How 'clean' do you like your scores?

[Quintus 5,399]

I'm talking recording quality. Personally, I quite like it when I pick up on the odd ambient or accidental noise here and there. Someone quietly turning a page, shifting in their seat or inhaling in readiness for the next big burst of brass.

It somehow adds to the immersion imo. You could be listening to music from a galaxy far away, your mind completely in that world, but it only takes a violinists foot knocking against their chair to bring you back down to earth and remind you that this stuff was really being recorded in 1977 in a London studio.

[orrakul 0]

I like it pristine; other sounds distract me from the music. it's like when CDs first came out some people said that they preferred vinyl because it had static and hiss - I never understood that...

[Genius_Gone_Insane 5]

This is a great question!! I am in the process of sending my SW prequel soundtracks through some plug-ins to give them a little more vintage sound. I'm thinking of even copying them to tape then back to CD just to get that sound!!

John Williams sounds better on vinyl than CD. And those original ESB, ET, and ROTLA soundtracks have the best sound!

[Olivier 5]

It somehow adds to the immersion imo.  [...] it only takes a violinists foot knocking against their chair to bring you back down to earth and remind you that this stuff was really being recorded in 1977 in a London studio.

That's contradictory: how can you be fully immersed in the score if you hear incidental noises?

I don't like that, anyway.

I can understand the "it adds a human dimension" viewpoint, but I don't need that kind of reminder, jsut like I don't need fingerprint smears on a painting to add a human touch.

[Quintus 5,399]

It somehow adds to the immersion imo.  [...] it only takes a violinists foot knocking against their chair to bring you back down to earth and remind you that this stuff was really being recorded in 1977 in a London studio.

That's contradictory: how can you be fully immersed in the score if you hear incidental noises?

I understood that when I typed it. I know it sounds odd, but it does indeed somehow immerse me even more. Weird I know, I can't explain it

[A24 4,322]

These days I don't mind hearing noises once in a while. It gives me the feeling I'm listening to a bunch of real people instead of clinical samples.

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

I like it pristine; other sounds distract me from the music.  it's like when CDs first came out some people said that they preferred vinyl because it had static and hiss - I never understood that...

That's a different thing. Vinyl adds "non-authentic" sounds of its own (and yes, I never really understood that preference either). Incidental noises, on the other hand, are just a natural byproduct of the real people actually performing the score. You can hear those noises in live concert, and you can hear them on many recordings (both classical and film scores).

I like them.

Looney Tunes (Jerry Goldsmith)

[Beowulf 4]

I absolutely loathe ambient sounds or noise in any recording - it's bad enough when one is at a live Concert and the incessant coughing and fidgeting distract you from the performance on stage, let alone having to hear it on a recording where you're supposed to be able to get away from that sort of thing.

I listen to music for the music's sake, not for violin players dropping their bows or someone creaking in their chair.

However I do agree with Marian about Incidental noises such as page-turning and such - those sounds are understandable since they are a part of the performance of a piece.

[jasonblueeyes 0]

I like a little. Like in Luke and Leia. I can close my eyes and imagine I'm right there in the recording studio.

[pi 0]

clean as possible!

[APBez 11]

This is a great question!!   I am in the process of sending my SW prequel soundtracks through some plug-ins to give them a little more vintage sound.  I'm thinking of even copying them to tape then back to CD just to get that sound!!

John Williams sounds better on vinyl than CD.  And those original ESB, ET, and ROTLA soundtracks have the best sound!

This IS a great question, indeed!

I recently heard the BBC Symphony Orchestra's performance of 'The Rebel Fleet/End Credits' from SW: TESB and was really struck by the sound quality; it sounds like a concert hall recording: a very unique sound. Finding it difficult to explain why though. Listening to it, I just feel I'm not too close to the instruments nor am I too far away. A great recording aside from the too-slow crescendo at the end.

I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on this recording actually.

APBez

[King Mark 3,624]

As clean as possible.I don't mind some occasionnal chair creaking,but incessant coughing is REALLY annoying.It ruins many bootleg performances of Williams works we have.

k.M.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah the coughing thing is a big no no, but you only normally get that during concert performances. In fact I don't ever recall hearing a musician or technician cough during a score recording.

[Jediwashington 59]

I really don't mind. It gives me assurance that I'm not listening to a computer. I understand why the grain and grit is a preferance. It's something that won't get noticed during the movie. Movie scores could potentially get away with a lot of background noise and be unoticable. THis music wasn't made to be listend to independently. I detest scores from computers, and the human interaction is a tamber of it's own in the orchestra.

~JW

[Trent B 337]

I honestly don't mind hearing the pages turning, things accidently being dropped or bumped or a chair moving. To me that gives me more assuradness (is that the word I want?) that I am listening to a real live orchestra. I welcome these little bits of 'screw-ups' that are present in recordings.

[orrakul 0]

Ambience in a recording of a live concert is to be expected. But, I find that on some CDs I can hear the breaths being taken by people playing flutes etc. Once I start hearing that it gets very distracting. I guess this may be the price paid for such high quality recording?

[John Crichton 4]

I don't mind little things, like chairs creaking and pages turning, as long as it doesn't happen too often. As others have said, it gives you a little more of a "there in the studio" feeling. Someone coughing is bothersome, though.

And though I haven't been a Williams fan long enough to have heard anything of his on vinyl, I do find myself preferring the recording/mixing style of the CD releases for older scores like ANH, Raiders, and Star Trek: TMP over the high reverb, "concert hall echo" style used in more recent scores.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Vinyl still sounds more real than cd's.

[Ollie 1,059]

I agree, I've said many times I think the double LP of TESB was the best sounding release of the Star Wars films, including the CDs.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

There are times when the sound is too clean, like the Moscow re-recording of The Adventures of Robin Hood. It sounds a bit sterile with hardly any character. Though obviously better than the equipment used to record the 1938 version.

[Jeshopk 8]

I like ambience. Natural ambience of a great recording space. I do not like it when the sound is ultra close and ultra processed through EQ and every instrument is seperated and sterile. Give me the sound of a reverberant hall and a good sound engineer over an overly tinkered with recording any day.

That said, Bruce Botnick did some great tinkering in some of the 80's Goldsmith scores.

A good natural ambience can let the notes "live" and "breathe". In the discussion of AOTC for instance, I'll defend the composition to the death, but I think that Shawn Murphy made it sound rather claustrophobic through overly close mic techniques and over production. In the Zam chase that is not so, but as soon as the next track starts, everything is too dryly recorded.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

A good natural ambience can let the notes "live" and "breathe". In the discussion of AOTC for instance, I'll defend the composition to the death, but I think that Shawn Murphy made it sound rather claustrophobic through overly close mic techniques and over production. In the Zam chase that is not so, but as soon as the next track starts, everything is too dryly recorded.

That constant hiss on the OST is annoying as well.

[artyjeffrey 20]

As clean as possible.I don't mind some occasionnal chair creaking,but incessant coughing is REALLY annoying.It ruins many bootleg performances of Williams works we have.

k.M.

Yeah, and what's up with that coughing, anyways? Always at a performance, no matter what time of year, there's someone coughing. Almost as if people are uncomfortable with silence.

[Jeshopk 8]

That constant hiss on the OST is annoying as well.

In my experience mastering from multitracks, the more you boost the close mics, the more hiss there is. That's why it sounds both too close, and too hissy.

Every track recorded has a little hiss. So if you boost them all up high, then you get lots of hiss. The best method is to keep the tree mics boosted and just use the close mics to bring out colors that may have been drown out in the live performance.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

I like ambient sounds. Page turnings, chair creakings and breathing. It reminds me these are human beings, and what an absolute miracle it is that we're able to produce something like music.

[Damo 0]

Exactly.

[Incanus 5,713]

I prefer clean sound but if there are minor incidental sounds like movement, turning page etc. made by players during the recording session I am ok with that. As long as there are not huge amounts of it. I accept that no music can be made without those sounds as there is the human dimension in the performance. I don't like when soloists have to sigh and hum while they are playing. I do not mean that they should not breathe but they could do it in a more quiet fashion Glenn Gould, Yo Yo Ma and many other soloists do that and I know it is natural when they get so caught up in the music but hearing strange humming above the Goldberg variations by Bach is distracting (Glenn Gould just has to hum to the music).

[Damo 0]

(Glenn Gould just has to hum to the music).

LOL

[Incanus 5,713]

It is really annoying and funny at the same time. The humming is almost inaudible but it is still there.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

When moderate, a little chair creeking, or sound of pages turning doesn't bother me.

[A24 4,322]

In fact, with more intimate recordings a la Stanley And Iris it can be quite cozy and warm.

[Morn 8]

I don't really mind, although I do dislike live recordings of concerts, coughing can be much more distracting than fainter sounds like a chair creeking or a page turning which aren't a big deal really.

[Omen II 1,235]

this stuff was really being recorded in 1977 in a London studio.

Great Eye,

You may be interested (or perhaps not) to know that Anvil Studios, where the score for Star Wars was recorded, are not in London but in Denham, Buckinghamshire (located just to the west of London). The River Colne, that runs down the back of the studios, forms part of the boundary between Greater London and Buckinghamshire.

I think the studios have been renamed since.

Damien

[Quintus 5,399]

I didn't happen to know that, thanks

I'm a northerner you see. Buckinghamshire IS part of London to me Its the 'Greater London' thing.

Obviously you know the area well.

[Bowie 45]

I love the infamous chair-creak at the end of Journey to the Island. It's as if Spielberg is sitting behind Williams during the recording, leaning back in his plush black chaise as if to think "Ahh. Brilliant music. This will help make me a billionaire."

And so be it.

[robthehand 3]

Ideally I like perfectly clearn scores, but a bit of "noise" doesn't bother me.

[Red 75]

I agree with Robthehand.

[Marcus 390]

Certain noises can be charming! A wonderful example is Williams humming the tempo-change in "Bug Tunnel" from ToD. It just shows that it is real and organic.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Is it just me or is The Terminal full of little noises? Was this album done in a particular haste, or was this intentional?

[Datameister 2,034]

A little bit of background noise doesn't bug me, but too much of it is a major distraction. I like recordings to be almost entirely clean. Actually, it's performers breathing loudly that annoys me. I'm a musician and I know it ain't easy to keep these things quiet...but few things are worse than a whole French horn section breathing loudly together at the end of every few measures, like in Saving Private Ryan.

[nightscape94 965]

As far as scores go, I like them clean and crisp, like the beautiful quality on "A Prayer for Peace". The strings sound so lush and full, it's like you're in the orchestra pit. But I still have a soft spot for live recordings, for which the sound isn't quite studio perfect...the performances tend to sound differently when the orchestra is working as one, throughout a whole work, in one take, for an audience. This new recording by the Philadelphia Orchestra of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony is utterly fantastic, and done live.

Tim

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

I dont mind the occasional page turn, though I would prefer them clean as possible.

[Ollie 1,059]

I don't mind a little bit of noise.

[futuremartymcfly 0]

I don't mind a little bit of noise, even though I actually have never even noticed any background noise in my music

[Goldsmithfan 6]

it's like when CDs first came out some people said that they preferred vinyl because it had static and hiss - I never understood that...

That's only when you don't take care of your records!

[Ollie 1,059]

Someone once told me when you turn the volume up on a record you get a richer sound, when you turn up a CD it just gets louder.

[John McClane 1]

Someone once told me when you turn the volume up on a record you get a richer sound, when you turn up a CD it just gets louder.

That means that the CD has always a better sound. You don't need to pump up the volum to get a rich sound.

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

With good speakers, you do. Or at least, mine don't sound very impressive below a certain volume level.

The Omen (Jerry Goldsmith)

[John McClane 1]

Of course (expecially with classical music, where you have a lot of instruments together) turning up the volume you may hear better lower instruments, but generally, in the other kind of music, CD is better.

I heard a lot of music from vinyl (not directly vinyl, but HQ mp3s of vinyl rips) but the quality is not as good as CD, with scratches, hiss and other noise. Scratches are nice if they're low, but most of the time is annoying IMO. Could be the fact that you can't get a really good rip from vinyl (with CDs, being digital, you can copy it without losing any quality). I can easily imagine that connecting a record player to a PC and rip, you lose quality.

It depends on how you rip it. Some vinyl rips I heard was very close to CD, but the majority is more like cassette quality.

I once heard a Beatles song from a vinyl at a friend's house who have a record player and sometimes still use it, and I remember thoughing "I have the same song on CD but in better quality".

He agreeded.

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

You're saying CDs sound superiour to vinyl because vinyl rips on CD sound worse than original CDs?

?