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Now Playing XLI
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- CommentAuthorMartijn
- CommentTimeDec 16th 2011 edited
NP: CONAN THE DESTROYER - BASIL POLEDOURIS
Some titles just need to be written out as boldly as possible. Like some names. Of certain hawkmen. Anyway.
My God!
How much difference a quality recording can make!
This score never touched me much (especially not when compared to the splendour of Barbarian).
I already suspected this had much to do with the orchestra's really dismal performance...a suspicion now borne out in full listening to the magnificent 2011 Nic Raine/ Prague Philharmonic rerecording as my mind and heart are doing Immelmans and barrel rolls around each other trying to figure out which aspect will gain supremacy in primary appreciation!
What a wonderful score. Wat an absolutely gobsmackingly excellent recording.
This has been another astonishingly good year for rereleases and rerecordings, but this one in one simple go shoots right to the top of all of them! And what a shame, what a crying, terrible shame that it's taken 27 years for me to be able to appreciate this score.
Thank you James Fitzpatrick, thank you Nic Raine, thank you most excellent City Of Prague Orchestra and Chorus for seeing an in many ways rather abysmal year out in grand style.
PS: No, it doesn't trump Barbarian.
But nothing can. Except Star Wars. And even that one is a close call!
'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn -
- CommentAuthorTimmer
- CommentTimeDec 16th 2011
On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt -
- CommentAuthorScribe
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011 edited
Did they master this one better than the first one Martijn?
I've never really gotten over how disappointing it was to hear all that clipping in the most intense parts of the score.
Yes, I'm too audiophile-ish for my own goodI love you all. Never change. Well, unless you want to! -
- CommentAuthorMartijn
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
I will crush you, drive you before me and hear the lamentation of your women.'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn -
- CommentAuthorErik Woods
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
[b]PawelStroinski wrote[/]
Giacchino should be given a shot on a Bond movie!
He's already been there done that with Alias.
-Erik-host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS! -
- CommentAuthorDreamTheater
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
PawelStroinski wrote
Michael Giacchino - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
And it's so stylish and more melodic than part three.
This increases my interest to definitely check it out. Because I've never liked M:I III."considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G. -
- CommentAuthorDreamTheater
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
EL CID - MIKLOS ROZSA
I wanted to start the day with something immense in power and fantastic in themes. Two hours and a half of heavenly music.
And I'll give Conan a listen later today..."considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G. -
- CommentAuthorSouthall
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Hans Zimmer
I quite like it, but it's a bit all over the place. -
- CommentAuthorSteven
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Scribe wrote
Did they master this one better than the first one Martijn?
I've never really gotten over how disappointing it was to hear all that clipping in the most intense parts of the score.
Yes, I'm too audiophile-ish for my own good
I had the same problem with it. What I've always found odd is that most other people couldn't hear it? My reckoning is it's either due to the type of speakers people are using, or there was a faulty batch sent out.
I can hear the clipping clear as day on my reference headphones, but it's a little less obvious on my desktop speakers (though still noticeable). It's still possible to enjoy the album, but the clipping is a little off putting! If all CDs that were sent out are like this, I'm very surprised more people don't notice it. -
- CommentAuthorDreamTheater
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
What is this clipping you talk about? I don't understand the word and what it's supposed to mean in musical terms.
Can't say I've heard anything out of the ordinary on my previous listen."considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G. -
- CommentAuthorjustin boggan
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
"Apollo 13"
James Horner
First full listen in many years to the 12 track score promo. Highlights, to me -- I know I don't share the sam opinion on this score as others -- are the tracks "Master Alarm", "Re-Entry & Splashdown" (particularly the first couple minutes and some of the end), and the "End Credits".
I really can't fault the score for orchestration, sound, writing or the themes, but to me it seemed a bit lazy, even for its professionalism. It was like later Jerry on autopilot -- professional, well orchestrated, but by the numbers to the point of just being uninvolving. Little bursts here and there sparked only momentarily for me. Did he not have much time to score it?
I love the "End Credits", but I still wonder: what the heck was up with the pop-ish first half with Annie Lennox vocalizing? NONE of the score before it was pop-ish like that. I love it, but it stands out as a very odd thing. Was any of the unreleased score in the film like that?The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else. -
- CommentAuthorSteven
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011 edited
DreamTheater wrote
What is this clipping you talk about? I don't understand the word and what it's supposed to mean in musical terms.
Can't say I've heard anything out of the ordinary on my previous listen.
Basically, in this case, it means distortion occurs when certain frequencies become too loud. If you have a custom EQ setting option in whatever media player you use, just whack up the middle frequency (for example) to its highest setting and then you'll hear it 'clip'.
Whether it's there on yours or not I'm not sure, but it's certainly apparent on my CD/s. And I'm no super-audiophile expert either! I can simply hear it like I can hear certain instruments. -
- CommentAuthorSteven
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Dances With Wolves John Barry
I'm perhaps more of a John Barry appreciator than I am a fan, but I love many of his themes and a handful of his scores, this being one of them. In fact this is quite a personal score since I've been familiar with the film and its music since a very early age. (Though I haven't seen the film for years, so I'm not sure how well it would fare in light of my 'evolved' tastes… :smoking-pipe: :monocle: ) -
- CommentAuthorAntineutrino
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011 edited
Steven wrote
Scribe wrote
Did they master this one better than the first one Martijn?
I've never really gotten over how disappointing it was to hear all that clipping in the most intense parts of the score.
Yes, I'm too audiophile-ish for my own good
I had the same problem with it. What I've always found odd is that most other people couldn't hear it? My reckoning is it's either due to the type of speakers people are using, or there was a faulty batch sent out.
I can hear the clipping clear as day on my reference headphones, but it's a little less obvious on my desktop speakers (though still noticeable). It's still possible to enjoy the album, but the clipping is a little off putting! If all CDs that were sent out are like this, I'm very surprised more people don't notice it.
I do notice it, too. All Tadlow re-recordings sound like Conan. I don't think only your or my CDs are like this.
A comparison between the Tadlow Conan ("Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom") and Avatar ("Gathering All the Na'vi Clans for Battle"):
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8351/conanavatar.jpg
Both feature full orchestra and chorus, but the difference is very obvious.
And almost all RC score suffer from the same problem. Rango ("Rango suite"), for exmple looks like this:
http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/8787/rangoo.jpg
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to prefer these über loud recordings. I still remember a lot of comments about Avatar sounding too quiet when it came out. -
- CommentAuthorMartijn
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
DreamTheater wrote
What is this clipping you talk about? I don't understand the word and what it's supposed to mean in musical terms.
Can't say I've heard anything out of the ordinary on my previous listen.
Me neither. And with a score I love that much, I'd think I would easily hear any flaw.
As it seems there are two very defined camps "we can easily hear distortions" vs. "I really can't hear anything at all", we're now theorising (well, it was Steven's idea first) it now seems there may have been a faulty batch?'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn -
- CommentAuthorMartijn
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Antineutrino wrote
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to prefer these über loud recordings. I still remember a lot of comments about Avatar sounding too quiet when it came out.
Nothing wrong with loud per se. Only if it actually distorts.
And as stated, I can't hear any distortion on my CD (although when I ripped it I certainly did use MP3Gain to normalise the sound to a more acceptable level. The recordings ARE very loud).
That said, I noticed that especially and notably Horner CDs have a tendency to be recorded very softly (what would indeed pre-1986 have been the norm. It was Aerosmith who started the "mix LOUDER" trend to compete with an AC/DC release. The whole thing snowballed ever since.
)'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn -
- CommentAuthorjustin boggan
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Steven wrote
Dances With Wolves John Barry
I'm perhaps more of a John Barry appreciator than I am a fan, but I love many of his themes and a handful of his scores, this being one of them. In fact this is quite a personal score since I've been familiar with the film and its music since a very early age. (Though I haven't seen the film for years, so I'm not sure how well it would fare in light of my 'evolved' tastes… :smoking-pipe: :monocle: )
To think we almost didn't have this score. We almost had Peter Buffet scoring it. And I'm glad Bail dropped out.The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else. -
- CommentAuthorSteven
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Antineutrino wrote
A comparison between the Tadlow Conan ("Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom") and Avatar ("Gathering All the Na'vi Clans for Battle"):
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8351/conanavatar.jpg
Both feature full orchestra and chorus, but the difference is very obvious.
Having worked with audio like this on the odd occasion, that image is quite scary. -
- CommentAuthorScribe
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011 edited
But even in Zimmer scores, the clipping isn't normally that audibly obvious. I've only noticed 3 albums in the last year and a half that were particularly terribly obvious...one being the Conan release, one being Lost The Final Season (because they normalized it to keep all the quiet parts at a decent volume, so the loud parts, especially loud piano, suffer greatly), and last being Hirschfelder's Legend of the Guardians.
But yes, you're never going to notice it on normal desktop speakers or sub-$100 headphones lol.I love you all. Never change. Well, unless you want to! -
- CommentAuthorMartijn
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
I still don't see the issue. If you can't enjoy it, stay away from it.
I have absolutely no inclination at all to defend and specify my audio equipment to make a point.
The magnificence of the music makes points enough.'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn -
- CommentAuthorSteven
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
The magnificence of the music makes the point even more valid I think. I don't want to hear distortion in music I desperately want to enjoy! As far as my point about audio equipment goes, all I'm saying is that the more accurate a speaker is, the more you're going to notice the distortion -- which is to say some will invariably notice it more than others.
That said, after a bit of "tweaking" (serious, brow-furrowing tweaking), I'm very happy with what I have. -
- CommentAuthorMartijn
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Steven wrote
As far as my point about audio equipment goes, all I'm saying is that the more accurate a speaker is, the more you're going to notice the distortion -- which is to say some will invariably notice it more than others.
Sure. Fair enough. That can't be helped.
Swift astutely describes this in Gulliver's Travels. When Gulliver visits the giants, he finds there are no beautiful people: he is so small he can see the slightest flaw in complexion, the minutest imperfection in the skin, and so is disgusted by the appearance of the giants.
Bring a magnifying glass close enough and you will always find imperfection.
Which brings up another interesting subject: is it possible that one becomes so obsessed with the technicalities of listening to music, it actually prevents one from enjoying the medium proper?'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn -
- CommentAuthorDreamTheater
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Thanks for explaining the clipping to me Steven. That wave comparison image makes it even more clear. But seeing I don't have high end audio equipment for my music listening I don't hear any distortion. I'm able to enjoy the music as is.
Was this clipping evident on the El Cid re-recording too? Because I've not been able to enjoy that recording less than the full 100 %, just this morning. It sounds perfect and totally awesome.
I'm an audio-nut when it comes to film audio, because all my viewings must happen in cinema-like conditions, but when it comes to music I'm happy with a little less, because my cheapish and relatively small JVC's are more than good enough to blast the music in the general direction of my ears."considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G. -
- CommentAuthorSouthall
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Fat Man and Little Boy - Ennio Morricone
Pretty good. Very long. -
- CommentAuthorSouthall
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
The Spy Who Loved Me - Marvin Hamlisch
Used to hate this. Now I love it. -
- CommentAuthorSteven
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011 edited
Martijn wrote
Steven wrote
As far as my point about audio equipment goes, all I'm saying is that the more accurate a speaker is, the more you're going to notice the distortion -- which is to say some will invariably notice it more than others.
Sure. Fair enough. That can't be helped.
Swift astutely describes this in Gulliver's Travels. When Gulliver visits the giants, he finds there are no beautiful people: he is so small he can see the slightest flaw in complexion, the minutest imperfection in the skin, and so is disgusted by the appearance of the giants.
Bring a magnifying glass close enough and you will always find imperfection.
True! Though in this instance, it was more about a glaring imperfection rather than a case of my own anal retentiveness.
Which brings up another interesting subject: is it possible that one becomes so obsessed with the technicalities of listening to music, it actually prevents one from enjoying the medium proper?
I'd imagine there's truth to this. Having spent some time reading various audiophile forums (purely so I could get a better idea of what sort of equipment I should be buying), it does seem that it's a slippery slope. I think a lot of high end audio equipment and so-called high end audio signals do seem to play on the whole placebo effect far more than most audiophiles would care to admit.
I'm all for quality, especially since a decent pair of speakers can make all the difference, and I'm even willing to spend a relatively decent amount of money on it. But not at the cost of common sense! -
- CommentAuthorScribe
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Believe me, I was not looking for flaws in the Conan recording. They just jumped out at me.
And I don't obsess over my audio equipment. I did research and bought what seemed best (within my budget) at the time, and hardly ever thought about it since.I love you all. Never change. Well, unless you want to! -
- CommentAuthorSteven
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Scribe wrote
Believe me, I was not looking for flaws in the Conan recording. They just jumped out at me.
This is why it baffles me some people can't hear it? (There might be many reasons and factors involved.) -
- CommentAuthorDreamTheater
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Martijn wrote
NP: CONAN THE DESTROYER - BASIL POLEDOURIS
What a wonderful score. Wat an absolutely gobsmackingly excellent recording.
Or how a dynamic recording such as this one can make music come alive, where before it was dead and flat I imagine.
It's like SO ordered !!!!"considering I've seen an enormous debate here about The Amazing Spider-Man and the ones who love it, and the ones who hate it, I feel myself obliged to say: TASTE DIFFERS, DEAL WITH IT" - Thomas G. -
- CommentAuthorAntineutrino
- CommentTimeDec 17th 2011
Scribe wrote
Believe me, I was not looking for flaws in the Conan recording. They just jumped out at me.
Even worse than the clipping is that it's very, very exhausting (at least to my ears) too listen to such loudly masters/mixed/whatever music.
I do have almost all Tadlow CDs. I just wish they would sound better.
