458 replies to this topic

[Salacius]

The only sound that sounds like a digital artifact to me is possibly the click at 3:10 - sounds like that might've been a crosspoint between two takes.

Apart from that, I think they're acoustic sounds. Here's my perception:

- 2:49, Percussionist clipped the side of the bass drum
- 2:53, can't hear anything abnormal
- 3:36, ... are you sure you're not just hearing the clapper/whip?

As for 'uck' - I think that's just the trombones/cimbasso - where the harsh buzzy timbre is coming through.

It's a really well recorded score - very intimate and yet spacious and big. Great clarity.

I do a lot of recordings and the clicks do sound to me like bad edits. It's really surprising.
As for the 'uck' I really don't know.

I agree with you, the score sounds amazing. Not a huge Shawn Murphy fan but this sounds great!

2:49 (Click)
2:53 (Slight Timpani roll distortion)
3:10 (Click)
3:36 (Really bad distortion on the brass hit)

Check.
Check.
Check.
And

Check.

You're not crazy.

Cheers! Good to know

what? you mean the retail copies of Tintin have mistakes?

What about the promo copy?

I never heard the promo copy.

I think there are a few CDs that got away like that. At least I hope not all CDs have the same problem.
Not that it's a huge problem for me, I can live with it.

[Incanus]

A nice review but the apologetic tone for orchestral music as being old fashioned but still acceptable is a bit funny. Obviously modern people should write high tech music and incorporate every mechanical gimmick there is.

But it's great to read so enthusiastic comments from someone who is a fan of Zimmer and others as well.

[Trent Bennett]

I do a lot of recordings and the clicks do sound to me like bad edits. It's really surprising.

Why is that surprising? A lot of John Williams OST's have really bad edits in them, the Phantom Menace being the biggest culprit. It's also atrocious to what they did at the end of "It Can't Be" (Anakin's Dark Deeds on the OST) for Revenge Of The Sith.

[Josh500]

Man, I can't stop watching this trailer (the first half of it, anyway). Williams music is perfect in every respect, PERFECT!!!

From watching this trailer, I got to appreciate the Secondary Unicorn Theme (which is found at the end of "Scrolls"). So wonderfully atmospheric and mysterious... gives me chills!

I just wish they'd used Williams's music for the whole trailer.

But it great to read so enthusiastic comments from someone who is a fan of Zimmer and others as well.

Yes indeed!

[Salacius]

I do a lot of recordings and the clicks do sound to me like bad edits. It's really surprising.

Why is that surprising? A lot of John Williams OST's have really bad edits in them, the Phantom Menace being the biggest culprit. It's also atrocious to what they did at the end of "It Can't Be" (Anakin's Dark Deeds on the OST) for Revenge Of The Sith.

You're right about the track you mentioned.

But in this case I was talking about bad edits from a technical standpoint. An audio edit can create a click if the two audio files that are meant to be put together aren't cross faded.
In this case we maybe have a reference master that wasn't supposed to hit the market, or they just made a mistake and due to lack of time they didn't manage to hear it.

[Homeboy]

I do a lot of recordings and the clicks do sound to me like bad edits. It's really surprising.

Why is that surprising? A lot of John Williams OST's have really bad edits in them, the Phantom Menace being the biggest culprit. It's also atrocious to what they did at the end of "It Can't Be" (Anakin's Dark Deeds on the OST) for Revenge Of The Sith.

I know it's really off-topic, but just what did 'they' do on Anakin's Dark Deeds..?

[Incanus]

The final glorious fanfare of the piece was edited down for no apparent reason.

[Luke Skywalker]

That *uck*

Is williams swearing in the background

BTW i havent listened to the full CD, but does snowy's theme have more echo than 'adventures of tintin'?

for me it sounds like a drop in recording quality or something, maybe they were recorded in different recording sessions/booths.

[Josh500]

BTW i havent listened to the full CD, but does snowy's theme have more echo than 'adventures of tintin'?

for me it sounds like a drop in recording quality or something, maybe they were recorded in different recording sessions/booths.

No, I don't think so. I don't hear what you're talking about.

[Richard Penna]

I do a lot of recordings and the clicks do sound to me like bad edits. It's really surprising.

Why is that surprising? A lot of John Williams OST's have really bad edits in them, the Phantom Menace being the biggest culprit. It's also atrocious to what they did at the end of "It Can't Be" (Anakin's Dark Deeds on the OST) for Revenge Of The Sith.

You're right about the track you mentioned.

But in this case I was talking about bad edits from a technical standpoint. An audio edit can create a click if the two audio files that are meant to be put together aren't cross faded.

Definitely I've always noticed a 'click' in The Battle from Gladiator where two sections have been joined and the editor has made no effort to crossfade them.

In this case, I hear all the clicks and none of them sound to me like a bad edit. I think they're either something very weird/clear in the orchestra or a digital artefact of some sort.

A good clue that something is an edit is that some instrument in the mix suddenly stops/starts or its 'vibe' changes suddenly. Either caused by two separate cues being joined (hence different instruments) or two different takes where the player does something slightly different. On a casual listen to this cue I don't hear any of them.

Now the 'uck' - that's just strange. Doesn't sound like it is related to anything else, just 'pops' in and out again.

[Luke Skywalker]

BTW i havent listened to the full CD, but does snowy's theme have more echo than 'adventures of tintin'?

for me it sounds like a drop in recording quality or something, maybe they were recorded in different recording sessions/booths.

No, I don't think so. I don't hear what you're talking about.

checked again, i think it's just the initial flute flourish that gives e the impresion. The rest sounds fine.

[Incanus]

Stop talking about these things so I do not have to always be aware of them when I listen to the music. I was perfectly happy with the CD before you brought this up you audiophiles! Clicks and women screaming and what-not!

[Richard Penna]

But it's how Williams intended it to be presented! If he hears a 'click' and doesn't think it logically fits as part of the composition, he'd make them do it all again until they get it right

[Salacius]

Did anyone think that the orchestra was about to break into a 'Yoda's Theme' ala Empire Strikes Back on 'The Return To Marlinspike Hall And Finale'?? (3:20)

Damn, this is a GREAT score. Sounds better every time I hear it!!

[Incanus]

But it's how Williams intended it to be presented! If he hears a 'click' and doesn't think it logically fits as part of the composition, he'd make them do it all again until they get it right

I think we need a micro edit here. I don't hear enough "click".

[Jason LeBlanc]

Man, I can't stop watching this trailer (the first half of it, anyway). Williams music is perfect in every respect, PERFECT!!!

From watching this trailer, I got to appreciate the Secondary Unicorn Theme (which is found at the end of "Scrolls"). So wonderfully atmospheric and mysterious... gives me chills!

I just wish they'd used Williams's music for the whole trailer.

Yes, but where is the music from 0:46-0:55 from?

[Josh500]

Yes, but where is the music from 0:46-0:55 from?

That's taken from "Escape From The Karaboudjan" if I am not mistaken. Good stuff.

Yes, from 0:23 onwards.

[Salacius]

I do a lot of recordings and the clicks do sound to me like bad edits. It's really surprising.

Why is that surprising? A lot of John Williams OST's have really bad edits in them, the Phantom Menace being the biggest culprit. It's also atrocious to what they did at the end of "It Can't Be" (Anakin's Dark Deeds on the OST) for Revenge Of The Sith.

You're right about the track you mentioned.

But in this case I was talking about bad edits from a technical standpoint. An audio edit can create a click if the two audio files that are meant to be put together aren't cross faded.

Definitely I've always noticed a 'click' in The Battle from Gladiator where two sections have been joined and the editor has made no effort to crossfade them.

In this case, I hear all the clicks and none of them sound to me like a bad edit. I think they're either something very weird/clear in the orchestra or a digital artefact of some sort.

A good clue that something is an edit is that some instrument in the mix suddenly stops/starts or its 'vibe' changes suddenly. Either caused by two separate cues being joined (hence different instruments) or two different takes where the player does something slightly different. On a casual listen to this cue I don't hear any of them.

Now the 'uck' - that's just strange. Doesn't sound like it is related to anything else, just 'pops' in and out again.

Well, I would love to agree, but, this is a high level orchestral production at a multimillion recording studio and such noticeable clicks are not really right.
In addition they could be eliminated in the mastering process. The 'pops' can be seen when you open and stretch a file and then ironed out. It's a simple procedure.
I really think they didn't check it properly.

And yes you are right about edits, you can hear room sound changes when two files are stuck together, even though nowadays things have improved hugely to try and
avoid signs that give edits away.

But as I said, it's more of an observation than a complaint. I can live with it, no problems.

[Jason LeBlanc]

And yes, good job!

[Incanus]

The music is from Escaping the Karaboudjan 0:23 onwards. I recognized the stopped horns after a while. Sounded so familiar.

EDIT: I see Josh beat me to it.

[Josh500]

And I believe Snowy's Theme is taken from "Scrolls" (from 1:34 onwards). Slightly faster than the concert version, and complete with the flourish at the end (when the shark-doll crashes down). Indeed, this trailer is like an ad not just for the movie, but for the music as well!

And I also love the short bit right after Tintin's Theme: "Escape From The Karaboudjan" from 1:10 to 1:14 when Tintin comes sliding down the roof (?). This is so JW!

[Incanus]

And it is a pretty good sign of the quality of this score that we have most of it memorized after 2 weeks so we can pinpoint music from the trailer quickly and with little effort.

[Richard]

That's fair. I've certainly been disappointed on things on the first listen and grew to like them. I had assumed you had listened to it more than once by now

I had that with HP1... I now consider it a top 10 JW score.

Not to hijack the discussion, but wow. No amount of listening could ever convince me that any of Williams's HP scores belong among his top 10. The underscore for the first Potter film in particular is among his most tedious for any action-adventure film, and, on the whole, the themes -- as many as there are -- pale in comparison not just with Golden Age Williams but with nearly anything he wrote between 1989 and 1993.

Well, it's at number 10.

1. Star Wars
2. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
3. Schindler's List
4. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
5. Superman The Movie
6. The Empire Strikes Back
7. Jaws
8. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
9. Jurassic Park
10. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Actually, mate, it's:

1 CE3K
2 Superman
3 The Towering Inferno
2 The Empire Strikes Back
5 Riaders Of The Lost Ark
6 J.F.K.
7 The Accidental Tourist
8 Empire Of The Sun
9The Witches Of Eastwick
10 1941


First off, let me say that I know nothing about responding to music on an intellectual basis. I am impressed by learned breakdowns of the score by people such as Incancus, but I listen to music with my emotions, and so I am unable to assess "TINTIN" with anything but my heart, and the relationship that I have built up with J.W.'s music over the last 37 years.
Also, I have not yet seen the film, so any comments I make are the result of me responding to the music sans images.
This score almost seems like J.W.'s valedictory work, as it appears to incorporate motifs and snippets from almost every action film that he has scored in the last 30-odd years. It's a curious mix of "ROTLA", "Jaws", "1941", and "Star Wars", which is no mean thing, except...I've already heard thsese scores. I very much like the first track, especially as he seems to reference "CMIYC" a lot, and is his most original piece in ages. I am afraid that the rest of the score seems to blur and melt into one very loud, busy piece. To these ears, there is a lack of themes, or put another way; it's not a score that I feel that I can whistle. It's all very kinetic, and reminds me of Snowy running around trying to catch his tail: there's lots of "stuff" going on, but it really doesn't mean anything. I'm absolutely sure that the score fits the film; it just doesn't make for a great listening experience. Am I dissapointed? Yes, but not as dissapointed as I was in "KOTCS", and for that alone, and because I WANT to like "TINTIN", I will persevere. Damn you, sirs; I WILL try!


P.s., Is the fast-paced music heard at the begining of the trailers composed by J.W., and, if not, then who?

[Jason LeBlanc]

You'll have to be more specific. Which music, in which trailer?

[Richard]

You'll have to be more specific. Which music, in which trailer?

The first trailer that I saw, plus (and this is probably one for U.K. posters) the trailer advertising the Odeon reward card. All I can say is that it sounds a bit like The "Hook" prologue.

The main theatrical trailer.

[Jason LeBlanc]

You'll have to provide a youtube link to the specific trailer you're talking about... there are like 7 lol

This is the "main theatrical trailer", and the intro music is all Williams

[Alexander]

The only sound that sounds like a digital artifact to me is possibly the click at 3:10 - sounds like that might've been a crosspoint between two takes.

Apart from that, I think they're acoustic sounds. Here's my perception:

- 2:49, Percussionist clipped the side of the bass drum
- 2:53, can't hear anything abnormal
- 3:36, ... are you sure you're not just hearing the clapper/whip?

As for 'uck' - I think that's just the trombones/cimbasso - where the harsh buzzy timbre is coming through.

It's a really well recorded score - very intimate and yet spacious and big. Great clarity.

Yes that's the clapper.

[Jason LeBlanc]

Congratulations to Incanus!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=1364

[Alexander]

My copy says:

Introducing the Thompsons, and Snowy's Chase

[Incanus]

Congratulations to Incanus!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=1364

Hey! Nice! Many thanks!

[Jason LeBlanc]

Spielberg's liner notes message is up on the main page now too

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=1376

[crocodile]

There is a slight artefact in one track of the album. At 3:10.



It appears on my ripped files and on the CD itself. A glitch?

Karol

[petertos]

First of all, say two things:

as you may see, I'm new to the forums and I'd love to join the conversation as I'm a true JW fan and, I'm a demi-professional music composer.

My opinion on Tintin's OST by JW:

Although is a great soundtrack, compared to other non JW soundtracks, it lacks of memorability overall. I've listened to the first and second tracks three or four times and I can't remember the melodies (:-S)

I think John Williams is a great composer because is a master in orchestrating themes but I guess he is famous by having brought to us a bunch of the greatest melodies of all times (like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and others). So this album is greatly orchestrated but lacks of recognisable melodies (:-S)

It's a great jazz album but not what I expected, I'm kinda disappointed.

I'm listening to it in Spotify and the album is kinda hard to find, it doesn't seem to be very popular compared to other soundtracks by John Williams there.

[indy4]

I'm taking my time in familiarizing myself with the score, to avoid growing sick of it. I just listened to it for the 3rd time today, and I'm still really enjoying it. My favorite tracks are "Adventures of Tintin," "Sir Francis and the Unicorn," "The Milanese Nightingale," "The Adventure Continues," "Pursuit of the Falcon," and "Clash of the Cranes."

I must say the edit in "Presenting Bianca Castafiore" is really really jarring. I don't really mind the SFX (although I'd prefer it if they were not included), but I don't know why anybody thought it would be a good idea to cut the vocalist off in the middle of a note.

[king mark]

Presenting Bianca Castafiore =Auto Skip now

I don't care about the edit of the glass breaking noise because the entire track is useless .Actually I'll put at the end of the album so I don't have to press the skip button

[Stefancos]

I disagree, I really like the cue. I'm glad Williams decided to include it. It's far more interesting then something like Picking Pockets.

[Incanus]

I disagree, I really like the cue. I'm glad Williams decided to include it. It's far more interesting then something like Picking Pockets.

I agree. For some reason it works as part of the whole, perhaps even more when I have seen the film.

I have been listening to the score quite a lot in these past two weeks. I do not think I fear the over saturation with the music since it has something fresh to discover or note on each listen but I have to say that I do not prefer to listen to the album many times back to back. It is so frenetic, energetic and busy that it leaves you a bit drained after the adventure is over. I usually listen to something calmer after Tintin album to counter balance it.

[publicist]

After seeing the movie i'd say this one got the most rounded soundtrack presentation of a Williams/Spielberg collab in this genre.

After several listens i still find the whole thing a bit on the uninspired side. It's energetic and fun, alright, but in the movie the HARRY POTTER/HOOK leftovers in tone and style sounded a bit stale to those jaded old ears.

[Stefancos]

I hear a little bit of Potter and definatly Indiana Jones, but really nothing from Hook.

Were people really expecting JW to sound unlike himself for this one? He's written too many scores ror that. You can't start from scratch at his age.

[Incanus]

Two of the biggest influences from his past scores I hear are the Indiana Jones scores for the action and Home Alone, especially in the comedic writing and the frolicing action ballets.

I guess the Hook comparisons rise from the fact that it is the only piraty music JW has really composed aside from Jaws sea faring material. Also it shares much of the same sound as Home Alone.