2025 Grammy for Immersive Audio Album - Who should win?

[J. PUPSTER]

Looks like i/o is winning here, Ed McMahon rejoice-

"All Americans need a sense of place. That's what makes our physical surroundings worth caring about."

might need to reshuffle that around a bit, or somethin' like that

 

[humprof]

And the official nominees (announced Friday, November 8th) are:

Best Immersive Audio Album

• “Avalon,” Bob Clearmountain, immersive mix engineer; Rhett Davies and Bryan Ferry, immersive producers (Roxy Music)
• “Genius Loves Company,” Michael Romanowski, Eric Schilling and Herbert Waltl, immersive mix engineers; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; John Burk, immersive producer (Ray Charles with Various Artists)
• “Henning Sommerro: Borders,” Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive producer (Trondheim Symphony Orchestra)
• “I/O (In-Side Mix),” Hans-Martin Buff, immersive mix engineer; Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and Richard Russell, immersive producers (Peter Gabriel)
• “Pax,” Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive producer (Ensemble 96 and Current Saxophone Quartet)

Some reminders, before we start recycling the Same Old Complaints (see also my post #11, above):

• To be nominated, you've gotta enter or be entered. And not all artists, agents, or labels bother (or manage) to enter their eligible titles by the submission deadline. (Here's the process. And here.)
• Unlike the "big" categories, the nominees (and the eventual winner) for Best Immersive are selected by members of the "Craft" committee--in principle, qualified fellow immersive engineers.

 

[privateuniverse]

Two titles from the poll selections actually got nominated. I'm pleasantly surprised that it was that many!

So I am going to make a prediction that this year the Grammy will go to one of the pop/rock titles. I think nominating Morton Lindberg twice doesn't actually do him any favors. He has lost any year that he received multiple nominations.

 

[sjcorne]

Maybe coincidence, but it's encouraging to see just one streaming-exclusive title (Avalon). The other four are available either via disc or download.

 

[minimumtumbleweed]

I hope i/o wins. It's probably my favourite from the lot. Sidenote, I do wonder why Steven Wilson never submits his work.

 

[quicksrt]

Maybe coincidence, but it's encouraging to see just one streaming-exclusive title (Avalon). The other four are available either via disc or download.

It's encouraging because it shows that streaming only titles are still eligible?

 

[minimumtumbleweed]

It's encouraging because it shows that streaming only titles are still eligible?

I think he meant that in previous years many of the titles were streaming-only. Perhaps it's nice to see that we can continue to expect physical releases to be appreciated and not have to expect that only streaming will be the way forward.

 

[HenkG]

Why is Skylarking from XTC not nominated, for me is this best mix so far from 2024, also missing Crowded House and The Pineapple Thief latest one. I know it's always subjective.

 

[haikubass]

Why is Skylarking from XTC not nominated, for me is this best mix so far from 2024, also missing Crowded House and The Pineapple Thief latest one. I know it's always subjective.

Skylarking was released past the deadline (August 30). So, it can still get a nomination next year!

 

[Paulosophy]

No one mentioned The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. It came out in 2003 on DVD in 5.1 and has just been reissued in Atmos (same 5.1 mix?). And what about Seal II ? Not sure what the cutoff date is?

 

[hi-res_edition]

I am very surprised that Resonance by Boris Blank nor The Harmony Codex by Steven Wilson did not make this nomination list... these are my two top choices from this selection period. I can only assume they didn't enter their releases! Of the nominees, I/O would certainly be my selection if I was a voting member.

 

[mkt]

The 2L nominees are available in ADM as well as all the other formats that I can thing of.

 

[humprof]

Probably worth mentioning that there are immersive mixes, ranging from average to outstanding, in many of the bigger categories: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best Rock Album, Best Alternative Music Album, Best Alternative Jazz Album, Best Folk Album, etc., etc.--not to mention Best Engineered Album, Classical.

 

[JediJoker]

The 2L nominees are available in ADM as well as all the other formats that I can thing of.
View attachment 110868

Is 2L the only label/store offering ADM downloads? These have got to be huge files.

 

[mandrix]

I would have voted for Snarky Puppy - Sylva. But of the nominees I would go for i/o. Of course Stephen Tayler's mix on Human's Lib is most excellent as well. So between those two i/o barely edges it out because of music content, not skill.

 

[mkt]

Is 2L the only label/store offering ADM downloads? These have got to be huge files.

Audite has started offering ADM downloads too. Those are the only two stores that I can remember seeing that offer ADM.

The ADM files that I have seen are not small (5–10 GB or so for an album) but no larger than the so-called discrete immersive files (e.g., 24/96 7.1.4 or 5.1.4 wav, which I like b/c no decoding required). Maybe these ADM files are "simple" in the sense that they have 24/48 7.1 beds + 4 objects for the heights. I don't know.

I think DXD 7.1.4 must be huge.

 

[Lensflair]

The time frame for a 2024 Grammy nomination is September 16, 2023–August 30, 2024. Steven Wilson’s “The Harmony Codex” was released on September 29th and was therefore eligible. It’s a travesty that it was not nominated.

 

[4-earredwonder]

The time frame for a 2024 Grammy nomination is September 16, 2023–August 30, 2024. Steven Wilson’s “The Harmony Codex” was released on September 29th and was therefore eligible. It’s a travesty that it was not nominated.

Perhaps someday Steve Wilson will be awarded a special Honorary Grammy for [extreme] EXCELLENCE in Surround mixing!

 

[mandrix]

Wilson and Co. may have looked at past results and decided to pass.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Wilson and Co. may have looked at past results and decided to pass.

Well how can anyone compete with Norwegian label 2L which include every codec under the sun on their combo BD~A/CD sets including Auro 3D and even MQA encoding on the CD ... all of which incur separate royalty fees!