Popular Post Loert 2,515 Posted March 17, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 17, 2019 In terms of recording quality, the 90s yield many wonderful examples (some which come to mind are Independence Day, Total Recall, The Phantom Menace). But I have to say that there is something special about the old mixing and mastering techniques. In fact, if I were forced to give my top ten favourite recordings based on "sound" then most of them would probably come from before the 80s. Nowadays, orchestral pieces/scores seem to be recorded in much the same way, i.e. as realisticly as possible, and you pretty much know what to expect going in, but that isn't the case with the old recordings - you'd be listening, and suddenly a trumpet would come blaring from the right and you'd think "Huh, that didn't sound realistic at all, but it was certainly effective." Generally I just find them more exciting. This recording from the 60s is IMO as good as anything which has come from the 90s or after: (note my cameo at 0:33!) From the list I gave above, Independence Day and The Phantom Menace are two examples which simply have superior sound quality to most other scores from that era which I've heard. Also Jurassic Park and Hook. Total Recall is an example of how a wet recording should be done. The 2000s have some nice recordings, but I actually think that along with the "demise" of orchestral scoring, the recording of orchestral film scores has suffered, too, and it feels less warm. There are some standouts though, like Solo, or the HTTYD series, but not because they're warm, just because the recording is especially detailed. Kasey Kockroach, SteveMc and Fabulin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,352 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 I just voted yes, but then misunderstood your question. I chose yes because I think an awful lot of 90s scores are just great, not sound-wise, but music-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loert 2,515 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 6 hours ago, Erik Woods said: IMO, nothing beats the Gerhardt's RCA Classic Film Score series, recorded by the late, great K. E. Wilkinson. Those are excellent indeed. 1:13 onwards here is what it means to be a virtuoso recording engineer! SteveMc and Erik Woods 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Kockroach 2,344 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Shame it’s also the decade Goldsmith got boring while Horner, Williams and Scott reigned supreme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 I think there's plenty to like about 90s Jerry. - TGP, now listening to Medicine Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 1 hour ago, bollemanneke said: I just voted yes, but then misunderstood your question. I chose yes because I think an awful lot of 90s scores are just great, not sound-wise, but music-wise. Same. But then just click "show vote options" and vote again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 9 hours ago, Knox Harrington said: I was actually just talking about this with a relative who is younger and more knowledgable about samples. He reckons dumb kids who don't know how orchestras actually work are churning out unbalanced demos and expecting that from reality. Doesn't help that apparently samples aren't adjusted to have proper dynamic scaling so if you don't know how to do that everything is off. Glad I don't tinker with that shit anymore. Samples just sound more realistic and relatable that an orchestra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,521 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 9 hours ago, Knox Harrington said: I think there's plenty to like about 90s Jerry. I would go much further. The 90s is my favourite Goldsmith decade by FAR. Perhaps not his most 'cutting edge', but the one I find most musical enjoyment in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,554 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Jerry's 90s is nice, but his 80s was far more diverse, musically (SUPERGIRL>RUNAWAY>LEGEND>POLTERGEIST II>LINK>KING SOLOMON'S MINES). JW - may peace be upon his holy name - never did anything like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Johnny is an old square who just does the same schtick over and over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,521 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 2 hours ago, Richard said: Jerry's 90s is nice, but his 80s was far more diverse, musically (SUPERGIRL>RUNAWAY>LEGEND>POLTERGEIST II>LINK>KING SOLOMON'S MINES). JW - may peace be upon his holy name - never did anything like that. Nah. Those are fine, but can't compare to stuff like TOTAL RECALL, BASIC INSTINCT, MEDICINE MAN, RUDY, BAD GIRLS, FIRST KNIGHT, GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, AIR FORCE ONE, THE EDGE, MULAN, THE MUMMY, THE 13TH WARRIOR etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 3 hours ago, Richard said: Jerry's 90s is nice, but his 80s was far more diverse, musically (SUPERGIRL>RUNAWAY>LEGEND>POLTERGEIST II>LINK>KING SOLOMON'S MINES). JW - may peace be upon his holy name - never did anything like that. Goldsmith from 1975-1985 might be the most creative and diverse decade that any musician ever had. 13 hours ago, Kasey Kockroach said: Shame it’s also the decade Goldsmith got boring while Horner, Williams and Scott reigned supreme. He had a really weird period from 1991-1995, where 90% of his worst scores can be found, but after that his output he became more interesting again and that is also the phase were his sonicly divine scores came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,521 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 9 minutes ago, Brundlefly said: Goldsmith from 1975-1985 might be the most creative and diverse decade that any musician ever had. I think his most creative and cutting-edge period was earlier than that. Probably from about 1966-1979. From SECONDS to ALIEN. But I still prefer the 90s more on a more personal enjoyment level. I was never really that fond of his earliest period or his 80s period, and most things post-2000 are snooze-fests. [I apologize that we've now veered off-topic from the sonic qualities of 90s vs. contemporary recordings] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 1 minute ago, Thor said: I was never really that fond of his earliest period or his 80s period, and most things post-2000 are snooze-fests. Unlike everyone else, I adore Hollow Man and Star Trek: Nemesis. I think, they're much more than the auto-pilot scores that people say they are. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,521 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 1 minute ago, Brundlefly said: Unlike everyone else, I adore Hollow Man and Star Trek: Nemesis. I think, they're much more than the auto-pilot scores that people say they are. What do you think? I own both. They're OK (HOLLOW MAN is brilliant in context), but not something I keep returning to. THE 13th WARRIOR is probably the last score of his I consider good, and THE MUMMY his last masterpiece (and also my alltime favourite of his, I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 6 hours ago, Thor said: and most things post-2000 are snooze-fests Most things? He did not even a handful of scores in that period. 7 hours ago, Brundlefly said: He had a really weird period from 1991-1995, where 90% of his worst scores can be found 1988 - 1994. There were some truly marvelous clunkers in that period but it probably takes a genius like Morricone or Goldsmith to sink THAT low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 49 minutes ago, publicist said: 1988 - 1994. There were some truly marvelous clunkers in that period but it probably takes a genius like Morricone or Goldsmith to sink THAT low. I would still say 1991-1994, because 1984 and 1988 were two island years with a very weird output. 1989 and 1990 were too great to be included as a part of the bad period. Which film composers would you call a "genius"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 All the legends, probably (in some capacity) but in that context it refers to the true innovaters and how they could err on a bad day (or, in Goldsmith's case, it's heavily assumed that he stopped drinking around that time and that probably played into it a lot). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 2 hours ago, publicist said: In Goldsmith's case, it's heavily assumed that he stopped drinking around that time and that probably played into it a lot. Wait a minute, really? Are you serious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 59 minutes ago, Brundlefly said: Wait a minute, really? Are you serious? Fun fact, yes. It was no secret but was openly brought up at FSM in the early 2000's that JG had a drinking problem and went into some kind of rehab (or AA program) in the late 80's/early 90's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 I wonder what his choice of booze was... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 He seemed like a gin guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Ginny Goldsmith Dixon Hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK 3,307 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Always struck me as more of a rum guy actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 11 minutes ago, dougie said: Ginny Goldsmith "Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva?" "Ginny Goldsmith." Unlucky Bastard and Gnome in Plaid 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 JK Rowling confirms in tweet that Goldsmith was a drunkard and had a gay sexual affair with John Williams. Dixon Hill and Unlucky Bastard 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,521 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Artists and their drinking habits....(yeah, I know, I'm one to tell, and I'm not even an artist). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,091 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 12 minutes ago, Thor said: Artists and their drinking habits....(yeah, I know, I'm one to tell, and I'm not even an artist). Thor, your OST obsession can only be described as high level performance art. Thor and Fabulin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 23 hours ago, Thor said: I own both. They're OK (HOLLOW MAN is brilliant in context), but not something I keep returning to. THE 13th WARRIOR is probably the last score of his I consider good, and THE MUMMY his last masterpiece (and also my alltime favourite of his, I think). Hollow Man is indeed brilliant in context and has a very nice OST! I don't think that The 13th Warrior and The Mummy are better than Hollow Man. The Mummy is fun, but it is nothing compared to The Wind and the Lion or The Ghost and the Darkness. The best thing about it is the sublime OST which is the best representation imaginable, hiding many of the score's flaws. Having got the Intrada expansion I don't appreciate the score that much any more. It's completely different with Star Trek: Nemesis which has a very bad droning OST, whereas the complete score is much livelier and more diverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 12 minutes ago, Brundlefly said: It's completely different with Star Trek: Nemesis which has a very bad droning OST, whereas the complete score is much livelier and more diverse. The OST could have been great, but Ginny's selection of tracks concealed what it might have been. You can extract 50 strong minutes from the complete score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,554 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 You're right, Jerry: compared with the C+C, the OST leaves a lot to be desired. All the way through the film, I kept thinking "this is shit"... The other thing I kept thinking was "why isn't this brilliant cue not on the OST?" It's frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 337 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 A lot of the expanded / complete scores we've gotten IE: Star Trek scores, and others do sound good and were balanced well. However, there are a lot of them that are brick walled to the point of clipping IE: Superman Returns, ID-4, and others not sure what happened to those... Edit: I found a lot of the 90's albums a little too low on the mixing.... Not Mr. Big 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 5 hours ago, dougie said: The OST could have been great, but Ginny's selection of tracks concealed what it might have been. You can extract 50 strong minutes from the complete score. I ended up with: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome in Plaid 219 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 I dare you to find a better-sounding recording than Amistad, in any genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Amizzzzzzzzzzzzztad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,554 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 14 hours ago, Trent B said: I found a lot of the 90's albums a little too low on the mixing.... What do you mean by "low", Trent? Just buy an amp. that goes up to 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 14 hours ago, Trent B said: A lot of the expanded / complete scores we've gotten IE: Star Trek scores, and others do sound good and were balanced well. However, there are a lot of them that are brick walled to the point of clipping IE: Superman Returns, ID-4, and others not sure what happened to those... Edit: I found a lot of the 90's albums a little too low on the mixing.... Ehhh wha? I know the LLL ID4 isn't quite as dynamic as the OST (that 24kt gold CD, awemuhfukingawd), but it still sounds exceptionally good. I've never listened to Superman Returns so I have no idea what happened there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Kockroach 2,344 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome in Plaid 219 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 On 3/20/2019 at 1:08 AM, Ghostbusters II said: Amizzzzzzzzzzzzztad. Whatever you think of the score itself, the sound is absolutely incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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