iTrax now online (Finally!)

[CharlyD]

AIX Records has been recording and delivering what is aguably the best quality audio (96 kHz, 24-bit) in multi-channel DVD-Audio format for a few years now and is now making their content available for purchase and download through http://itrax.com/Pages/PostSignUp.php. A wide range of formats including mp3, dolby digital, DTS, WMA Pro, WMA lossless and PCM are offered in stereo, stage and audience mixes.

I could not find information on their site about how to get this downloaded content onto your system. If you're one of the very few who have a premium media center computer (e.g. Niveus) connected to your system, you're all set. The WMA lossless format can be played with in all its multi-channel glory through Media Player. Otherwise, the PCM content can be burned to a DVD-Audio, but that will require some very unique software. Of course, two-channel content can be distributed from a media server to devices like the Squeezebox or Transporter.

I've heard their Torme sings Torme (Steve March Torme) and The Gypsy Life (John Gorka) DVD-A albums and can very enthusiastically recommend both. The Torme sings Torme album is easily the best recorded big band music I've ever heard. I took it into the local high-end emporium where they allowed me to have my way with their full Meridian setup and, what can I say, it was transcendant.

Best of luck to AIX Records and Mark Waldrep in this exciting new venture!

[JerryDelColliano]

We are all very big fans of Mark's work.

You can buy his tracks from Music Giants and load them onto your server from there.

[JerryDelColliano]

How is ITrax and Music Giants different?

[CharlyD]

Originally Posted by JerryDelColliano

How is ITrax and Music Giants different?

Music Giants offers a wide range of major studio releases for download in WMA Lossless format. A small subset of these releases is also available in available in what Music Giants calls "Super HD" which they claim is "encoded at a much higher quality than a normal lossless audio track". These Super HD releases are available in 2 or 5.1 channel mixes and some of these tracks are available without DRM. The majority of their offering is available in a format described as "HD Stereo" which is defined in their FAQ as CD quality and all are wrapped in DRM.

All content available from iTrax is available in at least 24-bit 96kHz formats and DRM is never involved. Although the content offerred at iTrax represents only a few obscure artists, I understand that they are seeking to carry additional high-resolution audio from other sources.

[deacongreg]

They do need more artist support.

[Dr. AIX]

iTrax.com is close to securing relationships with other labels that produce REAL HD Audio...not merely upconverted or repurposed from SD sources. News coming soon.

And while I have a relationship with MusicGiants on paper, none of our tracks are available at there site...at least that I have been able to locate. I started working with them some many months ago, but was uncomfortable with the designation of "HD Music Downloads". My definition of HD Audio doesn't include tracks that were recorded at low-resolution (CD or analog tape) and then merely re-captured at 96 kHz/24-bits. Nothing improves from over the original SD source.