DVD/DTS Poll Oldfield. Mike - Ommadawn [DD DVD+2CD]

[Franklin]

That's a shame.

 

[Franklin]

Musically it's not really my thing, although from about 11:47 on part 2 I like it quite a lot, although the volume seems to dip a bit here and that jars. Great mix aside from the volume dip, and one slightly clunky edit - and the strange abrupt ending of part 1, and without the crazy bass on Tubular Bells. (although I may have liked more than this has.) The surround mix really exposes the children's vocals though. My biggest criticism would be the very short gaps before the end of the parts going into the audio menu, which kills the atmosphere/ambiance of listening to the piece somewhat. A seven or an eight. The main negatives for me being the menu music/lack of silent time at the end of the parts, and the two bonus videos not having 5.1 audio - oh, and not being keen on much of the music! Maybe it will be a grower.

 

[jaybird100]

I actually liked the shortened ending on part 1. The overall sound balance, both parts, is better here than on the original. The textures are brought out more, but then, I'm comparing the SQ with discrete. I'm fond of the chant on part 1. While I also like Tubular Bells a lot, this one is my favorite of his long-form works.

 

[Franklin]

I listened to this with a friend the other night. The mix uses the rears a lot, but musically it still doesn't do much for me for the most part. The rough mix of the abandoned first attempt of part one (stereo only) was fascinating: a very worthwhile bonus. Still a shame that the two singles didn't get the 5.1 treatment.

 

[theorbscureddj]

Old thread resurrection time again folks... but as part of my not checking out any of the 5.1 mixes Mike went to all the trouble to produce as part of the ongoing Mercury reissues, my discovery of this forum has prompted me to revisit them and see what he has been up to. Ommadawn is my joint favourite MO album (along with Amarok) so this release was really on a hiding to nothing. That said, I agree that the mix is very rear-centric, so much so, I had to tinker with the positioning of my front and rear speakers. Once I'd done that, re-calibrated the AV receiver and ran the DVD disc, I had a better appreciation of what Mike had produced. The complex nature of his first four releases lend themselves superbly to 5.1 mixes and if Mike resists the temptation to tinker too much, the results he has achieved with this 5.1 mix of Ommadawn best highlight all that is good with multi-channel mixes. 9/10 (saving 10/10 for Amarok 5.1)

 

[edisonbaggins]

theobscureddj: if you haven't already, check out Rob Reed's Sanctuary II, since you're in to Mike O.
It is kind of a tribute album to MO, but completely original, just in the style of Ommadawn.
Expertly produced and mixed. And in hi-res surround.

 

[jaybird100]

I like the way this was re-done from the original. There's more detail to the sound, and the mix is spacious. The chant, in part one, takes on etherial feel, with a nice buildup. One big difference was the shortening of the end of part one, fading the drums down sooner than the original did. I really like this mix.

 

[theorbscureddj]

theobscureddj: if you haven't already, check out Rob Reed's Sanctuary II, since you're in to Mike O. It is kind of a tribute album to MO, but completely original, just in the style of Ommadawn. Expertly produced and mixed. And in hi-res surround.

Yes indeed, Sanctuary I & II are both in my collection and I also have the expanded releases with 5.1 mixes. I plan to give them a spin over the weekend I actually prefer to think that they were performed and recorded in the style of MO rather than a tribute, but I can see why there would be such a comparison, Its good that Tom Newman worked with Robert on both too and I've been fortunate enough to met Tom on a couple of occasions, he is such a down to earth guy to chew the fat with. Sanctuary II is fantastic and I'm looking forward to checking out the 5.1 mix tomorrow :banana:

 

[theorbscureddj]

I like the way this was re-done from the original. There's more detail to the sound, and the mix is spacious. The chant, in part one, takes on etherial feel, with a nice buildup. One big difference was the shortening of the end of part one, fading the drums down sooner than the original did. I really like this mix.

Its a fabulous 5.1 mix and the composition lends itself superbly to how it sounds... I'm looking forward to spinning my quad Ommadawn too, once my quad system has arrived and is up and running

 

[ssully]

For me, the tonality of the old 4.0 mix is closer to the stereo mix. But the 5.1 mix is a agreeable alternative.