Sonic Solutions, Massenburg Link To Develop High-res Audio

Digital audio workstation pioneer Sonic Solutions of Novato, Calif., has formed the High Density Signal Processing (HDSP) group, a research and development coalition intended to deliver high-resolution digital audio products.
The first partner in the HDSP group‹announced April 6 at the National Assn. of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas‹is leading equipment manufacturer George Massenburg Labs (GML) Inc., based in Los Angeles. Other partners include Metric Halo Systems, Pacific Microsonics, POW-r Consortium, Spatializer Audio Laboratories Inc., Weiss Engineering Ltd., and Z Systems Audio Engineering.
GML is developing a double-precision mastering equalizer and other 24-bit, 96-kilohertz mastering tools for the HDSP processor, according to a Sonic Solutions statement.
Sonic Solutions president/CEO Bob Doris says, "We are delighted that GML is the first company to support our new HDSP Plug-In Processor. High-density audio mastering requires refined processing tools, and in the world of professional audio, George is an acknowledged leader as a recording engineer, producer, and technologist."
GML president/CEO George Massenburg says, "Twenty-four-bit, 96-kHz, high-density audio is clearly the next step in professional audio recording. Sonic's new HDSP Plug-In Processor gives me the power, precision, and control I need to bring our renowned processing to the new audio formats."
Massenburg adds that GML plans "to make extensive use of [the processor's] capabilities to deliver new, double-sampling tools for professional mastering. Through this strategic partnership and our developments in surround-sound, we will deliver products designed for the next generation of high-resolution release formats."
The HDSP Plug-In Processor uses a multi-processing, digital-signal-processing-based architecture to deliver high-speed, high-resolution data. The system employs four parallel-patched, 80-megahertz, 24-bit 53601 processors, according to a Sonic Solutions statement.
Although there is currently no release medium that can accommodate high-resolution digital audio, such developers as Sonic Solutions and GML are anticipating that the next-generation digital audio carrier will operate at sampling rates and word lengths considerably higher than the CD Red Book standard of 44.1 kHz and 16 bits. For example, Sonic Solution's SonicStudio digital audio workstation is a 24-bit, 96-kHz system currently used on an estimated two-thirds of all commercially released recordings at the recording, mixing, and/or mastering stages, according to Sonic Solutions.
In addition to its digital audio workstation business, Sonic Solutions manufactures software for the video, film, multimedia, and graphics markets. Among its newest platforms is Sonic DVD Creator, an authoring system that has been used to create hundreds of DVD titles, according to the company.
Founded in 1982 by multiple Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Massenburg, GML is a maker of state-of-the-art studio processing equipment, including the 8200 Parametric Equalizer, the 8900 Dynamic Gain Controller, the 9500 Mastering Equalizer, the 9550 Digital Noise Filter, and the GML Automation system, used on various large-format mixing consoles.