Steven Wilson Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex (2023)

[ArmyOfQuad]

What I don't understand is why some people can't figure out how to master a blu-ray so that it doesn't chop off the beginning of every song from tripping the receiver into resyning atmos. The music and mix were good, but with listening to it being such a frustrating experience, I probably won't give it another listen.

Sad that people can't seem to figure out how to make anything that works right anymore.

 

[weekendtoy]

On my first listen and boy howdy what a treat.

It's the perfect marriage of music and surround. Hand Cannot Erase is like that too. However, this has the added benefit of ATMOS.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

What I don't understand is why some people can't figure out how to master a blu-ray so that it doesn't chop off the beginning of every song from tripping the receiver into resyning atmos. The music and mix were good, but with listening to it being such a frustrating experience, I probably won't give it another listen.

Sad that people can't seem to figure out how to make anything that works right anymore.

I always thought that behavior was due to the AVR and not the source. Could be that you are right, but with my rig, if I play a disc or file or stream an apple album continuously, there are no lapses except for the initial start. But if I skip around and cherry pick tracks, it does what you describe at every track change. Its like it needs a delay long enough to synch up.

 

[HenkG]

Received my deluxe from the official Townsend Music store today. $30 for shipping and a crushed corner? I guess that's what I get for trying to support the artist most directly. Lesson learned.

Ah I received from this club a stand alone cd instead of the 3 disc boxset. bit pricy 55 pound for a cd

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

I, too, ordered from Townsend Music and didn’t get a shipping notice until Tuesday that it shipped. Well, I checked Wednesday, Thursday, yesterday and it still didn’t actually ever make it to the Post Office. It didn’t ship until today. Funny thing is, it shows a delivery date for this coming Tuesday and the damn thing shipped from only a few miles away from me. I’ve only learned patience because I have so many other new music to listen to.

 

[minimumtumbleweed]

The Atmos mix on THC blows TFB's away! Some of the songs sound almost as if they were composed with the format in mind.

It seems like TFB came just before THC, but in reality it's been about four years since TFB was mixed. It was also Steven Wilson's first Atmos album mix, and the mix was accomplished with the assistance of Jake Fields from Dolby labs. So, it's understandable that this album would sound much better, given the amount of experience SW has accrued in the past four years with the format.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I didn't buy a copy of this yet. Anyone know if they intend to re-press the stand alone Blu-ray?

 

[stoopid]

I didn't buy a copy of this yet. Anyone know if they intend to re-press the stand alone Blu-ray?

IIRC Burning Shed indicated more Blurays are on the way, but they have not heard if they're making any more deluxe sets. That's my memory from their Facebook post a few days ago.

 

[olgitnorm]

Stand alone Blu-ray showing as in stock at Amazon UK

 

[dr. simple]

I wasn’t sure what you meant by trap hi-hats, so I listened to confirm that it’s what I feared - and what Rick Beato calls “cicada” hi-hat.

That is one of the most - if not THE most - unpleasant sounds I’ve ever heard in music. Nothing in my collection uses this sound, and I don’t plan on changing that. I have great respect for Steven Wilson, but in this case I’ll have to pass.

I wrote the above 40 days ago. I’ve since listened to several Steven Wilson interviews (notably Rick Beato’s interview) and decided to give it a go. I got the stand-alone blu-ray.

My statement above was the equivalent of saying I’ll pass on the spaghetti sauce because there are a few bay leaves in it. I was totally wrong (but eventually got it right). In my defense, with most other artists I may have been right, but not with Steven Wilson.

This album and mix (which in my opinion are difficult to consider separately) are wholly unique and brilliant. I imagine one day I will have experienced it enough, but not in the foreseeable future.

 

[madship]

Mine is apparently stuck in Slough House.

I wanted to wait until I received the deluxe set to give it a proper listen, but after receiving the delay notice from the Shed, I broke down and listened to the surround version on Apple Music on release day. The mix was excellent, but I was left a bit cold by the music itself. Not unusual for a first listen to one of Steven's solo albums.

That coldness gradually warmed, this album is definitely an acquired taste, I listened to the album again later release day through headphones and enjoyed it more, While there is no individual song that I am called to listen to, I am drawn to pull the album up on my phone. I've listened to the album as a whole at least twice a day since its release, each time I listen I enjoy it more. I've gone to the streaming Atmos a few more time and love the mix and am eagerly awaiting the disk's release from HWDC to hear the 5.1 mix, which is what I'm set up for.

 

[gorman]

I cannot find the bluray release anywhere... just CD or Vinyl in Italy. This is quite upsetting.

 

[Robert van Diggele]

LOL, I played the new album already more times than TFB. Favorite track so far Actual Brutal Facts.

 

[surroundsoundman]

On Monday evening I ordered THC Blu-ray from Amazon.uk. $28.97 delivered to New York. Not crazy bad. I do have a problem with the availability game that SW & his management seems to be playing. It seems that they create a FOMO on their releases lately.

 

[FrankieZappa]

I cannot find the bluray release anywhere... just CD or Vinyl in Italy. This is quite upsetting.

Prova Amazon. O prova a mandare una mail a Discoteca Laziale.

 

[DuncanS]

On Monday evening I ordered THC Blu-ray from Amazon.uk. $28.97 delivered to New York. Not crazy bad. I do have a problem with the availability game that SW & his management seems to be playing. It seems that they create a FOMO on their releases lately.

I'd be surprised if they had anything to do with the release logistics, thats usually the Record Company

 

[gorman]

Prova Amazon. O prova a mandare una mail a Discoteca Laziale.

I have tried Amazon. Checked Discoteca Laziale as well, they don't have it. I will end up ordering it from the UK.

 

[DAVE1971]

Hi

Can anyone who has the BR check to see if between each track ending and the next track starting, does your AVR have a delay ie there is a pause between tracks. It’s seems like my AVR is deciding the sound format every time the next track starts. On TFB, there was no pause between each track. It is quite annoying…

 

[minimumtumbleweed]

Hi

Can anyone who has the BR check to see if between each track ending and the next track starting, does your AVR have a delay ie there is a pause between tracks. It’s seems like my AVR is deciding the sound format every time the next track starts. On TFB, there was no pause between each track. It is quite annoying…

I noticed this as well, although I haven't given the album a full listen-through so I will have to look deeper. Doesn't help that my AVR (Onkyo RZ-50) already takes an unreasonable amount of time to start playing Dolby material after hitting play.

 

[srbjab]

I've played mine many times all the way through and have heard no lengthy pauses/delays/re-synchs, etc. between tracks that cause part of the next song to be cut off, and I've never seen any indication that my AVP is re-synching or figuring out the codec between tracks. However, there are short audible gaps between the songs, i.e. the next track does not instantly begin as soon as the last note of the previous song plays. I'm using a variety of blu-ray players and a Yamaha CX-A5200 AVP. It's always possible a short bit of silence has been encoded at the beginning of each track which seems to be the safest way of authoring these things.