Jump to content

Raiders of the Lost Ark: DCC or Concord?


Datameister

  

27 members have voted

  1. 1. Which release of Raiders of the Lost Ark sounds better?

    • DCC (1995 expanded)
    • Concord (2008 box set)


Recommended Posts

This topic is pretty straightforward. I'm just curious who prefers which release in terms of sound quality and mix alone. Obviously, the Concord release has inferior packaging and the edited "Desert Chase" [EDIT: and speed/pitch issues], while the DCC release omits "Bad Dates", but if we ignore all that stuff, which release do you think sounds better? The Concord release sounds brighter and more "modern" to my ear, whereas the DCC release is a little more in line with what you hear in a lot of recordings from that time period. I'm kind of split at the moment on whether the Concord release is an improvement or not, and I'm curious to know what you guys think.

Soooo...vote, sure, but more importantly, explain exactly what you like about your choice. Apologies for not including the OST in the poll...just vote between these two.

(And I know this has been discussed here and there, of course, but the posts are spread too thin in old threads, so I thought I'd bring it up.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 46
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Oh, shush. :thumbup:

BTW, as I'm continuing to do very careful comparisons, I'm thinking I may prefer the Concord. I don't think it needs to be quite as bright as it is, and there are certain cases where an instrument will be way more prominent (or, in the case of the tuba, less prominent) than I'm used to, but in general, you can hear a lot more and it's just not such a flat sound.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Concord has ridiculously overamped treble. Check out the snare drums at the end of "End Credits," for example. It's a case of boosting highs to cover up the inferiority of the source material (it sounds pretty damaged, I have to say). The DCC, though... from what I've read, its pitch spectrum is a bit limited. Nothing above 32,000 khz or something to that effect. It's not as bright as it should be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, in all fairness, Henry, it sounds like it was probably a piccolo snare, and I don't think it sounds too far off from how it would have sounded in real life, particularly if you were standing right there at the drum. But still, yeah, it's brighter than it needs to be.

I'm asking all this because I'm starting to redo my Raiders edit. It's an easy score to edit, but I need to decide what my primary source material will be. At this point, I'm leaning toward just using the Concord, and then doing some minor EQing when I have to incorporate material from the DCC release or...other sources. :thumbup:

EDIT: What are you using to listen to them, Koray?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I'm used to the more vintage sound of the DCC.

It's not vintage. It's a natural sound. The sound of the Concord remastering is obviously EQ'd. It's funny how The Crystal Skull, the most modern recording of the Concord release, sounds the least sharp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I'm used to the more vintage sound of the DCC.

It's not vintage. It's a natural sound. The sound of the Concord remastering is obviously EQ'd. It's funny how The Crystal Skull, the most modern recording of the Concord release, sounds the least sharp.

It's natural vintage natural.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm going with DCC because I have a soft spot for it. :)

Plus the Concord one was riddled with errors and the edited 'Desert Chase' cue was insulting and, quite frankly, unforgivable. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I honestly don't care about hearing the chorus in the Map Room. It sounds fine on the older CD. Concord Map Room is a perfect example of the problems with that CD. There's way too much hiss, the pitch is screwy and completely noticeable as Indy lowers himself down and it ends up sounding like a completely different take. The old CD sounds like the actual score as it was meant to be heard. Thank heavens Williams was called in to make sure the music was sped up, Desert Chase was edited down and most of the other old album tracks retained their original editing and incomplete presentation.

They should have brought in the guys who did the 90s Raiders.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's worth noting that there are two completely different mixes of Raiders out there: the film mix by Eric Tomlinson, which was presented (almost) in full on the DCC CD and LP, and the original album mix, which was utilized in part by Concord for the recent box set. You can't really compare the sound quality of "Map Room" between the DCC and Concord because they are completely different mixes, orchestra and chorus wise. If you prefer the sound on the Concord, it's likely you actually prefer the original album mixes that Concord used - so get the best of both worlds and track down the original album. Same sound, but no speed issues and EQ'ing (beyond what was done for the mix at the time).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they both sound fine, I'm not one to be able to notice the stuff that has been mentioned. I do know that, I have to turn up the volume for my DCC release compared to the Concord. It's like the Jaws Collectors Edition, I just wish it sounded...louder, ya know?

But better sounding or not, I would still choose the DCC any day. Raiders March w/coda and Desert Chase unedited are the reasons why. However, I would really miss Indy Rides the Statue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dam tough one this!over all i`d say dcc version but,the concord one as bit more music beyound DCC,and for me better sound,or thou it does`nt have booklet like DCC,as i said for me tough one,spose having both versions best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm still not convinced about al the "problems" relating to the Concord release.....I'm not sure how many of the pitch/speed issues were actual errors and how many were the actual speed/pitch they were recorded at (since some bits were sped up for the movie I think?) and the bits people are complaining about are actually how they are supposed to sound/were recorded etc. For me they are both cracking albums, but the Concord release pips it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How many of you actually read my original post? :lol: We're talking sound quality and mix here, folks, not completeness or packaging or all those other important things that are much more objective and easy to pick winners for.

EDIT: Greg1138, there's no chance the Concord got the speed right - all the instruments are uniformly (and very significantly) out of tune. Correct the speed, and the pitch goes back to where it's supposed to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's $35 on Amazon for the actual box. There's simply no reason not to own it for that price.

Indeed and physical CD's are better than mp3 downloads.

I never owned any of the Indiana Jones CD's before this set. I bought the box set the day it was available for purchase though.

In regards to the Raiders score...while the Concord version is nice to have because of the extra material, the micro-edits to "Desert Chase" and the pitches issues knock it down a few points. So ultimately the DCC gets the vote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah okay my bad. Well the DCC still wins in the category. It's got more of a natural mix. Basically in the same situation with Star Wars Anthology set...better mixes than the Special Edition counter parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have to listen to both versions back to back,so i can hear the pitching or thou have noticed something different about concord version might well be pitching,but i`ll listen again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got the soundtrack collection version of Raiders going right now and, you know, it's completely listenable. It's completely enjoyable. On my home theater through iPod digital media port, it sounds great. You can sort of phase out the audio issues. The hiss is only really noticeable on headphones. There's some really nice activity to this version that isn't quite there on the 90s CD. Bass is fucking intense. I think I'll start actively listening to this version again, alternating between the two.

By the way, one thing I still prefer about this version is the clean endings/beginnings of certain cues that segue into each other on the older CD. I never cared for that decision. The exception is obviously The Warehouse and End Credits, which was another debate circa 2008.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure it sounds great on speakers with malfunctioning dome tweeters too. Truth is, on a good or accurate system, you can hear the exessive EQ-ing. To make it sound more normal or natural, I have to switch off 'direct' on my amp and turn the treble down to 9 o'clock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're talking about the fadeout? Yeah, it's nice. That's the Lydian mode for ya - Williams has used it for similarly awesome cue endings (e.g. as we leave Hoth/Tattooine in ESB/ROTJ), and it's one of Horner's favorites. Pity it got edited out of the film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.