Transcorder - The Acquitted By Mirrors Recordings

Experiencing again just how good the original version of Contemplation is! That is some inspired song.

Just thought I'd pop up here and say... 'I agree with Bill-I-am' ...on pretty much all of that. There are tiny snags, but Transcorder is fun, fun, fun.

I wanted to add my 2 cents worth of opinion about this release.

Of course no producer can satisfy all the fans, and my only complaint is that I would have liked some footnote in the booklet discography detailing the mastering sources for the tracks. For example: 'all music mastered from original tapes unless otherwise noted: c=previous CD release; v=previous vinyl release.'

A few tracks are obviously sourced from vinyl, and for those (and any others not so obvious) the producers/engineers did a damn fine job cleaning them up.

Back in the '80s I dubbed my Club EPs to cassette. I probably haven't played the discs in 30 years, but I listened to all of them waiting for these CDs to arrive. They are in great shape but, as one would hope, the CDs sound better.

As mentioned in a previous forum post, the track "Rhythm Unit" does seem to have a beat oddity at about :50, but I can't confirm without digitizing my EP and comparing wave forms. If there is an oddity, it is a matter of milliseconds and of little consequence. If an engineer can confirm its existence (and length of dropped samples) maybe the Bandcamp file for the track could be replaced and individually sold (at a reduced price) for the hardcore fan who bought the CDs. (Those who previously purchased the album from Bandcamp can just re-download.)

The other alledged sonic problems (ticks, vinyl noise) are VERY insignificant. "Dancing Music" matches my EP copy; there are no 'edits'.

The running time of Disc 2 would have allowed more tracks to be added, but maybe the producers are planning to surprise us with another archive collection rounding up more of Mr Nelson's 'strays'.

This is a really well done package. Obviously the choice to do all Black & White graphics was appropriate for the reproductions of Mr Nelson's art and it all looks very 'classy' and distinguished.

Thanks to all involved!

I am actually so pleased to get this collection. I feel like a true fan now. I mean I signed up ages ago for ABM and got one newsletter (no single). I felt that it was because I was in the USA or something. I was one of the few devotees on the Mark Ruston BN website - which went to Chuck Bird - then finally to Bill. I donated for the equipment upgrade a couple of times, made sure that Victor arrived in England, contributed a line or several to the Nelsonica Poem project. I participated in the Dreamsville Projects marveling at the variety of Nelsonians out there all talented and willing to share their songs. One of my favorite photos is of Bill holding a cd-r that I made for him (The Return of Birthday Bill).

I have advocated to go to the vaults as there is gold in there and this double disc is proof.

And through the magic of time travel, I am much younger whenever I hear it. If only between my ears. 🎧

At the end of the day I'm thankful for the effort,no matter the quibble

.....never toss those old "masters" we made back then....ironically my Contemplation skipped and abm replaced it.

My copy arrived and would like to add that the packaging is outstanding, well worth the price of admission. Those who did the download-only are missing out on a real treasure.

A great collection! Very pleasantly surprised by the alternate versions of familiar songs.

Feel like it’s possibly my first time hearing ‘Get Out Of That Hole,’ ‘My Dream Demon,’ ‘Try,’ ‘Jitters’ ‘Roto-Scope,’ ‘Marine Drive’ and ‘Dark Horse.’

All the previous are old friends.

Don’t know how I’d somehow missed out on those magnificent seven. 

🤷🏻‍♀⭐️☁️⚡️👺👹🦎

to quote the great Peter Hammill: "I love the noise..."

To pick up from some earlier comments re: clicks and skips, there’s quite a bit of surface noise at the beginning of “Dream Car Romantics” that is either from vinyl or from an old tape. Once the big string synths kick in the track sounds just fine.

The three instances noted earlier notwithstanding, I‘m still very grateful for this set, and think it sounds great—way better than the vinyl ripped MP3s I played to death over the last 20 years. Happy to have it. Now bring on the remaining b-sides from this era!

Pre-ordered the set way back when ... and arrived well before Christmas Day.

Just in case anybody's tracking the tracking:

Mine arrived in the US (West Coast) in under ten days 😎

It's here! two weeks from UK to US - not bad. thanks Bill & all involved. Happy New Year!

As of today, it looks like both members of Corduroy Institute have a chance to discover the contents of Transcorder:

still waiting for my copy (in the USA). decided to give my tape of "Two Fold Aspect" a spin. sounds real good- a tape from the early 80's- now how about that? something to be happy about. lo-fi fun without the high tech blues. glad i'm still able to enjoy the time machinery of good music!

I have now had a chance to listen to the 'offending' tracks and, yes, there are a few minor crackles on Sleepcycle, but all things considered, nothing to write home about. Carnival and Spring sound fine to me and certainly better than either mine or Mick Winsford's copies from our digitising exchange.

As for Dancing Music and Rhythm Unit, these are not needle skips, that would sound way more clunky. It sounds to me like they have been edited, presumably due to some glaring crackle, pop or, indeed, jump that couldn't be otherwise masked. While it would have been preferable for better copies of these two tracks to have been sourced from the Dreamsville community, I don't feel it's worth making too much of a fuss about.

Oh Santa Claus! You saved Christmas, I‘ve been rockin around the Christmas tree all day!😘

My only complaint is that I’ve never got mine yet☹️Maybe for New Years

Not to belabor anything (and some questions)

Over the years I have come to embrace sound-recording anomalies.

To be honest, speaking "emotionally... all of a sudden", I am so grateful

for my cherished collection of CDs.

To my ears Sleepcycle vinyl artifacts do not really compromise the recording

But I must say, I think the only version I have heard is the Peel sessions version.

which was,I assume a live recording mastered directly to tape.

Is not, then, the Transcoder version, a direct (re-master) from a vinyl disc?

Plus I am not so sure this was not part of the "Master" plan for this track.

Take a listen to a more recent Gentle Spirits Prevail ...

What I wouldn't give to recreate my whole CD collection with a turntable and a whole set

of Vinyl versions! Not enough $ and, well, yes, I am getting older by the minute not enough time left 8-\.

I am so grateful to have at, as it were, Transcoder

I can hardly wait for some hidden treasures from the Trial By Intimacy archives

to be uncovered ... ...umm, hint hint

LOL

Cheers

&

EMBRACE THE CRACKLE

Really enjoying Transcorder (and New Vibrato Wonderland, which I received at the same time) - it's a real Christmas treat to hear these pieces together on CD.

(Personal anecdote: a few years ago, I woke up in hospital, and was told I'd collapsed with a cardiac arrest while out walking, narrowly and luckily escaping death - despite being a fit, healthy person in my mid-fifties. But then I had a month's wait - confined to hospital - for open heart surgery that would rectify the problem. My sister brought in an old laptop which I could use with the hospital's wifi in the meantime to keep me occupied. At one point I thought I was missing music, and I connected some cheap earphones which a nurse brought me to the computer. Can't remember what search terms I used, but the first thing that came up was Sleepcycle - probably on Youtube. And yes, you guessed it - I listened to it on these tinny earphones with a bad wifi connection, but the evocative ebow music - which I hadn't heard for years - caused me to break down emotionally in tears all of a sudden. Very embarrassing and not my usual reaction to music!).

Anyway, the sound quality on Transcorder is fantastic to my ears - actually better than I expected. I'm not experiencing any of the problems described above, and somewhat puzzled by those comments.

I Agree with Retroman.Really nice artwork /packaging let down by poor mastering.I dont get why every track has to be so compressed & messed with.