The Noztiluna mastering studio was designed and built by Alessandro Boschi specifically for audio mastering, then acoustically fine-tuned by architect Lorenzo Pozzi.
The room is fully treated and exceptionally quiet, with a full-range reference monitoring system and acoustically neutral furniture, providing an accurate and controlled listening environment. Computers are located in a dedicated external room, with dedicated AC supply filtering and power infrastructure.
The entire studio is synchronised to the Antelope AFC master clock, providing a common, stable reference for all digital stages of the system.
Noztiluna is primarily based around analog processing. Each piece of equipment has been selected, modified and refined to preserve its original character while refining the signal path and improving its integration with the rest of the chain.
Every component, including the digital stages, has been chosen for its tonal characteristics and its ability to complement the other elements. The result is a coherent system in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Selected for its highly musical and precise sound, together with its exceptional internal clocking system.
The power supply has been upgraded with discrete regulators and low-ESR capacitors, while the output stage has been refined with SoundPlus™ op-amps.
Designed and built by Alessandro Boschi, the Noztiluna mastering console is based on a floating-balanced circuit derived from the Neumann architecture, with vintage Haufe transformers.
The console provides a clean signal path with flexible routing and precise level management between the different stages of the mastering chain.
Its particular combination of transparency, detail, three-dimensionality and punch makes it the central element of the Noztiluna analogue path.
Selected after extensive comparisons with other VCA compressors, the VSC-3 combines precision with a natural sense of depth and movement.
The signal path has been refined with SoundPlus™ op-amps and a cleaned-up DC path, restoring transient impact and preserving the natural character of the compressor.
In the Noztiluna chain, it is used to make the relationship between the initial peak and the musical content that follows more readable — working inside the music, not on top of it.
Two matched units with consecutive serial numbers, fully refurbished and sonically refined, with a new, ultra-clean external power supply.
Originally designed as versatile compressor/limiters, these U473A units have been modified for exclusive use as de-essers, preserving their distinctive character while improving punch and clarity.
Chosen for its distinctive sound, the MEP250EX has been extensively refined with dedicated external power supplies for each channel and a cleaned-up DC and audio path.
The original ±12 dB gain range has been modified to ±6 dB, providing finer control for mastering while retaining continuous adjustment of frequency, gain and Q.
Its flexibility and continuous controls offer a level of precision particularly well suited to mastering applications, allowing subtle and musical intervention without sacrificing control.
Chosen for its musical character and its gentle compression that follows the natural flow of the music, adding depth and body without sacrificing detail.
Refined with hand-selected Siemens Halske NOS tubes and a cleaned-up DC path. Its continuously variable controls allow precise calibration and finer adjustment than the stepped controls of the Mastering version.
A matched pair of vintage Neumann W495B equalizers with consecutive serial numbers, fully recapped and refined for mastering use. The gain steps have been modified to provide finer control for subtle tonal adjustments, supported by a dedicated low-noise external power supply.
Installed in the parallel processing path, the W495B pair is used to shape the tone and character of the signal feeding the Black Box Analog Design HG-2, with both processors sharing the same parallel path.
Used in parallel for subtle enhancement and a gentle increase in RMS, the HG-2 adds density and energy while retaining the natural character of the source.
The unit has been refined to reduce loss of detail and improve both dynamic and microdynamic response.
A remarkable analog tape simulator, fully equipped with all available machine and tape formulation cards, offering the complete range of its tape simulations.
The power supply has been radically refined with custom-designed discrete regulators, reducing the original noise floor by more than 28 dB. Selected components in the audio path were also upgraded to allow the ATS-1's distinctive character to emerge with greater clarity and refinement.
Selected for the final tonal refinements in the mastering chain, just before the NTP limiters, the SPL PQ offers exceptional precision for subtle adjustments. Its different filter characteristics provide two distinct sonic flavours, while retaining its remarkable three-dimensional punch — even when set flat.
Its seamless integration into the Noztiluna chain was achieved through carefully selected passive component upgrades, chosen following extensive listening tests and evaluation.
A pair of vintage NTP 179-400 limiters with consecutive serial numbers, perfectly matched and fully refurbished for dedicated modern mastering use.
Refined with SoundPlus™ op-amps, improved local power supplies and modified attack and release times for a more precise modern response.
Powered by two low-noise external power supplies, they form the final stage of the analogue chain, used independently for precise peak matching between the two channels. Gain reduction is deliberately kept below 1 dB.
Selected specifically for its A/D section, based around the PCM4222 and a single OPA1632 input stage. As the converter approaches full scale, the PCM4222 introduces a gentle compression-like behaviour, contributing to a particularly smooth handling of high-level transients. The converters are never intentionally driven into clipping.
Completely rebuilt with a super-quiet external power supply featuring custom-designed discrete regulators, together with a refined DC and audio path for improved clarity and definition.
Used as the final ADC stage to capture the analogue processing chain. The upgraded headphone DAC is also used for critical monitoring when investigating noise, clicks and pops.
Chosen after an extensive comparison with some of the most acclaimed and modern DACs available, the Benchmark DAC-1 stood out for its ability to reconstruct spatial information, preserve temporal coherence, reproduce natural decay and maintain the credibility of the sonic event.
It doesn't flatter the sound. It reveals distortion. It translates.
These qualities strongly reflect the listening philosophy expressed by Bob Ohlsson, and they are precisely what I found in the DAC-1 after its restoration and refinement.
The unit was refurbished with direct support from Benchmark, including access to the original service documentation. Its power supply was refined with an external transformer enclosure, discrete regulators and low-ESR capacitors. The op-amps were updated to the devices used in later Benchmark revisions, while unused sections of the original circuit were removed.
As the monitoring DAC of the Noztiluna studio, it provides the final reference through which every mastering decision is evaluated.
The monitoring system is based around PMC IB1S loudspeakers, selected for their accuracy, scale and ability to resolve the smallest details without becoming fatiguing.
The crossover networks have been refined and the speakers are dual-wired with Libtec Zu-Audio cables. They are driven by 400W-per-channel Hypex NC400 Class D amplifiers, extensively modified to improve clarity and reduce distortion.
The result is a highly revealing monitoring system designed to make spatial information, tonal balance, dynamics and low-level detail immediately apparent.
Modification & verification. Every modification has been evaluated through repeated instrumental measurements and critical listening tests. Changes were kept only when both the measurements and the listening results confirmed their value.
The digital processors in the Noztiluna chain were not selected simply because they were hardware. Each was compared extensively with its software counterpart before being chosen.
In repeated listening tests, the hardware versions proved more convincing within the context of the complete mastering chain, particularly in terms of depth, naturalness, stereo image and dynamic behaviour.
The choice was not based on hardware versus software as a principle, but on what ultimately sounded more convincing.
Used for subtle corrective adjustments and fine cleaning of the source material before it enters the analogue processing path.
Used for subtle dynamic corrections and fine control before the signal enters the analogue processing path.
Sequoia is used for mastering and restoration, Pro Tools for remix and stem mixing, with iZotope RX available for specialised restoration and repair work.