BurgaFlippinMan 7 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I hear so much about Shawn Murphy (or more precisely, the quality of his work) on this board, so lets categorize his work into 'good', 'bad' and 'ugly' shall we? I'm no audiophile, but I guess I can hear well enough to say Call of the Champions is postive 'ugly'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Here's just a handfull of selections.GOODThe Phantom Menace (UE)WillowBraveheartJurassic ParkFar & AwayThe Lost WorldAVERAGETitanicRevenge Of The SithJumanjiThe Prisoner Of AzkabanClear & Present DangerBADA.I.Minority ReportAttack Of The Clones (just)The Scorpion KingSaving Private Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Good:any Newton-Howard Disney score ('Dinosaur'/'Atlantis'/'Treasure Planet')most Horner scores prior to the split of the pair after 'Titanic'Ugly:A.I.Minority ReportI can live with the rest, but these get the ears bleeding....5.1 recordings in 24 bit quality...and you long for the analog days of 'E.T.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Crichton 4 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Steef's list is good, though I'd call both RotS and PoA good, and AotC definately bad. I'd also add CoS to the bad list, Murphy managed to make the LSO sound nothing like the LSO.John- who didn't know Murphy did Willow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 CoS was not done by Murphy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Crichton 4 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 No? I thought he did everything Williams nowadays.*checks CD*OK, the guy we can blame for CoS is Simon Rhodes. My bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 75 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Has this Murphy done more bad than good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Overall most of his work is either good or very good. But when he's bad he's very bad.How can you screw up on a Williams score and still get work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulky 6 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Good:GloryThe RocketeerBatman ReturnsNixonMission: ImpossiblePsycho (1998)Bad:The PatriotA.I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 337 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Out of curiosity, how does AOTC fit into the "bad" list...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Crichton 4 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Out of curiosity, how does AOTC fit into the "bad" list...?For one thing, I've listened to cassette tapes with less hiss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry B 50 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 AotC has a lot of tape hiss (even though it's recorded digitally - huh?). I think it generally sounds dull and indistinct, as well.Edit: Heh, very good, John. I'll justify this post by commenting that... um... yes, A.I. is bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 337 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I've never noticed any hissing with the AOTC CD. Then again, I'm not really an audiophile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry B 50 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Apparently not... it's worst in "Anakin and Padme." There's no way you won't hear the hiss if you listen to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melisande 0 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Apparently not... it's worst in "Anakin and Padme." There's no way you won't hear the hiss if you listen to it.Yeah, beautiful track, but the hiss is so loud it's distracting. It doesn't help that I listen through headphones. I'm glad I'm not the only one to be bothered by this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Breathmask 555 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Ack, now I hear it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewRisingSun 0 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 (even though it's recorded digitally - huh?).Shawn Murphy doesn't record digitally. He's still using analog tape, according to "Chris Malone: Recording the Star Wars Saga. A Musical Journey from Scoring Stage to DVD".I used to describe Murphy recordings as having very muddy lows and mids, but acceptable highs. It wasn't until I discussed this with a sound engineer, who then pointed out to me that this description matches that of the Neumann M50 microphone: omni pattern at low and mid, but increasingly directional at higher frequencies --- giving a deliberately non-linear sound characteristic that some people (like me) loathe, while others are totally in love with it. He then suggested to me to find out what microphones Murphy uses. And indeed: According to "Music for the Menace", three Neumann M50s on his Decca Tree!Another reason why I still wish Eric Tomlinson had recorded the prequel trilogy, even though some on this board may hate him as well. Was there already an "Eric Tomlinson - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Another reason why I still wish Eric Tomlinson had recorded the prequel trilogy, even though some on this board may hate him as well.Bruce Botnick > **=everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Tomlinson screwed up a few times as well and he must be as old as the world by now.Bruce Botnick has not let me down yet, pity he seems to have retired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 Yes.Goldsmith recordings are some of the best I've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 OK, the guy we can blame for CoS is Simon Rhodes. My bad.Rhodes is fine. Does a nice natural reverb on the Potter scores. I have a choral CD recorded by him (Bruckner's 3rd Mass and Te Deum) that's too reverby (hard to make out most details), but what else I've heard by him was very fine.Botnick is great, but some of Iwataki's Goldenthal stuff, and some Sands (I think it was him who did Rosewood?) is even better.Two more great Murphys: Hook and Summon the Heroes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 I only noticed A.I. and Call of the Champions sound pretty bad.K.M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgaFlippinMan 7 Posted September 17, 2006 Author Share Posted September 17, 2006 Good:GloryThe RocketeerBatman ReturnsNixonMission: ImpossiblePsycho (1998).Somehow I always thought Nixon sounded a tad flat. Am I the only one? Anyway of all the Murphy CDs I have, I have this huge affinity for Far and Away. I think it sounds glorious!As for Botnick, I only have Batman and Hunchback of Notre Dame (wait, is Total Recall by him? That too if it is.). Are those considered good? I think Hunchback does have quite noticeble hiss in places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Bruce Botnick's Goldsmith recordings are amazing. He blows Shawn Murphy and Simon Rhodes out of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crumbs 14,319 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 What makes A.I. so horrible?There is some atrocious tape hiss in track 8 though... but do people really find the score kinda..flat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Another reason why I still wish Eric Tomlinson had recorded the prequel trilogy, even though some on this board may hate him as well. Was there already an "Eric Tomlinson - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" thread? I love his recording of The Final Conflict. All round perfection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest macrea Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Seems Murphy's earlier projects with Williams were better, like Far and Away and Home Alone 2; the latter hasn't been mentioned but it sounds terrific. Things seemed to gradually get muddier through the mid 90's and I fear his remix of Star Wars on the musical journey DVD foreshadows things to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry B 50 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Murphy screwed up the volume of Home Alone 2's "Star of Bethlehem" just a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 I only noticed A.I. and Call of the Champions sound pretty bad.K.M.Me too. Oh, actually A.I. is quite ok and only thing in Call of the Champions is that how(and why) 300+ head choir is made to sound like a quartet...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,696 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Just listened to a few tracks from AotC. I've never heard so much hissing in a piece of music before , and I thought that the temporary hissing when the guitar comes in during the early parts of the End Credits from The Mexican, was bad.Unfortunately, due to me having a decent set of headphones, a new 5.1 soundcard (an unbelievable improvement over onboard sound) and audiophiliac tendencies I notice this stuff easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 What makes A.I. so horrible?Presumably, it's performed by a group of instruments. But all you hear is a vague cloud of sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 It's what a call "Orchestra Stew". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulky 6 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 As for Botnick, I only have Batman and Hunchback of Notre DameActually, Batman inlvolved the likes of Tomlinson (who recorded it); Murphy (who mixed it); and Botnick (who edited and mastered it for CD). I find that the CD sounds a tad bit bright though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 What makes A.I. so horrible?With an expensive set of AKG-headphones, you can hear the counterpoint in 'Abandoned in the Woods'. How this piece passed Williams and Murphy's quality control is beyond me.The score is good enough in the string-only parts, but as soon as anything orchestrally more complex enters, it seems as if Murphy is trying to hide it. 'Minority Report' is the same...bass reigns...and drowns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,348 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Well, it has got a certain ... character. Maybe this is what Spielberg wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 So how is A.I. in DVD-Audio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Not much better according to what I've read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,348 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 So how is A.I. in DVD-Audio?Orchestral stew in high resolution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 If the Dolby Digital 5.1 track that's on that disc is any indication (It's the only layer I can play) then it's really not worth spending the extra money for this thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ymenard 54 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Why is your view of The Lost World's recording quality so high? I find it muddy, very muddy. Shawn Murphy-muddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 It's hard to explain, but for that particular score, it's just right.Like the music itself it's a turnaround from the brightness of the Jurassic Park score, it just works for me, it's got a bite.Except for the End Credits though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Another one I have real problems with: Seven Years in Tibet. One of the first scores I know where Murphy's over-emphasis of bass sounds extends to the low strings. The grand main theme starts droning as soon as it picks up a little volume. A pity, I'd play at least parts of the score more frequently if it sounded better. Westworld (James Newton Howard) (a fine Botnick mix) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 To my knowledge James Newton Howard has not scored Westworld..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 I have never understood why Murphy sucks with bass so much. Bruce Botnick's mixes exude power in low frequency as well, but they don't destroy everything else. Westworld (James Newton Howard) (a fine Botnick mix)Waterworld Pursuit (Goldsmith, The Mummy Complete) The finest percussion mix by Botnick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superman 0 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Dennis Sands is the best mixing engineer working in L.A today, imo. His work for Silvestri packs more punch than anything else out there. His brass always sounds fantastic. Shawn Murphy did great work on "Signs", though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Water. Yes. Dunno what I was thinking. Max Fighter (Christian Afonso) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Fred Karlin scored Westworld.The A.I. DVD-A still sounds muddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Perhaps Newton-Howard will score the remake next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Perhaps Newton-Howard will score the remake next year.You know, at first I thought you were joking, perhaps being sarcastic about the current state of remakesBut just out of curiosity, I then looked it up, and there is indeed a remake...but hey by the same director... I've lost all faith in the film industry in America. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Breathmask 555 Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Hitchcock re-made one of his own films... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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