HiRez Poll Gentle Giant - FREE HAND [Blu-Ray Audio]

[himey]

I gave it a seven for weak heights usage, you guys need to up your spatial audio standards, yes the bed channel mix is a 10, but mixing in atmos SW is a newbie on placing objects with good interaural cues on the tops.... 50% of the TIDAL club music are reference tops implementations.

Snarking an entire community AND SW in one post. Amusing but not very helpful from this perspective.

 

[IMachine]

Snarking an entire community AND SW in one post. Amusing but not very helpful from this perspective.

Jep

 

[jimfisheye]

Yeah, I'm not going to waste my time with someone's Atmos mix unless they have at least 20 years experience mixing for the format.

 

[Awdeeohnut]

My copy just arrived, super cool mix, warm and quite discrete. Another great effort from SW long may you reign sir. Guys like him keep our awesome hobby alive. The videos are cool, the menu is a breeze, great effort!!!!

 

[Awdeeohnut]

I'm in the "10" crowd. Life in Surround review (with giveaway):

I love your You Tube series man, it is awesome

 

[himey]

Move front left to front right
Move front right to rear right
Move rear right to front left

Is this the recommended quad fix?

 

[jefe1]

To get back to the topic I have had this for over a week listened several times enjoyed the Wilson 5.1 mix, the quad and the hidden outtake of Just the Same
I was familiar with a few of these songs from the live versions.
Fidelity is wonderful This is a ten. Great job amusing videos worth owning if you have any interest in this group.

 

[Quadmon]

I am new to Gentle Giant music. Started with TP&TG and then got the others. Think all are excellent. Free Hand had me grinning from the beginning (finger snaps) all the way thru to the end. Great 5.1 mix.
Around ‘73-‘74 I had a music room with HPM100’s in the corners with 6” by 9” car speakers mounted in ceiling powered by separate amps. It really sounded amazing. One of my best ever surround setups so I get the atmos experience. For me it’s kinda been there, done that.

 

[weekendtoy]

Listened to in ATMOS 7.2.4

From an ATMOS standpoint, this is not a 10. For reference, I followed up this listen with Mr. Wilson's TFB and I found it to be much more engaging. There are others that also exceed this ATMOS surround mix, IMO.

Like all Gentle Giant albums, the music for me can be at times, hard to take digest.

Finally, as @edisonbaggins mentioned in his Youtube video, the fact that the ATMOS mix has only static video is unacceptable.

Since they all can't all be 10's, I gave it an 8.

 

[Albert Dagger]

It's a 10 for me.
10 for the 5.1 mix (I cannot play the Atmos mix), 10 for audio fidelity, 10 for the content/music. I'm not rating the packaging, which is okay, it's all I need, the discs and the artwork!

It might very well be my favourite GG album. I've been listening to this album since it arrived last week. I was away on holiday, so I started with the stereo mixes first, and I then moved to the 5.1 mix and the quad mix (with the fix on the channel layout as explained in the dedicated thread). I'm not a great fan of GG's visuals, but I think the best ones for me are Free Hand and Time to Kill.

It's hard to pick the best surround song in the album, they are all so discrete and well done. This is the kind of music that benefits from the surround treatment. I don't remember a bad surround mix for GG's music.

This is the first time I'm also enjoying the instrumental mixes a lot.

A couple of minor issues. Well, first, the wrong channels on the quad mix, but that's an easy fix. The flat transfer of the original mix doesn't sound great. It would benefit from mastering, particularly raising the mids and highs. I much prefer the CD remaster from Unburied Treasures, or the 2009 remaster. This would be my third choice for the original mix.

Overall, glorious release. Get it until stock lasts

 

[MCDave]

I've only heard the new stereo mix over headphones so far, as I'm in the middle of a move and my surround setup is in boxes. The music and fidelity get a 10, though I like the music on The Power and the Glory and Octopus a bit more.

As I listened through the tracks, I kept thinking that some of the them could use more guitar. Some power chords and a little straight ahead hard rock at times would have nicely complemented the keyboard/string arrangements.

 

[marpow]

I voted 10. This release hit on all cylinders for me. Review of Disc 2 Blu Ray. The songs are very catchy, reminded me a lot of the band XTC.
Packaging: I love the fact that it was sparse in packaging content, nothing to read, which I like. Two discs (CD & BD), very simple. The on screen menu for the Blu Ray, very simple to use and easy color combination on screen. Seven songs, no extras, another LIKE for me.
Ripping: I decided to rip all of content after watching/listening to the hard disc as I liked very much all the versions, there is a bit of difference to all that I thought was fun to have at my finger tips. I rarely rip all of Blu Ray discs because I find the content can be overwhelming but this I liked.
Stereo, Flat Vinyl Transfer and 2021 SW Remix: These two stereo releases are very good on there own. The 1975 transfer, a bit more subtle than the modern day remix. Both enjoyable. Both are 24/96 and have DR average of 11.
Stereo (Instrumental): Highly enjoyable listen. I sometimes forget that when I listen to an instrumental, I am not listening to vocals and the music comes forward creating a new and different listening experience.
ATMOS and 5.1: Beautiful remix, by SW. Very engaging and most importantly fun to listen to. The new mix has great liberties compared to the 4.0 and the 2.0's. The 5.1 is sublime with great sonics, very discrete and lots of moving parts. The 5.1 is the most important part to an ATMOS mix and this delivers. The ATMOS mix is quite active and my (4) overhead speakers where used quite well, with a fully immersive experience, like sitting and listening to a room filled with joy, bass (LFE) an added bonus done with tact and restraint.
ATMOS NOTE: My experience with Atmos is only my own, my own room and rig, quite good, but still only my own. I have approximately 20 ATMOS music releases and I listened to this disc (3rd time) directly after an ATMOS Kraftwerk listen and surely quite a difference. I have to remind myself when listening to an ATMOS releases is it a remix, like this one vs a new release out of the box like Point Yello. All things are put into consideration.
4.0 Original 1975 Quad Mix: This one really surprised me. It had so much strength and power. I found myself sitting in the center of my 4 speakers and was imagining myself listening in 1975, and how great it made me feel. The mix in 4.0 is not quite as discrete as the other two surround versions, things are more front and back, the other mixes go diagonally, up and down. But this 4.0 just has a power to it that the others don't capture, really loved it.
On Screen Viewing: The Atmos mix has still pictures, whereas the others having moving pictures, not sure why they did that, I would have preferred moving pictures on all.
In the end, I really, really liked this Gentle Giant 2021 Free Hand release. Thanks to QQ for another band that takes me out of my Blues/Rock life.

Keep Poll Threads Pure, no off topic chatter.

 

[MCDave]

I forgot which track it is, but the visual for one of them shows a rotation of pics of the band members morphing from one guy to the next. Have any of you guys noticed that one of the pics is of someone not in the band? Watch carefully and see if you can spot him.

hint: it's not the face of the giant; he's easy to spot.

 

[5.1 4 Life]

I forgot which track it is, but the visual for one of them shows a rotation of pics of the band members morphing from one guy to the next. Have any of you guys noticed that one of the pics is of someone not in the band? Watch carefully and see if you can spot him.

hint: it's not the face of the giant; he's easy to spot.

It's the visual for "His Last Voyage" that has the morphing of the band members. I thought it was a variation of the Giant Face (which is the band's trademark) that was the last image that was morphed into. If it wasn't, I'd like to know what else it could be.

 

[Ranasakawa]

Finally got my Bluray
This Is exactly what I like in a surround mix
Staggeringly brilliant sound and immersive

One of the best 5.1 mixes I have heard

 

[rugene]

Thinking about this while listening to that superb mix by SW. Is Gentle GIant music is more suitable than other prog rock bands with more separation between the fronts and the rears? Is it the music or the type of mix that Steven has done?

 

[Ranasakawa]

Thinking about this while listening to that superb mix by SW. Is Gentle GIant music is more suitable than other prog rock bands with more separation between the fronts and the rears? Is it the music or the type of mix that Steven has done?

The style of the music definitely suits 5.1 because of the layers of diverse instruments in the sound and mix. I'm absolutely loving it

 

[DoctorO]

I picked the original vinyl up at my local Twin Fair department store the week it was released...waay back win. The Atmos mix is beautifully executed, thoroughly engaging without seeming gimmicky. So good that I went shopping and bumped my system up from 9.1 to 11.1 to enjoy it to the max!

 

[Scott M4]

Thinking about this while listening to that superb mix by SW. Is Gentle GIant music is more suitable than other prog rock bands with more separation between the fronts and the rears? Is it the music or the type of mix that Steven has done?

I think the interlocking aspects of their music really suit surround!

 

[H.A.L.]

The Atmos mix is beautifully executed, thoroughly engaging without seeming gimmicky. So good that I went shopping and bumped my system up from 9.1 to 11.1 to enjoy it to the max!

I feel it for ya, as I converted my 7.2 wides to 5.4.2 heights with a new DVR for Atmos, and now miss my wides . . . but I'm also missing the desire to either upgrade my AVR again, or convert one of the subs from .2 to .1 for the extra channels. Sigh. Come that lottery win. . . .