Frost*ies

Frost* => Other Bands => Topic started by: gr8gonzo on May 05, 2009, 04:19:25 PM

Title: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: gr8gonzo on May 05, 2009, 04:19:25 PM
Still digesting it, but so far liking very much.  Anyone else?
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: JamesA on May 05, 2009, 04:31:51 PM
Still waiting for my copy to arrive...
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: LivingForever on May 05, 2009, 04:51:02 PM
Huh! This is out? My copy hasn't arrived either...
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: Ash on May 05, 2009, 06:45:24 PM
Where's mine?  Preordered ages n ages ago!  :cry:
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: JamesA on May 05, 2009, 06:49:58 PM
Blinkin' yanks, stealing all our pre-orders !!!  :x
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: gr8gonzo on May 05, 2009, 11:37:46 PM
Sorry, all!  Must have been a perk of RoSFest.  I didn't realize the pre-orders hadn't gone out yet.  :cry:
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: rogerg on May 06, 2009, 12:23:26 AM
and somehow, I managed not to pick one up.

so I ordered it!
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: Pedro on May 06, 2009, 08:13:39 AM
We pre-orderers have just been a bit unlucky with how things have worked out.
The discs were only *just* available for RoSFest and, of course, the band HAD to take the new CD to sell there....would have been daft not to.
However, "pre-orders" come with a special signed bit of artwork. As we know from EIMA, signing things takes time, and the band had a major US gig to prep for. Hardly surprising that they concentrated on that!
So, while it might seem unfair on the one hand it isn't really....
Rob said something about them being done this week so hopefully not too long to wait and I *know* it will be worth it. :D
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: JamesA on May 06, 2009, 09:25:34 AM
Just to make it clear...I don't really mind, because it would have been madness not to have had the thing available at RoSFest - it's actually good to hear it has already gone down so well.
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: Brom on May 06, 2009, 12:41:30 PM
Damn... been a bit slow here... I hope some pre-orders are still available.  :(  If that makes sense!  :)
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: Pedro on May 06, 2009, 12:44:30 PM
It appears to be still going, they did say they got far more orders than they were expecting but the website offer has not been stopped yet. Go for it...  :)
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: gr8gonzo on May 06, 2009, 02:13:48 PM
Again, my apologies.  I honestly had no idea the pre-orders hadn't gone out yet.  Very sorry.  :(
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: JamesA on May 06, 2009, 02:18:29 PM
No need to be sorry in the face of our pure jealousy  :mrgreen:

Just enjoy, enjoy, enjoy...and very soon we will be playing catch up  :twisted:
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: Rob Cott on May 08, 2009, 01:25:10 PM
No problem if anyone still wants to pre-order - it has still not been released via our distributor, so go for it! :)
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: ralphr on May 08, 2009, 01:31:38 PM
Pre-orders have now shipped  :D Sorry for delays, the discs only arrived this week, so Carolyn & I spent last night sat on the floor licking stamps etc. Joy!
Thanks to all of you that pre-ordered, much appreciated by all at Camp Touchie
Hope you enjoy the CD

Ralph Rea
Lycan Media Group
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: RacingHippo on May 08, 2009, 02:02:43 PM
Quote from: "ralphr"Thanks to all of you that pre-ordered, much appreciated by all at Camp Touchie
Camp Touchie?
Sounds like a nice boy....  :shock:

I'm secretly very excited about this. Haven't looked forward to an album this much since... well, EIMA, natch :)  
After the teaser of Zinomorph, if ears could salivate there'd be damp patches on my shoulders.
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: landslug on May 08, 2009, 02:45:14 PM
As one of the lucky Rosfesters, I can say that it's a fabulous album.. the entire group has really upped their game is just about every way possible.
You wont be disappointed!   :D
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: Big Black Shed on May 08, 2009, 05:12:48 PM
A bit late, but I've just ordered.

*Waits impatiently*......... Dum-de-dum........ ;)  ;)  ;)  ;)
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: gr8gonzo on May 08, 2009, 06:01:07 PM
Camp Touchie??  Thanks for opening up that wound.  :cry:
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: rogerg on May 08, 2009, 10:13:36 PM
Quote from: "gr8gonzo"Camp Touchie??  Thanks for opening up that wound.  :cry:

heh


I got word that mine shipped today!  yay!  thanks, Ralph!
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast
Post by: LivingForever on May 09, 2009, 10:15:41 AM
And it's here! Playing now....  :D

Nice signed thingy-doodah as well.
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: Pedro on May 09, 2009, 03:58:49 PM
Two things (three sir); My copy arrived today, it's fabbaroonie and Rob posted on the Touchstone forum that pre-orders are now closed. Not long to the pukka release though....
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: Rob Cott on May 15, 2009, 07:44:18 AM
I have to confess to unashamed pluggery...!!  :shock:

But if you want to know more about us - join Touchstone's Official Forum! It's fun, free and ever so slightly cuddly!

Do you want to hear the Touchstone news first?
Do you want to know how and when Wintercoast was recorded?
Do you want to ask the band any questions?
Do you want to share your thoughts about Touchstone gigs or albums?
Do you want to tell the band how you think they can improve what they do?!!
Do you want to tell us to stop asking silly questions?! ;)

If anyone hasn't joined yet - please feel free to join our forum, then! :D

Here is the URL: http://touchstone.darkbb.com/ (http://touchstone.darkbb.com/)

You know it makes sense...

Big love,

Touchstone, and our beloved forum guru, HippyDave!
xxxxx
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: LivingForever on May 18, 2009, 04:54:43 PM
Great album.. loving the music... but the sound quality, well.

I don't want to sound like a grumpy old hobbit botherer, because I am all for a nice modern sound when it's done well. But something in the mixing / mastering of this album has gone a bit overboard, there's distortion all over the place and there are a couple of places (notably in the title track towards the end) where sudden really loud bits make the sound shrink away completely like the microphone on a little portable tape deck...  ;)

It's a shame because I think this detracts just a little from the otherwise awesome album!
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: rogerg on May 18, 2009, 09:52:32 PM
I have not noticed that, I wonder if you got a bum cd?
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: johninblack on May 18, 2009, 11:18:04 PM
Quote from: "rogerg"I have not noticed that, I wonder if you got a bum cd?
I've not noticed it either and I've played it a fair bit. I guess it it could be a bum CD.
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: LivingForever on May 18, 2009, 11:23:05 PM
To be fair, I've been listening on earphones which do tend to show these things up a bit more than usual.

Maybe I'll try re-ripping the CD to my iTunes in case I got a bad rip.
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: Pedro on May 18, 2009, 11:34:12 PM
Can't say I noticed anything I thought was "wrong".
There are some mahoosive big bass drum thumps (sub-woofer stretchers) in there (e.g. Wintercoast 9:04 & 9:19) that the car stereo just cannot handle if the volume is anywhere near "loud".
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: LivingForever on May 18, 2009, 11:57:23 PM
Yup, Pedro, those were the whoomps I was referring to!

Also, the section from 7.03 onwards is where I hear it being distorted for much of the rest of the song. It's probably just clipped peaks in the mastering I guess. I'd look at a picture of the waveform if I was 0.3% sadder than I already am. ;p
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: rogerg on May 18, 2009, 11:58:10 PM
Quote from: "Pedro"mahoosive


going to use this word often.
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: Rob Cott on May 19, 2009, 07:36:46 AM
In the mix I asked that those sub-bass thuds were taken down to avoid the 'taking over the sound' issue, and in the mastering all was fine, and indeed mastering helps to smooth out the peaks.

Being objective - I listened to it through various media sources - all of which make it sound 'different' of course - but no distortion noticed, and of course each CD is a perfect 'red label' copy ie as good as the master itself, so it should not be the CD.

I can only think (as you say) it's a bad rip or something wrong with the media through which you are listening? FYI - after release, it will be on iTunes, so may be interesting to compare...

Let me know how you get on with re-ripping - the music or dynamics one can love or hate, but we pride ourselves on sound production (thus Mr Turan mastering {as used by Frost*}), so don't want anyone unhappy with that - please feel free to PM me if you still have issues, Mr LivingForever. We want you to be a happy Frost*ie!
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: LivingForever on May 19, 2009, 08:29:06 AM
Hey Rob, thanks for taking the time to reply to my inane whinging...  :)

First off, I'll say again what a great album it is, I reckon you've picked it up a notch since the last. No 'Difficult second album syndrome' here!

Anyway, I did re-rip my CD to iTunes and it sounds the same on my iPod - but I'm now playing the CD at a 'decent' volume on my stereo, it's definitely less noticeable.

I'm going to shut up now, anyway, in case I start sounding like an "audiophile".... (spit!)
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: landslug on May 19, 2009, 07:16:44 PM
I havent noticed anything abnormal in the sound quality.. I've been playing it regularly (rather loudly, I might add!) on the Bose system in my car, and it's clean as a whistle.

Digital clipping like you would get from a bad CD is a very different animal from analog.. once the signal hits the max and tries to go over, the sound basically turns to an electronic static screach.
I spent a few years as a mastering engineer myself, and something like that would immediately make my hair stand on end   ;)

Perhaps the level of your mp3 files might be too hot for whatever you might be playing it on?
Title: Re: Touchstone - Wintercoast - (Update: Pre- orders now closed)
Post by: gr8gonzo on May 20, 2009, 03:58:46 AM
No noticeable distortion on the computer or in the car, though I did have one odd occurrence with it.  I accidently put the CD in upside down and it played "Summerland" by King's X.  I would have turned the CD back over immediately, but I like that song.