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Andy D
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« on: 20:45:54, 08-03-2008 » |
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No doubt many of you are familiar with this problem. If you're not, see http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/bronzed.aspI've had several discs replaced over the years by the PDO help line but I now see, according to Hyperion's site, that the current owners of PDO have closed the help line. Which is very annoying since I've just found another disc - New Order's Substance - which was sounding distinctly odd near the end of the disc. So I had a look at it - no obvious sign of bronzing but it's a 1990 PDO pressing. Hyperion are replacing their faulty discs but mine is on Centredate, which I can't even find online, so they presumably no longer exist. I fear I'm buggered. Unless anyone has any helpful suggestions? This is the first faulty disc I've had which has displayed audible problems before it showed the charateristic bronzing. I have a list of the CDs I have which are at risk so it might be a good idea to make copies of them now, if they're still playing OK. |
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Bryn
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« Reply #1 on: 20:58:37, 08-03-2008 » |
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Thanks for that, Andy. As luck would have it, the bronzed discs I have not got round to getting replaced are all Hyperion. I will act on Monday.
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Andy D
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« Reply #2 on: 21:24:20, 31-03-2008 » |
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Just found more affected CDs, Volume II of Liszt at the Opera on Hyperion. No obvious bronzing but the 2nd CD has a lot of "LP surface noise" and CD 1 is starting to go  |
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time_is_now
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« Reply #3 on: 01:28:44, 01-04-2008 » |
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I'm afraid it's true, EDC Blackburn (who run the firm that used to be PDO) closed that helpline about 2 years ago. I occasionally had enquiries about bronzed Unicorn-Kanchana discs when I worked for their distributor, and unfortunately in the case of deleted titles there was nothing we could do. I spoke to the managing director of EDC, who promised to try to help, but despite chasing him a couple of times he never got back to me.
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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Andy D
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« Reply #4 on: 17:02:31, 01-04-2008 » |
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I've got 14 Messiaen CDs on Unicorn-Kanchana which are all at risk - one has already been replaced by PDO but I've just found another that's definitely unplayable. So I'm buggered since Unicorn-Kanchana don't exist any more and EDC aren't interested  |
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richard barrett
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« Reply #5 on: 17:05:14, 01-04-2008 » |
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I've got 14 Messiaen CDs on Unicorn-Kanchana which are all at risk - one has already been replaced by PDO but I've just found another that's definitely unplayable. So I'm buggered since Unicorn-Kanchana don't exist any more and EDC aren't interested Put them on a hard disc NOW! |
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Andy D
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« Reply #6 on: 17:18:05, 01-04-2008 » |
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I'm planning to! Though I don't think a few hours delay is going to be crucial  |
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...trj...
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« Reply #7 on: 13:30:03, 02-04-2008 » |
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Have you tried using soot to record them onto sheets of paper? I believe with a minimal standard of care recordings preserved in this way can last a surprisingly long time  More seriously, have you tried filesharing sites like Soulseek? It's not a perfect solution; mass filesharing may be morally suspect, but I think your conscience is OK in situation like this. At least you get to keep a digital copy. |
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time_is_now
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« Reply #8 on: 00:51:10, 03-04-2008 » |
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It's not true that Unicorn-Kanchana don't exist any more, but the owners are retired and basically just sell through their distributor (Harmonia Mundi UK) what stocks they have left, as far as I can tell. With some of the best-selling titles - the Peter Maxwell Davies A Celebration of Scotland disc, the Holst Rig-Veda Hymns, the Horenstein Mahler 3, the Knussen symphonies, etc. - HM re-press when necessary on Unicorn's behalf. But I think it's true that Unicorn have no copies left of all but one of the Messiaen organ discs with Jennifer Bate, and of various other titles.
Can I suggest that Andy, and any other members with the same problem, post a list here of discs they own that seem to be unplayable, and perhaps between us there'll be at least one member who has still-usable copies of the titles in question, which they could make copies of? I don't see that that's unethical, since it would just be a case of having a replacement CD-R to put into the case and packaging you already rightfully own.
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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Bryn
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« Reply #9 on: 01:06:53, 03-04-2008 » |
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As I advised Andy in a PM, all the Unicorn Kanchana Messiaen recordings have been re-issued (the earlier Bate recordings being remastered, apparently from analogue, by Finesplice), on Regis, at very reasonable prices. Also, the Horenstein Mahler 3 can be found in one of the Brilliant Classics Mahler Symphony collections, where it shines out among some rather routine versions of the other symphonies.
I have the Regis issues of the organ works (Bate), the piano works (Hill), and the Melodies (Manning). I concur with the sentiment of your final sentence, t_i_n.
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« Last Edit: 09:04:00, 07-04-2008 by Bryn »
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Stevo
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« Reply #10 on: 22:42:18, 06-04-2008 » |
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One of the reasons the at-risk CDs start to deteriorate is a reaction with the acid paper which the inlay booklet is printed on. If you slip a sheet of acid-free paper between the booklet and CD, it should give some protection.
No guarantees, of course!
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George Garnett
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« Reply #11 on: 15:19:48, 11-04-2008 » |
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Many thanks for posting that link, Andy. Prompted by that I've been going through my 'library' checking for any bronzing. I only discovered one which happened to be a Hyperion one (Britten: St Nicholas and Hymn to St Cecilia) so that has gone back for replacement. Thank you! One other ravage of time I came across in the process was that some of those little foam rubber (?) squares that were sometimes used in double or treble CD cases were starting to disintegate and in a couple of cases the bits were getting stuck to the discs themselves. Rather yucky but, after (and/or despite) a recklessly brutal scrubbing, no permanent damage seems to have been done. I've discarded the lot now (the foam-rubbery things that is). It remains to be seen whether they were in fact serving the vital service of protecting vulnerable PDO discs from the sulphur content of the inlays  . |
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« Last Edit: 15:30:10, 11-04-2008 by George Garnett »
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #12 on: 15:41:35, 11-04-2008 » |
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A similarly sized square of small-grade bubble wrap should perform the same function without danger to the discs, GG.
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