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Am I too demanding, or does Scorpion King sound like crap?
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Topic: Am I too demanding, or does Scorpion King sound like crap?
Dinko
Goldmember
Just wondering.Percussion: loud. too loud.
Orchestra: distant. thin. weak. clogged up. without impact.
chorus: some parts are ok. other parts are even thinner and more distant than the orchestra.
Am I too picky when I ask for everything to be up-front, well balanced with everything being loud, clear, transparent and powerful sounding without drowning out the rest of the music?
For example:
The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith, and Christus Apollo (both from Telarc). Everything there is perfectly 'hearable', and it does not prevent the percussion from being pretty loud.
Or Men In Black 2. Lucid, powerful recording.
Or Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within.To keep comparisons Debney-related, I think Cutthroat Island sounds a lot better than Scorpion King. Everything in the orchestra of Cutthroat is so much louder, fuller and clearer.
As loud as I push the volume of Scorpion King, on a sound system, or on the portable player (both of which usually provide good audio quality), it still sounds thin in the orchestra, and too loud in the percussion.Is it me? Or the CD?
posted 07-24-2002 01:03 PM PT (US) TimT
Goldmember
I do agree with you about the choir, it sounds very thin and distant, but the recording of the orchestra, I think is pretty good, very full sounding and upfront..but without sounding too harsh at times, like Final Fantasy.
Almost equal to the quality of the Spy Kids soundtrack CD which I think is an awsome job.[Message edited by TimT on 07-24-2002]
posted 07-24-2002 01:09 PM PT (US) Jeron
Goldmember
I have to agree with Tim. I think the recording is great... the choir was never on my complaint list, either. All in all nicely done and consistent with the first two Mummy films. As for the percussion... yes, it's pushed to the front a bit more than the rest. I like that - seems appropriate for the film, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Can't wait for the DVD.Oh, and... I think you're too demanding.
Jeron
[Message edited by Jeron on 07-24-2002]
posted 07-24-2002 01:52 PM PT (US) rkeaveney
Goldmember
Dinko, you liked the CUTTHROAT ISLAND recording/mixing job? I've never liked the way this album sounds. Case in point, the beginning of "The Battle", where a clanking anvil opens the track. The effect is neutered by the weak recording. I don't know, maybe it's my ears, but I've played the CD on several systems, including my surround setup with large woofer and this recording lacks edge.Ryan
posted 07-24-2002 06:32 PM PT (US) Dinko
Goldmember
Don't know how much I like the sound on CTIsland but I like it better than Scorpion King.[Message edited by Dinko on 07-24-2002]
posted 07-24-2002 07:41 PM PT (US) Dinko
Goldmember
I should say, maybe my impression of the Scorpion King CD is somewhat 'distorted' since the first time I played the CD was right after I had played Scheherazade (the Jansons/London Philharmonic recording) which is first rate in terms of orchestral power and transparancy.So the sudden switch from a Michael Sheady/Abbey Road recording to a Shawn Murphy/Todd AO recording may be part of my bad impression of Scorpion King.
posted 07-24-2002 07:54 PM PT (US) Kris
Goldmember
Dinko,I had similar thoughts after my first listen, but I must admit that this score is really growing on me. In fact, I think it's one of the most powerfull scores of the year. Great orchestrating and the guitars don't really bother me (apart from the first track).
The Scorpion King is not as memorable as Cutthroat Island, but it has quality. I'm reall looking forward to future John Debney scores ... well, actually, I've always been looking forward to his scores
Kris
posted 07-25-2002 01:08 AM PT (US) Marian Schedenig
Goldmember
Cutthroat Island may not sound great, but it sounds really good. If it lacks a little bass, I think that's just because the orchestration is so heavily focused on brass.
posted 07-25-2002 08:04 AM PT (US) OHMSS76
Goldmember
Is there any real, noticible difference between the Silva CT Island or the Nu Millenia?If I buy the Silva, will my ears pop open, or is it ok to stick with the NM release?
Sean
posted 07-25-2002 08:49 AM PT (US) TimT
Goldmember
Yeah I think these guys have the Nu Millenia, version. That one is said to have very muddy sound quality.I own the Silva release, and can tell you there is nothing from with that sound quality at all. When I first played that, I was nearly blown away by the powerful sound of the orchestra. And the choir is mixed in perfectly.
posted 07-25-2002 09:01 AM PT (US) Ricard L. Befan
Goldmember
I have the Silva Screen edition of "Cutthroat Island". It's undoubtedly one of the worst sounding CDs in my collection.[Message edited by Ricard L. Befan on 07-25-2002]
posted 07-25-2002 11:34 AM PT (US) Marian Schedenig
Goldmember
Worst-sounding??
posted 07-25-2002 11:41 AM PT (US) Richard Street
Goldmember
Playing the Silva version of CUTTHROAT ISLAND right now, as chance would have it. No problems here.NP: Uh....
posted 07-25-2002 12:37 PM PT (US) Erik Woods
Goldmember
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Street:
Playing the Silva version of CUTTHROAT ISLAND right now, as chance would have it. No problems here.NP: Uh....
It's not a terrible sounding disc but compared to the mix in the movie... I wish I had that mix instead of the one on CD. The high ends are magnificent. Listen to the Main Title on CD and then on the DVD. There is a clear difference in sound quality.
BTW, I love this score!!!
-Erik-
posted 07-25-2002 02:03 PM PT (US) OHMSS76
Goldmember
Good point Erik...I often wonder why a film mix can(occasionally)sound so much better than the album...North's CLEOPATRA is a great example of this. The Varese set sounds good, but the DVD sounds GREAT!Guess it must be the medium...
Sean
posted 07-25-2002 02:31 PM PT (US) Richard Street
Goldmember
quote:
It's not a terrible sounding disc but compared to the mix in the movie... I wish I had that mix instead of the one on CD. The high ends are magnificent. Listen to the Main Title on CD and then on the DVD. There is a clear difference in sound quality.Well, I wouldn't know - I don't have DVD and even if I did I wouldn't want to see that movie again. Fun, but a once-only experience....
NP: HALLOWEEN 5 (Alan Howarth)
posted 07-25-2002 02:41 PM PT (US) Dinko
Goldmember
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Woods:
It's not a terrible sounding disc but compared to the mix in the movie... I wish I had that mix instead of the one on CD. The high ends are magnificent. Listen to the Main Title on CD and then on the DVD. There is a clear difference in sound quality.Had a similar experience with Vertical Limit. In the movie theatre, the trumpets and strings had incredible sharpness. Got the CD and the sound is just dull-sounding (compared with the movie).
posted 07-25-2002 07:50 PM PT (US) rkeaveney
Goldmember
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Woods:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>Originally posted by Richard Street:
[b]Playing the Silva version of CUTTHROAT ISLAND right now, as chance would have it. No problems here.NP: Uh....
<HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE>It's not a terrible sounding disc but compared to the mix in the movie... I wish I had that mix instead of the one on CD. The high ends are magnificent. Listen to the Main Title on CD and then on the DVD. There is a clear difference in sound quality.
BTW, I love this score!!!
-Erik-[/B]
Thank you, Erik and Ricard!
I agree about the film mix. I remember watching CI on video when it first was released and thought the score was overwhelmingly good -- but the CD doesn't capture the crackling energy of the film mix. I even own CI on DVD (part of my "so bad it's good collection", with HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN, among others) and the mix is so much better.
For the record, it's the Silva Screen edition I'm commenting on.
Ryan
posted 07-25-2002 08:13 PM PT (US) Old Infopop Software by UBB