AudioEn
by Craig Fenemor

So you've spent heaps of dollars trying to get your system to sound like there's a live band playing in your lounge. Here's a $20 suggestion that may well make more difference than most anything else you've done. Mapleshade is a little outfit in the states that produces very purist recordings and this sampler disc lets you see the results. Purist in this case means live to two track on analog tape (at 15ips most of the time), no add-on EQ, reverb, overdubbing, compression etc, etc, etc.

I'm picking you'll get a hang of a surprise with the purity of the sound, the sheer impact of uncompressed horns, drums and voices, and the live feeling that you can only get by having the musicians in the same room at the some time. From the 32 voice acapella gospel of The ARC Choir to the simple but powerful guitar and vocals of Ben Andrews there's some very good music presented exquisitely. The opening track mixes trumpets, saxes, a trombone and a tuba along with congas, bongos, and a lot more percussion to simply blow the roof off the place.

What all this adds up to is a realisation that to a very large extent we're at the mercy of the recordings. This album will give you a good idea of what all the nasties in the recording chain are as they're so obvious by their absence. Go on and admit it, now and then you just want something to stretch your hi-fi system. This disc will do that for you.