transientem - Latest Comments

Re: [VTBL-2] 媛星 (himeboshi) | transientem

introspect — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:04:04 -0000

Touché

Re: [VTBL-2] 媛星 (himeboshi) | transientem

omo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:58:50 -0000

You did more than just "say so" here.

Re: [VTBL-2] 媛星 (himeboshi) | transientem

introspect — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:28:31 -0000

And...? Is it valid to say so or not?

Re: [VTBL-2] 媛星 (himeboshi) | transientem

omo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:18:48 -0000

So much whine about breathing...

Re: [VTBL-2] the main theme of Petit Cossette | transientem

introspect — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:37:44 -0000

I have nothing to back this up, having not listened to much of her OST work (shock!) but I would guess that the Kara no Kyoukai OST, and "early" Kalafina by extension, owes more to Cossette than any other OST that she's done prior. The main theme has few rivals for sheer menace.

Still, from a structural and variety perspective, the piece is a little less than twice as long as it needs to be, and is likely only as long as it is because there was some obligation to not make it short. But this is the OST version, and the shortened OP incarnation doesn't suffer from being repetitive.

Re: [VTBL-2] the main theme of Petit Cossette | transientem

introspect — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:11:15 -0000

Re: [VTBL-2] the main theme of Petit Cossette | transientem

Martin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:32:02 -0000

A song as good as this can't stay uncommented-on. TBH I don't really have the knowledge of musical theory to dissect the tune as well as you have done here, but it really highlights how solid Kajiura's songwriting is (in addition to being really great to listen to). I reckon she's second only to Yoko Kanno in that respect - her stuff might not be as eclectic but the 'Kajiura sound' is something I recognise immediately when I hear it.

After listening to this song again (I haven't seen Cosette in ages actually), it made me think that I shouldn't have been so surprised at how much I love Kalafina: a lot of the atmospherics and approaches employed in Cosette are also used in their songs, and to beautiful effect too.

Re: [VTBL-2] the main theme of Petit Cossette | transientem

Martin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:32:00 -0000

Re: [VTBL-2] the main theme of Petit Cossette | transientem

Martin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:32:00 -0000

Re: [VTBL-2] the main theme of Petit Cossette | transientem

Martin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:32:00 -0000

Re: Poseur pogrom | transientem

introspect — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:34:40 -0000

True. I suppose I just wanted a can to kick around. Selfish on my part.

Re: Poseur pogrom | transientem

2DT — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:30:03 -0000

You're right, Paul Graham is an amazing writer. I'm going to digest this essay over the next few days. Thanks for the heads up.

As for the Otaku Elimination Game... It's surprisingly easy to ignore. It's even easier to forget it exists.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

introspect — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:21:26 -0000

I note that Echoes of War regular edition sold out in a hurry and is on second release. It suggests (maybe) one of Dan Ariely's behavioural economics theories at work, that offering a higher priced bundle will drive people to purchase the cheaper alternative, which is where you've planned to make most of your money anyway. I don't know if Eminence intended this, but it seems to be how things played out.

I don't really see shades of Monster Cable in Echoes of War limited edition, because the audio component is the same in both offerings. But I do see Criterion Collection in that it has a making of documentary and bonus artwork.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

introspect — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:00:01 -0000

I think disc rot just speaks to the importance of having data back ups. Also, Danger Sidekick losing all of their customers' data last week. If you listen to it, value it, then Exact Audio Copy + FLAC or Monkey's Audio is the cost of preservation.

Mastering got louder in part because it sold better, even though most consumers were unaware of it. But it'd be my hope that the loss of nuance, particularly in multi-part instrumental pieces found in orchestral work, would spark a customer revolt in the classical space.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

omo — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:00:59 -0000

I forgot this other point in speculation--if you've gotten a copy of Eminence's Echoes of War, especially the limited edition version, you might note that they're going for that premium quality bent to market their really-really-expensive special set. I suspect this is really what they're after, and that could be what's most Monster Cable-ish about it all.

It's not a bad idea in that cheap kids will just buy their stuff off iTunes or something (if at all). Collectors probably will just go for the "better" one of the two even if there may be no tangible difference between a HQCD and a normal CD.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

omo — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:58:03 -0000

On the bright side, the whole "what the hell is a HQCD" thing suggests this is an alternative (read: cheaper) format than the heavily marketed SHMCD, for example and comparison.

After all it's only Monster Cable-ish with a Monster Cable-ish price tag.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

introspect — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:55:03 -0000

Currently some OST's sell for a bit less, others a bit more. So there are other factors that go into pricing, but the insistence of pressing with a more expensive disc means that either a buyer pays more than necessary, or the staff take less profit than they could.

What bugs me most though, is that the project website talks about a pointless disc format at all. Had that been omitted I'd just see a CD priced in line with most other OST's. A description of the music shouldn't brag about the platter it will come on. It strikes me as very Monster Cable-ish.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

Martin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:54:25 -0000

Interesting and insightful. From one music obsessive to another, thanks for sharing!

First: you're right that the price isn't bad. CDs are notoriously expensive in Japan, so my personal rule of not paying more than £10 for a single-disc album doesn't apply to imported discs (I dread to think how much my trips to Akihabara and Shibuya's Tower Records cost me).

Second: I agree that the sound quality of HQ-CD won't be affected by its construction, but I wonder if the sales pitch is geared more towards and improved lifespan of the disc itself. I recall people talking about how they bought CDs back in the 80s, and were dismayed to see the format that would 'last a lifetime' disingegrating from Disc Rot after a few short years. TBH it hasn't happened to me yet - some of my CDs are over a decade old now, and play fine unless they're badly scratched from clumsy handling on my part.

It's weird, but I clearly remember the first CD I ever bought: it cost £12.99 in 1997. Now it costs less than £10...for whatever reason, CDs are cheaper now than they ever were!

My main concern with CD quality is more to do with the dynamic range. Getting back to older albums, they sound quieter than new ones; the actual *quality* of the sound itself suffers. I can think of a few examples that are louder than they would have if they were mastered and sold a few years ago but the distortion that results makes them sound worse; I'd rather the CD was quieter, and turned up my hi-fi instead. It's sad that artists and distributors are doing something as crass as sacrificing how good it sounds just to sound louder.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

omo — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:35:26 -0000

Let me correct myself--CWCD-2 is the catalog number of Kumou no Mukou OST, which is now a easily 2400 yen. Presuming good o' price fixing is in effect over the past few years then this is a 400 yen bump. After tax.

Re: It's not how your pits are made | transientem

omo — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:26:52 -0000

You can exaggerate all you want but at 2800 yen it's hardly a premium for higher fidelity. But yeah, otherwise it is a gimmick to avoid paying royalties or whatever.

Re: Watercolour chaser | transientem

omo — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:46:08 -0000

Nice write-up.

I'll take it as a hint to not read the manga, and thus avoid this entire issue all together.

Re: This Is (Not) The One | transientem

introspect — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:42:47 -0000

True, if I continued to rank beyond three, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI would occupy the fourth slot purely on the composition. The arrangement integrates well with the sample.

Re: This Is (Not) The One | transientem

omo — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:04:51 -0000

I think Merry Christmas has listenable qualities just from being a Ryuichi Sakamoto song...

Well, I find your post hard to disagree with. I think at the same time it is probably because you care too much; more so than average. Certainly more so than some of the people you complained on.

Re: Getting on the same page | transientem

introspect — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:40:45 -0000

I built the main page to be devoid of any entry text beyond what you could get from mouse hover, so the lack of captioning was a design call.

I acknowledge that this is a pretty limiting constraint that I've imposed on myself, and since I don't expect most to query the images, the attribute text they contain is almost always for referencing purposes.

So whenever possible, image choice hinges on whether they can stand on their own, make a point without a caption.

Re: Getting on the same page | transientem

introspect — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:31:08 -0000

I think it generally helpful to know what to do, even if the execution could use more practice. Although being too self-conscious will lead to a bout of paralysis, a guiding light is more frequently beneficial than stumbling around in the dark.

Given your focus on artwork, it makes sense that you would let your images speak for themselves. It's all about the context that you build for yourself.