Steven Wilson Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex (2023)

[sjcorne]

https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/steven_wilson_on_the_harmony_codex_part_1

“Rock Bottom,” a song written by Wilson’s recurring duet partner Ninet Tayeb, is a 10 Megaton power ballad with a Vesuvian guitar solo by Niko Tsonev.

 

[bookofsaturdays]

Well now that’s more like it…

 

[edisonbaggins]

That is more like it!

 

[rugene]

Jim Newstead review:

SW Listening Session

 

[Blackwood]

Jim Newstead review:

SW Listening Session

Yesterday, I convinced my wife that for Christmas it would be nice to flesh out the living room surround setup to 7.2.4 meaning a new receiver and a couple of new speakers.

Now, after watching that video, I need to go back and convince her that what we really need is an 18.1.12 setup (and apparently the unique mix Steven made.)

 

[sjcorne]

Now, after watching that video, I need to go back and convince her that what we really need is an 18.1.12 setup (and apparently the unique mix Steven made.)

I didn't watch the video, but if the guy is insinuating that Steven made a unique 18.1.12 surround mix that's simply not the case. He only made one Atmos mix of the album.

 

[Blackwood]

I didn't watch the video, but if the guy is insinuating that Steven made a unique 18.1.12 surround mix that's simply not the case. He only made one Atmos mix of the album.

“... was mixed especially for this system, and it will never ever be heard anywhere other than on this particular system.”

He may have really meant (despite what he said) that it would never be heard in that configuration (18.1.12) again, but it did come off at first to me as a unique mix. What you’re saying makes sense, though.

If I recall, you (or someone else) did state that once you get past a certain configuration, it’s just duplication, not unique content in the extra speakers. Or am I misremembering/misquoting that?

Still, if my wife is open to more equipment in the house, I gotta strike quickly and buy whatever the budget might allow!

 

[sjcorne]

If I recall, you (or someone else) did state that once you get past a certain configuration, it’s just duplication, not unique content in the extra speakers. Or am I misremembering/misquoting that?

Yeah, I don’t think the Atmos renderer will expand to an output configuration beyond 9.1.6 - but maybe that’s changed.

 

[AYanguas]

Yeah, I don’t think the Atmos renderer will expand to an output configuration beyond 9.1.6 - but maybe that’s changed.

In this article:
https://www.adigitalife.com/latest-...-atmos-home-theatre-set-up-128-channels-.html
"""
Atmos is capable of producing 128 channels of sound routed to 64 speakers, however, home theatre systems will largely contain....
"""

Asuming this is true, someone could build an Atmos renderer for such a big number of channels/speakers. But for our 'Homes' theaters, the 9.1.6 is usually considered the max available in AVRs. I do not know if Trinnov or other High End AVRs are above that.

Even if that show room had a special renderer for such many speakers, the 'mix' done by Steven Wilson in Dolby Atmos would be the same that will be relased for us. I hope. Just the Atmos Objects coordinates will be imaged/rendered by different number of speakers.

 

[Sal1950]

Now, after watching that video, I need to go back and convince her that what we really need is an 18.1.12 setup (and apparently the unique mix Steven made.)

Be sure to have your phone's camera at the ready.
You may need video for the court hearing.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Jim liked it!
Did he say 24 Subs?

 

[François]

French / English review

 

[rugene]

Yes, Steve Is our pure alchemist, he can change everything into gold. well almost...

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I’m finding the Deluxe Edition already as elusive as a Seldon replica sighting on Trantor

 

[M-K]

Burning Shed shows box set w blu ray out of stock but blu ray alone available to order

Official SW shop out of stock too.

 

[César]

Official SW shop out of stock too.

Strangely, it was listed in Amz France and Spain. In fact, I was able to pre-order in the French one and wasn't cancelled yet (but it has no availability date). I hope it will be re-stocked soon. For once with Steven, I'd like to listen to a few more songs. The single released so far left me dead cold

 

[rugene]

We have a good idea of the new album's music here, but she doesn't care about the surround experience.

SW Listening Session

 

[GuitarSuperstar]

Yeah, I don’t think the Atmos renderer will expand to an output configuration beyond 9.1.6 - but maybe that’s changed.

Here is what L-Acoustics did with Closure/Continuation. I imagine they did the same for The Harmony Codex:

Wilson provided L-Acoustics Application Design Engineer Christopher McDonnell with master audio files for CLOSURE / CONTINUATION, and McDonnell subsequently rendered these into the company’s L-ISA Studio software platform to expand the mix to the ultra-high resolution 18.1.12 systems in the Highgate and LA facilities. “Once I loaded the files into L-ISA Studio, I started playing with the parameters so I could introduce a bit of the width algorithm that L-ISA Studio uses,” McDonnell says. “This is so we can distribute energy to adjacent speakers and fill in any gaps, while still remaining true to Steven’s mix decisions.”

”A bigger space creates more of a sense of discretion in the mix,” Wilson adds. “So if you have something positioned only in the center speaker in my studio, which is quite small, it doesn’t sound as lonely as it does when suddenly I am hearing it in this big space. A lot of what Chris was doing was bleeding and widening some of the audio out, creating more of an array kind of an effect with the speakers. It made things glue together a little better.”
https://www.l-acoustics.com/press-r...ics-creations-international-listening-events/

 

[Plan9]

We have a good idea of the new album's music here, but she doesn't care about the surround experience.

SW Listening Session

"Better than The Future Bites"
"There's a Rap on the album"

 

[sjcorne]

“Rap” is a bit of an overstatement, it’s more of a spoken word thing.

There are new things on this record. If you’re going to ask me for something specific, the most obvious song [is] “Actual Brutal Facts,” which is almost hip-hop rhythmically, or trip hop at least. And Jack Dangers was very involved in that track as well. [He’s] someone that comes from this kind of industrial hip-hop background. And the use of my voice on that track almost…I mean, it’s not rapping, but it’s using speech instead of melody. And I’ve down pitched my vocals two or three semi tones to make it sound like somebody else. A lot of people say to me, “Who’s that singing on that track?” And I said, “It’s me!” So, this is me out of my comfort zone.