Sound Liaison

28/09/2025

Truly a match made in heaven. Deurloo’s personal and interpretive melodic style perfectly complements Verwey’s lyrical compositions, and the close-knit trio welcomes her fully into their musical universe. This is no longer a trio with a guest, but four musicians of like minds in constant conversation, each contributing and responding to the roles the music calls for. From the very first notes, the music sounds less like accompaniment and more like a genuine four-way conversation, a fully integrated quartet where every voice shapes the story.

Live Encounters – Hermine Deurloo & Erik Verwey Trio. Captured by Sound Liaison in stunning high-res DXD, mastered at 768kHz. Acoustic jazz at its finest.

16/09/2025

The 8 pieces of music were performed live in the studio in front of an audience of 80 people. The musicians were placed in front of a stereo pair of microphones with additional spot microphones on each instrument.
The musicians were playing without headphones, the reason being that we believe that when we get the musicians to play together in the same room, without headphones, it creates a number of musical and technical benefits: As they are not 'separated' by the headphones, the musicians, in order to hear each other are forced to create a natural and musical balance, which is then easily captured by the main stereo pair of microphones.
And the need for compression to control levels is no longer necessary.
Since everybody is in the same room, the boxed sound which is so common in many modern recordings is absent as the sound of the room helps 'glue' the sound of the recording.

Buy TETTERO - Plays Eddie Harris & Les McCann and other great high-res downloads from Sound Liaison. All audio formats just starting from €17.95.

13/09/2025

🎶 The Audience Factor 🎶
Why do live performances often outshine studio sessions?

In the studio, musicians can retake endlessly in perfect conditions. But with an audience present, something magical happens — the music breathes, risks are taken, and spontaneity emerges.

➡️ At Sound Liaison, some of our most powerful recordings came not in silence, but with listeners in the room. The invisible energy loop between audience and musician sparks performances that feel alive.

🎧 That’s why live albums often carry a special intensity. You can hear the presence of an audience — in the daring solos, the dynamics, even the imperfections.

👉 Whether in jazz, classical, or singer-songwriter, that human connection is what makes live recordings unforgettable.

🔗 /soundliaison.com/

30/08/2025

"Sound Liaison brings us a recording of pianist Mike del Ferro performing a mix of his own compositions with standards. There is something special about this album that makes you enjoy it more each time you listen".
- Brian Mourat
"In my mind's ear I hear my ideal piano sound. It’s a round, dark and full sound, with a singing quality. It's almost like a symphony orchestra hidden inside the piano, able to produce as many musical colours as possible. The danger with the piano is that if you don’t take care of your touch, it can sound very harsh and mechanical while with the right touch, dynamics and intention you can make a simple triad sound like an orchestra. I had a wonderful time working with the Sound Liaison team creating the solo album 'Skylark'. Frans de Rond's superb craftsmanship and his vision of sound has been a revelation. He managed to realize the sound of my mind's ear."

"In my mind's ear I hear my ideal piano sound. It’s a round, dark and full sound, with a singing quality. It's almost like a symphony orchestra hidden inside the piano, able to produce as many musical colours as possible. The danger with the piano is that if you don’t take care of your touch, it can sound very harsh and mechanical while with the right touch, dynamics and intention you can make a simple triad sound like an orchestra. I had a wonderful time working with the Sound Liaison team creating the solo album 'Skylark'. Frans de Rond's superb craftsmanship and vision of sound have been a revelation. He managed to realize the sound of my mind's ear."

Buy Mike del Ferro - Skylark and other great high-res downloads from Sound Liaison. All audio formats just starting from €17.95.

24/08/2025

"From the tender country & western track 'Way Over Yonder' to the groovy 'Theme From Baretta' and George Benson's smooth jazz hit 'Affirmation', the album offers a captivating blend of genres. The trio's interpretation of the originals goes beyond mere replication; they have breathed new life into these classic tunes, reimagining them with their unique touch"
- Jazzism

20/08/2025

This is a One Mic + recording.
Engineer Frans de Rond spent hours shaping the perfect balance — placing our trusted Josephson C700S in the “sweet spot” before adding just a few spot mics.

The result? An intimate yet deep sound field where the trio can be seen across the soundstage — left to right, like those timeless jazz recordings we grew up on.

As Louis Armstrong said:
“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician…”

Reviews:
“A fantastic virtuosic and sparkling album, transcending all clichés thanks to this strong trio.” – Jan van Leersum, RootsTime.be
“…beautiful live recording… this album deserves a place in every swing collection.” – Monica Rijpma, JazzNu

Recording, mixing & mastering: Frans de Rond
Produced by: Peter Bjørnild & Rob van Bavel
Recorded live at MCO Studio 2, Hilversum, 19 March 2023

Audiophile chain:
Josephson C700S / C700A / C715 | Merging Horus | AudioQuest | TAD | Moon 760A | Sennheiser HD800S

Cover illustration: Victor de Boo | Design: Tom Beek | Photo: Bas Koning
Catalog No. SL-1064A

Available now at Sound Liaison

16/08/2025

If it Makes Me Dance, It’s a Keeper, by Frans de Rond
There’s a moment in every recording session where words fall short. Where meters and microphones fade into the background. Where the room, the gear, and even the players disappear for a second, and all that’s left is the groove. And then I find myself moving. Not consciously, more like a reflex, from somewhere deep inside. My head nods, shoulders loosen, feet shuffle ever so slightly. Sometimes I dance. I really dance. At that point, I know we’ve captured something real.

Peter Bjørnild, my longtime friend and the producer at Sound Liaison, is all about absolute concentration during playback. He’ll close his eyes, lean forward, hands on his knees. Every nuance, every detail, every breath of the room is under scrutiny. For him, it’s a sacred moment, and rightly so. But when something hits me right, I can’t help it, I move. Often to Peter’s visible dismay, especially when he’s deep in analytical mode. I’ll catch him giving me that look: “Really? Now?” But then he sees the smile on the musicians’ faces, the look of recognition, the unspoken connection. They get it. No one needs to say anything. The music said it all.

08/08/2025

''ABSOLUTE MAGIC!'' .....Great review of Tim & Paul's latest album in American music magazine Possitive Feedback: ...''When two outstanding musicians who understand and respect each other so well, and one superb master of audio recording, and a single microphone come together, absolute magic is the result. That's what we have in this new album from Tim Langedijk and Paul Berner, with the incomparable Frans de Rond. Add to this ensemble a great natural acoustic space, a single Josephson C700S microphone, and some great music selections, and you'll find me a very happy camper just listening to the tunes.

As producer Peter Bjørnild writes, "Langedijk and Berner have reached a level of musical maturity where less truly becomes more...stripping away effects, amplification, and studio trickery to focus solely on their instruments and musical dialogue." Then strip away the traditional studio in exchange for a lovely natural acoustic space like the legendary Studio 2, MCO Hilversum, Netherlands, and beautiful, natural, acoustic music emerges.

The intimacy, the spatial presentation, the "you are there" realism of this recording is simply phenomenal. There is almost a "reach out and touch" realism to this recording. Like, they are really right there in your space before you. We are not gifted with many recordings as true and natural as this one.

And this is one of the joys about well-engineered "single microphone" recordings, about which a future article is planned to further explore. For now, just get this and enjoy.''R.Paul in P.F.

Acoustic jazz by Tim Langedijk & Paul Berner, captured in DXD with one mic. Pure, minimalist music in ultra-high-res. Exclusive at Sound Liaison.

22/07/2025

✨ From Now On – Tim Langedijk & Paul Berner ✨
Recorded using a One Mic setup over two focused days at Studio 2, MCO Hilversum, this new release continues the minimalist, audiophile approach that made Down To The Downtown a quiet sensation.

🎶 As Jazzflits described it:
“Simplicity and clarity were the guiding principles during the recording session. Despite the complexity of some pieces, they sound effortlessly easy on this recording, and the simpler songs come alive, gaining unexpected depth in Tim and Paul’s hands. The musicians take their time throughout the album, with no sense of hurry. You can almost picture them sitting in the sun on a typical American porch in the lazy deep South. That’s the kind of atmosphere they create. It’s a delightful listening experience.”

The duo reimagines material by Paul McCartney, Bon Iver, Chris Cornell, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones — along with their own compositions — with striking grace and intimacy.

🎧 Engineered by Frans de Rond with the Josephson C700S stereo microphone for full phase coherence and breathtaking realism — a signature of Sound Liaison’s One Mic series.

Now available at Sound Liaison, Native DSD, and all streaming services.

https://soundliaison.com/collections/home-page-collection/products/tim-langedijk-paul-berner-from-now-on



https://soundliaison.com/collections/home-page-collection/products/tim-langedijk-paul-berner-from-now-on

Buy Tim Langedijk & Paul Berner - From Now On and other great high-res downloads from Sound Liaison. All audio formats just starting from €17.95.

11/07/2025

In Essence – “A Masterpiece of Simplicity and Sonic Precision”
Audiophile Style founder Chris Connaker has written a very flattering review of our first Pure DSD recording, In Essence.
Here are a few highlights from his review:
“In Essence is a wonderful selection of songs, played exquisitely, captured impeccably, and delivered to our listening rooms pristinely. Right from the opening double bass notes of track one, ‘My One and Only You,’ I was sucked into the album…”
“…the sonic image in my head of Peter Bjørnild on his double bass standing on the left of center, and Iman Spaargaren standing just right of center, was clear as day. It was like the two musicians were standing in between my loudspeakers…”
“This is art, created by people with a vision, and delivered as designed.”
“This album shouldn’t be mistaken as an audiophile adventure in technology from old to new, but rather as the work of art that it is.”
He also notes:
“Two musicians. The Great American Songbook. One stereo microphone. Captured to DSD256 and delivered to listeners in that format (other formats available as well). The simplicity is refreshing. The skills required to pull it off are anything but simple. Both musicians and Sound Liaison engineer Frans de Rond didn’t just show up to Studio 2 in Heuvellaan, Hilversum on January 16, 2025, set a microphone in the middle and start playing. Far from it. Playing for a single microphone, recorded direct to any medium, requires not only great musicianship, but also incredible restraint… passion and emotion…”
From the liner notes:
“In Essence is a welcome return to subtlety, depth, and direct communication. This new album from Iman Spaargaren (clarinet & saxophone) and Peter Bjørnild (double bass) was made using just one carefully placed Josephson C700S (3 capsule) stereo microphone. The entire performance was captured live in the room and recorded directly to Pure DSD256. It’s an old-school method in a high-tech frame — a reminder that sometimes the most advanced thing you can do is keep it simple.”
🎧 In Essence is available in the following high-resolution formats:
DSD512 · DSD256 · DSD128 · DSD64 · DXD 352.8kHz-24bit · PCM 192kHz · PCM 96kHz · FLAC 352kHz · FLAC 192kHz · FLAC 96kHz
Exclusively at soundliaison.com

04/07/2025

"The sonics are incredible. The clarity of the Pure DSD256 recording is palpable — it’s like lifting a veil between you and the musicians. The tone of the instruments, the natural space of the room, the subtle interaction between the players — all of it comes through with a realism that’s rarely captured. This is what great minimalist recording can do when done right.

Iman Spaargaren and Peter Bjørnild deliver a performance that is completely engaging, musically captivating, and simply delightful. You feel their conversation unfold with elegance and intimacy. It’s the kind of recording that rewards careful listening, but also offers pure pleasure from the very first note."
— Rushton Paul, Positive Feedback
https://soundliaison.com/collections/home-page-collection/products/iman-spaargaren-peter-bjornild-in-essence

29/06/2025

Iman Spaargaren & Peter Bjørnild –
'In Essence'
One-Mic Audiophile Recording
Pure DSD256 Master
"In Essence is a welcome return to subtlety, depth, and direct communication. This new album from Iman Spaargaren (clarinet & saxophone) and Peter Bjørnild (double bass) was made using just one carefully placed Josephson C700S (3-capsule) stereo microphone. The entire performance was captured live in the room and recorded directly to Pure DSD256. It’s an old-school method in a high-tech frame — a reminder that sometimes the most advanced thing you can do is keep it simple.
In Essence is an intimate, thoughtful exploration of the Great American Songbook. But unlike most modern jazz albums, these are not elaborate reworkings or long improvisations. The duo has chosen to keep each track short, distilled down to its melodic and emotional core, a clear, focused experience of each tune — each one a small, self-contained meditation, a kind of musical haiku: concise, almost fragile in its clarity, capturing the essence of melody and melodic improvisation. The result is music that doesn’t explain itself — it simply is.
The interplay of clarinet or saxophone and double bass feels like a conversation between friends — sometimes melodic, sometimes contrapuntal, always personal. It’s a modern take on a two-part invention, rooted in swing, blues, and lyricism.
The superb sound quality invites you into the studio: up close, sitting still, noticing, listening. Two instruments, the space between them, the breath before each phrase, the resonance of air and wood. In Essence is a quiet, heartfelt reminder of the beauty of musical intimacy."

Frans de Rond on the Recording Process:
"Working with Sound Liaison has always been about combining craftsmanship with innovation, and our first Pure DSD recording was a real turning point in our approach to high-resolution audio.
Recording Iman Spaargaren on sax and clarinet, and Peter Bjørnild on double bass, I wanted to explore the full potential of the DSD256 format for audiophile recording. Every detail — from mic placement to post-production — had to be handled with absolute precision to preserve the raw emotion of the performance.
DSD began as an archival format, but it has become a powerful tool for artistic expression and high-fidelity recording. This project reflects that synergy: pure, transparent sound driven by a minimalist signal path and honest engineering."
— Frans de Rond

Buy Iman Spaargaren & Peter Bjørnild - In Essence and other great high-res downloads from Sound Liaison. All audio formats just starting from €17.95.