List of most impressive audio demo material to open a movie on physical media? (3 Viewers)

[Vincent_P]

It's a shame that 4.0 discreet SCARFACE mix hasn't been carried over to home video. The remix adds a bunch of new sound effects, and the "legacy" mix on the UHD (and I assume Blu-ray) is a matrixed 2.0 downmix.

Vincent

 

[sbjork]

Master and Commander has been my go-to demo disc for as long as I've had my 7.2.4 Atmos system, despite the fact that it's "just" a lowly 5.1 track. When upmixed to 7.2.4, it sounds better than many native Atmos/DTS:X mixes. (For the record, I prefer Dolby Surround with that one to Neo:X.) It's a great demo because it offers the best of both audio worlds back-to-back. The opening walk below decks offers quiet immersion with the creaks and groans of the ship surrounding the viewer, but then the following first attack by the Acheron provides full thunderous dynamics, as well as prodigious deep bass. The upmixer somehow knows to steer the footsteps above decks to the overhead speakers, too. It's a one-disc demo that covers all of the things that anyone would want to show off about their system. (Minus the video, of course, as it's a dated master much in need of a fresh scan.)

As far as this thread goes, though, it's a little off-point since the actual opening credits of the film don't really offer anything. You do have to do a little chapter skipping or fast forwarding to get to "the good stuff."

As a side rant, I'm so tired of people who moan about the lack of an Atmos remix on catalogue releases, especially when the original 5.1 mix is a great one like this. I've argued with people about other Fox UHDs like Speed and Die Hard, both of which have superb 5.1 mixes, and they both also upmix like champions. If Master and Commander ever does make the leap to UHD (with a new scan!), I'd certainly love to hear a new Atmos remix, but I'll be perfectly happy if there isn't one, and STILL use it to demo my 7.2.4 system.

 

[dpippel]

As a side rant, I'm so tired of people who moan about the lack of an Atmos remix on catalogue releases, especially when the original 5.1 mix is a great one like this.

If that comment was aimed at me, since I mentioned Atmos regarding a new release of this title a few posts ago, I wasn't moaning. I merely said that I think the Oscar-winning sound design of this film would lend itself nicely to Atmos. At this point, I'd be perfectly happy with a nice video upgrade.

 

[sbjork]

If that comment was aimed at me, since I mentioned Atmos regarding a new release of this title a few posts ago, I wasn't moaning. I merely said that I think the Oscar-winning sound design of this film would lend itself nicely to Atmos. At this point, I'd be perfectly happy with a nice video upgrade.

That wasn't aimed at you at all -- I didn't even remember that you said that. It was aimed at countless others with whom I've had a debate about the subject, which is why I mentioned the other two films, as those discussions got particularly ridiculous. So I'm sorry if it looked like it was aimed at you, because it absolutely wasn't. I wholeheartedly agree that I'd be equally happy with just a nice video upgrade. But yes, there's certainly potential for a spectacular Atmos remix, if it happens.

 

[Vincent_P]

The only 4-track magnetic Dolby films were Yentl, Scarface, and surprisingly the 70mm Non-CDS prints of Edward Scissorhands.

Otherwise its 2.0 Optical LT/RT or 6-track magnetic 4/5.1 (or the VERY occasional 6.0 as with Heaven's Gate).

I'm curious, what was the 6.0 channel layout for HEAVEN'S GATE, and how does the 5.1 track on the various Blu-rays and DVDs handle it? I saw the fabled original NYC 70mm premiere print* of the long-version of HEAVEN'S GATE projected at the Library of Congress' Culpepper, VA campus in the spring of 2014, and it was GORGEOUS (barely- if any- color fading, and in mostly pristine condition), but I'm not sure what the exact sound layout of their playback was for that screening.

Vincent

*The film cans even still had the shipping labels from Technicolor LA to the Cinema 1 in NYC on them.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'm curious, what was the 6.0 channel layout for HEAVEN'S GATE, and how does the 5.1 track on the various Blu-rays and DVDs handle it? I saw the fabled original NYC 70mm premiere print* of the long-version of HEAVEN'S GATE projected at the Library of Congress' Culpepper, VA campus in the spring of 2014, and it was GORGEOUS (barely- if any- color fading, and in mostly pristine condition), but I'm not sure what the exact sound layout of their playback was for that screening.

Vincent

*The film cans even still had the shipping labels from Technicolor LA to the Cinema 1 in NYC on them.

According to in70mm.com it was just the standard Todd-AO configuration of five stage channels and a mono rear. The Criterion blu-ray doesn't have any LFE like AT ALL so I'm not surprised if that was the case.

FWIW they also claim Year of the Dragon made use of this layout so I guess Cimino didn't care for baby boom all that much.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I apologize if this is outside the scope of what you’re looking for, but just in case, if you’re ever demoing your system for music lovers and Beatles fans, @Mike Frezon turned me on to the DVD-A version of “Love” - the remixed soundtrack for the Cirque du Soleil show based on their music - in 5.1 audio. It’s an aggressively directional mix that has snippets of familiar songs swirling around the listener at all times.

Also would suggest the opening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the sixth film in the series. It begins with a brief montage with mournful music that swells, and then cuts to an action scene with bad wizards committing acts of terror around London (flying their broomsticks around your speakers in the process), and then cuts to a quiet nighttime scene. It gives you the full gamut of subtle and quiet to loud and explosive and everything in between, all in about five minutes.

I love the opening to Quantum of Solace. I don’t recall how dimensional the sound mix is exactly for the opening chase and main title song but man does that thing move fast and sound great loud!

 

[Stephen_J_H]

As a side rant, I'm so tired of people who moan about the lack of an Atmos remix on catalogue releases, especially when the original 5.1 mix is a great one like this. I've argued with people about other Fox UHDs like Speed and Die Hard, both of which have superb 5.1 mixes, and they both also upmix like champions. If Master and Commander ever does make the leap to UHD (with a new scan!), I'd certainly love to hear a new Atmos remix, but I'll be perfectly happy if there isn't one, and STILL use it to demo my 7.2.4 system.

Absolutely right on this point. I was live tweeting Supernova with some friends on the weekend and while the film is admittedly terrible [hence our live tweeting], it has an impressively aggressive surround mix that even comes through on the matrixed 2.0 stream on Tubi.

 

[mBen989]

2001 comes to mind.

The "Atmosphères" excerpt as overture then "Also Sprach Zarathustra".

 

[Brian L]

I’ll nominate two.

Star Wars/Attack of the Clones - Original DVD. You even get from the exploding THX trailer up to the bomb on the landing platform. The DVD was mastered really hot…..try it first…you probably don’t want to be at reference for that one.

Iron Man BluRay - The opening where Tony is in the convoy and they hit a contact mine.

I have been doing some system tweaks lately and either of those will answer the question “is my sub dialed in right”? Even if your guests have seen the films, these scenes on the right system are startling.

 

[sbjork]

Absolutely right on this point. I was live tweeting Supernova with some friends on the weekend and while the film is admittedly terrible [hence our live tweeting], it has an impressively aggressive surround mix that even comes through on the matrixed 2.0 stream on Tubi.

There's nothing wrong with a good matrixed Dolby Stereo or Ultra Stereo mix, and even those can be upmixed into an Atmos setup with good results. It all depends on what was present in the original mix -- the more aggressive the surround presence, the more that the upmixer has to work with.

 

[Lord Dalek]

There's nothing wrong with a good matrixed Dolby Stereo or Ultra Stereo mix, and even those can be upmixed into an Atmos setup with good results. It all depends on what was present in the original mix -- the more aggressive the surround presence, the more that the upmixer has to work with.

This. Case in point, Koyaanisqatsi which apparently only had a 2.0 ltrt track that survived. And yet Criterion was able to produce a surprisingly dynamic 5.1 mix from it

 

[Vincent_P]

I often find Ultra Stereo mixes to be "more active" than contemporaneous Dolby Stereo mixes. I think Ultra was trying to differentiate itself from Dolby, and Dolby kind of settled into being a more "subtle" format at some point (although there were exceptions and some filmmakers still got pretty aggressive with their Dolby mixes).

Vincent

 

[sbjork]

I often find Ultra Stereo mixes to be "more active" than contemporaneous Dolby Stereo mixes. I think Ultra was trying to differentiate itself from Dolby, and Dolby kind of settled into being a more "subtle" format at some point (although there were exceptions and some filmmakers still got pretty aggressive with their Dolby mixes).

Vincent

I think that's equally true of the Dolby Surround and DTS Neo:X upmixers. DTS steers things aggressively, especially into the overhead channels. Dolby is subtler. I use both, depending on the film, but I tend to prefer Dolby. It tends to give a smoother soundfield.

 

[Vincent_P]

I think that's equally true of the Dolby Surround and DTS Neo:X upmixers. DTS steers things aggressively, especially into the overhead channels. Dolby is subtler. I use both, depending on the film, but I tend to prefer Dolby. It tends to give a smoother soundfield.

Yeah, I was using the DTS-X upmixer on my receiver, but also switched to Dolby instead and like the results better.

The end credits for a lot of movies back in the day had a "Dolby Stereo Consultant" listed, and I suspect they were "steering" things during those mixes, so to speak, to keep things less aggressive and more "in line" with the mixing philosophies of the era (i.e., dead-center dialogue at all times)- although again, some filmmakers working with Dolby did their own thing anyway, and the Ultra Stereo mixes in general back then just seemed to be more "fun".

Vincent

 

[Lord Dalek]

I often find Ultra Stereo mixes to be "more active" than contemporaneous Dolby Stereo mixes. I think Ultra was trying to differentiate itself from Dolby, and Dolby kind of settled into being a more "subtle" format at some point (although there were exceptions and some filmmakers still got pretty aggressive with their Dolby mixes).

Vincent

Weird then that the 5.1 on Cobra sounds so damn muted.

 

[Vincent_P]

Weird then that the 5.1 on Cobra sounds so damn muted.

The 5.1 would be a remix, no?

Vincent

 

[Lord Dalek]

The 5.1 would be a remix, no?

Vincent

Or an upmix. It was the only UltraStereo film released with 70mm prints.

 

[Vincent_P]

No doubt there are exceptions across all formats. I was talking generally re: how I often find Ultra Stereo mixes to sound to me when decoded to surround vs. a lot of the Dolby mixes from back then. I even made the point that there were very aggressive Dolby matrix mixes at the time, so it wasn't EVERY film released in the format.

Vincent

 

[Malcolm Bmoor]

The new WEST SIDE STORY has terrific sound and the opening is highly impressive. I've played the AMERICA sequence a few times to demonstrate my system of projection and 5.1. I don't have 4K and atmos.

The first time I watched MASTER & COMMANDER, from DVD, in my previous home surrounded by neighbours in flats above, below and either side, the first surprise cannon impact left me deeply shocked and repentant.