Neil Young Archives: Don't Cry No "Tiers" Around Us + Comment of the Moment: Timeline Concerts on NYA
With the recent announcement of Neil Young Archives Membership Tiers: Rust & Patron, more details have been forthcoming on the features and perks of membership, such as, "Timeline Concert of the Week". (See Timeline Concerts on Neil Young Archives + Comment of the Moment: New NYA Membership Tiers: Rust & Patron.)
Which -- of course -- brings us to yet another Comment of the Moment on Timeline Concerts on Neil Young Archives + New NYA Membership Tiers: Rust & Patron by Hank:
my own complaint and its hardly a complaint, is regarding the hardware to play and stream the music and video on..
i have two iMac computers, an old 2011 version and a 2014 version.. since upgrading my package to rust my older iMac seems to struggle playing the music especially the newer added live stuff.
my 2014 mac no issue.. but and here's the problem.. i don't wanna be locked away in my office listening or watching on my own.
i upgraded my TV 2019 panasonic smart tv.. can't add app, if i go thru browser it just crashes. i bought a 4K Amazon tv cube so the kids could watch disney+.. again i can't add app, and the site just hangs going thru browser.
i want my music and video in my living room, it where my huge tv is, my bose sound system is, its where i relax..but i just cant seem to archives to play. I'm left streaming thru the app on my phone to the sound system..
so other than buy a apple mac mini and linking it thru the tv.. what ways are people listening and watch archives? coz as Archives gets bigger, i seem to be finding more technical issues with regards hardware and playback..all suggestions greatly appreciated.
Hank, we hear you here loud and clear on the challenges of finding the right technology mix to enjoy NYA it all of its ragged glory.
We have been hearing about these dilemmas off & on going back to 2008 with NYA #1 and the BluRay system. While NYA does have a specific section on Listen | Times-Contrarian, even so, the options and complexities boggle many rusties minds.
Are you looking for optimal high resolution audio for your phone? If so, which platform? Are you looking for optimal high resolution audio for your home system? Or for your car? Are you looking for home theater, surround sound, high definition video? And on and on.
We our selves here at TW HQ, have been building our own systems since a teenager with tuners, amps, pre-amps, mixers, etc and are a bit stumped on how best to proceed with our next upgrade.
Back in 2009, we embarked on a major system upgrade for the BluRay for NYA#1. Even then, we don't feel we ever really got the maximum effect of the high resolution 24/96 audio.
And here we are in 2021 trying to figure out options. We're shooting for nirvana and poor Thrashette is losing her patience. We had set a goal of trying to achieve the whole solution. A solution that allows playback from any device, anywhere.
Initially, we thought that wireless speakers were the route. But then discovered most don't support high resolution 24/96 audio which led us to BluOS. From NYA:
10-16-20A Home System For NYA
BluOS hi-res wireless distributed audio platform is expanding the integration of the Neil Young Archives (NYA) - worldwide, after originally being introduced in May to North America.
NYA members from around the world have asked for this and we’re appreciative of Lenbrook’s expansion. Lenbrook International is the developer of BluOS.
So do we wait until May? If so, we won't be enjoying NYA until June at least to get purchased and setup etc.
As Hank inquires above, what are you guys out there doing to get max pleasure from NYA?
Well, Don't Cry No "Tiers" Around Us.
Labels: neil young, neil young archives, nya
by thrasher@PermaLink: 3/15/2021 11:55:00 AM
19 comments
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19 Comments:
I agree with Hank 100%...I do not own an Apple TV so there is no way to screen mirror Archives videos from my Iphone to my main sound system...Bluetooth does work just fine for streaming audio from the Archives although I know some sound quality is lost that way...
I also have a variety of pathways to listen to Neil...many DVD audio albums that were available in the early 2000's...vinyl...some Blu-Ray...CD's...and now the Archives streamed through my stereo via my phone or Ipad...
I prefer 2.0 channels for listening to any music...5.1 or more doesn't do it for me...
I guess the ultimate solution is to have an Apple TV that will allow screen mirroring from an Iphone...or better yet, a TV that will connect to the website flawlessly
It is frustrating but I have tried to not get so worked up about it...I spent $5,000 on some new speakers & an integrated amplifier right after Christmas...at some point I just have to say to myself 'this sounds fantastic - let it go!'
Thanks Jonathan. can you please get in touch?
thrasher ATSIGN thrasherswheat.org
Roku devises allow iphone streaming via AirPlay 2. I don't know about how high quality the sound is though. But you can turn any TV into one that can receive video from your iphone for under $30 bucks with the cheapest Roku devise, as long as you have HDMI ports on your TV. I believe my Onkyp receiver can also mirror Airplay, but I'm not motivated enough to set this up to test it.
Went ahead and stepped up to Rust. There’s a big difference between old mp3 quality of the Timeline Concerts and the new full 24/96 and I wanted to hear the Toast-era Stockholm show again. Ralph was all about setting those slowed-down tempos back then. A recent listen to Goin Home off AYP? gave the impression he’d maybe sustained an injury and that pacing the beats per minute was a pain-coping mechanism. Pure speculation, but informed coming from a musician who’s been through repetitive motion pain himself. Even after reading Neil’s thoughts on the scrapping of Toast, I find the lyrical content argument not too convincing, since most of those songs were still released with the MGs and Frank. In retrospect, Ralph’s more measured tempos hold up in terms of power and evocative atmosphere, letting the words and the guitars breathe more deeply.
Thrasher, in response to your thoughts regarding the best ways to get the sound quality through to our speakers, I recommend HDMI out from a PC into a receiver for full dynamic range. I suspect many of us are set up for that, since a stereo receiver is a must for a traditional phonograph output and vinyl is so important to us. More recent receivers have HDMI inputs, but you may require a converter that splits the audio off from the video of the A/V signal. This approach bypasses any concerns about DACs if you can have a laptop or desktop in your listening/control room.
I gave up on having a Mac hooked to a stereo and I’m just doing what Will suggested. I’m losing quality but unfortunately I never get the time to sit and listen. So much of my listening is done via the NYA app and AirPods… For me in this stage of my life, the convenience outweighs the quality.
I agree with tomatron although I am not a tech guy...not even close...
my Yamaha amplifier/receiver came with twin internal DAC's & Crutchfield led me to go with it...I drove to Charlottesville since it's close for me & my daughter is a student at UVA anyway
I can only get wrapped up in the hardware & technology so much to a point & then I have to let it go...does it sound good? good enough? not good?
I had major issues in early December, 2020 when suddenly my tower Boston Acoustic powered speakers that I'd had since 2002 just blew out while jamming a little Pantera (no judging please lol)
not sure I have my new system quite the way I want it yet but that's ok...it's a process
when listening to music, don't make the perfect the enemy of the good
an overused analogy but it fits...
rock on
not an analogy - an expression...sorry I've had a few beers
I recently made the leap and bought the Chord Mojo DAC. It rules. As an owner of a Pono and decent HiFi stereo setup I was blown away at how great the Mojo is. I have never heard music sound THIS good. The Archives is right to recommend it too, I actually got it before their recommendation but felt very validated to see that Neil feels this way too... he also owns one. Worst case scenario you can try it out and return it if you don't like it.
In fact, I like the Mojo so much that this is the first time I've actually bothered to post on the blog(I've been frequenting it for nearly a decade now!) I've met some of ya's at Neil's shows over the years... usually right up front, lolz. As always, thanks for the news and community. And check out the MOJO ! I truly can't imagine anyone regretting it.
I listened to Concert of the Week yesterday but the final hour of the concert wasn't available for me. I recall during the Beta Test the full concert was around 3 hours.
It's still a great concert but I'd like to listen to the final 6 songs too.
I assume this is because of the switch to Hi-Res? Or am I the only one experiencing this?
Hi Thrasher. (Further to our chats)
I use a Redmi Note 9s. It has a built in DAC (no Mojo needed).
It's processing power easily handles the archives. The desktop archives require 'mouse clicks so I've attached an analogue mouse to do so, any old mouse will work. You need a very cheap 'OTG Cable).To achieve this. Also you can use the OTG to use a keyboard in the same manner. This is all standard to all Android devices so no high tech knowledge needed. Just plug it in.
Output of sound can be achieved via a built in headphone jack but the USB type C allows for HDMI out or to analogue audio in. Also Bluetooth streaming of Audio is simple.
To access the archives on an android device, just switch on Desktop mode in the Browser settings.
I use the device for my own personal archive of music. It has 112gb of internal storage and takes micro SD cards I use 500gb cards. So half a terrabyte+ of portable music. Don't skimp on quality for the SD cards.
A OTG cable costs a few bucks and will make archive access easy. (Works very nicely on Android tablets, Kindle Fire too). I don't use the App because...it doesn't have the full content. But if it's upgraded with the live material, I'd say I've got a PONO in my hand.
The Live material sounds really mind-blowing.
$40 a year would add up to quite a bit if we weren't so old.
in my ideal world it would be all done through my TV and bose sound system..
listen to the music, read the notes, watch videos, study the photos.. but this seems impossible. i don't really wanna bring my iMac in to the livingroom.
you'd think with a modern 4k smart tv it would be able to handle archives and i'd be watching neil in all his 4k 70" glory.. but no.. even ether cabled up with the UKs fastest broadband the whole thing just hangs and refuses to open.
i have the music on disc so i can play the CDs.. but archive was something more, it was totally immersive, a living breathing thing growing daily, as a result the processing power needed for such must be huge.
does Technology need to catch up with neil again or does neil need to compromise the music or do we need just need to accept we can't always get what we want and some sacrifices have to be made..?
Art: age is just a number!
But your point above is a good one: and that's one reason why I think subscribers should get some "free" downloads included with their subscription.
And I think every one of the uploaded shows should be available to subscribers for 5 dollars each. No more than that.
(Each one doesn't need a high price tag when there are so many available: in the same way that a once-yearly hardcover book costs more than a twice-monthly magazine).
That adjustment alone would turn a "well, I'm not sure about this...." offer into one that's harder to refuse.
The less-profitable alternative, of course, is that a tech-talented fan will surreptiously download them regardless: then they'll find their way into the internet via other means.
Record companies are notoriously clueless about this sort of thing, so I wouldn't hold my breath.
Scotsman.
PS
Great comments on this subject, everybody.
Thanks for kind words on previous threads, I'm only just catching up with the last few days of discussion.
just quick note.. with neil doing deal with amazon music for the High res music, you would hope that their hardware, (firestick, fire cube etc) would at some point be able to use archives app or better yet link the main site? yes i do use amazon music but just like using the archive app its limited to music.. i also want the full immersion of the archives!
No worries. It's actually a cliché. Pour me anotha!
Question for those who have signed up for rust membership: can you now access all the video content ever offered in the hearse theatre, including the Tim Pope videos, concert footage, a day at the gallery, etc?
reply to THOS.. yes it seems to
Brilliant thanks Hank. That sounds worth it definitely!
On a question about the tiers Neil Is offering: Is Neil suggesting one of the benefits of buying the Patron tier that his concerts would be available to Patrons before the rest of the tiers are offered tickets?
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