Steven Wilson Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex (2023)

[SharpKnight]

Is anyone else really butt-hurt about gatekeeping the Atmos Instrumentals in the box set? All this does is create this - STEVEN WILSON THE HARMONY CODEX LIMITED EDITION 3-DISC DELUXE BOXSET (SOLD OUT) | eBay

Want to release neat boxsets with trinkets for the super fans? Fine - I get it. But for the rest of us normies that just want the content, gatekeeping versions of the album behind these box-sets is lame. Re-press the standard Blu-ray with the instrumentals. Charge more, whatever - it's not about the money. It's about the availability.

Then SW pulls this garbage about "buy the DIGITAL album while you still can otherwise it goes away forever....". Apple was accused of this marketing tactic (whether it was real or not is beside the point) with iPhones for the longest time - creating an exaggerated demand to get people to buy, ie, taking advantage of the human condition of fear of missing out. For physical goods, ok fine - marketing and there are very real supply chain constraints. For infinitely deployable digital music, this is an incredibly disappointing move by SW.

I'm tapping out - done supporting gatekeeping tactics and the Artists that support it. Support IAA, maybe someday this garbage will stop.

I made peace after seeing the box set sold out and rather felt relief and ordered the standalone Blu-Ray. I don't want Porcupine Tree instrumentals or any instrumentals. What am I gonna do? Hold karaoke parties with PT teenage geeks? Maybe I'll just listen to it "once". I'll have to purchase the Hi-Res digital version of the album for my portable listening and that with the Blu-Ray still costs less than the box set.
I agree with the marketing ploy but at this point it's good to have some confidence in what you'll actually need because you can't just get everything.

 

[wavelength]

Just ordered the standalone blu-ray from Amazon.ca for $43.44 (includes shipping). Only one copy left. Search ASIN: B0CBDC2F6R

 

[GuitarSuperstar]

On the Blu-ray disc, I noticed that the very beginning of some of the songs seem to be cut off. It is very noticeable on "Beautiful Scarecrow," "Economies of Scale," and "Inclination". It is the same on the Dolby Atmos, 5.1, and stereo audio tracks. I am using a Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[rontoon]

On the Blu-ray disc, I noticed that the very beginning of some of the songs seem to be cut off. It is very noticeable on "Beautiful Scarecrow," "Economies of Scale," and "Inclination". It is the same on the Dolby Atmos, 5.1, and stereo audio tracks. I am using a Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player. Has anyone else noticed this?

All play fine via my Oppo.

 

[GuitarSuperstar]

All play fine via my Oppo.

Can you hear the initial cymbal hit at the start of the "Beautiful Scarecrow"?

 

[madship]

Many thanks for all your replies guys

No delay between tracks on my Pioneer Elite AVR.

 

[pat bateman]

I made peace after seeing the box set sold out and rather felt relief and ordered the standalone Blu-Ray. I don't want Porcupine Tree instrumentals or any instrumentals. What am I gonna do? Hold karaoke parties with PT teenage geeks? Maybe I'll just listen to it "once". I'll have to purchase the Hi-Res digital version of the album for my portable listening and that with the Blu-Ray still costs less than the box set.
I agree with the marketing ploy but at this point it's good to have some confidence in what you'll actually need because you can't just get everything.

I completely agree with you about instrumentals largely being unnecessary, but SW is a unique case for me - I find his lyrics very weird and distracting sometimes, primarily with TFB and this album but I can't deny that the mixes are great.

 

[bookofsaturdays]

Can you hear the initial cymbal hit at the start of the "Beautiful Scarecrow"?

It’s been discussed earlier in this thread, someone screwed up with the chapter breaks on this release, they’re in the wrong place

 

[minimumtumbleweed]

On the Blu-ray disc, I noticed that the very beginning of some of the songs seem to be cut off. It is very noticeable on "Beautiful Scarecrow," "Economies of Scale," and "Inclination". It is the same on the Dolby Atmos, 5.1, and stereo audio tracks. I am using a Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player. Has anyone else noticed this?

There are is some authoring issues. Quite frankly, I've found this to be the case with all of his recent releases. Rock Bottom should segue seamlessly into Beautiful Scarecrow. I've noticed in the video that the track image will change to the next before the song ends for a number of songs. I'm listening to it on Plex streaming from an MKV on my PC.

 

[AtomHeartPulse]

Is it just me who finds it bizarre that whenever Wilson includes instrumental mixes on blu-rays he mixes, they're stereo-only even when he's mixed the regular album for surround? I'm very much hoping that including instrumentals in surround on The Harmony Codex means he'll do so for other artists going forward. Does anyone know why the instrumentals are normally stereo-only?

 

[Niek]

I ordered this title on September 10 from Burning Shed (€23.00 incl. shipping). On September 25, I received a message that the Blu-ray had been shipped. Well before the official release date (September 29). That looked promising. Okay, from England to the Netherlands that could take a few extra days. However…..On October 5, a request from Dutch customs to pay extra tax. Done right away. This unfortunately causes delays and additional costs (€ 9.06). Finally received today (October 14!!!). There is a sticker on the package with the text “Priority”. Thanks for that! Although there is nothing they can do about it at Burning Shed, this is not really an invitation to place an order there again. Not exactly circumstances that make friends.

 

[François]

a request from Dutch customs to pay extra tax.

But you shouldn’t had to pay import taxes, Burning Shed collects the VAT for European countries, per the IOSS arrangement. It happened to me too on my last order from BS, so I wonder if BS does something wrong in their customs paperwork. Did your package had a big sticker saying IOSS VAT PAID?

 

[stoopid]

Is it just me who finds it bizarre that whenever Wilson includes instrumental mixes on blu-rays he mixes, they're stereo-only even when he's mixed the regular album for surround? I'm very much hoping that including instrumentals in surround on The Harmony Codex means he'll do so for other artists going forward. Does anyone know why the instrumentals are normally stereo-only?

My GUESS is this...

Removing vocals from a 2 channel mix is less detrimental to the quality of the mix IMO (I've done with this with my own music), than it likely would be removing vocals (and all the backing vocal parts) from an elaborately executed surround mix. The surround mix would likely have small holes and gaps in the mixed sound field, which would need to be addressed (ie -- 'remixed') to compensate. Say a harmony vocal is the primary element in the rear speakers during a section of music, but now with them absent *something* needs to go there. This would require moving elements around to the rears to fill that void, or bringing levels up on something else in the rears where the vocals were. Multiply this across all the songs on the album, and that time suck adds up.

This is my optimistic guestimation.

Or they just can't be bothered, maybe their marketing numbers reflect what I've generally seen in the community -- very few people care/want the instrumental tracks.

Why did SW do it for Harmony? Who knows, maybe in his estimation the vocals play a subservient role in the music or he approached the mix from day one with instrumentals in mind, meaning he was able to mute them and not need to put extra work into the mix to compensate.

 

[Niek]

But you shouldn’t had to pay import taxes, Burning Shed collects the VAT for European countries, per the IOSS arrangement. It happened to me too on my last order from BS, so I wonder if BS does something wrong in their customs paperwork. Did your package had a big sticker saying IOSS VAT PAID?

No such sticker or mention was found. I'm going to send Burning Shed an email. In the meantime I am (finally) enjoying listening to "The Harmony Codex".

 

[DuncanS]

Just had one of those Doh! moments.

I couldn't figure out why my Harmony Codex hadn't shipped from Townsend Music, checked and I ordered it with the new Stones with a single P&P, so both are shipped on the Stones release date

 

[dabl]

Is it just me who finds it bizarre that whenever Wilson includes instrumental mixes on blu-rays he mixes, they're stereo-only even when he's mixed the regular album for surround? I'm very much hoping that including instrumentals in surround on The Harmony Codex means he'll do so for other artists going forward. Does anyone know why the instrumentals are normally stereo-only?

Yes, huge disappointment. I swear there were surround instrumental mixes on some previously mixed by Wilson project but can't remember for sure. I have it in my head that he did do this at least once and stopped, much to my chagrin.

 

[edisonbaggins]

 

[mrcond]

Cool to see a shoutout to @sjcorne in the credits. I am curious if any suggestions were made in your listening tests that directly led to changes made in the mix?

 

[SharpKnight]

Yes, huge disappointment. I swear there were surround instrumental mixes on some previously mixed by Wilson project but can't remember for sure. I have it in my head that he did do this at least once and stopped, much to my chagrin.

Is it just me who finds it bizarre that whenever Wilson includes instrumental mixes on blu-rays he mixes, they're stereo-only even when he's mixed the regular album for surround? I'm very much hoping that including instrumentals in surround on The Harmony Codex means he'll do so for other artists going forward. Does anyone know why the instrumentals are normally stereo-only?

Perhaps due to Blu-Ray authoring space constraints? Don't want to divert the topic to Blu-Ray technicalities but maybe they want to avoid a triple layer Blu-Ray after all a full 5.1 sans vocals will take the space twice along with the main 5.1 mix, and the said Blu-Ray type will cost more to manufacture and cause layer-change pauses at unwanted timestamps.

 

[sjcorne]

Cool to see a shoutout to @sjcorne in the credits. I am curious if any suggestions were made in your listening tests that directly led to changes made in the mix?

Yes! A 'pinch yourself' moment if there ever was one It was a real honor to be involved, even in such a small capacity.

Out of the handful of projects I've tested for SW to date, this one probably changed the least from the first iteration to the final product - I'd have to go back and check my notes, but the two most noticeable alterations I can think of offhand are at the very beginning of "Rock Bottom" (the short orchestral intro that comes from the heights in Atmos and the rears in 5.1 was originally just in the center speaker on both) and the end of "Staircase" (the voiceover was originally in the front three speakers as on the title track, but I suggested it'd be kind of fun to switch it to the heights for the reprise and really show off what Atmos can do - after all, she does say "I'm miles above the surface of the earth").