Toshiba/EMI SuperDiscs TOSHIBA/EMI have taken a positive step backwards in recording techniques. They believe it's a giant leap forwards in recording quality! Like the simple and direct recording method used by Thomas Edison when he made the world's very first record a century ago, direct disk is an idea whose time has come (again) for people who love good sound for its own sake. How TOSHIBA/EMI direct disks differ is that they add the ingredient of truly fine music. In direct disk cutting sessions, the sound goes from microphones to the mixing board to the cutting equipment directly. So, there's no tape hiss. And no modulation noise from the magnetic tape heads. And very little distortion! Of course, no tape means no way of editing, overdubbing or re-mixing. Each note is engraved directly into a disk of virgin lacquer as it is played. If somebody goofs during the session, the entire side has to be re-cut "from the top." This means the musicians and vocalists on each album have to be the best. And on these 22 TOSHIBA/EMI direct disks, they are! Here are five of the technical reasons audiophiles prefer direct disks: 1) WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE Going direct to disk means "soft" sounds are never buried under noise and distortion from tape machines. The relationship of "soft" to "loud" sounds retains its original freshness. 2) FAR LESS DISTORTION Tape addes phase shifts, intermodulation and transient distortion and other problems to spoil the music. The more tape machines and editing manipulation, the less music comes through the distortion.   3) VIRTUALLY NOISELESS At first, you might "miss the hiss". Turn up the volume on any good stereo system all the way and there still isn't any noise on the direct disk (except what might be added by your system)! 4) IMMEDIATE TRANSIENT RESPONSE Audiophiles and audio engineers have different names for what music lovers call "transparency." In technical terms it is "transient response" and on direct disks, it is so high that the original sound is reproduced without muddiness. Also, direct disks contain no phase shifts, which means every instrument and vocal has a definite location in the stereo sound field. 5) LIMITED EDITION The maximum number of copies of every TOSHIBA/EMI direct disk is strictly limited. There's no risk of poor quality due to mass production. These recordings are true "collector's items" in every sense.   TOSHIBA/EMI DIRECT DISKS ARE DIFFERENT All of the advantages of direct disks mentioned above are on the 22 albums in the TOSHIBA EMI catalog. How these direct disk recordings differ from the average "audiophile" types is in the blend of fresh sound and fine music. TOSHIBA/EMI made a special point of collecting the world's best artists, whose professionalism and creative talents are clearly heard. Direct disk sessions are "do-or-die" affairs where mistakes cannot be edited out or covered up. Also, choosing the best means that TOSHIBA/EMI direct disks are really worth hearing again and again. For the first time in the history of high fidelity, here are "audiophile" recordings which are really fun to play while testing the limits of a first-class hi-fi system. And finally, the catalog is dfferent in its wide range of music. TOSHIBA/EMI have tried to explore every field of music - from tango to the classics, from samba to jazz to rock and beyond - to give the direct disk method the very best chance to prove its capabilities. TOSHIBA/EMI Direct Disc lineup - fine and fresh recordings of superlative quality. Written by TOSHIBA/EMI 1979.   The recording process - Tape Recording Last modified: 20-Aug-2002