Steven Wilson - new solo album

[doppelbock]

from Steven's web and facebook pages:

Happy new year to everyone! After 2010 was a year of catching up on reissues of old music (and the DVD releases), for me 2011 is going to be a year for new music. First will be Blackfield's third album in March, followed by my second solo album in September (a double CD / blu-ray release) and later the album with Mikael. A new Blackfield website will launch soon with artwork and audio - see you on the tour!

[Robert van Diggele]

Great news, this guy is really active. BTW, I am going to see Blackfield on 10-04-2010 in Amsterdam.

[Ge Someone]

(a double CD / blu-ray release)

It was probably inevitable that the BD format would be chosen. Disappointing for me personally, as I still like to avoid investing in the Blu-Ray format.

[rusinurbe]

It was probably inevitable that the BD format would be chosen. Disappointing for me personally, as I still like to avoid investing in the Blu-Ray format.

I'm with you would prefer he continued with DVDA stilll have not got round to Blu Ray just a format to far for me.

[Perpendicular]

Screw the solo stuff.
How about another PT record instead.

[doppelbock]

an update from Steven's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Steven...14657261887878

My second solo album is nearing completion. It will be in the form of 2 separate 40 minute albums released in the same 2 CD set, and will also come as a blu-ray with surround mix, high definition stereo and a lot of visual material (Lasse is already working hard on films for many of the songs, attached is a still from one of these we shot a couple of weeks ago to a song called "Index"). We're also planning a special Insurgentes style hard back book edition with a full length bonus CD of additional material. A year in the making, this is without doubt my biggest project to date, perhaps my most ambitious and personal music, and with some phenomenal musicians and performances on it (drummer Nic France in particular is going to blow a lot of people away). We hope a website will launch around April/May to start previewing material, with the album scheduled for September. More soon....

[Ge Someone]

an update from Steven's

Oh well September, bummer. I had the impression that it was targeted as a spring 2011 release :-(
Although I'm not a blu-ray supporter, I think the addition of video to Hi-Rez (surround) music at least makes use of the potential. Only thing is, I like Steven musical output but I'm not a fan of Lasse's video stuff.

[hwkn]

I hope the version with the Blu ray'll be sold in stores.

[MarkN]

While I enjoy Steven's solo work, and will no doubt buy this, I sure wish the release schedule for the King Crimson discs would speed up.

Mark

[Robert van Diggele]

A little update on this, from the facebook page,
The new solo album website will probably launch in early June now. The music is done, but we're still working on film material and the deluxe edition. It's presented as two 40-45 minute albums in the same package (which begs the question; when is a double album not a double album? When it's 2 single albums issued together!) The album titles are "Deform to Form a Star" and "Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye". and from swhq.co.uk, The new Steven Wilson solo album will be released on KScope in September in the form of a double CD, double vinyl and blu-ray. A website featuring audio and video preview material will launch soon. Thank you for your patience!

[stoty50134]

I read where DTS-HD MA (master audio), one of the audio formats on Blu-Ray discs, replicates the sound of the master tape. Would that be better than DVD-A?

[0tto]

I read where DTS-HD MA (master audio), one of the audio formats on Blu-Ray discs, replicates the sound of the master tape. Would that be better than DVD-A?

no difference in sound's fidelity between DVD-Audio, SACD, HD DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD.
all of those formats lossless and can deliver precise sound copy of the material used in studios.

[neil wilkes]

no difference in sound's fidelity between DVD-Audio, SACD, HD DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD.
all of those formats lossless and can deliver precise sound copy of the material used in studios.

Not quite correct, Otto.
SACD uses DSDIFF encoding, and this has nothing except noise above 23kHz and an awful lot of it due to the noise shaping required to make it playable.
It's a totally different format and whilst theoretically "lossless" (although any ultrasonic content will be thoroughly masked by the noise profile) it will not sound the same as
DTS-HD MAS, MLP Lossless or Dolby True HD (the latter two being the same thing) or LPCM.

Interestingly, neither DTS-HD MAS or Dolby True HD have mandatory support for HR 5.1 in Blu Ray - it's optional.
The only mandatory stream type for High Resolution surround is LPCM.

[0tto]

you're talking about this?
have been given raw rip off SACD to HDD thru Pioneer buil-in USB hardware controler.
interestingly was to see quite heavy clipping. on analog rips level usualy balanced to
avoid the clipping. anyway, seems dithering noise not just above 23KHz but has begun
from 15KHz.
this screenshot off the part with lowest level of musical signal just at the end of the track.

[doppelbock]

Website for the album is now up and active though all that's there so far is a spooky little teaser

http://www.gracefordrowning.com/

[rusinurbe]

Spooky indeed, More BC that PT

[Almen]

...seems dithering noise not just above 23KHz but has begun
from 15KHz.

Not dither, just noise, plain and simple. SACD is a 1-bit format that cannot be dithered properly.

[Robert van Diggele]

Nice teaser on the website.

[Robert van Diggele]

Tour dates will be announced very soon, from the SW FB page!

I'm very happy to announce that following the release of my new solo album "Grace For Drowning" in September, I will be undertaking my first ever solo tour of Europe and North America. For this tour I am very fortunate to have the talents of an extraordinary line up of musicians to perform the music - Marco Minnemann on drums, Nick Beggs on bass, Aziz Ibrahim on guitar, Gary Husband on keyboards, and Theo Travis on flute / sax. And myself (not extraordinary) on vocals, guitars and keyboards. The shows will also include a lot of multimedia and films, material that is being especially prepared by Lasse Hoile as we speak. The music will be drawn from both my solo albums (the newest of which is a double CD, so there is plenty of material to choose from), but please do not come along and shout out for PT songs! The dates will be announced in the next 24 hours or so at www.gracefordrowning.com, but run approximately from mid October to mid November. Please come along if you can, I think these shows are going to be quite an adventure.

[neil wilkes]

Not dither, just noise, plain and simple. SACD is a 1-bit format that cannot be dithered properly.

I don't think you will find it can be dithered at all, never mind properly!!

And additionally, the ultrasonic crap does start at around 15kHz - I was trying to point out that once you get above 23kHz there is nothing BUT noise.
SACD is a disaster, and certainly does *not* have "equivalent to 384kHz PCM" as claimed by Sony.

[doppelbock]

there's samples of all the tracks and a free mp3 download (email addy req'd) available from the website now....

http://gracefordrowning.com

[Felix E. Martinez]

Question for Neil: will you be authoring the Blu-ray in a way where basic audio playback can be achieved without a monitor?

[Tyler]

there's samples of all the tracks and a free mp3 download (email addy req'd) available from the website now....

http://gracefordrowning.com

Thanks. i'm real crazy for Steven Wilson since i listen his solo alblum 《Insurgentes》.

[rtbluray]

http://www.burningshed.com/store/ste...oduct/65/3215/

The deluxe edition with Blu-Ray disc is now available to pre-order. I've already got my copy pre-ordered. Looks like a very worthwhile package to me!

[Nachosgrande]

They mention something about going through Newbury comics for those of us in the US, if you check http://www.gracefordrowning.com/deluxe-edition.php at the bottom - coming soon to US. Looks like $25 fee for shipping if ordered through Burning Shed.