Life in Surround - Surround Music Review and Discussion YouTube Channel

[fredblue]

Johnson again confirmed his displeasure of this release in a 2005 Guitar Player magazine interview. To date, a Johnson-Mullen approved 5.1 remix of Ah Via Musicom has, thus far, not yet made it to the marketplace.

it isn't that bad a surround mix (at the helm Steve Genewick, no less) but the artist does have my sympathies to a point in that the label took liberties with his work seemingly with no consultation.. but what has anyone done about it in the last 14 years?
on the evidence of the one and only DVD-A that saw release which is now long OOP, i don't see any other 5.1 mix of the album to replace it, so its all we have and the best of it is what we must make!

(edited to make it clear the DVD-A is long out of print!)

 

[esimms86]

Eric Johnson’s fussiness about his releases is legendary, therefore, years can go by between albums. None of this, therefore, is surprising. An artist’s involvement in and approval of a release of his or her work is obviously not an isolated issue affecting only Eric Johnson, Brian May(ANATO) and Mark Lindsay(the new DV release of his work with Paul Revere and the Raiders). I also do not fail to see my own internal conflict/philosophical inconsistencies here when I point out issues with Ah Via Musicom and then happily place an order for Indian Reservation/Hard And Heavy. I also appreciate the hard work and professionalism of Steve Genewick, along with Adam’s point that we should be happy to have the proverbial bird in hand. I sincerely have no argument with those perspectives. I too look forward to the day, hope that it comes, when Eric Johnson releases his own remix of Ah Via Musicom in 5.1.

Anyway, this is probably a better discussion to have in it’s own thread, if anyone wants to continue the conversation. I for one have pretty much exhausted all that I want to say on this subject.

My apologies to Mike for hijacking his thread. I very much look forward to his video presentation of “OOP, Part 2.”

 

[4-earredwonder]

it isn't that bad a surround mix (at the helm Steve Genewick, no less) but the artist does have my sympathies to a point in that the label took liberties with his work seemingly with no consultation.. but what has anyone done about it in the last 14 years?
on the evidence of the one and only DVD-A that saw release which is now long OOP, i don't see any other 5.1 mix of the album to replace it, so its all we have and the best of it is what we must make!

(edited to make it clear the DVD-A is long out of print!)

Well, Bluester, that's one of the few DVD~As which I avoided back in the day. It was on the Capitol Label [now controlled by Universal] and would've made a splendid reissue, had it been corrected, as a Pure Audio BD~A 5.1. I read that Eric spent months painstakingly recording this album and it was an 'audiophile beauty' but alas, the hacks hacked it to death and what remained was a botch job....hardly indicative of Eric's [aural] vision.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Out of Print (OOP) Prices!
A requested topic that was fun to explore.
Plus shopping tips and tricks.
Thanks for watching and enjoy.

BTW, Mike, Patricia Barber's Modern Cool is ONLY cool if you play it in 4.0 bypassing the center channel which our stereophile compadre Kal Rubinson deemed a botch job. In 4.0 it sounds SUPER SPECTACULAR! I paid about $20 for it, NEW!

Read the comments on the Patricia Barber Modern Cool Poll thread https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ber-patricia-modern-cool-blu-ray-audio.16840/

 

[sjcorne]

Perhaps we need a separate thread on discussing Ah Via Musicom in 5.1?

Anyway, given the interest, I just pulled the files out to pick it apart - I don't know the album all that well, so I can't speak for any of the reported huge differences between the original stereo mix and the 5.1, but what I can say for sure is that the hit instrumental "Cliffs Of Dover" is an absolute throwaway in surround. The rears sound exactly like the fronts, but with lead guitar at a much lower volume, and the center channel is isolated guitar with so much reverb that it sounds like it's being played in a cave.

The going trend throughout the album seems to be not much difference between front/rear, but the center channel does contain isolated elements (usually lead guitar and vocals, with a bit of drum bleed). It's like they upmixed from stereo to four-channel, then stuck some isolated instruments in the center channel to flesh it out. If he's got the time and/or interest, I'd love to see @steelydave pull this disc apart in one of his extensive "Second Guessing The Mastering Engineer" threads

 

[4-earredwonder]

Perhaps we need a separate thread on discussing Ah Via Musicom in 5.1?

Anyway, given the interest, I just pulled the files out to pick it apart - I don't know the album all that well, so I can't speak for any of the reported huge differences between the original stereo mix and the 5.1, but what I can say for sure is that the hit instrumental "Cliffs Of Dover" is an absolute throwaway in surround. The rears sound exactly like the fronts, but with lead guitar at a much lower volume, and the center channel is isolated guitar with so much reverb that it sounds like it's being played in a cave.

View attachment 42333

The going trend throughout the album seems to be not much difference between front/rear, but the center channel does contain isolated elements (usually lead guitar and vocals, with a bit of drum bleed). It's like they upmixed from stereo to four-channel, then stuck some isolated instruments in the center channel to flesh it out. If he's got the time and/or interest, I'd love to see @steelydave pull this disc apart in one of his extensive "Second Guessing The Mastering Engineer" threads

Thanks for your analysis, Jonathan and I DO think it apropos that it remains here in this thread so that newbies watching Mike's OOP Video, will NOT pay big bucks for a sub par DVD~A. The same goes for Barber's Modern Cool. When it first came out Kal Rubinson posted he was put off by the wonky use of the center channel in which her vocals were all over the map and since I initially did play it in 4.0, that 'wonkiness' was NOWHERE apparent.

BTW, I searched for a poll thread for Eric Johnson's Ah Via Musicom and could find none.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I, Mike Vieira, sole proprietor of "Life in Surround" entities, hereby, fully condone, and encourage, QQ tangents, henceforth, forevermore, etc & etc.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I, Mike Vieira, sole proprietor of "Life in Surround" entities, hereby, fully condone, and encourage, QQ tangents, henceforth, forevermore, etc & etc.

And we, loyal and passionate QQ Posters, hereby award Michael Vieira a GOLD MEDAL for advancing the science and appreciation of Surround Music on the World Wide Net

LIFE in SURROUND ....... MUSIC UNBOUND!

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Thanks for your analysis, Jonathan and I DO think it apropos that it remains here in this thread so that newbies watching Mike's OOP Video, will NOT pay big bucks for a sub par DVD~A. The same goes for Barber's Modern Cool. When it first came out Kal Rubinson posted he was put off by the wonky use of the center channel in which her vocals were all over the map and since I initially did play it in 4.0, that 'wonkiness' was NOWHERE apparent.

BTW, I searched for a poll thread for Eric Johnson's Ah Via Musicom and could find none.

here:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/index.php?threads/johnson-eric-ah-via-musicom-dvd-a.4419/

 

[4-earredwonder]

here:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/index.php?threads/johnson-eric-ah-via-musicom-dvd-a.4419/

JP to the rescue ........ You should've been a Rescue Doggie!

 

[fredblue]

BTW, Mike, Patricia Barber's Modern Cool is ONLY cool if you play it in 4.0 bypassing the center channel which our stereophile compadre Kal Rubinson deemed a botch job. In 4.0 it sounds SUPER SPECTACULAR! I paid about $20 for it, NEW!

Read the comments on the Patricia Barber Modern Cool Poll thread https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ber-patricia-modern-cool-blu-ray-audio.16840/

sorry Ralphie, i don't agree with this at all, there's unique content in the Centre channel and lead vocals are mixed most prominently in the Centre on several tracks (4,6,9) it isn't a botch job at all imho, a bona fide 5.1 mix and an accomplished one at that, it's not a "set and forget" static 5.1 mix where what's routed to each channel stays the same throughout the disc.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I find it quite interesting, as a content creator, that I was neither confident about the topic of OOP Prices, nor my approach to discussing it, but it seems to have generated above-average response, so far.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I find it quite interesting, as a content creator, that I was neither confident about the topic of OOP Prices, nor my approach to discussing it, but it seems to have generated above-average response, so far.

Maybe a whole new sub thread for ya Mr. Baggins;
"Life in the constant search for E.T. Priced Surround"

 

[sjcorne]

I find it quite interesting, as a content creator, that I was neither confident about the topic of OOP Prices, nor my approach to discussing it, but it seems to have generated above-average response, so far.

I think you did an excellent job with this video - your shopping practices definitely seem to echo my own (look at Discogs first, then eBay, then sold listings on eBay, etc).

Looking forward to part 2! There's quite a few more "holy grail" surround discs worth discussing (Ship Ahoy, 3+3, Heathen, Avalon, etc).

 

[esimms86]

It just occurred to me this surround sound thing is like collecting and hording wine in a cellar, were-as consumption does not devalue the collection.

Your comment makes me wonder what my personal collection or the collections of longstanding QQers like Adam, Ralphie, Jon, Jonathan, Snood, etc., might be worth(not that I'm looking to sell any of my recordings!).

 

[4-earredwonder]

sorry Ralphie, i don't agree with this at all, there's unique content in the Centre channel and lead vocals are mixed most prominently in the Centre on several tracks (4,6,9) it isn't a botch job at all imho, a bona fide 5.1 mix and an accomplished one at that, it's not a "set and forget" static 5.1 mix where what's routed to each channel stays the same throughout the disc.

I direct YOU, Bluester McCloud, to Kal Rubinson's review of the BD~A 5.1 of Patricia Barber's Modern Cool in Stereophile Magazine: https://www.stereophile.com/content/recordings-month-inightclubi-amp-imodern-cooli

BTW, I awarded the BD~A of Modern Cool a SOLID 10 based on my 4.0 audition. Maybe I'll play it tonight in 5.1 on my boudoirsystem for further analysis .......

 

[fredblue]

I direct YOU, Bluester McCloud, to Kal Rubinson's review of the BD~A 5.1 of Patricia Barber's Modern Cool in Stereophile Magazine: https://www.stereophile.com/content/recordings-month-inightclubi-amp-imodern-cooli

BTW, I awarded the BD~A of Modern Cool a SOLID 10 based on my 4.0 audition. Maybe I'll play it tonight in 5.1 on my boudoirsystem for further analysis .......

thanks for the link
it goes to "11" in 5.1, imho.

 

[4-earredwonder]

thanks for the link
it goes to "11" in 5.1, imho.

BTW, dear Adam, I believe at the time of Kal's review he was utilizing a full range B&W 802 Nautilus speaker as his center channel ..... but Kal changes systems like we change underwear .....or should!

 

[fredblue]

BTW, dear Adam, I believe at the time of Kal's review he was utilizing a full range B&W 802 Naulius speaker as his center channel ..... but Kal changes systems like we change underwear .....or should!

'twas a right rivetting read, thank you dear Ralphie
the HMS Nautilus you say! you could utilise a Tannoy dredged from the wreck of the Titanic by Jacques Cousteau for your Centre channel for all i care, its the suggestion that the mix is better killing the Centre & Sub altogether that i couldn't let go by without just chipping in with my twopennuth. ultimately you must listen to it the way you like, your system, your life, your rules! if your 4-ears prefer it in 4.0, go "fourth" and multichannel-apply!

 

[MrSmithers]

BTW, dear Adam, I believe at the time of Kal's review he was utilizing a full range B&W 802 Naulius speaker as his center channel ..... but Kal changes systems like we change underwear .....or should!

That brings a whole new ‘dynamic range’ to the September issue of Stereophile magazine!