Behind the Scenes: Immersive Recording in Bremen’s Sendesaal

Behind the Scenes: Immersive Recording in Bremen’s Sendesaal

The upcoming release of “It’s Never Over” by Ola Onabulé and the Hazelrigg Brothers is a project very close to our hearts here at Aliud Records. For those familiar with our work, it will come as no surprise that we’ve recorded this album natively for state-of-the-art immersive audio and high-resolution formats. We believe deeply that how music is captured shapes how it’s heard, and our dedication to both artistic and technical detail ensures the album meets the high expectations of audiophiles and music lovers alike.

When we first conceived this album immersive audio was never an afterthought or a post-production feature. From the very first note through to the final master, this album was conceived and executed with DSD and immersive formats in mind—primarily Auro3D and Dolby Atmos. As many of our listeners will know we have fully embraced Auro3D since its early days and have been among its pioneers. It delivers a rich, three-layered soundscape—surround, height, and overhead—that wraps the listener in a true hemispherical sound-field.

What sets Auro3D apart is its addition of discrete height channels embedded into a PCM 5.1 carrier, then extracts and renders it on compatible playback systems, enabling playback compatibility and single-inventory distribution. This makes it uniquely suited for immersive music production, distinguished by higher resolution lossless formats, more natural and emotionally impactful sound staging than the often highly compressed cinema-oriented object-based Atmos platform.

Our commitment to purity and precision extends to every technical step. All recording, mixing, and mastering work was completed using hardware and software from Merging Technologies. We used Merging’s Horus converters—renowned for their transparency and ultra-low distortion—directly connected to the industry-standard Pyramix DAW, ensuring high fidelity throughout the production chain. Sessions were captured in both DXD (352.8 kHz/24 bit) and rendered in DSD, providing listners with seamless access to formats best suited for their playback systems. Thanks to a longstanding collaboration with Auro Technologies, Merging was among the first to integrate the Auro3D authoring tools into its Pyramix.

 

As with all of our production’s, what you hear is a true reflection of a live moment. We used only the finest microphones, Neumann, Schoeps, and DPA, running directly through the Merging converters with on processing on the way in. This ensures the purest and most accurate sound at every stage. All the musicians performed together in the same acoustic space, unamplified, without headphones or monitoring, so the natural interplay and dynamics become part of the recording’s soul. We captured complete takes with no overdubs, preserving the honesty and immediacy of the performance.

The chosen location for the recording was the Sendesaal in Bremen. This room is much more than a great sounding recording venue—it’s a living piece of music history and an integral “member” of the session. Built in 1952 as Radio Bremen’s flagship studio, it served as a premier broadcast and recording space for over fifty years, with legendary artists like Keith Jarrett, John Cage, and Alfred Brendel having performed and recorded within its walls. Its room-within-room design, suspended on springs, provides extraordinary isolation from external noise, creating a sonic environment where even the subtlest musical nuances shine. Although once at risk of closure, the Sendesaal was lovingly restored by passionate advocates and continues to be cherished as a venue that fosters both exceptional sound and an inspiring atmosphere.

 

 

This album embodies everything we strive for at Aliud Records: a meeting of honesty, masterful musicianship, a great team pasionate about pure audio and cutting-edge recording techniques in a space that breathes music history. We have long championed immersive formats like Auro3D because they allow us to set a high standard, presenting recorded music that is not only technically accurate but profoundly human and engaging.

“It’s Never Over” invites listeners into the heart of the performance, offering an audiophile experience where every nuance is clear, every emotional gesture present, and every moment alive.

The album “It’s Never Over” by Ola Onabulé and the Hazelrigg Brothers will be released globally on November 14, 2025. It will be available in multiple formats to suit every kind of listener, including CD, high-resolution downloads in DSD, Auro3d and Dolby Atmos and all major streaming platforms. Prior to the full album release, two singles will be issued: “It’s Never Over” on October 17, 2025, and “Alive Tonight” on October 31, 2025, each accompanied by official videos. For those who prefer physical media, a limited edition vinyl pressing is planned for Spring 2026, completing this comprehensive offering.

 

Track Listing:
1. Patience Endures – 5:28
2. Alive Tonight – 5:33
3. The Girl That She Was – 4:57
4. The Voodoo – 4:53
5. Condition Of The Heart – 6:29
6. Dark Matter – 4:08
7. It’s The Peace That Deafens – 5:52
8. It’s Never Over – 6:13

All compositions by Ola Onabulé except
“Condition Of The Heart” composed by Prince.

Line-Up:
Ola Onabulé: Vocals
George Hazelrigg: Piano
Geoff Hazelrigg: Bass
Thomas Käfel: Drums