Please post your thoughts and comments on this new album by Pure Reason Revolution entitled "Coming Up To Consciousness", available as a CD/DVD set featuring a 5.1 surround mix
DVD/DTS Poll Pure Reason Revolution - COMING UP TO CONSCIOUSNESS
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The music and mix is fantastic.
Another band new to me.
But then there are quite a few bands that, thanks to QQ, I've discovered, who were never on my radar.
Bruce Soord is another Brit who just gets mixing in surround.
He knows exactly where to put the emphasis to this bands excellent songs and it just fits like a glove to what they are trying to achieve.
A Pure 10
Another band new to me.
But then there are quite a few bands that, thanks to QQ, I've discovered, who were never on my radar.
Bruce Soord is another Brit who just gets mixing in surround.
He knows exactly where to put the emphasis to this bands excellent songs and it just fits like a glove to what they are trying to achieve.
A Pure 10
I'm genuinely and positively stunned. This is a carefully composed, gorgeously produced album that lends itself so well to a surround mix, and Bruce Soord has unleashed some special magic here. I consider it to be his best 5.1 mix to date, and it's also my favourite surround mix released in 2024. All the numerous layers of keyboards, electronic elements and additional guitar parts immerse you in a bubble of sound. Every element can be heard crystal clear, but the star of the show is the constant vocal interaction between Jon Courtney and Annicke Shireen. Generally, Jon's vocals come front the front stage (both front & center speakers), whereas Annicke's come from behind, but the roles occasionally change, also depending on whether each of them sings lead or backing vocals.
Despite the frequent swirls and the very dynamic placing of the sound elements, I'm never under the impression that it sounds gimmicky - it feels really natural for the band's music. And, thanks to a nice mastering job by Steve Kitch, the soft sections sound soft, and the loud sections sound LOUD! Beware of the occasional sonic scares if you're playing it at a high volume! When I first played this, I did it on my second house's system, a very modest 5.1 home theater solution I bought it 2008 right after finishing my studies (for reference, it's a Panasonic SC-PT550, which I bought new for 389 €). I was already surprised by how damn good it sounded there. On my much higher end system at home (something like 30 times more expensive) it's outstanding. I honestly can't think of anything that would make this mix any better.
As usual, I got familiar with the album first with a few listens to the stereo mix. I thought it was a very nice album, because most important the songs are good, but the surround experience elevates this music so much, certainly in a more dramatic way than any recent album I can think of. I was going to vote 9, as I found a bit frustrating that an Atmos mix was also done, but due to budget restrictions this was released as DVD-V instead of Blu-ray, so the Atmos mix (which I haven't heard yet) can be only heard as lossy format on streaming platforms. And the DVD certainly feels cheap, with an extremely simple menu and a static, uninteresting background picture during the playback. But oh man does it sound great! On the other hand, it's a nice digipack with a generous 24-page booklet full of both live and photoshoot-style pictures of the band, plus lyrics and credits, which feels good for those of us who appreciate physical releases.
The thing is, despite those quibbles, I felt it would be unfair to vote anything less than 10 for this, so there you go, this is my very first 10 for a review on QQ. It is that good! If you dig some proggy, artsy alternative rock with a few electronic elements, this gets my strongest recommendation.
Despite the frequent swirls and the very dynamic placing of the sound elements, I'm never under the impression that it sounds gimmicky - it feels really natural for the band's music. And, thanks to a nice mastering job by Steve Kitch, the soft sections sound soft, and the loud sections sound LOUD! Beware of the occasional sonic scares if you're playing it at a high volume! When I first played this, I did it on my second house's system, a very modest 5.1 home theater solution I bought it 2008 right after finishing my studies (for reference, it's a Panasonic SC-PT550, which I bought new for 389 €). I was already surprised by how damn good it sounded there. On my much higher end system at home (something like 30 times more expensive) it's outstanding. I honestly can't think of anything that would make this mix any better.
As usual, I got familiar with the album first with a few listens to the stereo mix. I thought it was a very nice album, because most important the songs are good, but the surround experience elevates this music so much, certainly in a more dramatic way than any recent album I can think of. I was going to vote 9, as I found a bit frustrating that an Atmos mix was also done, but due to budget restrictions this was released as DVD-V instead of Blu-ray, so the Atmos mix (which I haven't heard yet) can be only heard as lossy format on streaming platforms. And the DVD certainly feels cheap, with an extremely simple menu and a static, uninteresting background picture during the playback. But oh man does it sound great! On the other hand, it's a nice digipack with a generous 24-page booklet full of both live and photoshoot-style pictures of the band, plus lyrics and credits, which feels good for those of us who appreciate physical releases.
The thing is, despite those quibbles, I felt it would be unfair to vote anything less than 10 for this, so there you go, this is my very first 10 for a review on QQ. It is that good! If you dig some proggy, artsy alternative rock with a few electronic elements, this gets my strongest recommendation.
Thonolan, above me is very accurate with a great review my sentiments exactly.
I voted 10. Released 9/6/2024.
First off, the music is great, so I need that first.
I was listening, and just kept hearing this completely remarkable 5.1 mix.
I thought man this exactly how I would mix surround, stunning, better than hundreds of Atmos I have heard.
I looked at liner notes and of course it sounds great, mixed by Bruce Soord.
Ripped DTS DVD-5.1 FLAC File, 24bit/48Khz. Dr's are 11's, 12's.
I voted 10. Released 9/6/2024.
First off, the music is great, so I need that first.
I was listening, and just kept hearing this completely remarkable 5.1 mix.
I thought man this exactly how I would mix surround, stunning, better than hundreds of Atmos I have heard.
I looked at liner notes and of course it sounds great, mixed by Bruce Soord.
Ripped DTS DVD-5.1 FLAC File, 24bit/48Khz. Dr's are 11's, 12's.
Niek
Active Member
My first acquaintance with this band. Nowadays (retirement) a bit more time to gain impressions here and there. Pleasant discovery. Could not resist actually purchasing this disc because of the included 5.1 mix. Do not regret it.
The wonderful music only gains strength in the excellent mix. Strong compositions. Beautiful melodies and wonderful vocal harmonies. Here and there the comparison is made with Marillion I taste it differently. Maybe that applies to earlier work. What I do hear is that this 5.1 is much better than that of the last Marillion (an hour....) I still experience that as a disappointment.
I gladly give this a 10.
The wonderful music only gains strength in the excellent mix. Strong compositions. Beautiful melodies and wonderful vocal harmonies. Here and there the comparison is made with Marillion I taste it differently. Maybe that applies to earlier work. What I do hear is that this 5.1 is much better than that of the last Marillion (an hour....) I still experience that as a disappointment.
I gladly give this a 10.
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For those on the fence, Bandcamp has kindly included the entirety of the album on its website:
JediJoker
Audio Engineer/Enthusiast
Bandcamp have nothing to do with this, other than hosting the album. It's up to the uploader (artist and/or label) to allow free streaming.
