Archive for Keith Johnson
The Absolute Sound Reviews All-Night Vigil LP
The February 2022 issue of The Absolute Sound gives high marks to our release of Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil, Op. 37 on LP: “This 2017 recording may seem like unlikely material to get the half-speed mastered, 45rpm, 180-gram virgin vinyl treatment, but LP partisans should be glad it did. Reference provides further evidence that Keith O. Johnson’s range as a recording professional knows no limits. … The choral sound has the low center-of-gravity that serves this…
Announcing Eleven 2020 GRAMMY® Nominations!
Reference Recordings is excited to announce eleven nominations across eight categories for the 2020 GRAMMY® Awards! The Orchestral Organ 2020 GRAMMY® Award Nominee: Best Immersive Audio Album Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio engineer; Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio mastering engineer; Marina A. Ledin & Victor Ledin, immersive audio producers (Jan Kraybill) Best Classical Instrumental Solo Jan Kraybill Producer of the Year, Classical Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 2020 GRAMMY® Award Nominee:…
Pioneers Unite on The Banner Saga Soundtrack
“Prof” Keith O. Johnson & The Banner Saga Recording Team Multi-faceted, multi-media composer Austin Wintory and Reference Recording’s Chief Engineer, audio wizard, inventor and entertainment technologist Keith O. Johnson have combined their talents in the production of the official soundtrack for The Banner Saga video game created by Stoic Studios. Austin’s previous game score, Journey, is noteworthy as the first video game soundtrack nominated for a Grammy® (2013), charting in the Billboard Magazine Top 200…
RR at the California Audio Show
A look at the panel of illustrious recording and mastering engineers at the California Audio Show last weekend: Panelists included RR’s own Sean Martin and Keith Johnson along with Jack Kenny, Jeffrey Norman, John Nowland, Michael Romanowski, Paul Stubblebine and Jon Reichbach. Topic: Recording & Mastering — The Making of a Great Hi-Rez Recording
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Conversation with Keith O. Johnson
Recently, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra hired our own “Prof” Keith O. Johnson to record their orchestra for their own “DSO Live” label. During his time the Dallas Symphony’s own Chris Shull interviewed Keith, and published a wonderful interview with him. Here is the full article with the permission of the Dallas Symphony and Chris Shull: By Chris Shull It’s easy to think making a recording is a passive process. You set up a microphone or…
Keith Johnson talks High Resolution
From Keith’s talks at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival: Click to watch on YouTube
New Recording!
Things are really moving here at Reference Recordings. Not only did we just release our first HRx Sampler, and our third Fresh! release “Brand New Eyes“, we are also doing a new recording this week of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Grammy-nominated producers Victor & Marina Ledin join Grammy winner, Keith O. Johnson at Skywalker Sound. Martin West conducts the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra through suites from Léo Delibes’ Coppelia and Sylvia. Martin West, conductorSan…
News from Reference Recordings
Posted by Tam Henderson Most of last week, Keith Johnson, Sean Martin and I were in Charlotte, NC recording a new project at Reflection Sound Studios, scene of several RR past successes. The music is a new genre for us, featuring a talented young Brazilian singer-songwriter-guitarist, Reinaldo Brahn. The songs sound to me unusually rich and complex for “popular” music, with tasty arrangements for woodwinds, trumpet, electric guitar, keyboards (piano & synth), electric bass, drums,…
Pictures from The Grammys
We just wanted to share some pictures from our Grammy® trip. Enjoy! Keith O. Johnson receiving the Grammy® for Best Surround Sound Album Keith O. Johnson and Marcia Martin of Reference Recorings
“Prof” Keith O. Johnson & David Frost Win a Grammy!
2010 Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album Reference Recordings is proud to report that our own “Prof.” KEITH O. JOHNSON and DAVID FROST have received a 2010 Grammy Award! Category 94 Best Surround Sound Album For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only. BRITTEN’S ORCHESTRAMichael Stern & Kansas City SymphonyKeith O. Johnson, surround mix engineer; Keith O. Johnson, surround mastering engineerDavid Frost, surround producer[Reference Recordings} Click to order RR-120SACD BTW: This is RR’s first release…
KC Metropolis interviews Keith Johnson and David Frost
A fantastic interview came out Tuesday in the KC Metropolis Journal, featuring our Britten’s Orchestra recording with the Kansas City Symphony. Today we want to share a little of that with you, and then encourage you to visit kcmetropolis.org to read the rest. It is well worth your time! From KCMetropolis.org:INTERVIEW: Achieving that Grammy SoundBy David Peironnet David Peironnet: “Dynamic range in its extreme” is a quote from your press release accompanying the Kansas City…
“Prof” Johnson Receives the L.A. & Orange County Audio Society Founder’s Award
Reference Recordings’ “Prof” Keith O. Johnson will receive the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society’s 2010 Founder’s Award on Saturday, December 18th! From the L.A./OC Audio Society: It is with great pleasure and admiration that the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, America’s largest audio society with over 600 members, announces the winner of the Founder’s Award for 2010, the Society’s highest honor, to Keith O. Johnson. As…
2010 GRAMMY® Nomination for Best Surround Sound Album
TM 2010 GRAMMY® NOMINATION FOR BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUMSAN FRANCISCO: Reference Recordings is proud to report that our own“Prof.” KEITH O. JOHNSONhas received his eighth Grammy nomination! This is our first release in Surround Sound. Category 94Best Surround Sound AlbumFor vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only. BRITTEN’S ORCHESTRAMichael Stern & Kansas City SymphonyKeith O. Johnson, surround mix engineer; Keith O. Johnson, surround mastering engineerDavid Frost, surround producer[Reference Recordings] We wish to extend our congratulations to…
More Rocky Mountain Audiofest information
We’ve already told you about “Prof” Keith Johnson’s seminar at Rocky Mountain Audiofest, but here is some more information about how to experience Reference Recordings at the festival! After “Prof” Johnson’s lecture on “Computer sound” and the “crafting of high resolution recordings” in the Aspen Amphitheater, Saturday, October 16 at 1:45pm, “Prof” Johnson will demonstrate some of the aspects of the discussion in Tower room 9022 at 4:00pm. Also, Reference Recordings CDs, SACDs, and HRx…
The LP Report Featuring Paul Stubblebine
We have spent a LOT of time and effort rebuilding and tweaking a vintage record mastering lathe and preparing a fall launch for LP titles from RR. For years, we tried other lathes and mastering methods but finally decided the only way to get the sound we want was for Keith Johnson to collaborate with Paul Stubblebine, and build a dedicated half-speed lathe to our quality requirements. We finally see the light at the end…