To build a high-resolution DVD-Audio disc, you will need high-resolution audio material, i.e. from your own recording, from high-resolution download sites, from commercial sites or archives.

It can also be from upsampled CD quality material using Solo's built-in professional quality upsampling algorithm. Upsampling is the process of converting audio material to higher resolution (e.g. from 44kHz to 88kHz, 16 bit to 24 bit). Although upsampling does not not add new information to the music, it appears to allow a higher quality of rendering that, without upsampling, would require much more expensive equipments. This is the subject of considerable debate in the audio community, please refer to the following backgrounder links : why does high-resolution sound better, benefits of 96kHz sampling date, sampling rates and bit depth, filters.

DVD-Audio Solo's users have been praising the quality of its upsampling algorithm. Why don't you try for yourself and compare some of your favorite music, with and without upsampling.

Step 1 : Import high-resolution audio tracks into a DVD-Audio Solo project, as follows by drag/drop or by double-clicking the tracks.

Step 3 : go to the Export / Write panel and click Write.

Step 2 (optional) : upsample some tracks to a higher resolution. This can be done only from CD quality tracks at 44 kHz / 16 bit, up to 192 kHz / 24 bit. After importing the files in the Project view, select the upsampling quality in the Import panel as follows :

The steps to create a DVD-Audio disc from high-resolution tracks

Step 1 : Import high-resolution audio tracks into a DVD-Audio Solo project.

Step 2 (optional) : and/or select upsampling to a higher resolution for tracks at 44kHz / 16 bit

Step 3 : go to the DVD / Write panel and click Write.

Useful tips

Choosing an upsampling resolution is a tradeoff between quality and disc space. Good upsampling tradeoffs in most cases are 24/88kHz and 24/96kHz.

Many professional audio engineers consider that high bit depth is as important as high sampling rate, i.e. 16/96kHz is not necessarily better than 24/48kHz.

When using mixed resolution tracks, favor 24 bits for the front channels, this is where it matters most.

Upsamling and upmixing complement and strengthen each-other, partly due to the more precise phase information carried by high-definition signals.

The perceived improvement with upsampling will vary depending on the input material. Upsampling works particularly well when individual strings, winds or voices are distinguishable, as it brings more clarity and definition to each.