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Which E.T. release sounds better?


King Mark

which E.T. release sounds best  

30 members have voted

  1. 1. which E.T. release sounds best

    • Original OST
    • 1996 Re-Master
    • 2002 Re-Master
      0
    • 2017 LLL 2 c.d.


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Just wondering if the LLL is an improvement sound wise over the other releases

 

There seems to be more bass in the LLL release but maybe it's not as detailed as the 1996 re-master?

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During the early days of the internet, I stumbled upon a conversation with one the technicians involved in either the recording or mastering of ET. The bottom line is that they actually screwed up the transfer of the first release because it was not yet a fully developed technology. I remember he said that the multitrack recording was analog, but at the same time the whole score was being recorded on a two-track digital recorder, which was a novelty back then. He said that, due to the early stage of the digital transfer technology, several CD releases in that period actually sound more brittle than they should. It's funny that this unintentional digital 'sheen' is being perceived as superior.

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I don't know about any variations of the original release. I have the MCA CD, and the only date given there is 1982. It has a number - MCA31073. Perhaps that tells anyone which version I have?

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1 hour ago, Thor said:

I don't know about any variations of the original release. I have the MCA CD, and the only date given there is 1982. It has a number - MCA31073. Perhaps that tells anyone which version I have?

 

I have the "Over the Moon" US cover copy and the "Touching Fingers" EU "Nice Price" cover copy, both are catalogue MCAD-31073. Can't comment on any differences in sound quality as I haven't compared them.

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17 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Which version?

The original.

 

What is the fucking point of the poll if you can't see how people voted?

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I'm impressed you guys keep track of all these different versions.

 

I have the MCA CD, as well as the 20th anniversary release (which came with the huge DVD gift box back in the early 2000s). But I never play the latter; it just sits in the box. I think at one point I had the 1996 too, but subsequently sold it or traded it off years ago.

 

There is only one E.T. album for me -- both in terms of programme and sound -- and that is the ol' MCA.

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Because their is no point in anonymous polls here. Mark, had he done it that way, would have specific individuals he could contact for further information. Of course in 4 billion years none of it will matter

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2 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

What is the fucking point of the poll if you can't see how people voted?

 

I don't understand your concern.  You can click the icon to the right of each poll option, and it tells you who voted for it...

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1 minute ago, Jay said:

 

I don't understand your concern.  You can click the icon to the right of each poll option, and it tells you who voted for it...

You're a mod, I guess. A lot of polls are made anonymous for us normal people, so the people counters on the right are greyed out, we can't click on them.

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Oh!  I had no idea!  Huh.  Looking at it again, there is nothing at all that indicates to me it's an anonymous poll.  Weird.

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

I don't understand your concern.  You can click the icon to the right of each poll option, and it tells you who voted for it...

Do you really think I am too stupid to not know that? Don't  answer. But an open poll can invite more discussion. 

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Tough call between the 1996 release and LLL, but I still went with the LLL.

 

About the OST, Steve Hoffman said this:

Quote

 

ET was recorded on four channel 1/2" analog tape at 15 ips Dolby A with a split "mixed" feed to Botnick's two-track digital machine. From that he DIGITALLY edited the soundtrack album onto a 1610 digital master.

I prepared a DDD CD release for Uni in 1984 from the Botnick digital master (without the gaps for the side split) but I have no idea if it was used or not. The filed LP cutting master tape was 30 ips analog DUBBED at Whitney Studios from the 2 track digital tape as prepared by Botnick at Digital Magnetics in '82 (or was it '83?) So the tape marked "master" is really a dub of the digital edited U-Matic tape.

Confused? Well, I have never heard the ET soundtrack on CD so I can't help you. HOWEVER:

Listen to the beginning. If there is any tape hiss on there it's the analog safety. If it's quiet as a mouse AND it doesn't sound like noise reduction was used then it is from the tape I prepared which was completely DDD. I did it at DM under Botnick's supervision. Heh, my version had a whopping 80db of dynamic range which was almost too much for the playback gear of the time to handle. For most of the opening piece the VU meters didn't even MOVE! The analog dub was limited down to 20db which was still pretty radical for an LP cut in the early 80's on poor vinyl. I bet they had a lot of returns.

 

 

Source: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/original-mca-e-t-soundtrack-cd-aad-or-ddd.62501/#post-1315267

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I have all of the four alternatives on CD. I picked up the original OST in a bargain bin in the early 90s. It was one of my first JW CDs.

 

I can’t be bothered to compare which one sounds “the best”. To these ears, the LLL 2018 sounds fine and I never bothered to look back.

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9 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

 

I have the "Over the Moon" US cover copy and the "Touching Fingers" EU "Nice Price" cover copy, both are catalogue MCAD-31073.

 

My MCD 01878 is labelled "Better Price". :P

 

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13 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

Because their is no point in anonymous polls here. Mark, had he done it that way, would have specific individuals he could contact for further information. Of course in 4 billion years none of it will matter

 changed it

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So to those that voted for the original OST, why do you feel that it is better sounding? I haven't yet listened to my LLL and certainly cannot compare it to anything else but I would imagine it should sound pretty good based on MM's track record. Just interested to hear the different opinions, not wanting to start a bun fight.

 

Edit: Thor, just saw your comments when reading back up the thread

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For those who have all (or many) of the OST CDs... are there really any audible difference between them? Or visually, using Adobe Audition, Cool Edit Pro, or similar?

 

I only have the MCAD 31073. And to be honest I have a hard time telling the difference from the LLL OST version on CD2 sometimes.

 

The MCA audiophile vinyl sounds great, but the clicks, pops and all the natural vinyl noise and the lack of a high-end turntable doesn't make it suitable for comparison.

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5 minutes ago, phbart said:

The MCA audiophile vinyl sounds great, but the clicks, pops and all the natural vinyl noise and the lack of a high-end turntable doesn't make it suitable for comparison.

 

Have you tried putting it in your CD player? :sarcasm:

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I think so. I heard about some 80's CDs were degrading pretty quickly. This one I made from the vinyl is already black. Maybe that's the reason...

 

I also tried to play it on a cassette player, but no sound came out either.

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4 hours ago, phbart said:

For those who have all (or many) of the OST CDs... are there really any audible difference between them? Or visually, using Adobe Audition, Cool Edit Pro, or similar?

 

Just did a quick comparison of the Adventures On Earth bit.

 

The original OST sounds fine. moving on to the ‘96 remaster and the 20th Anniversary, they are both more heavy on bass. They both sound better than the OST. Lastly, LLL sounds thinner compared to its two predecessors, I guess more akin to the original OST.

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