques to be fully appreciated. This synergy between the LX521.4MG dipoles and minimalist recording methods results in a sonic experience that is nothing short of perfection.

As we continued to showcase Doug W. Fearn’s A/B comparisons of microphone techniques throughout further days of the show, we found that the audience consistently preferred version “B”, the One Microphone (R88) take of the recording. The reasons for this preference can be better phase coherence of instruments and voices and the subjective feeling of more naturalness, the musicians were truly playing together, interacting, and “talking” to each other.

Doug W Fearn’s nature recording of birds, titled “Spring Birds” captured in the forest with a single R88 microphone, was particularly impressive. The pure nature recording provided a relaxing and refreshing experience for those, hearing the same type of music repeatedly in many other rooms.

We continued to showcase further One Microphone recorded gems from the nativeDSD catalogue:

The audiences favorites included “Nature Boy” by Evening Sky feat. Leland Brown, “Take Five Reprise” by Feenbrothers  and “Dream Dancer” by the Gidon Nunez Vaz Trio.

We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with nativeDSD.com. You´ll find nativeDSD representatives in the GRIMM room in Munich, from May 9th to 12^th and you can hear selected One Microphone recordings by native DSD as well, just across the street from High-End fair, in a huge 65m² showroom: Room “Scheunenfund” https://maps.app.goo.gl/cWrDKE6xq7PTDsVUA

Expect a relaxing atmosphere, where you can enjoy selected One Microphone recordings from NativeDSD.

Special ‘One Microphone Recordings’ compilation album from the music demonstrated at AXPONA 2024

One Microphone Recordings on NativeDSD