Please post your comments, thoughts and observations.......
DVD/DTS Poll McCartney, Paul & Wings - Venus & Mars [DTS CD]
- Thread starter Bob Romano
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Whilst the recording is compressed, this surround cd is much more pleasant to listen to than the stereo cd or lp.
The mix has some interesting highlights..venus and mars reprise with the synthesizer effects circling around you through the 4 speakers. Listen to what the man said has an extra drum kit playing in the rear speakers , that was not present on the stereo release.
The track order is jumbled up but if you have a multitrack (and only a 4 track is need anyway for this as the sub and centre are artificial creations) you could given time, rearrange it to the original running order.
Personally I don't find it a problem, in fact in some ways it's an advantage ,because it means that you get a clean intro into "love in song", something that was only previously available with a clean intro on a 7 inch single (it was a b side to (I think) "venus and mars/rockshow").
In short this release is an improvement over all stereo versions, and the quad mix is good.The only drawback is the compressed recording quality.
The mix has some interesting highlights..venus and mars reprise with the synthesizer effects circling around you through the 4 speakers. Listen to what the man said has an extra drum kit playing in the rear speakers , that was not present on the stereo release.
The track order is jumbled up but if you have a multitrack (and only a 4 track is need anyway for this as the sub and centre are artificial creations) you could given time, rearrange it to the original running order.
Personally I don't find it a problem, in fact in some ways it's an advantage ,because it means that you get a clean intro into "love in song", something that was only previously available with a clean intro on a 7 inch single (it was a b side to (I think) "venus and mars/rockshow").
In short this release is an improvement over all stereo versions, and the quad mix is good.The only drawback is the compressed recording quality.
Yes, the overcompression is the only thing limiting the enjoyment here. Maybe not one of Pauls' most spectacular albums (like "Band On The Run" or "McCartney"), but much more enjoyable than, say, "Wild Life"
Clark
Clark
ClarkNovak said:much more enjoyable than, say, "Wild Life"
Clark
LOL.. just about every McCartney release is more enjoyable than wildlife.
still even on his worst releases there is usually something of interest.
We seem to be in sync here on the rating...all '7''s so far.....it's a pretty good Quad mix, but as noted, suffers from compression, but that would seem to be a byproduct of the recording itself. Even so, some active and lively mixes here, and while the track order is altered from the original, that's never bothered me, not like there's a high concept going on here....
ED
ED
A generous 3 from me. I just don't like it. This is a very agressive (Quad) mix; so much circles around you in certain songs, you just get dizzy. Making it worse, it sounds as if all of this panning was done manually - there seems to be many imbalances in the speakers (i.e.- voclas and instruments that pan around your head vary greatly in volume from speaker to speaker).
Yes - the rears are too loud.
Making the whole sh*t mess even worse is that this is the only disc that my Yamaha receiver refuses to provide any bass management for. There is either no - or very little subwoofer info, and with the main speakers set to small it sounds very wimpy. Setting them to large improves it somewhat, but something is still missing. "Folding" it into stereo (which Yamaha's seem to handle quite nicely on dts discs - I understand not all receivers do this), the bass punch seems to be restored (in stereo everything below 90hz is re-directed to the sub). I know this is more of a hardware issue, but strangely enough, the Band on the Run DTS disc seems rich and smooth in the low end (even in surround). I understand this one also is the Quad mix, but somehow my Yamaha recognizes the "absence" of subwoofer data and routes the lower frequencies automatically.
Yes - the rears are too loud.
Making the whole sh*t mess even worse is that this is the only disc that my Yamaha receiver refuses to provide any bass management for. There is either no - or very little subwoofer info, and with the main speakers set to small it sounds very wimpy. Setting them to large improves it somewhat, but something is still missing. "Folding" it into stereo (which Yamaha's seem to handle quite nicely on dts discs - I understand not all receivers do this), the bass punch seems to be restored (in stereo everything below 90hz is re-directed to the sub). I know this is more of a hardware issue, but strangely enough, the Band on the Run DTS disc seems rich and smooth in the low end (even in surround). I understand this one also is the Quad mix, but somehow my Yamaha recognizes the "absence" of subwoofer data and routes the lower frequencies automatically.
Very interesting really old sound. Old sound. Very experimental. almost sounds like a live mix. Like in the first track: why not start with the vocals in the rears, then "red light" in front left hmm.. "green light" in the front right...yaeh, why not. It's just Wings after all. The only really good mix here is "You Gave me the answer" that one sounds convincing. But don't you say "Rock Show" is a good mix...drums on the rears...baah!
OK...its Mac Pop. With the output this guy had in his heyday, they all can't be gems. But this one is not too bad. It's an aggressive surround. Love it for that. Not going to critique the surround mix. It is still better than most of the stuff that passes for MC-new or old. I give it an 8.
Very good surround mix, mostly mediocre material, dated sonics.
Opening track is a demo for me. When the percussion comes in -- just gorgeous. But we only get a few seconds of it before the awful Rock Show. For that track, the name's mud.
I have an original release U.S. disc (the one with the hard inner pic sleeve). The compression on that disc can only be described as ghastly. There's more breathing than you'd find in a yoga class. (Why was this necessary? 1975 recording technology wasn't that primitive.) The DTS of the quad is compressed, yes, but not nearly so much.
Like Band on the Run, this album is a mix of the strong and the very weak.
On that previous effort, Paul got drunk one night with Dustin Hoffman, who challenged him to write a song on the fly. Out came a guitar, then the strains of "Drink to Me, Drink to my Health". Songs in seconds! Unfortunately, too many of the Venus tracks sound like the result of similar effort.
Opening track is a demo for me. When the percussion comes in -- just gorgeous. But we only get a few seconds of it before the awful Rock Show. For that track, the name's mud.
I have an original release U.S. disc (the one with the hard inner pic sleeve). The compression on that disc can only be described as ghastly. There's more breathing than you'd find in a yoga class. (Why was this necessary? 1975 recording technology wasn't that primitive.) The DTS of the quad is compressed, yes, but not nearly so much.
Like Band on the Run, this album is a mix of the strong and the very weak.
On that previous effort, Paul got drunk one night with Dustin Hoffman, who challenged him to write a song on the fly. Out came a guitar, then the strains of "Drink to Me, Drink to my Health". Songs in seconds! Unfortunately, too many of the Venus tracks sound like the result of similar effort.
I am not a Wings fan, infact I normally cannot abide them, but this disc is pretty good. The surround mix is wonderful, and I find myself really liking some of the tracks. In particular You Gave Me The Answer is excellent.
I'll give this one a "7", too. I personally like aggressive quad mixes like this, and I like this album. What I don't like is the condition of the tape used to make this. "Rock Show" sounds shrill and distorted to me. If you listen to the last chord of "Magneto and Titanium Man," and you'll hear the rapid micro-dropouts (I'll bet there is a better term for that) that reminds me of what one hears on a cassette tape.
The low end is all over the place, and I found myself having to adjust my sub level for just about every song. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" seems to have no low end at all, and then it's followed by "Crossroads Theme" which has almost excessive low end.
J. D.
The low end is all over the place, and I found myself having to adjust my sub level for just about every song. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" seems to have no low end at all, and then it's followed by "Crossroads Theme" which has almost excessive low end.
J. D.
Dylan Berichon
701 Club - QQ All-Star
I gave it an 8.
Yes, there are some problems. Tons of compression, sounds all over the place for no apparent reason...
...and yet, it all somehow works. It sounds very dated, and I love it for that reason.
One of my favorite DTS disks, in spite of it self.
Yes, there are some problems. Tons of compression, sounds all over the place for no apparent reason...
...and yet, it all somehow works. It sounds very dated, and I love it for that reason.
One of my favorite DTS disks, in spite of it self.
If you think the dts sounds compressed try the stereo version!!...the stereo version is shocking..
S
sq10
Guest
We all have different tastes, an old puertorican saying "Flavors were made to fit every taste"(Para los gustos se hicieron los sabores)...
I LOVE this LP, it was one of my first purchases when it came out.Still have the LP with the posters(where I keep the dts cd and the 45 from V & Mars).
Yes, compressed.
Yes, dated.
BUT HE WAS PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!
VERY adventurous mix- some things work , some sorta do...
and I really appreciate the new approach to mixing with the DRUMS IN THE REAR!!!
Not only during one or two songs , but for the WHOLE LP! Olé , toro, bisho!!!
Matter of fact, I think this is the only QUAD LP/CD with that approach...that I've listened to, anyway...
This is a great example of showing how much more delicate than stereo a quad mix can be....
There are many ways to "position the center" in Quad...
-none; e.g., Santana Abraxas, or III
-middle of the 4 speakers; Goldfrapp- Supernature
-front center; Industry standard /Elliot Schneier
-Rear center; Venus & Mars
I think the latter one is more "natural" since it leaves the non percussion in the foreground, which to me is more natural than having the drums pounding me on the face and the rest on the sidelines...my 2nd choice would be middle of 4 speakers, but it's VERY delicate, since it can wind up sounding like a mono record....hey , that's my take on it...
a SOLID 10!!!!
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This arrived yesterday factory sealed from 5point1 thaks to QQ for the heads up on that site.
My initial impresssions are that its a good fun surround mix the dynamics EQ etc are at times unusual.
The music is good and bad as has have been most Mccartney albums since the demise of the Beatles.
Solid 7 for me.
My initial impresssions are that its a good fun surround mix the dynamics EQ etc are at times unusual.
The music is good and bad as has have been most Mccartney albums since the demise of the Beatles.
Solid 7 for me.
9 - I'm not really bothered by the track order but the original track order would make it perfect for me.
One of my fave albums. (I was certainly influenced by the great live show)
This and Chicago II are my most played surround sound discs.
One of my fave albums. (I was certainly influenced by the great live show)
This and Chicago II are my most played surround sound discs.
Unlike 'band on the run' this is the first time I have owned this so track order is not a problem for me.
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