Autechre - NTS Sessions Album

Yes, all 12 vinyl records heavily warped, as their sleeves, which causes disturbances on all records on the first track. Warp sent replacement copies, so, I can't really complain, but I still wonder how they missed this in the first place and I still haven't gotten around listening to a whole track.I really reckoned that it was only the sleeves being warped, but no...

The vinyl in my boxset have the slightest irregularities easy to correct by pushing on the label to the turntabel. Maybe there are warped copies around but i have my doubts. We all have to accept vinylrecords are not perfect. But again i am sorry to hear if your vinyl has serious warps.

I finally caved and bought this for my birthday. That was the best excuse I had to buy twelve pieces of musical plastic in a box for a hundred and fifty dollars.But actually, very worth it (for me at least). I've read the reviews, so I was going into it knowing they'd probably be warped, and they are, but it doesn't effect the playback at all, so I don't know why everyone's so upset about it. The music is fantastic and sounds so lovely on vinyl. This set is a great thing.Update: I'm really upset about the transitions in NTS 4. The transitions between the tracks are essential and they ruined it. I completely understand that vinyl is a hard format to work with, but that's not really a valid excuse here, because they could've easily kept the transitions and had a little bit of the last track carry to the next side or something. The ones I'm most upset about is mirrage to column thirteen and shimripl casual to all end. It could've easily be fixed! arg. But that might be just me.

Regarding warping, I'm curious as to how, in people's opinions, warped is 'warped'? I've just opened and looked through my set and have indeed found bowing and warping, though it seems as though the sleeves have it worse than the records themselves. The sleeves are all bowed like boomerangs, while the records all have rather mild curving in places. I'd estimate a maximum of 3-4mm.I've seen this in other records before and not given it much thought, especially when they're relatively thin (which is the case here). Does this correspond with other buyers' experiences? Or are there more dramatic examples of warping out there?

My test for whether a particular record is warped. Your turntable cartridge/needle is properly configured, but keeps jumping when you try to back-cue the record due to the warping. Really a nightmare if you're trying to mix. And yes, my copies were also slightly warped. I recorded a vid of the record spin and sent it to Bleep; they were very kind to send a replacement. Bleep support always was top notch for me.

My copy is slightly warped also. I would rather spend more cash up front for the label to not cheap-out on pressings. It's not cheap-out music, so please don't rip off the supporters. If AE were a football team, they would have been winning all their matches since the mid 90's.... except for the one where they lost due to a substitution for Hafler Trio at the start of the match :0 I am not going to review the tracks... just everytime these guys set a higher standard and this time made me rediscover something that just don't want to explain for anyone else.

Actually, I was pleased with my copy. There was only a single plate where the warping reall showed but it did not sound. Some of these tracks sound bloody fantastic on vinyl. Great purchase.

Update to my earlier comment - Bleep replaced the entire warped set with new records. The replacements are perfect. Suggest anyone having issues speaks directly to Bleep - they were fantastic in fixing this.

Likewise. The reason you buy from Bleep in the first place!

same here. very happy to have a perfect set. ordered directly from bleep/autechre store.

Same here! Bleep replaced all 12 Vinyls... the replacements are perfect. Happy with my box set now! nice one Bleep :)

Great! Have you bought directly from Bleep or from a retailler?

This review is about the 12x vinyl box set.This is a slightly awkward one to review. The music of course divides opinion but the people who are receptive to Autechre already know who they are. So it's Autechre, you get eight hours of music, an evolution of their sound over previous albums and a very broad range style-wise from drone to frenetic beeps. To me though the sound quality of Autechre's music is as important or maybe more so than the composition. I'll say now that I find the CD releases of their music, at least from Confield era onwards, to be quite a hard listen. The vinyl versions always sound better to me: warmer, less busy/nasty in the treble and a lot easier to listen to (and to make sense of if I'm honest). Why it should be that digitally produced music should sound better through an analogue medium is anyone's guess. I'll be cynical and suggest that it would not be particularly savvy for any music label to take a final master file and press it without any reduction in quality onto a digital consumer medium that can be copied bit for bit with ease. Anyway this does mean that my review is about the medium as much as the music. Unfortunately for me I was one of the unlucky ones who received a box in perfect condition with shrink wrap intact only to open it and find 12 sleeves shaped a bit like Frisbees and half of the records warped. Reviews here on Discogs evidence many similar experiences, though I noticed this week the moderators seem to have culled many of them - maybe they thought these comments weren't relevant (or just not good for business). I did think about keeping the box or ordering a replacement but I felt the issues may well be related to the box and sleeve design. My opinion only. In the end I sent it back and instead ordered the four separate three-disc versions. I received nice flat vinyl in straight sleeves and I'm very happy with the playback quality, especially compared to the digital release. If you have a decent turntable set up then I would definitely recommend buying this album on vinyl, and if you're considering the box version (likely on the used market by now) then just be careful.

Great copy from Bleep, all records are perfect :-) send with a stickerGreat work from Autechre for a long time, "gonk steady one" is my favorite, a reminescence of "Garbagemx36" ?

No problem about the sound, all is very rich, clean with deep bass

I've listended to this track, the sound is not so clear but no noise, perhaps it's a part of the music !

Also got a copy from Bleep. The sound is perfect. Very rich, spacial and booming. Not noisy at all except for the track "g1e1" on LP8.

Great! Have you listened to all the records?Apart from the warping problems I found the edition very noisy... crackles and surface noise (not part of the music).

My box set also has all bent sleeves and warped records (no pun intended) :( The worst is towards the front (others have stated this too), there’s a lot of the 12 records affected. It doesn’t effect the amazing sound quality, but it’s dissappointing to receive this amazing box set in such poor condition.., bad form Warp

I was waiting for the 'Pun's' to start showing up! Congrats, you're the first to dare mention it but I thought the same!!! - Warped Warp Records. They'd probably say it does what it says on the tin!!! Lol!!! ;-o

Amazing that not one of the copies on sale here - for up to £70 more than the original retail price - appear to have any of the warping issues that dominate the comments here. These sellers must’ve got really lucky.

Bastards that they are!!! Haha! - I've had 3 off amazon and 2 off eBay and they're all fVck'd!!! !;-o

Essential manifesto. You can find almost everything style-wise from chiastic slide until today. Selection is very balanced, from super abstract stuff to great chords and brain-melting complex rhythms. Pressing sounds great as well - worth every penny.

My copy arrived in perfect condition, no warping problems. The quality of the boxset is perfect, nice cover art, insane music, and definitely a huge monolith in my collection.

Ordered mine direct from their store. No issues here regarding bent or warped records or sleeves.Music wise an amazing release. Well worth the money paid.

Yet another disappointed owner of a box of bowed sleeves and warped vinyl. I've played the first few records and it is undoubtedly a good pressing but I am gutted that such an expensive and beautifully produced item has arrived in such poor condition. I'm inclined to agree with others who have posited the likelihood of extremely hot warehouse conditions causing the damage. Will be reporting the issue to Bleep although not sure what they can do about it...

Yes, the inner covers and records are slightly warped but as stated quite a few times now it doesn't affect the play. Except for "g 1 e 1" the pressing is superb and chrystal clear. The packaging is great and we don't have to talk about the music... pure mindfuckery blizz.

I concur! Plays beautifully, I got three boxes off Amazon, Mixed and matched and returned 2 but got 1 near perfect copies as a result, F'ing expensive way of doing it but hey, for that kinda money, I want what I paid for. My detailed reasons for returning them made sure they didn't go back into circulation on Amazon, but they'll probably turn up for some other poor bugger to have to return 2 screwed sets, but hey, - survival of the fittest and all that jazz! ;-o

Such a gigantic release - Loving it. But the surface noise on „g 1 e 1“ is killing me. Am I the only one with a noisy copy of LP8?

Yeah, same here. For some odd reason this track has lots of crackling noise. But perhaps it's part of the plan? You never know with Autechre.

got mine but haven't taken the vinyl out to inspect the records yet.is Warped In Box the new Mint In Box?

Another Warped box set (ha!) to add to the conversation. Pressing quality itself is terrific, though. AE does not dissapoint yet again on the sonic front.

aaaaaand... warped. great job warp as usual, you're the best.

My sleeves are a bit warped but the records are fine. I'm okay but you are taking a chance every time you order from [drum roll......] Warp Records. Anyway, this hulking monolith of wax is the perfect physical avatar of the album. 8 hours, 12 records, gigantic, bold, and a lot crazy. The music is too much for most people as well. It's a fucking ridiculous album. The Designers Republic did work on this one too. I tried to hold out on ordering the entire set but I couldn't do it. Album of the year. The mp3s do it justice but the vinyl is fucking crazy.

Absolutely agree. The only bad thing about this is that yes, the sleeves are a bit -or more than "a bit"- warped. And in my case the vinyls are a little bit warped too. Everything else is incredible.

Add me to the long list of people who received warped records. A few have a very mild warp but the rest are pretty bad with two that are extremely bad. I wonder if it has something to do with the box they're stored in.

Another owner of a warped set here. All 12LPs are warped. Ouch. Haven't had chance to play any of them yet, but that's still disappointing, especially given how expensive this set was.

Sadly warped here too - the earlier ones the worst. Putting it down to a backlogged stack of wax in warehouses through the UKs hotter recorded July. Such a shame.

Same here. Even the whole box is slightly bended. So sad.

What does "foil block" exactly mean? Sealing? My box was sealed, but not each of the 12 printed disco sleeves.

No worries. It often is, but I think it depends on the kind of treatment used. I was expecting a very shiny foil to be used, but it looks more live UV spot varnish to me.

Oh, thank you for clarifying. That makes sense! Thought it was rather called UV spot.

Foil blocking refers to the varnish used on the black lettering on each of the sleeves. Notice how it's slightly raised and shiny compared to the matt finish of the reverse-board jackets.

Based upon the number reporting warping I am tempted to say it's a design overnight with that cutaway box sleve and the fact there are eight records of weight basically cantilevering overit when on its side.

Good point. If these have all been stored flat rather than vertical this might explain it. Also, the cutaway inner box was bowed inwards on either side too, suggesting the storage of these has been a major contributing factor. Add to that the heatwave across the UK and the rest of Europe and you have a recipe for warping disaster.It's a shame, because the actual pressing, as reported by others here, is top notch.

Updating my comment now that I've had more time to carefully inspect and play each disc:The sleeves are all weirdly bowed. Not creased or bent, but bowed in a convex shape towards the side with the foil blocking. Some of my discs appear to be warped as well, though mine are only really noticeable when they're spinning. Seems like the ones towards the middle of the box got it the worst, but even those aren't terribly out of shape, and they all play perfectly.The package itself is beautifully minimalist, and the records sound about as perfect as vinyl can sound. I've now played through the entire thing and at multiple times forgot that I wasn't listening to the download edition.I've been listening to this album almost non-stop since it was first made available in April and my mind is now thoroughly melted, so be careful with these sounds. This is unquestionably the album of the year. Nothing else even comes close.

My box set arrived and the vinyl was not warped.

All discs arrived warped for me too and the sleeves weirdly bowed. Not happy.

Like many people below, my LPs arrived warped. The thoughts: 1) maybe this Warp records being super meta and sending us vinyl that was warped both literally and figuratively; and 2) maybe it doesn't matter all that much insofar as Autechre has repeatedly said that they like the vinyl format for the degree of unpredictability in the way that surface noise adds to the sonic totality. Perhaps they would be fine if the playback is slightly skewed. If I want to hear the music free of any of the manifold variables that are intrinsic to vinyl, I can just listen to the digital files.

Warped records for me as well; sleeves are fine, sound quality great, and the music is absolutely mental.

Amoeba records in the US has the LP Boxed set available for pre-order.

such a pity that they had to split All End into 3 parts...

I mean, you can't fit 58min of music onto one LP so can you really blame them lol

LP Box Set acquired. Beautiful, large box with minimalist yet effective art and 12 decent sounding records inside. All 8 hours of music is well worth the time invested. I’ve been happily digesting this since it aired in April and am glad to own it in physical format. If you can find this thing and are an ae fan do yourself a favor and get it!

Don't believe he hype (below). That must've been a single affected person and not the whole batch. Got mine and it is 100% great. Really well done.

Hype? I'm simply stating a fact. Good for you for receiving an undamaged copy.

Massive disappointment with the vinyl pressing. Got mine today, and all the sleeves are bent and the records are warped. The box that the records were housed in is fine, so it's clear Warp shipped these out without noticing or caring too much about the warping. Unbelievably uncool, especially after the delays with the production.

They'll likely send you replacement discs if you report the issue to them. That's what they have offered me. You'll just need to send them some images of the issue.

For anyone who has these warped sleeves (and is not going to claim a return from the retailer), I would recommend taking the records out of them for the time being, as I think the sleeves (being thick card) have the potential to cause warping in the vinyl contained within them. I currently have my sleeves (sans records) lying flat underneath a pile of my heaviest box sets, and they'll stay there for a few days to see if they can be made flat again.

All 12 of the inner covers in my set are wavy, but the records themselves aren't warped. I'm not convinced they're properly centered though. The sound does seem absolutely fine although it only arrived this morning so I've barely listened to more than 3 of the records.

Also received a copy with warped sleeves, the worst of the records inside has a slight warp but nothing approaching the point of it causing a problem with playback.

Same here. All records and covers are wavy. And now the box set is sold out everywhere (except here of course) so I guess i'll stick with the one I have. So far records are playing well. I wonder how's the packaging of the each individual albums. Anyone knows?

You're not the only one experiencing this. I have exactly the same issue with the copy I received.

Already done. I'm really surprised by the damage, I've been ordering from Warp for years and never had such a glaring mishap.