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Don Davis' THE MATRIX (1999) - 2021 Complete Edition by Varese Sarabande (2xCD / 2xSACD / 3xLP)


Jay

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Mine also shipped a few mins ago. I was a bit worried until then, as I didn't get Varese's usual order confirmation e-mail.

 

I went for untracked, but don't see any reason it shouldn't get here tomorrow. (regular CD)

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2 hours ago, Gurkensalat said:

Had anybody the chance to listen to the 5.1. mix yet? I am curious if it is a conservative mix with just some reverb in the surrounds, or more adventurous with instruments surrounding the listener. With this score I would welcome the latter.

 

 

Wasn't the original score already mixed in 5.1, at least with regards to the synths? As far as I remember (reading - I've never been to any of them), the live performances used surround setups for the synth parts. Although the score published by Omni doesn't have any spatial information for them (but possibly the synth placement was supervised by Davis and that data - or perhaps the exact same audio tracks - used for the live performances).

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13 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Wasn't the original score already mixed in 5.1, at least with regards to the synths? As far as I remember (reading - I've never been to any of them), the live performances used surround setups for the synth parts. Although the score published by Omni doesn't have any spatial information for them (but possibly the synth placement was supervised by Davis and that data - or perhaps the exact same audio tracks - used for the live performances).

Do you know, how the synth part was mixed then? only ambience in surround or more aggressive with directional placing?

 

The reason I am unsure whether to get the SACD is that I am mostly interested in interesting creative surround mixes like those from Pink Floyd. If this is the case here, I would gladly pay the premium. If surround means only ambience, well that would be less interesting in a recording that is surely created very artificially in a studio and not reflecting the natural glorious acoustics of a good concert hall like in the John Williams in Vienna Plural recording. Ambience I can recreate with Dolby Pro Logic or Anthem Music on my Receiver, for that I do not need 5.1.

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Here's a description a friend made regarding the prior editions when making his own custom DE:
 

Quote

I listened to all available versions and the best sounding version of this score is... the OST from 1999. Why? Because it was remixed for the OST while the complete/Varese use the filmmix that was probably downmixed from a multitrack source used for the film itself. As a result, the OST far surpasses the other versions sonically, the mix is better suited for the medium with sonic events having a clearly defined space, sounding cleaner, warmer and more dynamic. The complete/Varese version lacks punch and boasts a rather curious placement of synthesized elements within the mix.


It kind of makes you wonder how they approached it for the new release, given the speed/frequency thing that was mentioned being shared with the original album. It could imply they're going a similar route with that, but then there's the matter of the 5.1 that likely is the film mix he's referring to. Would they have merely downimixed it for the stereo track, or have made both their own distinct mixes? Actually, is the isolated track on the DVD 5.1 as well? That could potentially be useful for comparison if a rip ever surfaces.

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It would be nice to get some clarification about the frequency/speed issue, yeah.

 

Is this what Davis' studio supplied them?

 

Ultimately, either the OST and this new release are incorrect, or the promo and previous Varese DE are. Different mixes don't result in frequencies changing.

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1 hour ago, Gurkensalat said:

Do you know, how the synth part was mixed then? only ambience in surround or more aggressive with directional placing?

 

I know absolutely nothing, I'm just commenting with scraps of information I seem to remember reading over the years. ;) 

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On 6/15/2021 at 5:36 AM, HunterTech said:

Actually, is the isolated track on the DVD 5.1 as well? That could potentially be useful for comparison if a rip ever surfaces.

 

I believe it's only in stereo

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13 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

Just got mine - the samples on Varese's site sound the same as this set, and also the same as whatever OST rip I had previously.

 

Is it running at the wrong speed, like the OST + samples?

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On 6/11/2021 at 8:38 AM, Richard Penna said:

Is that Clubbed to Death bit included in this set? I was never sure whether that was considered part of the score, or just tracked in.

 

On 6/11/2021 at 9:48 AM, Jay said:

That's "4M2PR The System", disc 1 track 21 of this set.

 

I just listened to Track 21 and it does not contain any material from Clubbed to Death. It's just straight Davis underscore.

 

On another note, I think this album sounds great!

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55 minutes ago, A. A. Ron said:

 

 

I just listened to Track 21 and it does not contain any material from Clubbed to Death. It's just straight Davis underscore.

 

On another note, I think this album sounds great!

 

I know, it's the overlay heard in the film over that track that was never released before. I assumed that's what he was asking about.  I don't think he was askimg about a techno track that's been available for 24 years already

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8 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

So the Don Davis cue was written to overlap Clubbed to Death?

Yea

 

8 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

Has it ever been released that way?

 

Yea... In the film. 

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My original query was open ended actually - I didn't even really know whether it was something Davis overlayed, or the work of the sound team, etc, and wasn't sure how they'd present it on this set.

 

But yes, The System is Davis' overlay on its own, which is oddly satisfying to hear if you imagine CTD playing underneath, and provides the welcome flexibility to hear it isolated or edit it into CTD.

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I listened to this a few times yesterday and thought it was great.  Besides the restaurant source music, I couldn’t actually pick out anything that was “new” since the last expansion (did look through Jay’s spreadsheet), but this score definitely works well in its complete form, especially over the extremely truncated OST.

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Does anybody know if there will be additional customs to pay when ordering from the European store in the UK? I live in Germany and am still confused about the implications of Brexit.

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1 hour ago, Gurkensalat said:

Does anybody know if there will be additional customs to pay when ordering from the European store in the UK? I live in Germany and am still confused about the implications of Brexit.

 

Yes. I already had to pay taxes for my previous order. The "international store" is in the UK, and the UK is no longer in the EU, so the international store is in fact a UK store and tax-wise no better for us mainland Europeans than the US store.

 

I'm still trying to figure out where to buy Blu-rays post-Brexit, especially since German releases are getting worse and worse by the year.

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37 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Yes. I already had to pay taxes for my previous order. The "international store" is in the UK, and the UK is no longer in the EU, so the international store is in fact a UK store and tax-wise no better for us mainland Europeans than the US store.

 

I'm still trying to figure out where to buy Blu-rays post-Brexit, especially since German releases are getting worse and worse by the year.

 

So there is no way for me to get the SACD cheaper than almost 60 Euro…  This is a tough one.

 

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1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

imusic.dk?

 

I'll keep an eye on them. Unfortunately, Blu prices seem rather high, even without shipping on top.

 

41 minutes ago, Gurkensalat said:

So there is no way for me to get the SACD cheaper than almost 60 Euro…  This is a tough one.

 

I ordered the regular CD. I'd like to have the surround mix, but my only SACD capable player is the Play Station, and I keep forgetting about that anyway, plus the desk where I usually listen to music has no surround setup. So I won't have any real use for the surround mix in the foreseeable future anyway, and in the long run I suppose it'll be digitally available (and I'll still have my physical CD for the collection).

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6 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Perhaps JPC.de also stocks non-German releases.

 

I've had a look a while ago, didn't find much. In general, most stores don't really seem to acknowledge the fact that different countries have different releases of films, so most of the time you can't even find clear information on which releases they do offer.

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8 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I've had a look a while ago, didn't find much. In general, most stores don't really seem to acknowledge the fact that different countries have different releases of films, so most of the time you can't even find clear information on which releases they do offer.

 

What about Zavvi? They've got a German site: https://www.zavvi.de/

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19 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I ordered the regular CD. I'd like to have the surround mix, but my only SACD capable player is the Play Station, and I keep forgetting about that anyway, plus the desk where I usually listen to music has no surround setup. So I won't have any real use for the surround mix in the foreseeable future anyway, and in the long run I suppose it'll be digitally available (and I'll still have my physical CD for the collection).

 

I love good surround mixes, and this is the main reason that I am contemplating buying this one. But only if it is really a good mix, not just a bit ambience. 

 

About foreign Blu-ray: Amazon.de is the obvious choice because they have a lot of other European Blu-ray on offer, often by third party sellers

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Amazon are imperialists and speculate in using cheap, lousy packaging, so I always buy from other stores if I can find for a similar price.

 

On 6/14/2021 at 6:39 PM, Tom Guernsey said:

Mine shipped minutes ago… but I only ordered the regular cd. Looking forward to it though. 

 

Perhaps you can expand it with the SA later.

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1 hour ago, Gurkensalat said:

About foreign Blu-ray: Amazon.de is the obvious choice because they have a lot of other European Blu-ray on offer, often by third party sellers

 

Often for high prices, and often with extreme shipping costs to Austria - if they ship here at all. Amazon itself has become much worse during the pandemic - lots of items that simply won't ship to Austria, but are the only once listed in sales. Sales listings have become totally useless, because items are listed multiple times, and ordering/filtering by price doesn't work because if you're explicitly filtering for Blu-rays and the Blu costs €1,000,000 but the DVD costs €0.01, it'll be listed as the cheapest option.

 

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Amazon are imperialists and speculate in using cheap, lousy packaging, so I always buy from other stores if I can find for a similar price.

 

Sadly they generally offer the best selection (meaning I can place one order from one shop, instead of multiple orders from different shops, all with their own shipping rates on top), and the best customer experience. The way they treat their employees and the fact that they pay basically no taxes are condemnable, but it's hard to do that as a customer if the options to buy stuff elsewhere are often so poor. There should be laws to sort that stuff out - in fact there are, but with enough loopholes to allow Amazon (and others) to do business around them (and at least tax wise it's hard to blame them for not paying the taxes they *should* pay when they, and their competitors, don't *have* to pay them).

 

I always try to buy books locally at least, but for films, and music, and often electronics, they're simply often the only reasonable choice.

 

2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

What about Zavvi? They've got a German site: https://www.zavvi.de/

 

I always thought they were one of those UK stores. I'll have a look, thanks.

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1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Sadly they generally offer the best selection (meaning I can place one order from one shop, instead of multiple orders from different shops, all with their own shipping rates on top), and the best customer experience. The way they treat their employees and the fact that they pay basically no taxes are condemnable, but it's hard to do that as a customer if the options to buy stuff elsewhere are often so poor. There should be laws to sort that stuff out - in fact there are, but with enough loopholes to allow Amazon (and others) to do business around them (and at least tax wise it's hard to blame them for not paying the taxes they *should* pay when they, and their competitors, don't *have* to pay them).

 

I agree about everything.

 

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I always thought they were one of those UK stores. I'll have a look, thanks.

 

I think the mother company is British, but they have "branches" in several countries.

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Congratulation!

 

So, how is the surround mix? :-) ambience only or a bit more creative/aggressive?

 

And do you think the general sound quality is better than the CD version?

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My copy arrived this morning! Just starting to listen now. I'll give the SACD layer a spin during the day tomorrow. It's not the prettiest looking set in the world but I agree that it looks better in the flesh than the promo shots suggested.

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49 minutes ago, Alan said:

My copy arrived this morning! Just starting to listen now. I'll give the SACD layer a spin during the day tomorrow.

 

Suuuuper interested in your impressions of the 5.1 surround version, assuming you've got a surround setup to listen to it on. If enough people say it makes a big difference I'll probably splurge for the $15 upgrade.

 

Yavar

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On 6/28/2021 at 9:40 PM, Yavar Moradi said:

 

Suuuuper interested in your impressions of the 5.1 surround version, assuming you've got a surround setup to listen to it on. If enough people say it makes a big difference I'll probably splurge for the $15 upgrade.

 

Yavar

 

Sadly I don't currently have my surround speakers hooked up to the AV receiver however, I have listened to the SACD layer through the stereo system.

 

This sounds great! Nice sense of space and being in the room with the orchestra (little details like occasionally hearing the musicians shuffle etc). Nicely detailed mastering job and the dynamics seem good too. Sounds more natural than I expected it to, if that makes sense?

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