The Recording Architecture Book

[Lee]

The only thing I'm not interested in about this book is the price

The first link is for an SOS review
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov11/a ... e-book.htm

The second one is to the website
http://www.ra-thebook.com/info.html

Does anyone already own this that can comment?

[Ben M]

Lee ...I've been wanting to buy this book since it's recent release.
Price is big but I'm sure it would be worth it.

Maybe time share is the way to go

I wonder if we bought them and got them posted together if that would change things. Probably not.

Any local distributors maybe?

My xmas present for sure.

[Ben M]

Ok...I've been speaking with Roger D'arcy (the author of the RA the book) via email, he has generuosly offered a deal for 2 books. That is.... Buy 2 books and get free postage. The quote on one book with postage was 195 GBP. He said for 2 books it would be 270 GBP all included.
Also if there was 4 people interested in buying the book that we would only pay for 3 books and no postage.
So that would mean a total of 405 GBP divided by 4 = 101 GBP each. Which is approx $161 AUD for the RA Book. If there is 4 people. Remember this group deal is a saving of 94 GBP per book if you were just buying 1 book for yourself.

I'm in for one. Anybody else want to buy the Book? I see it as my christmas pressy to myself.

[Alastair Reynolds]

Hey Ben, count me in. I wonder if there's a bigger discount if we hit 10 ?
I reckon this is worth it just to read and drool....

[Ben M]

Cool Alastair.
I just got another email from Roger, he is very open about the whole thing.
I dare say if we wanted 10 we'd probably only pay for 7 with no postage.
I will start a list and see how we go.
Hopefully Lee will be in and then we'll only need one more.

Looking forward to some droooling as well.

[Manning]

Cool - definitely count me in for one, if it's only A$160 a copy.

[Manning]

Sidenote - Remember to keep the total value below AU$1000 or else you'll be hit with GST.

[Ben M]

Cool banana's!

So the list looks like this;

1. Alastair R
2. Manning B
3. Ben M
4. Manning B (extra book)
5. Angus W
6. Myles M
7. Steve L
8.??



Cheers
Ben

[Manning]

If no-one is up for the 4th copy I'll take it as well. I know someone who can't afford it but who has done me a lot of favours, and this would truly delight them.

So if it pushes us over the $1000 limit then cancel it, otherwise count me in for two copies.

[Ben M]

That's great Manning and a nice little pressy for your friend.

I've just emailed Roger again about a price for 5 copies seeing that would get us under the import GST crap.

Still another copy if someones wants a big beautiful book on recording architecture.

[Ben M]

Angus would be the last as another book would take us over the $1000 import/gst threshold. Lee was showing interest but hasn't jumped in yet.

I'm waiting to hear back from Roger (as it's 3 am in the morning over there) about his price for 5 books posted.
Once we hear back from him and the price is right this is what I think we should do (unless someone else has a better idea).

Roger accepts paypal so I guess you could all direct deposit/paypal me the money (as long as there aren't fee's on the transaction), then I'll transfer to him via paypal on behalf of all of us.

The books would be sent to one person as he's not going to individually send each book to each buyer. That would not be part of his deal.

I guess there would need to be some small postage fee at this end to get them to you guys.
Alastair and Manning are in Sydney, Angus is in Qld and I'm in Kangaroo Valley. The book weights approx 7 pounds (that's 3.2kg's).
So...Postage from here to Manning for 2 books would be about $18, Alastair for 1 book would be around $14 and postage to Angus for 1 book about $18.50. These prices would include the post satchel. This would be sorted out after the books have arrived.

How are we going so far??

I'm hoping the final figure for 5 books will look like 540 GBP which in paypal exchange rate (bastards) would equal $860 AUD. Can someone please check this!!
$860 divided by 5 = $172 per book.

Ok lets work out the saving now. Roger said 1 book would be 195 GBP posted to Australia. That's about $310 AUD x 5 = $1550. Which means we would be saving $138 each on the purchase of the book. How's that?

Let me know your thoughts gents.

Peace

[Manning]

Ben

All of that is fine with me.

[Ben M]

Lock it in.

Ben

All of that is fine with me.

Just waiting for Roger's reply now. Cross fingers the news in good.

[Alastair Reynolds]

Yep Sounds good Ben, to save mucking around with postage I could scoot down and pick up the books for myself and Manning. ( I could also drop off that spare cassette deck if you still want one) One of the guys at work lives out at Glenorie so I could get him to drop them off . Beats having a courier dropping them or losing them. Sorry Angus , Beerwah is just a bit too far for an afternoon drive.

Ben , if you can PM some direct deposit info for the spondoolies I'll sling it in.

Cheers
Alastair

[Ben M]

Ah guys…Roger just asked me if I would like to be the Australian distributor for the RA book… BAHahahahahahaahh
Guess what? Good news!
Here's the low down;

Order 4 – he’ll send 5 books NO p&p = 540 GBP
Order 5 – he’ll send 8 books NO p&p = 675 GBP

This is where it gets interesting. Ordering 5 but receiving 8 takes us up over the import/gst threshold (only just). But it does mean the books are much cheaper.

Shall we do the sums again?
ordering 4 but receiving 5 books will equal approx $172 each (all said and done).
ordering 5 but receiving 8 books will equal approx $148 each after gst (I don’t know if there are any other duties to pay, does anyone know?). Now Roger may under value them if we ask nicely (it’s only $75 over the $1000). If he did the 8 books would equal $135 AUD each. That’s pretty funny considering they cost 135 GBP each.

Anyway we would need another 3 buyers to take up the offer of 8 books. It means it would be $37 cheaper for everyone.
I think I’ll report back to Roger but I’ll leave this offer open till later tonight (8PM) before confirming with him how many we’d like. That gives everyone 12 hours to make up their minds if they want a great book at a great price.

Now who’s in for a $135 AUD RA:The Book ??? THIS OFFER WILL NOT BE REPEATED....

Cheers

[Manning]

(I don’t know if there are any other duties to pay, does anyone know?).

Apparently, if my reading of Section 6, Part I-1A of the Customs Tariff Act 1995, as amended by the Customs Tariff Amendment (2012 Harmonized System Changes) Act 2011 is correct, and presuming this qualifies as a "book" as defined in Annex A of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials, then the answer is "No".

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011C ... c303857111

There's a Sunday morning that I can never get back.

[Ben M]

(I don’t know if there are any other duties to pay, does anyone know?).

Apparently, if my reading of Section 6, Part I-1A of the Customs Tariff Act 1995, as amended by the Customs Tariff Amendment (2012 Harmonized System Changes) Act 2011 is correct, and presuming this qualifies as a "book" as defined in Annex A of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials, then the answer is "No".

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011C ... c303857111

There's a Sunday morning that I can never get back.

the only word I can understand in your post Manning is "no". My brain hurts.

[Ben M]

Ohh yes silly me.... Annex A of the Protocol to the Agreement adopted by UNESCO at its 19th session in Nairobi in 1976

[Ben M]

Yep Sounds good Ben, to save mucking around with postage I could scoot down and pick up the books for myself and Manning. ( I could also drop off that spare cassette deck if you still want one) One of the guys at work lives out at Glenorie so I could get him to drop them off . Beats having a courier dropping them or losing them. Sorry Angus , Beerwah is just a bit too far for an afternoon drive.

Ben , if you can PM some direct deposit info for the spondoolies I'll sling it in.

Cheers
Alastair

That sounds great Alastair. We could have a spot of tea in the village before you head back. I'm sure you know the drive is 1 hour 45mins to KV from the Sydney CBD. Depending on time of day.

[Alistair]

They are probably duty free, but you will still have to pay GST and a processing fee of $70 or thereabouts. Good luck!

[Ben M]

They are probably duty free, but you will still have to pay GST and a processing fee of $70 or thereabouts. Good luck!

Ah yes the processing fee. I forgot about that.
I'm going to ask Roger if he'll undervalue the package by a few GBP so we don't have to deal with customs at all. I think the difference is 50 GBP.

[Manning]

They are probably duty free, but you will still have to pay GST and a processing fee of $70 or thereabouts. Good luck!

Ah yes the processing fee. I forgot about that.
I'm going to ask Roger if he'll undervalue the package by a few GBP so we don't have to deal with customs at all. I think the difference is 50 GBP.

Failing that, let me see if I can fix it. My wife works at the Turkish Consulate in Woollahra and they are exempt from all GST and custom duties. The package would need to be sent to Woollahra however, but I could handle distribution from there.

Getting Roger to undervalue is preferable, but this is a backup option.

[Ben M]

Copy that.... Or should I say Roger that.

[Manning]

Ditto what Alistair said about the PM for the direct deposit.

[mylesgm]

if there is a book still available, count me in.

[Ben M]

if there is a book still available, count me in.

Great Myles! You are on the list.

That's 6. Can we make it to 8?

This is a book that you'll keep and reference for many years. 2 more and we'll close it up and order.

cheers
Ben

[SteveL]

Ben, I'll be in for a copy....

Steve Lindsay

[Ben M]

Woohoo Steve. Your number 7.

Now just one more.
Come on T'rockers treat yourself to a nice Chrissy present.
1. Alastair R
2. Manning B
3. Ben M
4. Manning B (extra book)
5. Angus W
6. Myles M
7. Steve L
8.??

PS. Steve I'd love to hear the Abbey Rd recording that was done of your orchestral piece for the anniversary. Please.

[Barney Loveland]

Lucky number 8 for me please. PM me dets for funds.

[SteveL]

PS. Steve I'd love to hear the Abbey Rd recording that was done of your orchestral piece for the anniversary. Please.

Ben, just a few days away.....it gets released (along with all 8 of the anthems) on the Abbey Road website on Nov 28th (UK date) which would be 29th here - Tuesday! All 8 will be available as free downloads. Now, if that RA book shows me how to build a room like Abbey Road's Studio One in my garage out back, I will be more than happy!

FYI, Here's the press release Abbey Road just issued re the anthems (hope it's OK to post it here)....



Abbey Road Studios Worldwide Anthem Competition: winners’ recordings

Available free via http://www.abbeyroad.com from 28th November 2011

“It was an extremely overwhelming and humbling experience. I feel very lucky to have been part of such a wonderful project. Abbey Road Studios is the spiritual home of the British recording industry and I can't believe they let us past reception.” Oliver Chapman, competition winner

At the beginning of 2011, Abbey Road Studios launched a worldwide search for original, unsigned and undiscovered composers, in celebration of their 80th anniversary.

The Anthem Competition was open to musicians of all ages, backgrounds and levels of musical experience across the globe.

“It was a brilliant way to discover unknown composers and for composers to discover the real world. A defining moment.” Zhangyi Chen, competition winner

The truly unique prize for winners was the opportunity to record their original work in Abbey Road Studios’ famous Studio One with the London Symphony Orchestra. This is the same location and same world-class orchestra that recorded ‘Land of Hope And Glory’, conducted by Sir Edward Elgar 80 years ago, not to mention recordings for the Star Wars and Harry Potter films and countless classical albums.

“Winning the competition led me to work with some of the country’s finest musicians in a great atmosphere and historic location. It has been an amazing experience. I’m so pleased with how my track has come together.” Steven Jackson, competition winner

The idea behind the anthem competition was to celebrate 80 years of Abbey Road Studios with new music and to open its doors, giving up-and-coming composers the opportunity to experience top-end facilities and creative collaboration usually only available to professionals in the higher echelons of the music industry. It was also Abbey Road Studios’ way of saying thank you for the support of the wider, music-loving public with an inclusive competition, open to anyone with an interest in music composition.

This is a non-commercial, not-for-profit (all artists own the publishing) celebration of creating new music in a setting rich in both history and cutting edge technology, showcasing the utterly peerless acoustics, professional staff and recording equipment available at Abbey Road Studios.

“Wow! This is absolutely incredible, I could have not asked for a better finished product. I’m stoked with the result. You have brought out the best in our song with the mixing and mastering.” Daniel Brinsmead, competition winner

An invaluable educational process, the winners’ work was performed and recorded to the very highest standard. Using the best microphones and equipment, the winners worked under the world-class guidance of renowned composer Eric Whitacre who conducted the London Symphony Orchestra (plus some of the UK’s finest singers) and collaborated with the anthem composers on their arrangements and scoring.

“It was a terrific experience to work with people of the calibre of the Abbey Road Studios’ engineers and staff.” Steven Lindsay, competition winner

From inception to completion, the competition was hugely ambitious for the entrants and Abbey Road Studios staff involved. They received a staggering 918 entries, meaning the judges were faced with the mammoth challenge of listening to hours of music and choosing winners. After weeks of review, eight winners emerged who’d submitted eight very different pieces of music that all the judges deemed to be exciting, new anthems.

· Daniel Brinsmead – ‘Come Sleep’ (Australia)
· Daniel Elder – ‘The Heart’s Reflection’ (New Jersey, USA)
· Tina Andersson – ‘The Angel’ (Gothenburg, Sweden)
· Zhangyi Chen – ‘Ariadne’s Love’ (Baltimore, USA)
· Oliver Chapman & Will Clapson – ‘Made of Ghosts’ (Cambridge, UK)
· Steven Jackson – ‘So Alive, So Clear’ (Manchester, UK)
· Stephen Lindsay – ‘A Million Stars’ (Australia)
· Cyrus Almonde – ‘Thank You Eternally’ (Guernsey)

“Based around the concept of anthems the competition was designed to be inclusive and embrace a musical theme that, like the studios itself, welcomed many styles of music. Having an orchestra and choir available to the composers also meant the scale of the music-making had few limits. The winning compositions reflect this diversity and ambition, from the delicate string and vocal textures of Zhangyi Chen’s ‘Ariadne’s Love’ to the haunting and powerful ‘Made of Ghosts’, written and performed by the band Jack in Water. There are beautiful settings of rarely-heard text performed a cappella by the Eric Whitacre Singers written by Daniel Brinsmead (‘Come Sleep’), Tina Andersson (‘The Angel’) and Daniel Elder (‘The Heart’s Reflection’).
We also recorded a rousing pop ballad by Steven Lindsay (‘A Million Stars’), an anthem to the joy of singing performed and written by Steven Jackson (‘So Alive, So Clear’) and Cyrus Almonde’s unique and rollicking celebration about being welcomed into the afterlife (‘Thank You Eternally’) which we found life-affirming and fun.” Jonathan Allen, Abbey Road Studios Senior Engineer

As the quote above attests, despite the time and effort involved, everyone at Abbey Road Studios found the experience immensely positive, enjoyable and rewarding.

“Watching Eric Whitacre on the conductor’s podium sing and dance his way through the bridge of my composition will stay with me forever.” Steven Jackson, competition winner

The Worldwide Anthem Competition is the perfect antidote to other high-profile talent contests, as prestige, professional recognition, creative collaboration and original compositions are favoured over fleeting fame and cover versions. The ramifications for the eight winners are potentially life-changing and certainly offer a boost to a credible and discerning career in music.

“When you realize that Eric Whitacre’s voice is on your phone, letting you know that they are head over heels in love with your music, your whole world changes” Tina Anderson, competition winner

The judging panel consisted of world-renowned composer and No. 1 Classical Album Chart recording artist Eric Whitacre, Grand Prix Du Disque, Gramophone Award, Classical Brit Award winner and Grammy-nominated conductor Harry Christophers, BAFTA/Emmy winning score composer George Fenton (Gandhi, The Madness Of King George, Memphis Belle, The Blue Planet) and producer/arranger/composer/director/performer Rob Mathes (Carly Simon, Lou Reed, Jay-Z, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Tony Bennett, Ghostface Killah, Sting).

Full competition winners’ and judging panel biographies available separately on request.

Notes to editors

Abbey Road Studios are the most famous recording studio complex in the world and an iconic symbol of British music. They have been home to countless landmark recordings and pioneering advances in recording technology. Opened in November 1931, the Studios celebrate their 80th anniversary this year. Many of the world’ s most famous artists have recorded some of their greatest work at Abbey Road Studios including The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, Cliff Richard, Kate Bush, Oasis, Elbow, Florence and the Machine, Kasabian and Stereophonics.

Also one of the worlds premiere locations for movie scoring, since the 1980s films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, the Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Braveheart and The Kings Speech have been recorded there. The list continues to many other major titles including Cold Mountain, Kingdom of Heaven, Shrek, Aliens and Harry Potter.