Frank Zappa Waka/Wazoo Deluxe 4CD + Blu-Ray 5.1 and Atmos!!!!

[himey]

Did I upset you?

The scrutinizer from above would be epic.

 

[rtbluray]

Based on what is known this far, it appears to be the work of Dweezil, but maybe it’s also Joe Travers too?
I know he’s the vault master but could he also be experienced in mixing as well?

 

[bookofsaturdays]

Listening to Burnt Weeny Sandwich on my break at work and my eyes widened when I saw this thread. Absolutely amazing!!!!! Bring on Over-Nite Sensation next!!

 

[quicksrt]

This will be mind blowing to own on disc and play back in 5.1 mixed from the original multi-tracks!!!

No up-mixing fears here. "Animals" gets a run for the money so far as 5.1 "mix of the year" physical release.

 

[privateuniverse]

No up-mixing fears here. "Animals" gets a run for the money so far as 5.1 "mix of the year" physical release.

I think this may actually eclipse Animals. I'll reserve judgement as I was listening to Atmos downmixed to 5.1, but both Zappa titles still sounded great that way. Looking forward to hearing the dedicated 5.1 mix. Instant purchase. If this is Dweezil's mix, I can't wait to hear what he comes up with next. Wouldn't be surprised though if it turned out that SW was responsible for it.

 

[himey]

I think this may actually eclipse Animals. I'll reserve judgement as I was listening to Atmos downmixed to 5.1, but both Zappa titles still sounded great that way. Looking forward to hearing the dedicated 5.1 mix. Instant purchase. If this is Dweezil's mix, I can't wait to hear what he comes up with next. Wouldn't be surprised though if it turned out that SW was responsible for it.

Why does one have to be better? Can't they both be 10s. This ain't no football match. GREAT to hear the initial reviews are excellent!

 

[scooob]

I'm listening to them on Apple Music on my 5.1 system. I'm enjoying immensely, but they are balanced heavily towards the rears on my rig. Anyone else experiencing the same?

I posted in a bit more detail on this in the main streaming Atmos thread.

 

[privateuniverse]

I'm listening to them on Apple Music on my 5.1 system. I'm enjoying immensely, but they are balanced heavily towards the rears on my rig. Anyone else experiencing the same?

I posted in a bit more detail on this in the main streaming Atmos thread.

I certainly felt that in some places, but there are lots of other moments where I felt that the balance was right between front and rear. Hopefully that won't be an issue with the dedicated 5.1 mix. I remain optimistic.

 

[sjcorne]

I'm listening to them on Apple Music on my 5.1 system. I'm enjoying immensely, but they are balanced heavily towards the rears on my rig. Anyone else experiencing the same?

It probably seems unbalanced because there's a lot of content in the two side channels being redirected to the rears on your 5.1 setup.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

It probably seems unbalanced because there's a lot of content in the two side channels being redirected to the rears on your 5.1 setup.

So do you believe that's a factor of analog outs in a non Atmos system like mine? (as an example, I don't know what he has for a setup)
Wouldn't an Atmos ready AVR mix it more accurately per the mixer's renderer instructions for 5.1?

 

[RustyStatic]

An absolute holy grail release for me! Wazoo tops my list of favorite Zappa; I know and love every note. It’s gonna be a blast hearing all the outtakes and alternates. But first, I’m going to try to hold off until Saturday morning for a nice focused listen in Atmos to go with my coffee.

Grateful for the heads up!

 

[scooob]

It probably seems unbalanced because there's a lot of content in the two side channels being redirected to the rears on your 5.1 setup.

That's kind of what I figured, that maybe these mixes are really side- or heights-heavy. But most streaming Atmos mixes that are generally regarded as well-done sound quite good, nicely balanced, on my system. That's not to imply that the Zappa mixes aren't done well, just that perhaps they're rendered in such a way as to redirect more content to the rears on a 5.1 system?

 

[sjcorne]

So do you believe that's a factor of analog outs in a non Atmos system like mine? (as an example, I don't know what he has for a setup)
Wouldn't an Atmos ready AVR mix it more accurately per the mixer's renderer instructions for 5.1?

It depends on whether the mixer has assigned whatever elements that appear in the side speakers to a stereo object or part of the bed. If they're part of the bed, even with an Atmos AVR that information will be sent to the rear speakers in 5.1.x. A stereo object will render more accurately between the front and rear speakers post Atmos decode, but with an older AVR that stuff still ends up entirely in the back.

 

[scooob]

It depends on whether the mixer has assigned whatever elements that appear in the side speakers to a stereo object or part of the bed. If they're part of the bed, even with an Atmos AVR that information will be sent to the rear speakers in 5.1.x. A stereo object will render more accurately between the front and rear speakers post Atmos decode, but with an older AVR that stuff still ends up entirely in the back.

Thanks for that explanation, which might account for why some Atmos mixes sound especially rear-heavy on my system, even though most sound well-balanced (if they're done well in the first place).

If I'm understanding correctly, you're saying that if an Atmos mix was done using a 7.1 bed instead of a 5.1 bed, the side content will go to the rear speakers of a 5.1 system regardless of the AVR. But when you say that a side object on top of a 5.1 bed renders between the fronts and rears, is that just for an Atmos AVR, or for any AVR?

I'm not sure it matters, and I don't want to derail this thread too far off-topic, but I have an old setup except for the ATV box and a recent LG TV. My decades-old Yamaha AVR doesn't even have HDMI inputs. The ATV HDMI output goes into the TV; the TV feeds the AVR through a digital optical (toslink) cable. I get 5.1 Dolby Digital through this connection, from video streaming services and cable channels funneled through the TV, and Atmos rendered into 5.1 from Apple Music on the ATV. (I also have an old Oppo BDP-95 with analog inputs into the AVR for high-def 5.1 and stereo, but that's not relevant here.) As old-tech / low-tech as this may sound, it works fine for my needs and I think it generally sounds really good. But maybe that's just because I don't know what I'm missing?

In any case, I certainly appreciate and accept all of the feedback I've received here that these Zappa albums sound great on a true Atmos system. I will play around with this more on my end, listen to some other Atmos mixes I've found in the past to be rear-heavy, and see what I can come up with. And maybe I'll spring for the Waka/Wazoo box set to get the dedicated 5.1 mixes.

 

[sjcorne]

But when you say that a side object on top of a 5.1 bed renders between the fronts and rears, is that just for an Atmos AVR, or for any AVR?

Only an Atmos AVR.

 

[Scott M4]

Very good news!

 

[CINERAMAX]

Oh nooooo! The link has disappeared. Muss es kaufen.

 

[GilWave]

Why no nention of this on the Zappa.com site? Is it an official Zappa Family Trust release?

 

[Simplepast Presentperfect]

I think that there are physical limitations in re-releasing all Zappa's catalog in multichannel: Frank working directly on the multitracks, repurposing them, etc. "Messing" would be disrespectful, because it was part and parcel of his creative process. I think that all the raw material is lovingly safekept in the vaults, but a lot of his earlier works is unmixable or the degree of freedom is quite limited. That is why such a release is for me an extraordinary event. This gives me a lot of hope for the catalog from 1973 onwards.

 

[bayards]

The link to the German site doesn't show this release to date.....