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Seigen Ono- Saidera Mastering
Seigen Ono at work

Segein Ono is a great example of a true modern day composer. By necessity, the role of the modern day composer has become the person who not only collects the notes out of the ether, but also oversees their care and feeding until they are delivered to the listener's ear, whether in performance or a recording. It is a complicated task, which has become ever more difficult in the face of record companies owned by huge media conglomerates, whose existence is for profit, not the pursuit of high art.

So Mr. Ono, like many of his esteemed modern music colleagues, has evolved his role as a thriving artist in modern society by playing ball- not only by composing and performing beautiful, genre defying music, but by expertly recording, mixing, mastering and packaging his music as well. The results are a singular, undiluted and undeniably beautiful body of work from an individual who is firmly in control of his artistic destiny.

Digging deeper into Mr. Ono's catalog, we learn that he has been at the epicenter of some astonishing musical events. From his work with Miles Davis, Arto Lindsay, John Zorn, the Lounge Lizards, the Kronos Quartet and Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso, to his own remarkable Septet and other amazing projects in his homeland of Japan, Mr. Ono has produced records for and with a jaw dropping list of musical luminaries.

We became aware of Mr. Ono through our esteemed friend Tom Lazarus (Classic Sound), who recorded Seigen Ono’s 2001 release entitled “Maria and Maria”. This record, along with many in Mr. Ono’s Catalog, have been released on hybrid disc, providing standard stereo, SACD and Surround versions of the music on one disc.

Lately we have been quite enchanted with his 2002 Saidera Records release “So Peaceful, Simple and Strong”. This beautiful record is an remarkable document of a virtuosic ensemble stretching their individual and collective creative boundaries, while being impeccably recorded, mixed and mastered. It is highly recommended.

Mr. Ono is a Grace Design fan, owning and using a model 801 and recently the new m906 5.1 high fidelity monitor controller. The m906 has been installed at Saidera Mastering, which is a division of Saidera Paridoso, Seigen Ono’s recording Studio/ Record Label complex in Tokyo.

So we are honored with his association and are simply thrilled to be able to help contribute to the cause of this remarkable artist. We highly recommend investigating Mr. Ono’s wonderful body of work.

Seigen, thank you for taking the time to speak with us!

We understand that modern Western music, from Coltrane and Miles to your present day collaborators, is major influence in your music. However, could you tell us a little bit about some of your Japanese musical influences, traditional and/ or contemporary?

I listen to Western Pop/Jazz Music more than Japanese music. I didn't hear it live, but listened to LPs or radio when I was high school. Unfortunately I didn't understand the English lyrics then. Nowadays it is very interesting to listen back those records on Super Audio CD. It is a totally different experience if you understand the words that go with the music. And Super Audio CD’s are more able to carry the heart of the performer.

About my Japanese musical influences, I think I am influenced more by my surrounding environment, through how we think, hear, talk, walk and live. Naturally there is different “ma”, space and slowness, compared with the west. You can see this in Zen, tea ceremony, food like sushi, martial arts, etc. Japanese people or samurai often read the energy ("ki" in Japanese) existing in the air. Like the "ma" during a break in conversation. In the timely space in between the musical notes, again "ma", another layer of critical performance information is included that exceeds the level of expressed notes. That is where the "ki" exists. To me, "ki" adds a layer to the sound from before the moment the sound starts, and exists and disappears even after the sound has faded away. Recording to me is not just the registration and mixing of sound. The objective would always be to grasp the "ki" that exists in that specific place, and record it onto a certain media (tape, hard disc, etc...).

Seigen with Tom Lazarus at Classic Sound, NYC

Your compositional and musical prowess speaks for itself, but we would be curious to know how you became involved in the recording and production end of the industry. What got you started as an engineer and producer?

I was a musician and I couldn’t make enough money to survive. When I was 20 years old, I was lucky to be hired at one of the top commercial recording studios in Tokyo called “ONKIO HAUS”. They let me clean up the studios and cables, and it was like training camp. There I learned most of the necessary skills for studio operations. I became the most convenient assistant for the studio, for the musicians especially. I learned what is important for recording sessions. You have to work quickly, know what the client will need next and always be prepared.

After a couple of years experience at this professional studio, I became a freelance engineer when I was 22 years old. I was very lucky to get jobs with Yasuaiki Shimizu, Kazumi Watanabe, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Toshinori Kondo, Sadao Watanabe, etc. Musicians network and introduce each other a lot. I have known Arto Lindsay, John Zorn and Bill Laswell since 1984. At that time, I could not speak English and John spoke only few sentence in Japanese (with cute girl’s accent). Somehow we communicated thru sounds and smiling. We were able to make a few good records in the studio and tour. If you are living in Tokyo, you meet everybody. Lots of great musicians come to Japan on tour. I am often hired to record their live performances, like Manhattan Transfer, Joe Jackson, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, Lounge Lizards, David Sylvian, etc... I also travel a lot, so I get to meet lots of nice, talented musicians, and sometimes we make music together.

Besides being a producer/engineer, I am a musician. I like composing music much the same as I like cooking food. My music is my personal work- I make it but I don’t know how to sell it.

Can you tell us a little about the creation of Saidera Paridoso- how did this amazing facility come into existence?

In 1995, YAMAHA introduced the O2R onto the market and I was selected to help do its field testing. I loved it. I could not afford to buy an AMS Logic2, which had most of the functions you need in the studio. However, the O2R was even better. Also, Macintosh computer prices had become reasonable. So at this time, a few of my albums sold well and I had some cash to spend. There was the Sonic Solutions system, and I already had TASCAM, I found 1630 A to D, D to A converters in perfect condition. Sony manufactured the last serial numbered DMR-4000 for me. I started Saidera Mastering then. It is a small studio where you can do recording, mixing and mastering.

Commercial studios in Japan always choose large SSL or Neve consoles because they want to show them to their clients. They made a few big mistakes in that time. I mean, many of professional engineers and studio owners did not even compare the sound of O2R to large consoles. They could not imagine that a small digital console could make sounds clean and better than a large console with thier kilometers of wires.

You can carry O2R with TASCAMs to location. I asked YAMAHA to make bit splitting for the O2R’s buss for using an 8 track 16 bit recorder as a 4 track 24-bit machine. I was surprised to know there was no 24 bit machine at that time. I could bring in my jobs to my small studio- Saidera Mastering. A small studio needs to have minimum length cables. It makes the sound even better. It's easy to test to find what is important in a studio. Like DPA microphones, TC M5000 MD2 software, etc... We always upgrade our equipment when we find a better solution. Now we have a Sony SONOMA DSD Audio Work Station, Pro Tools|HD3 Accel, Genex GX-8500, TC electronic SYETEM 6000, Prism Sound ADA-8, and finally, a Grace Design model 801 and m906.

You have been a pioneer in the use of DSD and surround recording formats. Can you tell us more about how the model 801 fits into your current high-resolution recording systems? And also, what is the role of the m906 in Saidera Mastering?

1988, I was mixing a pop album for SME at Saidera Mastering. At the same time Sony had just completed the first professional DSD machine. I had a chance to use it to capture a final mix. I used to like half-inch analog, and my first impression was that DSD was confusing because I couldn't tell if it was playback or lineout from the console. But you need to pay more attention for setting balance as each small thing makes the sounds different.

There are two categories of my equipment: colored and transparent. If the sound needs to be changed, the first things you have to do is go and see the musician. Make sure he/she is creating the right sounds you're expecting. If not, ask him/her to make it. -then don’t change it unless you know and wish to use the color or filter curve of the microphone. Before you talk about it, be sure of the position and angle of the microphone. It’s like taking a picture of your lover. Do you want portrait, close up or with a neighbor? In all of this at the earlier stage you have to use the model 801 to make the signal at a high enough level without adding any color.

Make sure you get the point A and B the same to make sure you've got everything in the playback. DSD dose not make serious difference between the sound before A to D converter and after D to A playback. Then all cables, amplifier (except Sharp 1 bit, 256fs which I love), speakers add colors on the sounds. Once a bit of color is added on the sound you can never clean it. You can make “cafe au lait” with black coffee, but you can not turn it back into pure black coffee even if you add 10 times more black coffee. The m906, pure water transparent monitor controller is the key of quality control in the kitchen. The same is for D to A converters- it is not easy to find a PCM D to A converter which does not add any colors. In the end, the m906 is the only available gear.

Finally, do you have any exciting upcoming projects at Saidera Paridoso or elsewhere that you would like to tell us about?

I love helping musicians. Good music makes people excited and happy. Good sound makes people healthy. I just finished DSD mastering for the Verve 60th anniversary, with albums like “Getz/Gilberto”, “Oscar Peterson Trio”, “Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival”, “Ella and Louis”, etc. Great American culture, music and jazz- I simply love it like everyone.

Now all we need are good speakers. I don’t trust speakers. I mean, we need speakers to listen back to the recording and make sure everything is on the tape (HDD). All speakers carry and add colors, so you have to know exactly what color is added by the speakers. Maybe someday GRACE can produce speakers which will make me happy- maybe collaborate with Sharp 1 bit. It is very difficult to sell such a product to the consumer audio market because everyone has a different opinion about what they like, e.g. when hungry, some folks like a steak and some want oysters with Champagne. Not many people eat just plain bread without butter. How many types of water are there on sale?


Seigen at Verve

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