HiRez Poll R.E.M. - AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (25TH ANNIVERSARY DOLBY ATMOS MIX) [Blu-Ray Audio]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2017 reissue of the classic R.E.M. album "Automatic for the People".
Reissued for its 25th anniversary, this new edition includes a brand new Dolby Atmos mix along with the original music videos and EPK on Blu-Ray.
The Dolby Atmos mix is also available to stream on all Dolby Atmos streaming platforms.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/automatic-for-the-people-2017-remaster/1571670285
Please note: All discussion of the original DVD-Audio 5.1 surround mix should take place here: HiRez Poll - R.E.M. - AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (2003 5.1 Surround Mix) [DVD-A]

 

[GOS]

A little teaser - here is the DR for the Atmos mix.....

 

[sukothai]

Don't bother with this set (unless you really want the CDs) and get the DVD-A if possible. The surround is really disappointing with most everything up front. I give this a 5 and it inspires me to vote on the DVD-A. I wanted to give the DVD-A a 10 after listening to it right after this version, but realized I was probably positively influenced by having just listened to this comparatively poor surround mix. With my vote of 5 for this, the DVD-A is at least 4 points better.

 

[GOS]

OK, felt I better vote. I think it sounds absolutely amazing. Fidelity is awesome. I cannot give it less than a 9.
I've never heard the DVD-A, which is really irrelevant. This title should be voted based on it's own merit...not if there is some economically better version.

 

[salsdali]

OK, felt I better vote. I think it sounds absolutely amazing. Fidelity is awesome. I cannot give it less than a 9.
I've never heard the DVD-A, which is really irrelevant. This title should be voted based on it's own merit...not if there is some economically better version.

He didn't say the DVD-A was an "economically" better version, he said it was a "better" version.

Elliot was a Master of DVD-A, this atmos mix was the first for these producers so of course there would be mistakes.

It's going to take a whole couple of years before these atmos mixes are good because the mixers are newbies.

just look at the film industry, atmos mixes are becoming better every day.

It takes practice and this is one of the first of it's kind.

Similar to the first quad mix ever, or the first 5.1 mix ever (cringe)

"If you needed Brain Surgery would you go to a Doctor where it was his "First Time"?

This just proves my whole hypothesis that atmos mixes should be handled by the professionals, ie the movie studios who do it day in and day out

It's just kind of funny to me that these Bands/Producers/Labels choose their original CD mixers to come back 25 years later and attempt an atmos mix and think it's going to turn out Golden. Why Didn't they even ask Elliot to do the atmos mix, he knows more about surround than a CD mixer?

It' more like a kick back (gift) to the original mixers.

 

[salsdali]

All the videos are in atmos but not High def video, as well as the Automatic Press Kit

Some of the videos like the R rated Nightswimming have some interesting footage and sounds never released before

 

[salsdali]

After some A/B comparisons I can say that I like half the song mixes on the DVD-A and the other half of the song mixes on the atmos blu-ray.

It's really weird, because you never know which song it will be. You just have to listen and realize, oh there's much more going on in this atmos mix on this song, or oh Elliot really nailed that song.

Sometimes (most of the time) the difference is huge, like night and day.

the DVD-A on a whole is a less fatiguing, more analog sounding and more seamless (smooth) but not quite as clear

The atmos is MUCH more separated (discrete), clearer and more "atmospheric" but more digital sounding and a little bright (a little too bright and little too clear making it more fatiguing) compared to the DVD-A.

I can say this really proves why Elliot is the Master, the King of all time, when it comes to surround because he only had 5.1 speakers to work with and he really maximized every single speaker every time.

but also why atmos is so exiting because sometimes it really changes the dynamic of a song for the better because of the ability to separate sounds to more speakers

 

[paligap]

I'm wondering how many respondents to the poll are listening to the release on an Atmos system. If that's what it's mixed for, that might affect how it sounds on a non-Atmos system, just as listening to a quad or 5.1 mix on a stereo system would.

 

[Perp]

The atmos is MUCH more separated (discrete), clearer and more "atmospheric" but more digital sounding and a little bright (a little too bright and little too clear making it more fatiguing) compared to the DVD-A.

On my system, I did not find the Atmos mix bright nor digital sounding at all. For me, if anything, the 4 songs included on the “In Time” DVD-A Of “Automatic For The People” were a bit bright but not necessarily bad or fatiguing.

My system does have the ability and is set up for Atmos. Right now, it’s set up as a 5.3.2 system. I went from using two overhead speakers in my old place of residence to using two speakers as upfiring. Not sure when or if I’ll return to ceiling mounted speakers because I’m okay with the diffused sound and don’t like to put holes in the ceiling or wires being visible on the walls. Someday, I would love it if in the future a speaker manufacturer would develope a wireless speaker that would be worth it on sound quality and size. Then, maybe, I may revisit placing speakers on the ceiling.

After comparing those 4 tracks included on their best of album off the DVD-A, I listened to the entire best of DVD-A to get a feel for how all the songs were mixed from the various Warner Bros. R.E.M. albums. After that was done, I listened to “Automatic For The People” BD in Atmos. After one listen all the way through, including the bonus track, I was very happy with what I had just heard. I kept telling myself that this is the best surround experience with music I’ve ever heard. As I stated in the other, non-poll Thread, the soundstage was huge. The instruments and voices all have dimension around them and are so clear. It sounds like I’m sitting in a concert hall live with the band. I’ve never experienced this before, even with the new Inxs album mixed in Atmos. Although, to be fair, I’ve only listened to it a couple of times and I would need to compare the two. Yes, this mix does have a more up front presentation but it’s not like there isn’t any discrete sound in the rear speakers. There is, but not like the “In Time” compilation. Some songs have it more than others. The one thing that I found is that some of the instruments or vocals are a little too loud or not loud enough and some of the songs are louder than others. I have to really crank up the volume on this one. Though, probably a good thing.

If I rated this album solely on what can be achieved with the sound quality of Dolby Atmos, I would give it a 10. The mix, I would give an 8 because of the reason I listed above. This is not one of my favorite albums but the good songs outweigh the mediocre ones. So, I would give it a 7 for the original album on music selection. Btw, I love the bonus track and I’m not a fan of Natalie Merchant but their harmonies are great together and I would have loved to hear more songs with the two of them together. Overall, based on what I’ve heard, I would vote a solid 8. I told myself that I was no longer going to vote in the polls because of the last The Doors fiasco (in my mind anyway), but have had a change of heart. But, before I push that button and cast my vote, I want to give it one more listen.

 

[fac23]

The more I listen to the new mix, the more I think it is a real improvement over the Scheiner mix. Hard to describe the difference though. Maybe words like more coherent, subtle and organic. Despite mostly acoustic instruments, I think the album has a weird coldness which was even more prominent in the previous 5.1 than in the Atmos mix, but is present in stereo as well - so more a general characteristic of the recording than an issue with any surround mix. Scheiner is clearly a surround hero but this mix was never among his best and the new team did a really good job in my opinion.
Listening with non-Atmos setup, btw.

 

[Cyber 1]

I prefer this one, just seems to have more of a natural presences, very clean sounding. solid 9

 

[gloco]

The BD sounds a lot more organic and non-fatiguing...very crank-able compared to the DVD-A which at times may sound a little thin/brittle (especially with Michael's vocals).

Yes, the DVD-A is truly discrete versus the BD which has discrete elements in the surround speakers, but a fair amount of reverb blended in with discrete elements. If you want a truly discrete experience, go for the DVD-A. If the DVD-A price is out of your reach, the BD with it's package of goodies is a worthy substitute, but I'm certainly not going to sell my DVD-A (grips it tightly).

I voted a 9 for the BD.

 

[drphibes]

I am still digesting. When I vote, I might just list my score in the thread and not add a vote to the poll. I don't have a Dolby Atmos system, I can only listen to a 5.1 downmix. I tried just ripping the 8 channels to FLAC and letting it fly, but my pre-Atmos receiver did not handle the channels correctly. I don't want to put problematic data in a poll, you can't easily filter it out.

My only complaint, and this is a big one for me, is the sheer size of this release. A giant book that could have easily been 1/3 that size with no loss. Four disks spread out like islands in the sea. I have a 20+ disc King Crimsons release with the same footprint. If I'm going to fill up my house with box sets, I want a little more meat and a much less packaging. I freaking hate the size of this monster.

If space is at a premium, you don't have an Atmos system, and R.E.M. is not one of your Desert Island Artists, maybe take a pass.

 

[milt]

I haven't had a chance to listen to this yet but I've seen a couple of comments about the mix on the DVD-A being lacking.
It's not the mix that is lacking on the DVD-A, it's the mastering.

 

[fac23]

I haven't had a chance to listen to this yet but I've seen a couple of comments about the mix on the DVD-A being lacking.
It's not the mix that is lacking on the DVD-A, it's the mastering.

True. But then, there's also the weird stumble at the start of Try Not To Breathe and in general I do not find that the original 5.1 version has added much to the music - whereas (to me) most R.E.M. albums have benefitted greatly from their surround mixes. Especially Monster, Hi-Fi and Reveal. And I knew all those albums quite well by the time the 5.1 mixes came out. Perhaps this is my biggest disappointment with the new mix as well: it's really a nice listen, carefully executed, an excellent job. But, at least without an Atmos setup, it hasn't shown me anything I didn't already know. Maybe, that wasn't their intention...

 

[weekendtoy]

But, at least without an Atmos setup, it hasn't shown me anything I didn't already know. Maybe, that wasn't their intention...

Pretty sure their intention was for you to hear it on an Atmos system. For me, there is no comparison between the DVD-A in 5.1 and the Blu Ray in Atmos 7.1.4. The soundstage on the DVD-A suddenly sounds very very small.

An easy 10.

 

[H.A.L.]

Hmm. Not voting, as I don't have ATMOS, but I do have a 7.2 system with NEO:X. I originally set it up with wides, and pondered at the time whether it should have been front highs, but it's too much trouble to change the speaker wires, install them higher up the front walls, and do the AUDYSSEY mic thing again. But I'm tempted!

I really need 11.2 to do this justice, with additional highs to add to the wides. Yet here I am comparing the ATMOS with the DVD-A!

Listened to the ATMOS first: yes, much clearer separation! Really like how the acoustic guitar shines on the left wide at times. Rather airy overall in feel, and I can truly hear my system pumping the ATMOS highs into the wides. (mental note: become rich and get that 11.2 avr!).

After listening to the ATMOS, I switched to the DVD-A. I must agree with those above who found it much more satisfying in comparison. A richness in the sound field, and, frankly, much more going on between the speakers, where it seems there really are speakers above! Yet maybe it is too dense, too.

So, I'm glad to have both, and will probably switch between the two for listens when I'm in the mood. Until I get ATMOS, however, I may stick with the DVD-A, if only for the ease of pulling it out and putting it in.

 

[Perp]

I did end up voting an ‘8’. The songs are really growing on me (love “Ignoreland” and “Find The River”) but I found the mix to be too conservative. Also, if I wanted the large packaging, I would have started a vinyl collection again.

 

[Spock]

I love this release - already from the start - when the acoustic guitar start playing in the front left ceiling speaker - just makes me happy. Excellent album, fidelty and Atmos mix.

Demo material - an easy 10!

 

[Scott65]

I love this release - already from the start - when the acoustic guitar start playing in the front left ceiling speaker - just makes me happy. Excellent album, fidelty and Atmos mix.

Demo material - an easy 10!

I wish you had not made that comment...I might have to invest in an Atmos system...In the meantime this system will do: