The history of PolyDan Sound Laboratory began in Kyiv in October 1985
In the first years, the work focused on studying, testing, and systematizing musical material: exploring the specifics of sound in recordings, subtle nuances, and differences across phonograms from various studios and record companies STRATEGIC DIRECTION AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN UNCHANGED. Accumulated experiences and information array allow performing the work more accurately and properly when building and setting up the sound extracting and the sound recording systems.
To address complex technical challenges in building playback and recording systems, PSL collaborated with leading engineers and designers from organizations such as Central Design Bureau Mayak, Central Design Bureau Communist, Research Institute Saturn, Tochelektropribor, and the Research Institute named after Academician Korolev
PolyDan Sound Laboratory has been involved in collecting, selection and testing of musical tracks produced by world-known recording companies.
Only original recordings have been used for operations. The series have their own identifications, each disc has its own identification number (code). All series are divided according to their sound quality, styles and genres.
Sound Design program was created for musical background in cafeterias, bars, restaurants, casinos, hotels, shops, art shows. The correctly selected program will help to create a positive atmosphere. It also sounds good in a car.
Sound Theatre program shall refer to the mixed topical music programs with a storyline that develops musical events.
Every program consists of the introduction, culmination and conclusion. PolyDan Sampler Budget special effects help to create relevant mood and enrich the musical picture. The listener is involved into the events that take place in the musical program.
PolyDan Sound Laboratory programs were created for testing Car-audio systems. They will help to tune the car-audio system more precisely and its LF segment in particular. Moreover the recordings will demonstrate the potential of the car-audio systems (from SPL till the Hi-Fi).
Vinyl Series programs shall refer to the recording made from the LPs. The vinyl sound is interesting for people who are familiar with it. “The digitalized vinyl” shall refer not only to the high quality sound, but shall provide the opportunity to audition the vinyl playbacks at home, in your car, boat, airplane, etc.
During the works with vinyl discs — PSL — VINYL SERIES, signal is taken with needle, having the profile Shibata. In order to decrease the mechanical noisiness during reading the phonogram, the surface of vinyl disc is moistened with liquid, used for cleaning the grooves of vinyl discs (liquid taking of information).
Expert, Expert+ & Expert-S shall refer to the recording from magnetic tapes. For this purpose we used the professional BASF, AMPEX, SONY, 3M magnetic tapes, tape-recorder corrector with Telefunken EF7, EF11 & AD1 tubes, Ampex, Studer, Revox recording machines.
PolyDan Sound Laboratory adheres to 12 key reference criteria during program production:
— emotional integrity
— soundstage dimensionality (width, depth, height)
— spherical / holographic sound field
— transparency
— harmonic structure
— resolution
— microdynamics
— macrodynamics
— decay characteristics
— overtone accuracy
— frequency response
— phase response
What a DSE/PSL Work Represents
Over the years of activity of DSE and PSL, a significant body of engineering knowledge and practical experience has been developed in the study, extraction, processing, and preservation of sound information. Therefore, a DSE/PSL work is not simply another edition of existing musical material, nor is it a conventional form of remastering. Each work is the result of an independent engineering process whose purpose is to obtain the most accurate sound information available within a specific phonogram. This approach was formed not as a commercial model, but as the result of many years of research into the processes of recording, storage, transmission, and reproduction of sound information. The work may include research into the origin of the phonogram, analysis of available sources, identification of the most reliable sound information, its technical processing, repeated verification of the result, and the making of a final engineering decision. The physical medium is only a means of preserving and reproducing the result already achieved. It is not the source from which that result originates. DSE/PSL works are not created to offer yet another version of a familiar release. Their purpose is to reproduce, with the highest possible degree of accuracy, the sound information obtained through the engineering process. Each work should therefore be regarded as an independent result of research and engineering activity, rather than simply as another edition of previously released musical material.
Why DSE/PSL Works Are Not Mass-Produced
The limited number of DSE/PSL works is a direct consequence of the method by which they are created. Engineering accuracy has always remained the priority, rather than production volume. Each work may require considerable time for technical research, analysis of the available source material, verification of engineering decisions, repeated listening and control, as well as final evaluation of the result. These processes cannot be turned into a conventional production line without changing the very principle of the work. Therefore, the number of works created is determined by the engineering process carried out, rather than by a predetermined production plan. This is the fundamental distinction between the DSE/PSL approach and conventional mass production.