All Five Horizons... Pearl Jam albums in Dolby Atmos

[Strilo]

First we got Gigaton in Atmos with the whole Visual Album thing, made available on Apple TV and for purchase from Apple. Then of course, the Atmos mix was part of the Apple Spatial Audio launch. And now yesterday, a total surprise for me (the absolute biggest PJ fan of anyone I know) and everyone else I know, they dropped Ten and No Code in Atmos on Apple Music. So now we have three full Pearl Jam studio albums in Atmos and I feel it's time for a thread!

I'm losing my mind right now at how awesome they are. I've listened to both albums on the Atmos home theater system and now I am finishing up a listen in Atmos on my AirPods Pro. I feel like the Ten mix is sort of half the original mix approach (wet and wet and wet. lots of reverb.) and the Redux mix approach. For me on the surround system, some tracks faired better than others. First impressions:

1. Once - Not too much going on surround wise. Very fronts heavy. Took a bit for me to get used to the new mix. Could use some more bass.
2. Evenflow - A bit better surround mix, especially the backing vocals in the surrounds, but again seemed very front heavy.
3. Alive - Much more discrete mix with surround content. Gave me goosebumps.
4. Why Go - Similar to Alive. Good surround.
5. Black - LOTS of great surround content,as the song builds the mix envelops the listener. Stunning and everything I hoped for with this song in surround.
6. Jeremy - Another great surround mix. Very enjoyable. Something about the closing chords sounded off to me. Too quiet?
7. Oceans - The oasis of this album is absolutely amazing in Atmos. Lots of space in the recording gives this mix room to move and breathe.
8. Porch - This mix I just didn’t care for. Too much of the douchey old mix. This one works so much better in the Redux version (sounds like Vs.) that about halfway through I skipped to the next song.
9. Garden - Another highlight of this Atmos mix. Lots of surround, great sounding. Mike's solos with the echo in the right rear surround gave me chills.
10. Deep - Good mix. More like the first two tracks, not a ton that I remember in surrounds.
11. Release - Sooooooo strange. The music sounds phenomenal in Atmos. Like Black, this track is everything I wanted in a surround version… except the vocal is a COMPLETELY different take. Possibly recorded later? He sings the lyrics with the changes like he sings it in concert (can you see US now?) and that makes me think he went back and re-recorded the vocal track later??? Very strange.

 

[Electric Moo]

Interesting, thanks for the notes!

 

[Perp]

Last night, I first tried to listen to Even Flow on my Airpods Pro and I didn’t think it was nearly as good as on my 9.1 system. All those speakers really make a difference. This is why I think Apple is calling it Spatial Audio instead of just Dolby Atmos. Two speakers in a pair of headphones or earbuds is only an approximation (guess) of what it may sound like with multiple speakers.

 

[Strilo]

For sure. I personally still prefer the Redux version of Ten when listening in headphones. Some Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos stuff works really well in my AirPods Pro. Gigaton and No Code both sound fantastic. But something about Ten... might just be the nature of the original mix (which the band disliked) vs. the Redux mix, done by the band's long time producer and mixer, Brendan O'Brien. I like the Ten Atmos mix on my home theater system, but not in headphones.

 

[Strilo]

Pearl Jam's fan club just released this info about the new mixes:

"To further commemorate Ten & No Code, newly remixed state-of-the-art digital versions of the albums will be released on Friday, August 27th. Both anniversary editions of Ten & No Code were fully mixed by Pearl Jam producer & sound engineer Josh Evans in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio to truly provide listeners with an immersive, sonic experience."

 

[Perp]

Pearl Jam's fan club just released this info about the new mixes:

"To further commemorate Ten & No Code, newly remixed state-of-the-art digital versions of the albums will be released on Friday, August 27th. Both anniversary editions of Ten & No Code were fully mixed by Pearl Jam producer & sound engineer Josh Evans in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio to truly provide listeners with an immersive, sonic experience."

Makes me wonder if Apple released those albums in Spatial Audio too soon.

 

[LennonCobain]

Anyone going to compare Atmos vs Sony 360?

 

[Strilo]

I mean Apple put them up early for sure.

 

[Strilo]

Listening again to Ten on the surround system. I have to agree with the bass concerns. It does seem weirdly anemic on the low end. Personally I went +2 on the surrounds and chose the Extra Bass option on my Yamaha. Now it sounds perfect. Black just absolutely stunned.

Listening to Jeremy again and the closing chords are definitely too quiet in the mix. Sounds really weird. Neither previous mix had them anywhere near that quiet. Also there is a weird warbley guitar in the middle during the verses that is weirdly loud. And it’s not doubled with the other guitar and the cello from the original and redux mixes. Odd choice.

 

[Perp]

Listening again to Ten on the surround system. I have to agree with the bass concerns. It does seem weirdly anemic on the low end. Personally I went +2 on the surrounds and chose the Extra Bass option on my Yamaha. Now it sounds perfect. Black just absolutely stunned.

I can’t raise the volume for my rear speakers on my AirPods Pro. I don’t know what I am doing wrong.

 

[Strilo]

If you don't know, we can't help you.

 

[Strilo]

My notes after a few listens to the Atmos mix of No Code:

1. Sometimes - A nice start, subtle guitar in the surrounds. Sound effects are primarily in surrounds, and even pan back and forth.
2. Hail Hail - Good mix of guitars in fronts and surrounds. Some very discrete and active guitar flourishes are present in the surrounds.
3. Who You Are - There’s so much in the surrounds for this entire song. I feel like there’s more in the surrounds at some points than in the fronts. Love the alternating toms in the surrounds during the intro. Strong layered lead vocals in surrounds too. Could be one of the best songs in surround that I’ve heard to date. Definite demo track. I do feel like there is one guitar part with the melody that is missing at the very end.
4. In My Tree - Goddamn cut off beginning that Apple needs to fix. More of the nice balance of guitars in in the fronts and surrounds. If I am not mistaken, the reverb on Ed’s vocal echoes between the two surrounds.
5. Smile - Another cut off beginning. More nicely balanced front/surround guitar parts. Piano in the surrounds as well, and the piano is much clearer than the original mix, without sounding overpowering. File cuts off the end too.
6. Off He Goes - Amazing sense of the studio space itself, the very walls. Jack Iron's drum part seems closer and more present in the mix. A very enveloping mix with instruments nicely placed all around the room.. Mike’s nylon string guitar part in the right surround is fantastic! Ed’s harmony part is nicely placed in the surrounds. Absolutely a highlight of the album in Atmos.
7. Habit - More subtle surround mix in verses, more discrete and active surrounds on during chorus. Awesome cymbal part panning back and forth in surrounds towards the end.
8. Red Mosquito - Immediately enveloping. Several major guitar parts in surrounds. Mike's guitar solo that starts at 2:43 includes a beginning portion that is muted in original mix. The bad fade in from the original mix is gone! Harmony vocal parts in surrounds. Nothing earth shattering, but a quite natural surround mix.
9. Lukin - Ed’s guitar part is mostly in the surrounds. Nice enough for such a short song.
10. Present Tense - This song opens with subtle surround, mostly reverb of Mike's guitar and Ed's voice in the surrounds. Part by part as the song builds, so too builds the surround presence. Keys are very active in the surrounds, acoustic guitar in right surround. This mix builds in the surrounds as much as fronts. Near the climax, there is a percussion part that rotates 360º around the entire room.
11. Mankind - Stone’s vocal is double tracked for most (all?) of this song and they seem to have one track in the center fronts and one in the right surround. Very cool. Also, more active guitars in surrounds, like much of this excellent mix.
12. I’m Open - Very open and active sound field all around. This song has lots of layers, lots of sound effects and lots of air between everything and this is put to very good use in the surround mix. Guitars float around. Piano in surrounds. Ed’s voice during the spoken word parts is very clear and dry, center channel maybe? But when he sings “I’m open, call me” the effects on the vocal take up the room. Another completely immersive highlight track from this mix.
13. Around The Bend - Another track with nice space around the instruments and a real sense of the studio presence. More piano in right surround, balanced by guitar in left surround.

 

[alek2702]

Is the Atmos mix an Apple exclusive?
I only see the 360 version on Tidal but would love to listen to a discreet mix through my AVR.

 

[Strilo]

I don't think they're on Tidal.

 

[CINERAMAX]

please post the link in this thread should they come out in Blu-ray, thanks.

 

[Strilo]

That's a no brainer. However, the Gigaton Visual Album has been out for over a year now with no physical release, so I am not holding my breath.

 

[marpow]

I am certainly not a PJ expert, but don't they fall into the arena lets say like Coldplay who as a band like to reduce there carbon footprint?
Meaning they can put these releases out within APPLE for those to enjoy without creating waste for the planet with physical items for sale.
I do not have an opinion on this subject, I am just wondering, that is all.

 

[Strilo]

I mean they are definitely eco-conscious, so-to-speak. But they still sell physical media of pretty much everything else, including their bootlegs.

 

[LennonCobain]

My Pearl Jam fan experience has been to not get my hopes up. Things that were announced or suggested that never materialized:
Pearl Jam - Rock Band video game
Pearl Jam super deluxe reissues (program stopped after Vs./Vitalogy)
Never mind the years of delays with the annual fan club singles

 

[Strilo]

Haha okay man. I guess I’m fine cuz I couldn’t give a shit about Rock Band. And deluxe editions are mostly up to the record label, which for No Code and Yield is Sony. And the fan club singles… well that situation was stupid but I respect the band for doing exactly whatever the fuck they want and nothing more. Kinda like how they refused to make videos for five years after Jeremy.