Listening to Now (In Surround) - Volume 2

[Clint Eastwood]

Bloody Hell! Mockingbird sound amazing! I'm floored!

What is the overall sound quality of the disc....is it compressed or bright sounding?

 

[fredblue]

I can't tell you how many titles that I didn't even knew existed in hi rez if it weren't for fredblue(Adam)....how he discovers all these titles is a mystery to me(I can't seem to get Fleetwood Mac off my mind)...

Well.. I can't take the credit for anything, its all been said and done before, I just get lucky and rediscover some little nugget of info or what have you and then regurgitate it all here in the hope it might prove interesting or useful.

I guess the best way I can describe it.. you know how people read a book or two a week with their train commute to work.. or learn a foreign language in their lunch break.. or go on "Mastermind" (UK TV game show) and their chosen specialist subject is some nifty little niche that they will score well on cos they did their 'homework'?

Well, this is the never-ending novel I scour the pages of on the way to work, the language without limits I learn from lunch break til bedtime.. this would be my chosen specialist subject on "Mastermind".

There are loads of people into all this stuff here, there and everywhere with more knowledge, more experience, more discs, more everything than me.. but public forums are not for them maybe or they used to post at these places a lot and now they're not so into it or they only post infrequently, I don't know.. anyway, lets all keep this good thing we've got going, these are good times and we've got good people here, all the members at QQ bring something to the community and no contributions too small in my eyes.. oh it's all such a blast, long may in continue! :friday:

 

[Ninecats]

Bloody Hell! Mockingbird sound amazing! I'm floored!

I still hope for more BJH surrounds.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Just received this one and I'm very grateful Fred posted a picture of it in another thread as I'd never heard of it before. Got it sealed for $20 from a Canadian seller on Discogs whom still has a few copies for sale. I love the vibe of the album and its songs. I'm playing the DTS 96/24. Another band I knew of but had never heard their music before. Peter Brown's mix is interesting. Makes you wonder how he would have tackled The Beatles' stuff in Quad.

Tell me. Having the SQ Stereo on the disc and all. Is it meant to sound better if decoded than the DTS version or is it just for completion's sake?

View attachment 22602

Peter Brown is listed as the "engineer" on this one and Peter Mew is credited with the mastering AND the surround mix according to THIS

 

[fredblue]

Peter Brown is listed as the "engineer" on this one and Peter Mew is credited with the mastering AND the surround mix according to THIS

Well I tried to at least make a start on getting to the bottom of this Peter Mew mixing thing with the ELO First Light Quad>DVD release which credited the mix to him... and at the time it was said by others to be unlikely as he was a mastering engineer only.. but anyway my scant investigation didn't get anywhere and you move on and you give up caring and then you forget altogether.. like now!

I would say he did the 5.1 reworking of the Quad tapes when these things came to be released as DVDs at the very least.. maybe he did even do the original Quad mixes back in the 70's as if you look inside the liner notes of that ELO set the channel layout drawings are said to be his work.. so I don't know, its up for grabs and as much as I love Discogs with respect that doesn't amount to a hill of jelly belly beans imho... and I guess Mew since he's retired now and took some flack for his mastering moves over the years probably couldn't give a bugging jelly belly bean either

 

[fredblue]

I still hope for more BJH surrounds.

It seems unlikely but I hope so too

 

[fredblue]

Split Coconut - Dave Mason (SQ LP thru the Surround Master)

I am just absolutely loving this guy's Quads (there are 3 in total.. another artist I knew nothing about before getting these old SQ records) and Side 2 of this album is an out and out beauty.. bluesy and breezy its a delight that makes me wish I was a beach bum on a sun kissed island with a pina colada in hand instead of in cold old grey London sipping tea and biscuits.. brr! Still this goes some way to transporting you to that desert island.. afaik this was the only one of his Quads not to receive Q8 release, so it would be most fitting if AF would consider this one above all for their Surround SACD programme.. but I'd be happy if they chose any one of them.. fingers crossed.. :upthumb

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Well I tried to at least make a start on getting to the bottom of this Peter Mew mixing thing with the ELO First Light Quad>DVD release which credited the mix to him... and at the time it was said by others to be unlikely as he was a mastering engineer only.. but anyway my scant investigation didn't get anywhere and you move on and you give up caring and then you forget altogether.. like now!

I would say he did the 5.1 reworking of the Quad tapes when these things came to be released as DVDs at the very least.. maybe he did even do the original Quad mixes back in the 70's as if you look inside the liner notes of that ELO set the channel layout drawings are said to be his work.. so I don't know, its up for grabs and as much as I love Discogs with respect that doesn't amount to a hill of jelly belly beans imho... and I guess Mew since he's retired now and took some flack for his mastering moves over the years probably couldn't give a bugging jelly belly bean either

I think the wording "adaptation" of the 1973 Quad recording is the key...it appears that he took that mix and "adapted" it to 5.1...

 

[leahypc]

me too...I'd love Tango In The Night as well...it already sounds good as a CD...

That's ringing a bell with me - I feel like I've read/heard somewhere over the last few years or so that it's one of the many unreleased 5.1 mixes out there. I may be confusing it with something else though.

 

[fredblue]

I think the wording "adaptation" of the 1973 Quad recording is the key...it appears that he took that mix and "adapted" it to 5.1...

Yes but do have a quick look at the wording just above the little drawing..

"Peter Mew's original notes on the Quad mix, 1973"..

..does that in any way imply to you (as it did to me when I first got this one) that Mew also did the original Quad mix? Hmm..

4.0 Steps Forward and 5.1 Steps Backward..

 

[fredblue]

That's ringing a bell with me - I feel like I've read/heard somewhere over the last few years or so that it's one of the many unreleased 5.1 mixes out there. I may be confusing it with something else though.

Yes I've heard that rumour of a 5.1 Tango by E.Scheiner too..

 

[Simon A]

What is the overall sound quality of the disc....is it compressed or bright sounding?

Not to my ears. Then again, I had never owned this album before and the only samples I’d heard were from the iTunes store so I’m sorry if I can’t say more. Does it sound like the Genesis 5.1 discs? No way! I think it’s in the same ballpark as the UK Deep Purple Machine Head Quad SACD. To my ears, it sounded nice and warm. There is some intense brass at the end of Mockingbird which sounded powerful, yes, but I would not say that it’s ear bleeding bright. As for compression, if there is some (I'm not the best for telling how much I'm afraid), it's not the kind that sucks the life out of a recording like he may have done in the past.

I think the wording "adaptation" of the 1973 Quad recording is the key...it appears that he took that mix and "adapted" it to 5.1...

Yep, I think you're right. If Mew had done the mix in the 70's, then it would be stated that he did so at EMI Studios. The booklet says Abbey Road Studios, which is the name that's been used officially by EMI sometime in the 90's (if I recall correctly).

 

[Simon A]

I can't wait to see what you think of this one. One of my absolute favorites!

Yup, what Clint said...my favourite BD-A. You like aggressive surround? SW was on his game that day

I'll be honest here. This is my first Steven Wilson 5.1 mix. I also grew up with this album and know the original mix by heart and inside out. I feel that in some cases, some parts were too low in the mix. Mostly guitars and some backing vocals. I'm sure he worked for hours on this and there are some really cool things, but it did not have the WOW factor I was expecting. Maybe it'll grow on me. I might not play this one as much as my faves, but I'm stil happy to have it. Maybe it's also that so many recordings from the 80's worked because of the many layers they had in the mix. I feel that even if the Multichannel mix is more open, it doesn't feel as cohesive and at times falls apart. That's my opinion, of course, based on one listening. It's also the first time that a mix gives me the impression that there is something wrong with my set-up. Every other disc I play, whether it be Quad or 5.1, the levels are perfect. With this one, I was getting a sense that my Center speaker was not loud enough and that at times the rears were either too loud or not loud enough. Again, I've heard once only. I'll get back to it at some point and see if I feel differently about it.

 

[HomerJAU]

Yes but do have a quick look at the wording just above the little drawing..

"Peter Mew's original notes on the Quad mix, 1973"..

..does that in any way imply to you (as it did to me when I first got this one) that Mew also did the original Quad mix? Hmm...

There is reference in the notes to a dropout in one song. I think it was 'mewted'

 

[fredblue]

There is reference in the notes to a dropout in one song. I think it was 'mewted'

Haha.. ..makes a change from a 'mewtilation'..

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I'll be honest here. This is my first Steven Wilson 5.1 mix. I also grew up with this album and know the original mix by heart and inside out. I feel that in some cases, some parts were too low in the mix. Mostly guitars and some backing vocals. I'm sure he worked for hours on this and there are some really cool things, but it did not have the WOW factor I was expecting. Maybe it'll grow on me. I might not play this one as much as my faves, but I'm stil happy to have it. Maybe it's also that so many recordings from the 80's worked because of the many layers they had in the mix. I feel that even if the Multichannel mix is more open, it doesn't feel as cohesive and at times falls apart. That's my opinion, of course, based on one listening. It's also the first time that a mix gives me the impression that there is something wrong with my set-up. Every other disc I play, whether it be Quad or 5.1, the levels are perfect. With this one, I was getting a sense that my Center speaker was not loud enough and that at times the rears were either too loud or not loud enough. Again, I've heard once only. I'll get back to it at some point and see if I feel differently about it.

You have to realize that most of the rock/pop music in the 80's had a characteristic to them...some call it "bombastic"...some just say distorted...many names for the same general feeling...for the most part they weren't sonic masterpieces...most had problems...if you compared this version of the disc with a CD you would easily see the improvement...I voted a 9 on the poll because of the content and vast improvement over previous versions...I never considered it a wow disc...like Legend or Avalon...but for me one of the standout albums of the 80's...and Everybody Wants To Rule The World is one of my favorite songs from the 80's...love that song...and this disc really brings life to that song...the first time I listened the very first song sounded bright and congested...and it was shout...a song I liked...but after that the rest of the songs sounded very good and way better than previous versions...the more listens the more I liked it...

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Haha.. ..makes a change from a 'mewtilation'..

After all these years I guess it's a "mewt" point:couch

 

[Simon A]

You have to realize that most of the rock/pop music in the 80's had a characteristic to them...some call it "bombastic"...some just say distorted...many names for the same general feeling...for the most part they weren't sonic masterpieces...most had problems...if you compared this version of the disc with a CD you would easily see the improvement...I voted a 9 on the poll because of the content and vast improvement over previous versions...I never considered it a wow disc...like Legend or Avalon...but for me one of the standout albums of the 80's...and Everybody Wants To Rule The World is one of my favorite songs from the 80's...love that song...and this disc really brings life to that song...the first time I listened the very first song sounded bright and congested...and it was shout...a song I liked...but after that the rest of the songs sounded very good and way better than previous versions...the more listens the more I liked it...

I see what you mean. I'll take some time to hear it a few more times and I'll post back then.

 

[Simon A]

Haha.. ..makes a change from a 'mewtilation'..

After all these years I guess it's a "mewt" point:couch

You guys are killing me! :ugham:

 

[GOS]

Haha.. ..makes a change from a 'mewtilation'..

After all these years I guess it's a "mewt" point:couch

You guys are killing me! :ugham:

At least we are not asking for Wayne MEWTon in hi-rez..... :violin