King Mark 3,631 Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Anyone notice this album has a different sound than Williams later albums or re-recordings.The tympani is very loud and booming and the brass very...uh..brassy!K.M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,336 Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Or remasterings!!! The Original Soundtrack on LP is the best sound. Very warm and brassy but with less mid frequenties as the Original CD release. There is not one CD with a good Original Star Wars sound. Get the LP! I mean it.----------------Alex Cremers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fommes 153 Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Yeah I noticed it. On the other hand I think the 'brass' parts in the new trilogy should come out more. Is this caused by the orchestrations? I like the sound of Indiana Jones 2 and 3, I believe the low and high tones are nicely balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoda Longbottom 0 Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 I like the sound of the '97 Star Wars Episode IV special edition, which I assume is the original '77 recording, un-remastered. Yes, it's very much front-oriented, with little depth (makes the LSO sound a lot thinner than they actually are), and the brass is truly high-powered, but it sounds good on mid-price systems and higher. I expect I'm getting boring with that but I couldn't have ADORED the sound of strings on this recording a tiny inch more. It's beautiful and warm; perfection. And when the Force Theme pokes in for the first time, I know I'm fallen for it again. Sure, classic records are different story, and have always been.Roman.-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,336 Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Roman, the original sound has been altered. To much high frequenties have been added to try to accomplish a modern sound. The original source material probably began sounding dull which is normal when dealing with analoque recordings. By the LP! None of the others come close. The strings are to die for. ----------------Alex Cremers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ChrusherComix 46 Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 I was playing the Polydor 2CD repro of the 2LP, and it sounds better in my car stereo than it does on my Home Stereos.The odd thing is that with different releases, I can hear different parts of the orchestra. That's why sometiems I switch things up and listen to different releases.I always loved the LP recordings, they just need a little remastering on CD. Sometimes I think that the SE's were remastered a bit too much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ChrusherComix 46 Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 I agree... both Star Wars and TESB have never sounded better than on vinyl. (I have ROTJ vinyl sealed... never listened to it because I bought it after I already had all the CD versions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 I'd be all for them giving the older SW films' scores a 2003 Pro Tools restoration job. Perhaps they can pull a better sound out of the original recordings. Cuz as they are, they sound like crap. The advances in restoring old recordings have been monumental in the seven years since the SE releases were done in 1996... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,631 Posted August 31, 2003 Author Share Posted August 31, 2003 this wasn't really about the vinyl album,which i never heard.i meant the Tympani booms are very loud in this score,and much toned down in latter Star Wars scores(listen to that first part of the End Credits,or Imperial Attack,or Here they Come).is that just the recording and mic. placement?K.M.k.M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ChrusherComix 46 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Strilo: We're talking about the original soundtracks. LPs and Polydor CDs. I love the sound mix in the original LP/CDs, but they neded a little but if "cleaning up". I personally prefer the sound on the boxed set over the Special Editions as well, even though it's often said that the boxed set may have used the wrong masters... they still sound great, IMO. ESPECIALLY ROTJ, where the Special Edition of that is SO muddled that I have to try to max out the high end frequencies with an equalizer, and then it sounds hissy... no win with that set, although I am grateful for the amount of unreleased music we were blessed with on it.KM: The Polydor CDs were the same album masters as used with the vinyl albums, but for some reason --even though that was the 1st CD (well, CD set) that I bought in 1992-- I always thought it sounded a bit muted in comparison to the LPs. And keep in mind, I had cheap, crappy record players when I was a kid.Either way, the original soundtrack LP/CDs do have a different sound. Good ol' ElvisJones (who never posts anymore... I miss his input greatly) mentioned that they re-arranged everything on the newer expanded edtions, using the wrong channels and so on and so forth. Plus, I think we can all tell that sometimes they even used different takes as well. I've noted things on one version that I can't hear on another edition, hence I'll lisaten to them all.-Chris, Who notices that when we are in a new-score-drought, we always come back to Star Wars scores! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mahler3 478 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 this wasn't really about the vinyl album,which i never heard.i meant the Tympani booms are very loud in this score,and much toned down in latter Star Wars scores(listen to that first part of the End Credits,or Imperial Attack,or Here they Come).is that just the recording and mic. placement?K.M.k.M.Exactly that Mark, microphone placement has a great deal to do with the ultimate sound of Episode IV. Close-miking was practiced at that time, thus having a mic very close to all instruments. Most noticeable would be the Horn, an instrument that should resonate, but note that it has a very dry sound (Binary Sunset solo, and Ben's Death etc.) during the score compared to say Luke & Leia's horn solo from Jedi.Although the latter was recorded at Abbey Rd, so Anvil probably had more dated equipment, that could be another big reason. Each of the first Star Wars trilogy sounds so different accoustically and technically which has always interested me. For example I prefer Jedi's Star Wars main title due to the slightly more vibrant sound, better perscussion & Horn mix and a fantastic Trumpet blast at the mid section. But then as total contradiction I prefer the overall mix of the Hoth battle from Empire, than the final battle scenes from Jedi. A somehow muted mix that we have all discussed on many occasions, not to mention the smaller ensemle sounding Superstructure Chase cue, a great shame.-Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ChrusherComix 46 Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 If we are talking microphone placement and how they make a score "sound", then I prefer Empire, then Star Wars, then Jedi.If we are talking re-mastering, then I prefer Boxed Eet/Albums in a 2-way tie ---The rich, analog feel of the albums is great, although the crispness of the boxed set is equally good, IMO--- then SW/ESB Special Editions, then the ROTJ Special Edition unfortunately in a distant last place for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoda Longbottom 0 Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Can remastering really help that much? I mean, isn't every refinement against the naturalness of the sound? (Anyone listened to ELV1S remastered? I just prefer the old "muffled" sounding Presley, simply I'm probably against all headways... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ChrusherComix 46 Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Just reduce the hiss a little bit. It just sounds a little muffled.Often times, the album masters are not used in these expanded sets. I believve that they usually try to find the original elements and sometimes they use entirely different takes or completely change the sound on the same takes.Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that way to me at least. That's why I never get rid of older issues when I get expanded and remastered ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,336 Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 There's nothing analogue sounding about the Star Wars remasterings! The version of the Trilogy Box is so unnatural that it hurts. What is natural is that the old tapes (or other analogue source material) were starting to fade. Because of this, the dull, muffled sound needed some restoration. Somewhere along the line someone pushed the high frequencies a bit too much forward. This has resulted in a cold and hissy sound. Just listen to the vinyl and you know and hear the difference. Listen to the remastered bows of the string sections. They're way to loud and sharp and sound like distorsion. Listen to good classical or other soundtrack recordings first. Then put on a remastered Star Wars! Your eyes go like this: I bought the vinyl and listen to Star Wars since 1977. When the RSO double CD came out, I was hugely disappointed with its harshy mid sound. Then "The Star Wars Trilogy" was released with its overkill in treble. Later, the SE brought us almost the same sound as the trilogy but this time with the right cuts. The only thing left to do is remaster Star Wars yourself. I'm sure if you put the original RSO release through a nice enhancer or exciter plug in and don't go over board with it, the result will be better, no sweat.Of course, if you have muffled speakers, the remasters suddenly sound superb! ----------------Alex Cremers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ChrusherComix 46 Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 My speakers aren't the best, and I usually listen via Dolby Surround mode. It's just my preference. I know many prefer expensive headphones or bookshelf speakers, but I want music coming from everywhere.So what you are saying... is that virgin vinyl transferred to CD with the right equipment would be better than the newer remasterings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,336 Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Chris, you can try recording from LP but it's more work and certainly more difficult. No, I would suggest the RSO double CD (it's not complete, though) as a source for remastering. The problem is that the mid region (especially the brass) tends to be a little painful. I think this can be resolved when adding a bit more life back in the higher frequencies. This will reduce the stronger mid peaks. During the process of enhancing you'll have to use your ears and compare with the LP version.----------------Alex Cremers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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