Unlike the Universal blu-ray for the first film, this Universal blu-ray sounds decent - less sonic noise reduction on it than on the Legacy DVD.
I don't know how any of the pre-Legacy DVDs or the LaserDiscs sound.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Possession (1981)
The Second Sight and Mondo Vision blu-rays sound the same, which is very good.
Interestingly, Zulawski's commentary has a slight treble boost on the Mondo Vision, but sounds neutral on the Second Sight.
Interestingly, Zulawski's commentary has a slight treble boost on the Mondo Vision, but sounds neutral on the Second Sight.
The Great Dictator (1940)
Criterion booklet:
My point of reference here is the English mono track from the German Kinowelt blu-ray. It has the full frequency range of L.E. Diapason's restoration seemingly intact. But, it seems Kinowelt applied some compression to the track during authoring.
In my book, compression is a lesser evil than noise reduction, especially when it's this light. (Anyone who disagrees probably hasn't volume-matched both tracks properly -- the Kinowelt is several dBs louder, and a negative gain must be applied to compare it!) You should know, too, that zoomed-out waveforms tend to make any amount of dynamic range compression look worse than it actually is.
Still, I'm hoping one of the MK2, Park Circus, or Artificial Eye blu-rays will be free of both problems.
"The monaural soundtrack was transferred at 24-bit from the sound negative and restored by L.E. Diapason using Pro Tools and Cedar. Additional restoration was done at Criterion, where clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."Once again, this 'additional restoration' was completely unnecessary, and has done far more harm than good. The film's extreme low frequencies have been removed non-selectively, and planes (especially) sound weaker. However, hiss/noise reduction of the high frequencies is the bigger problem, since all dialogue now sounds more muffled and the opening credits' fanfare loses a good chunk of its brassy impact. The Criterion just has a 'dead' quality to it.
My point of reference here is the English mono track from the German Kinowelt blu-ray. It has the full frequency range of L.E. Diapason's restoration seemingly intact. But, it seems Kinowelt applied some compression to the track during authoring.
Still, I'm hoping one of the MK2, Park Circus, or Artificial Eye blu-rays will be free of both problems.
Friday, 23 September 2016
It Happened One Night (1934)
Criterion booklet:
The Criterion has less high-frequency crackle marking its dialogue, but is also a bit more muffled and less detailed.
I for one am satisfied with the track Sony's restoration team produced, and I wish Criterion had been too.
Both tracks are huge improvements over those on previous DVDs.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original nitrate optical soundtrack and a 35mm nitrate print. The soundtrack was restored by Sony Pictures, with additional restoration by the Criterion Collection. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX 3.This 'additional restoration' was completely unnecessary, as I prefer the 192 kbps AC-3 track on the Sony blu-ray to the LPCM one on the Criterion. The differences are relatively minor.
The Criterion has less high-frequency crackle marking its dialogue, but is also a bit more muffled and less detailed.
I for one am satisfied with the track Sony's restoration team produced, and I wish Criterion had been too.
Both tracks are huge improvements over those on previous DVDs.
La chienne (1931)
From the Cinémathèque Française:
Noise reduction has been applied -- enough to quality as extreme noise reduction -- and the dialogue and music sound muffled. Ambient street sounds are mostly gone, or at least attenuated to the point of being too faint to be audible at normal volumes.
The French M6 Vidéo blu-ray* presents L.E. Diapason's sound restoration without any downstream filtering. It sounds much more detailed than the Criterion and is not muffled.
*This disc does not have English subtitles. It also has one redundant stray black frame at 01:13:21.
The Bitch was restored in 2014 by Les Films du Jeudi and La Cinémathèque française, with support from the CNC and the Franco-American Cultural Fund - DGA - MPA - SACEM – WGAW.
The restoration of the sound was carried out at the L.E. Diapason studio in order to recover the intelligibility of the dialogues whilst preserving the sound of the film typical of the beginnings of speaking films.From the Criterion booklet:
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm optical soundtrack negative and restored by L.E. Diapason.One should expect a track taken straight from the 35mm optical soundtrack negative to sound better than it does on the Criterion blu-ray, which does not present the soundtrack restoration as L.E. Diapason intended.
Noise reduction has been applied -- enough to quality as extreme noise reduction -- and the dialogue and music sound muffled. Ambient street sounds are mostly gone, or at least attenuated to the point of being too faint to be audible at normal volumes.
The French M6 Vidéo blu-ray* presents L.E. Diapason's sound restoration without any downstream filtering. It sounds much more detailed than the Criterion and is not muffled.
Update (9/12/2021): Added the Opening DVD, as well as a comparison video. The DVD generally sounds better than the Criterion blu-ray despite being much noisier and sourced from higher-generation elements. The M6 blu-ray still sounds better overall, though.
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Carrie (1976)
The 5.1 remix is a dedicated mix, but not a very good one.
Fidelity is improved to the point of making some sounds (the score) annoyingly stick out, but dialogue is less tinny than it is in the original mono mix.
But some downright silly remixing decisions were made: In the gym scene about 22 minutes in, boatloads of additional reverb is applied to Miss Collins' dialogue. There are surely other differences, but I lost interest looking for them because the mono is a better mix and it sounds fine on the Shout blu-ray.
Fidelity is improved to the point of making some sounds (the score) annoyingly stick out, but dialogue is less tinny than it is in the original mono mix.
But some downright silly remixing decisions were made: In the gym scene about 22 minutes in, boatloads of additional reverb is applied to Miss Collins' dialogue. There are surely other differences, but I lost interest looking for them because the mono is a better mix and it sounds fine on the Shout blu-ray.
High Noon (1952)
As with Johnny Guitar, the audio track on the new Olive Signature blu-ray is from the same A/D transfer as the track on the old Olive blu-ray.
Differences:
The new track has just a tiny bit more emphasis put on its high frequencies. This is very negligible.
The low frequencies, however, have been attenuated. But the old track is extremely bassy at times, so this adjustment isn't a bad thing, and the intermittent low-frequency warble that is audible throughout the old track is now gone. This sound is very faint on the old track, and probably can't be picked up by most speakers anyway, but its removal is a definite improvement.
Differences:
The new track has just a tiny bit more emphasis put on its high frequencies. This is very negligible.
The low frequencies, however, have been attenuated. But the old track is extremely bassy at times, so this adjustment isn't a bad thing, and the intermittent low-frequency warble that is audible throughout the old track is now gone. This sound is very faint on the old track, and probably can't be picked up by most speakers anyway, but its removal is a definite improvement.
Monday, 19 September 2016
Johnny Guitar (1954)
The audio track on the new Olive Signature blu-ray is the same transfer as the one that was on the old one. This isn't a bad thing, because while the picture was a waxy, unstable, non-OAR mess on the first pressing, the audio was fine.
Differences:
The new track is 24-bit, while the old one was 16. This doesn't mean anything to me, frankly, because it's the least significant factor at play.
High frequencies on the new track have been attenuated very slightly, and the subtle high-frequency crackle that marked the dialogue is now gone. This 'distortion', however, was extremely minor on the old track, and you really need to crank it to an unruly volume to be able to discern any of it. Consequently, some detail has now disappeared. This doesn't have a tremendous effect overall, but all musical moments--the closing score, especially! (this is very audible!)--lose some sparkle in their strings.
The only other real difference is that the music for the opening Republic Pictures logo has now been spliced in from another source. A better one - it's cleaner and a lot more detailed. If you look closely at the new track's spectrals, you can see exactly where the edit has been made. The edit is aurally seamless.
*The two tracks are of slightly different volume, but this was accounted for during my comparisons.
Differences:
The new track is 24-bit, while the old one was 16. This doesn't mean anything to me, frankly, because it's the least significant factor at play.
High frequencies on the new track have been attenuated very slightly, and the subtle high-frequency crackle that marked the dialogue is now gone. This 'distortion', however, was extremely minor on the old track, and you really need to crank it to an unruly volume to be able to discern any of it. Consequently, some detail has now disappeared. This doesn't have a tremendous effect overall, but all musical moments--the closing score, especially! (this is very audible!)--lose some sparkle in their strings.
The only other real difference is that the music for the opening Republic Pictures logo has now been spliced in from another source. A better one - it's cleaner and a lot more detailed. If you look closely at the new track's spectrals, you can see exactly where the edit has been made. The edit is aurally seamless.
*The two tracks are of slightly different volume, but this was accounted for during my comparisons.
Sunday, 18 September 2016
The Thing (1982)
35 mm prints of the film had a 2-track Dolby Stereo mix and the few 70 mm prints that circulated (there were literally six of them, according to producer Stuart Cohen) had a 70 mm 6-track Dolby Stereo mix.
Both mixes are present on the new Shout/Scream Factory blu-ray, and they both sound excellent. The 5.1 mix included was created sometime in the '90s for home video.
The 4.1 and 5.1 mixes are generally pretty similar. The differences usually come to subtle volume discrepancies in ambient sound effects. Fidelity is very slightly better on the 4.1, and Carpenter's score (especially) sounds like it has consistently more high-end extension than on the 5.1.
As a point of interest, the Signature Collection LaserDisc of the film that was released in 1997 or 1998 contains a 2.0 stereo track that's either a downmix of the 6-track or possibly of the then-newly created 5.1 mix.
As a point of interest, the Signature Collection LaserDisc of the film that was released in 1997 or 1998 contains a 2.0 stereo track that's either a downmix of the 6-track or possibly of the then-newly created 5.1 mix.
The original 2-track mix has never before appeared on digital home video -- this Shout disc marks its debut. It is perhaps the most 'original' of the three, having been created first (according to Cohen), and being what the vast majority of audiences heard in 1982. It's a bit more subdued and has fewer fewer ambient effects (usually the sound of wind in outdoor scenes), but its presentation here sounds very, very good.
Thursday, 15 September 2016
Ikiru (1952)
Both the Toho and Criterion blu-ray audio tracks have been cleaned up quite a bit, but Criterion did a better job of it. Its noise floor is lower and its bass frequencies are intact. The complete absence of these frequencies on the Toho is most noticeable with all music and during the scene exactly 2 hours into the film -- the rumble of the tractor has been wiped out on the Toho. Both tracks have had their high-end subjected to noise reduction, at the expense of some dialogue clarity.
The opening music demonstrates the biggest difference - the upper brass notes have been chopped off due to noise reduction on the Criterion blu-ray, whereas on the Criterion DVD they're vibrant (albeit distorted) and much more alive. Both tracks were no doubt originally transferred from the same limited optical elements--and it's actually quite likely that they're the exact same transfer, only with different post-processing/mastering--but the dialogue on the DVD sounds less hollow. The differences here aren't nearly as discernible as they are with the flawed Shochiku restorations, but they are still audible.
Bass frequencies on the DVD are intact and quieter than on the blu-ray, and it's obvious to me that they were EQed to be more prominent on the blu-ray.
I should emphasise that the DVD audio is very hissy and has a substantial amount of 'selective crackle' marking all dialogue. Still, I much prefer it for its untampered-with high-frequency detail, warts and all.
Bass frequencies on the DVD are intact and quieter than on the blu-ray, and it's obvious to me that they were EQed to be more prominent on the blu-ray.
I should emphasise that the DVD audio is very hissy and has a substantial amount of 'selective crackle' marking all dialogue. Still, I much prefer it for its untampered-with high-frequency detail, warts and all.
Update (8/26/2021): Added the BFI blu-ray and Amazon/BFI Player download. Both are the same mastering and sound better than the Criterion DVD.
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
The Conformist (1970)
Funky spectrals aside, the Italian mono track on the American Raro blu-ray sounds good. The track on the Italian Raro blu-ray is digitally identical (despite its DNRed video being anything but).
The audio track on the old Paramount DVD sounds much less detailed than the Raro one, as does the track on the older Arrow blu-ray. The Paramount has an almost monstrous amount of bass--not in a good way--and sounds muffled. The Arrow is even more muffled and has audibly less dynamic range than both.
French Dub
Trintignant's and Sanda's own voices can be heard on the French dub, albeit still dubbed of course. This track is only available on the Italian Raro blu-ray and on the Paramount DVD, and it sounds better on the former. It can be synced to the American Raro blu-ray from the Italian one without any delay.
At times, there is significantly more high-end detail--real detail--in the French dub than on the Italian track. But the French track has a very high noise floor throughout the entire film (which the Paramount tries to reduce, to the detriment of clarity) and hardly any bass.
The audio track on the old Paramount DVD sounds much less detailed than the Raro one, as does the track on the older Arrow blu-ray. The Paramount has an almost monstrous amount of bass--not in a good way--and sounds muffled. The Arrow is even more muffled and has audibly less dynamic range than both.
French Dub
Trintignant's and Sanda's own voices can be heard on the French dub, albeit still dubbed of course. This track is only available on the Italian Raro blu-ray and on the Paramount DVD, and it sounds better on the former. It can be synced to the American Raro blu-ray from the Italian one without any delay.
At times, there is significantly more high-end detail--real detail--in the French dub than on the Italian track. But the French track has a very high noise floor throughout the entire film (which the Paramount tries to reduce, to the detriment of clarity) and hardly any bass.
Tuesday, 13 September 2016
Early Summer (1951)
While the video on the 2016 Shochiku blu-ray (made from the new 4K restoration) is mostly* pristine, the audio is utterly devoid of all vitality.
All frequencies above ~5 kHz are gone in an attempt to rid the track of its high-frequency distortion. There are plenty of age-related issues present on the BFI track, the most intrusive of which is probably the crackle that underlies all dialogue, but its removal should have been done delicately (i.e. conservatively) or not at all. High-pass filtering has also removed bass frequencies, so male voices and especially the music--listen to the final notes of the score as the film ends--sound utterly dreadful.
All frequencies above ~5 kHz are gone in an attempt to rid the track of its high-frequency distortion. There are plenty of age-related issues present on the BFI track, the most intrusive of which is probably the crackle that underlies all dialogue, but its removal should have been done delicately (i.e. conservatively) or not at all. High-pass filtering has also removed bass frequencies, so male voices and especially the music--listen to the final notes of the score as the film ends--sound utterly dreadful.
All dialogue, music, and sound effects are affected.
How anyone in the business believes this sounds better is beyond me.
But when Criterion inevitably uses the same master to produce some future blu-ray and the disc is eventually reviewed, I'm sure it'll receive positive feedback on the audio front, commending its lack of hiss and improvement in depth.
The old Criterion DVD was sourced from the same master as the BFI blu-ray. Its audio sounds like the BFI.
--
*Most of the film looks like this:
...which is to say fantastic.
But one sequence looks like this:
...showing evidence of heavy DNR. This lasts for 30 seconds, so I assume some dupey element had to be used for just this one bit. I don't understand why its grain had to be scrubbed away and replaced with fine noise to match the rest of the film, though. Not to this extent, at least.
For the hell of it, here are two stability comparisons with the new restoration: 1, 2
Monday, 12 September 2016
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
This is a good example that proves how sometimes you need more than frequency spectrals to determine whether one track sounds better than another.
Both the Koch Media and Arrow audio tracks sound like they received little/any high- or low- frequency attenuation, but the audio on the new restoration is much more detailed. It's likely that it was transferred from different (superior) analogue elements. It sounds excellent.
Both the Koch Media and Arrow audio tracks sound like they received little/any high- or low- frequency attenuation, but the audio on the new restoration is much more detailed. It's likely that it was transferred from different (superior) analogue elements. It sounds excellent.
Saturday, 10 September 2016
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939)
The audio track on the new Shochiku blu-ray of the recent 4K restoration has been heavily processed in an attempt to scrub it clean of high-frequency hiss and crackle. Ironically, what's left sounds dirtier and grungier than before, the low-frequency distortion now much more prominent in the mix.
Voices are far less natural, music no longer sounds like music, and it's difficult to discern exactly what's going on in the film without relying exclusively on subtitles.
The Artificial Eye blu-ray's audio track sounds superb. From my experience comparing Shochiku's other recent audio clean-up jobs, I must conclude that both audio tracks were probably from the same analogue source, and that the differences here should be attributed to irresponsible digital processing.
The little gaps in the AE track are actually silence, usually during scene changes (suggesting that the AE team had to do some sync work), but none are truly noticeable.
Here's a direct comparison for your viewing displeasure:
Voices are far less natural, music no longer sounds like music, and it's difficult to discern exactly what's going on in the film without relying exclusively on subtitles.
The Artificial Eye blu-ray's audio track sounds superb. From my experience comparing Shochiku's other recent audio clean-up jobs, I must conclude that both audio tracks were probably from the same analogue source, and that the differences here should be attributed to irresponsible digital processing.
The little gaps in the AE track are actually silence, usually during scene changes (suggesting that the AE team had to do some sync work), but none are truly noticeable.
Here's a direct comparison for your viewing displeasure:
(The video is from the Shochiku disc only.)
Friday, 9 September 2016
Woman in the Dunes (1964)
Both being from the same master, the Criterion BD and DVD audio tracks are generally pretty similar; however, there is some additional noise reduction on the blu-ray audio, along with some needless low-frequency filtering.
The drums in one scene no longer pound with as much force as they did on the DVD, and some dialogue is now more muffled. Interestingly, the sound of wind in the final third or so of the film is now a bit louder--possibly EQ on the BD, but it could also have been attenuated somehow on the DVD. Either way, I still prefer the 192 kbps AC-3 track on the DVD (synced with a +1877ms delay).
The drums in one scene no longer pound with as much force as they did on the DVD, and some dialogue is now more muffled. Interestingly, the sound of wind in the final third or so of the film is now a bit louder--possibly EQ on the BD, but it could also have been attenuated somehow on the DVD. Either way, I still prefer the 192 kbps AC-3 track on the DVD (synced with a +1877ms delay).
Withnail & I (1987)
The 5.1 track on the Anchor Bay/Starz blu-ray is not a dedicated mix -- it appears to have been derived from the original mono track. Its dialogue is especially irritating, being spread to every channel and thus having a garbled and echo-y quality to it.
The original mono mix on the restored Arrow blu-ray is much better.
The original mono mix on the restored Arrow blu-ray is much better.
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Some moderate noise reduction on the Criterion blu-ray, but not too much to be too destructive to the dialogue.
The StudioCanal blu-ray, unfortunately, has even bigger problems, despite having a 'fuller' spectrum of frequencies reaching well beyond the ~11 kHz roll-off on the Criterion: it's been peak-limited to absolutely abysmal (and totally audible) levels.
The StudioCanal blu-ray, unfortunately, has even bigger problems, despite having a 'fuller' spectrum of frequencies reaching well beyond the ~11 kHz roll-off on the Criterion: it's been peak-limited to absolutely abysmal (and totally audible) levels.
West Side Story (1961)
70 mm prints of West Side Story had an amazingly bombastic 6-track audio mix. This mix was literally rediscovered just before the blu-ray’s release in 2011, but wasn’t used for the 7.1 mix that MGM included.
The included 7.1/5.1 is flawed. It’s been subjected to a fair bit of noise reduction, and both its high- and low-end have mostly vanished. Some really wonky EQ choices. Also, the whistle sounds that open the film are supposedly intended to sound from the rear, but on the 7.1/5.1, they’re heard from the front.
The 4.0 mix provided as a secondary option is an enormous improvement, and is likely a faithful representation of the film’s (35 mm) 4-track mix. It’s much more aggressive-sounding and actually has some life to it.
The included 7.1/5.1 is flawed. It’s been subjected to a fair bit of noise reduction, and both its high- and low-end have mostly vanished. Some really wonky EQ choices. Also, the whistle sounds that open the film are supposedly intended to sound from the rear, but on the 7.1/5.1, they’re heard from the front.
The 4.0 mix provided as a secondary option is an enormous improvement, and is likely a faithful representation of the film’s (35 mm) 4-track mix. It’s much more aggressive-sounding and actually has some life to it.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
The 5.1 mix on both the StudioCanal and Criterion discs differs from all 5.1 mixes available on the older releases (including the 2.0 on the Japanese Happinet blu-ray of the old restoration), and is certainly an improvement. It's a new mix that was created in 2013.
The original mono mix has never been issued on home video, despite several DVDs claiming to carry it in the past – those tracks are all stereo, and were made for the earlier (1992) restoration of the film. The film's original mono mix has survived (as you'd expect), and was used--according to the new restoration notes--as a reference for the new remix.
The 5.1 track on the Criterion blu-ray (or 5.0 track, rather, as the LFE is empty) has some light noise reduction, while the StudioCanal 5.1 track has none. As with Playtime (a similar case), this additional NR was completely unnecessary.
The StudioCanal track can be synced with a -16350 ms delay. The 2.0 track on the StudioCanal blu-ray is a new stereo mixdown.
I assume the two audio tracks on the Arte Video blu-ray (which also carries the new restoration) sound the same as the StudioCanal tracks.
The original mono mix has never been issued on home video, despite several DVDs claiming to carry it in the past – those tracks are all stereo, and were made for the earlier (1992) restoration of the film. The film's original mono mix has survived (as you'd expect), and was used--according to the new restoration notes--as a reference for the new remix.
The StudioCanal track can be synced with a -16350 ms delay. The 2.0 track on the StudioCanal blu-ray is a new stereo mixdown.
I assume the two audio tracks on the Arte Video blu-ray (which also carries the new restoration) sound the same as the StudioCanal tracks.
To Have and Have Not (1944)
The audio on the new Warner blu-ray appears to be from the same master from which the iTunes download (and probably the old DVD, too) was sourced. They both sound pretty much the same, and their spectrals also indicate as much.
So while the film's video did recently receive extensive restoration attention, the audio appears to have been carried over from the previous HD master.
So while the film's video did recently receive extensive restoration attention, the audio appears to have been carried over from the previous HD master.
Suspiria (1977)
Too many awful changes to list in the 5.1 mix. The original 4-track mix has never been released on home video, which is a shame because it’s supposedly one of the 'great' multichannel mixes. A 2.0 downmix of it is available on the LaserDiscs, and the Japanese LaserDisc is apparently the best.
To summarise:
- The music in the original mix is intentionally very LOUD and is meant to knock the wind out of you; yet, it’s sometimes barely audible on the remix, where it’s usually overpowered by sound effects and dialogue (both of which are often missing throughout the film).
- Missing music: The track “Whispers and Sighs” is completely missing from the remix just before the first murder
- I’m sure there are many more. I haven’t the time to compare, and I’d recommend just waiting for Synapse’s (hopefully definitive) restoration
To summarise:
- The music in the original mix is intentionally very LOUD and is meant to knock the wind out of you; yet, it’s sometimes barely audible on the remix, where it’s usually overpowered by sound effects and dialogue (both of which are often missing throughout the film).
- Missing music: The track “Whispers and Sighs” is completely missing from the remix just before the first murder
- I’m sure there are many more. I haven’t the time to compare, and I’d recommend just waiting for Synapse’s (hopefully definitive) restoration
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Between the Criterion and Arrow blu-rays, the audio on the Criterion has some additional (downstream of the restoration) noise reduction, while the Arrow track does not. The Arrow's quite a bit better.
Marketa Lazarová (1967)
Some mild noise reduction was applied by Criterion to the audio track on their blu-ray, while the track on the Czech National Film Archive disc remains retains more high-frequency detail.
The Czech track requires a +22022 ms delay to sync to the Criterion disc. It's also missing one frame in the middle of the frame (big deal!).
As an aside, a handful of shots (not scenes) have had their luminance levels adjusted on the Czech disc, oddly, and some amount of fine shadow detail has been lost. Also, video compression isn't necessarily better on the Czech blu-ray despite its higher bitrate.
The Czech track requires a +22022 ms delay to sync to the Criterion disc. It's also missing one frame in the middle of the frame (big deal!).
As an aside, a handful of shots (not scenes) have had their luminance levels adjusted on the Czech disc, oddly, and some amount of fine shadow detail has been lost. Also, video compression isn't necessarily better on the Czech blu-ray despite its higher bitrate.
Thursday, 8 September 2016
Vertigo (1958)
The 5.1 remix on the DVDs is one of the worst remixes ever made. Fortunately, the studio took notice of the vehement complaints made after its release and chose to rectify the most glaring issues (modernised gunshots) for the blu-ray’s surround mix.
The 5.1 mix on the blu-ray sounds murky. Despite being a legitimate remix, it's clearly been subjected to a fair amount of noise reduction along the way (most likely during its mastering, to the entire track after it had been mixed). I say this because not only is the dialogue and other stuff that would have been recorded on-set muffled (the bits that are usually hissiest), but everything is muffled -- including Herrmann's score. It's odd for the music in a true remix to be as murky as it is here, given that restorers Robert Harris and James Katz used the original performance elements of Herrmann's score to create the remix (...according to them in the 1997 'Obsessed with Vertigo' restoration doc).
The detail on the DTS mono track on the US blu-ray is astonishing. There is certainly a more-than-usual amount of hiss present--but this is understandable given the age of the film at this point--and it sounds like very little processing work was done to it at all after it had been initially restored.
As for mixing differences, I did catch a couple instances where the music cues go on slightly longer in the remix. The added foley effects have indeed been turned down a notch compared to the old DVD surround mix, with new sounds now being limited mainly to ambient street effects. Some reverb has been added to Stewart's and Novak's dialogue at the end in the tower, too. There are surely many other differences (although in its new rendition here, it isn't a bad remix by any means), but I haven't the interest to continue comparing it, because...
The mono wipes the floor with the 5.1. It's better in every possible way fidelity-wise (again, I can't help but marvel at the dynamics and power the score has here--it now has bass!). And I can't imagine why anyone would prefer the 5.1, since any added multichannel separation the remix brings is severely hampered by its atrocious fidelity.
The 5.1 mix on the blu-ray sounds murky. Despite being a legitimate remix, it's clearly been subjected to a fair amount of noise reduction along the way (most likely during its mastering, to the entire track after it had been mixed). I say this because not only is the dialogue and other stuff that would have been recorded on-set muffled (the bits that are usually hissiest), but everything is muffled -- including Herrmann's score. It's odd for the music in a true remix to be as murky as it is here, given that restorers Robert Harris and James Katz used the original performance elements of Herrmann's score to create the remix (...according to them in the 1997 'Obsessed with Vertigo' restoration doc).
The detail on the DTS mono track on the US blu-ray is astonishing. There is certainly a more-than-usual amount of hiss present--but this is understandable given the age of the film at this point--and it sounds like very little processing work was done to it at all after it had been initially restored.
As for mixing differences, I did catch a couple instances where the music cues go on slightly longer in the remix. The added foley effects have indeed been turned down a notch compared to the old DVD surround mix, with new sounds now being limited mainly to ambient street effects. Some reverb has been added to Stewart's and Novak's dialogue at the end in the tower, too. There are surely many other differences (although in its new rendition here, it isn't a bad remix by any means), but I haven't the interest to continue comparing it, because...
The mono wipes the floor with the 5.1. It's better in every possible way fidelity-wise (again, I can't help but marvel at the dynamics and power the score has here--it now has bass!). And I can't imagine why anyone would prefer the 5.1, since any added multichannel separation the remix brings is severely hampered by its atrocious fidelity.
Shadows (1959)
All of these sound pretty mediocre.
1998 Pioneer LaserDisc [PSE98-165]: The most aggressively filtered among these - very muffled.
2004 Criterion DVD: Still loads of noise reduction, but high-frequency sounds are better preserved than on the LD. This was mastered by Audio Mechanics.
2012 BFI Blu-ray: Identical to the Criterion DVD.
2013 Criterion Blu-ray: More rolled off (EQ) than the Criterion DVD and BFI blu-ray, but otherwise similar. It's derived from the same old Audio Mechanics mastering.
8/15/2022: Added the Pioneer LaserDisc and Criterion DVD
The Sound of Music (1965)
One of the best-looking blu-rays ever, right? Well, even video-wise, whether it's a faithful representation of what a 70 mm print ought to look like (particularly with regards to how colours are represented) has actually been fiercely contested by some of the film's more hardcore fans (one of whom, incidentally, is also a restoration expert of sorts: see Joe Caps's sometimes-unintelligible-but-still-insightful posts in Robert Harris's BD review thread at the Home Theater Forum).
The superb original Todd-AO sound mix had five front channels and one surround channel. It sounded awesome, and I can attest to this personally having seen a vintage 70 mm print of it a few years ago.
Not that the 7.1/5.1 on the blu-ray sounds bad. Far from it. However, it isn't faithful to the original mix, and has a few SFX changes. Perhaps most notably, Maria's apron slap during the opening title song is absent. Switch to the French/Spanish (I believe) tracks and you'll hear it – they're more faithful to the original mix (dialogue excepted), despite not being lossless.
I've compared the 5.0 mix present on the 40th anniversary DVD to the new blu-ray remix, and the 5.0 has the apron slap, as well as a few other subtle differences: the faint sound of running water in outdoor scenes is absent on the blu-ray, and modernised thunder and rain effects have been added just before the My Favourite Things sequence.
The blu-ray also contains a 4.0 English mix, which appears to be derived from the new remix. Both it and the 7.1/5.1 have been subjected to noise reduction, and consequently some of the energy has been sapped out of the dialogue, effects, and music. It's unfortunate, given how carefully constructed sound is in this film.
The 448 kbps 5.0 mix from the 40th anniversary DVD hasn't been filtered as egregiously (if at all), and sounds wonderful. Or, alternatively, if you have the blu-ray, swap between the English tracks and the Spanish one and discover what the 'sound of music' really ought to sound like.
The superb original Todd-AO sound mix had five front channels and one surround channel. It sounded awesome, and I can attest to this personally having seen a vintage 70 mm print of it a few years ago.
Not that the 7.1/5.1 on the blu-ray sounds bad. Far from it. However, it isn't faithful to the original mix, and has a few SFX changes. Perhaps most notably, Maria's apron slap during the opening title song is absent. Switch to the French/Spanish (I believe) tracks and you'll hear it – they're more faithful to the original mix (dialogue excepted), despite not being lossless.
I've compared the 5.0 mix present on the 40th anniversary DVD to the new blu-ray remix, and the 5.0 has the apron slap, as well as a few other subtle differences: the faint sound of running water in outdoor scenes is absent on the blu-ray, and modernised thunder and rain effects have been added just before the My Favourite Things sequence.
The blu-ray also contains a 4.0 English mix, which appears to be derived from the new remix. Both it and the 7.1/5.1 have been subjected to noise reduction, and consequently some of the energy has been sapped out of the dialogue, effects, and music. It's unfortunate, given how carefully constructed sound is in this film.
The 448 kbps 5.0 mix from the 40th anniversary DVD hasn't been filtered as egregiously (if at all), and sounds wonderful. Or, alternatively, if you have the blu-ray, swap between the English tracks and the Spanish one and discover what the 'sound of music' really ought to sound like.
Seconds (1966)
The mono tracks on the Criterion and Masters of Cinema blu-rays sound exactly the same. Digital analysis confirms.
Rocky (1976)
On the "newly restored" blu-ray: The 5.1 mix has no NR and much better overall fidelity, but it is a poor remix. It's unbalanced, with lots of new added foley, and it was subjected to some downright silly choices like adding reverb to the voices in the parking lot ~27 minutes in. I prefer the lossy mono track also provided on the disc, even despite its heavy filtering.
Red Desert (1964)
The mono on the BFI blu-ray is extremely no-noised, sounding very dead overall. The Criterion blu-ray's audio has its upper frequencies mostly intact, but has some of its lower ones filtered out, attenuating some ambient sound effects slightly. I prefer the Criterion by a significant margin, but both are disappointing.
Rashomon (1950)
The mono track on the Criterion blu-ray is so bad that, had its horribleness been realised by reviewers around the time of its release, a recall may actually have been possible.
Ambient effects (insects, the rustling of leaves, rain) have been obliterated entirely from the Criterion blu-ray, and all dialogue sounds incredibly muffled and hollow - so much so that at first I thought these were somehow two different mixes. However, traces of the obliterated sounds can still be heard faintly on the Criterion from time to time. The audio track on the Japanese Kadokawa blu-ray is WORLDS better. The recent BFI blu-ray is reportedly similar, although I've yet to personally confirm that.
Ambient effects (insects, the rustling of leaves, rain) have been obliterated entirely from the Criterion blu-ray, and all dialogue sounds incredibly muffled and hollow - so much so that at first I thought these were somehow two different mixes. However, traces of the obliterated sounds can still be heard faintly on the Criterion from time to time. The audio track on the Japanese Kadokawa blu-ray is WORLDS better. The recent BFI blu-ray is reportedly similar, although I've yet to personally confirm that.
Psycho (1960)
Hitchcock’s precise use of silence in his films ought to demand greater respect from remixing teams. If he chose not to include some sound effect in a scene, it's likely that he did so purposefully.
Unfortunately, the 5.1 mix of Psycho is often comically bad. It adds sound effects purely for the sake of having sound effects (presumably so the viewer can now be dazzled by how active his or her new surround speakers can be!).
All throughout the film, in just about every scene, new effects are present. The most distracting example is the shower scene (of course!), where creaky faucet sounds and modernised water Foley have been added needlessly.
The mono’s available losslessly on the UK blu-ray and in lossily (DTS) on the US blu-ray.
Unfortunately, the 5.1 mix of Psycho is often comically bad. It adds sound effects purely for the sake of having sound effects (presumably so the viewer can now be dazzled by how active his or her new surround speakers can be!).
All throughout the film, in just about every scene, new effects are present. The most distracting example is the shower scene (of course!), where creaky faucet sounds and modernised water Foley have been added needlessly.
The mono’s available losslessly on the UK blu-ray and in lossily (DTS) on the US blu-ray.
Playtime (1967)
This glorious production had both a 6- and 4-track mix for its original 70 and 35 mm showings, respectively. The old Criterion/BFI blu-rays are sourced from masters that weren’t struck from the negative, and I think it’s a pretty fair to assume that the audio was treated similarly. The audio on the new restoration is a big improvement in every possible way, and presumably comes from one of the original mixes--no idea which. The StudioCanal BD has both a 3.0 and 2.0 audio track, but that 2.0 is just a mixdown of the 3.0. Criterion also tend not to include fold-downs on their releases (evident here and with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), so their disc only has a 3.0 track.
The Criterion 3.0 has been hit by some moderate noise reduction (and for no real reason – there was hardly any hiss anyway), while the StudioCanal has more high frequency detail and therefore possesses greater clarity.
The Criterion 3.0 has been hit by some moderate noise reduction (and for no real reason – there was hardly any hiss anyway), while the StudioCanal has more high frequency detail and therefore possesses greater clarity.
Persona (1966)
Between the StudioCanal and Criterion blu-rays: The Criterion generally has more noise reduction applied to it, but StudioCanal used some other filtering carelessly, attenuating the sound of wind in outdoor scenes. At times, the StudioCanal track sounds wonderful and much more vibrant than the Criterion track.
Also, it's possible that Criterion boosted the high frequencies a bit on theirs (in addition to the noise reduction -- a terrible combination), so the track sounds extremely bright overall. Oh well.
Also, it's possible that Criterion boosted the high frequencies a bit on theirs (in addition to the noise reduction -- a terrible combination), so the track sounds extremely bright overall. Oh well.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
The 5.1 is basically mono and sounds decent overall, but has some phase issues.
The mono has no such problems, and is only available on the US blu-ray. Neither sounds great, but the mono is the better option.
The mono has no such problems, and is only available on the US blu-ray. Neither sounds great, but the mono is the better option.
The Party (1968)
The original mono mix is available on the US blu-ray, but not the European one. The European disc has a 5.1 mix, which is a legitimate mix, but I much prefer the mono. The 5.1 has the dialogue, at times, buried deep in the mix and the music sounds extremely subdued -- not party-like at all, you might say. The music is spread among the rear channels, but it's also biased heavily to the right for some odd reason and it remains that way throughout the entire film. Sounds like something went wrong.
Anyway, the original mix is much better and it also sounds excellent on the US blu-ray. It requires a -6673 ms delay to sync to the European disc.
Anyway, the original mix is much better and it also sounds excellent on the US blu-ray. It requires a -6673 ms delay to sync to the European disc.
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
While watching the Criterion blu-ray, two things were immediately obvious: 1) this disc comes from the same restoration (with a few 'tweaks') as the Universal DVD; 2) the Universal DVD sounded a lot better. Putting two and two together, one would expect the BD to sync to the DVD with ease. And it does - add a 14973ms delay to the Universal DVD to sync its vastly superior 192 kbps AC-3 mono track to the Criterion BD.
Noise reduction is at play once again, and this time it has had an especially disastrous effect on dialogue. It's pretty audible (unlike the rumble filter that's also been applied), with the actors' voices sounding a lot more buried in the mix than they ought to be.
Noise reduction is at play once again, and this time it has had an especially disastrous effect on dialogue. It's pretty audible (unlike the rumble filter that's also been applied), with the actors' voices sounding a lot more buried in the mix than they ought to be.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
The 5.1 mix is an abomination. Quite hilariously, the front dialogue is directional, which is extremely odd for a modern remix. But wait, it also has many distracting phase issues! And lots of new Foley and other absurd effect changes!
Overall, this is one of the worst Bond remixes, which is really saying something.
Overall, this is one of the worst Bond remixes, which is really saying something.
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
The audio tracks on the Criterion and TCM Vault blu-rays sound the same.
My Fair Lady (1964)
Not a comparison, but the audio on the new blu-ray sounds fabulous, and the following information from Robert A. Harris is reassuring:
There were originally three sets of tracks. A monaural mix for 35mm optical prints, a 4-track mix for magnetic 35mm prints, and a 6-track 70mm fully discreet mix.The 70mm mag tracks are set up for standard Todd-AO audio with five discreet channels behind the screen, plus a sixth effects channel, also discreet, used for almost the entire show.The new 7.1 (actually 7.0), derived from the original 6-track fullcoat masters, replicates the original mix as closely as possible. A great deal of effort went into extracting the high frequency information lacking in earlier incarnations. The new audio master fully reproduces the entire audio spectrum, as heard in 1964.The audio situation was also problematic. We had found about half of the four-track magnetic full coat, and the entire six-track original less one reel, which had been duplicated. There was no ex copy, and those tracks were getting old and vinegary. The first thing we did with the original audio was to make an ex copy of the original show and then the re-recording we did was made from that ex copy. So the reality of the situation was the audio we ended up with in 1994 as our master was third generation at best and fourth generation for one reel…and what people were hearing on the 70mm prints at that point were fourth and fifth generation. So audio was affected. It sounded great but it could have been better.In 1994 we had taken all of the audio elements and done preservation via a two-inch tape, but in 2014 we ran into problems. It seems there was a bad run of tape and they would not run without being baked - which is the way that you get old tapes to run. And basically, in league with CBS, which was extremely keen about asset protection, we decided to go back to all of the original audio materials which we were doing anyway for the six track, but to take all of the quarter inch, anything that was saved back in 1994, rehearsal audio, Audrey Hepburn’s vocals, Marni Nixon's tests - all of that were now saved again as data digitally.One of the things that had changed was that Mags had started to go slightly more vinegar, so we had to try to get an audio image harvested from those. For that we went to a company called Audio Mechanics, and they did a wonderful job. Nick Bergh (of Endpoint Audio Labs) did the actual transfers from the originals, on special equipment he’d created for shrunken, vinegary mag. We were able to take those original six tracks from 1964 less the one that was probably made around 1970 and harvest the audio information from those in 96k, and did a re-recording in 96k. Being that it's all digital there's zero loss. So what people are going to hear on the new CBS Paramount Blu-ray is a representation of the original track from the original 1964 full coat mags. They will be heard for the first time in 50 years, including one anomaly that we call the “ghost on the stairway,” which is a slight echo and lasts only a second or two, in the sequence before the intermission. In the past, it was hidden by the number of generations the audio had gone through, but now you can hear it and we felt it was there, we're going to leave it.
12/5/2023: The UHD sounds great. Its frequency response is comparable to, if not better than, the 1996 Fox LaserDisc [0897385].
Mildred Pierce (1945)
At the moment, the DVD is the only way to go here. The iTunes download has a high-pass filter applied to its audio (for no apparent reason) and is consequently missing a massive amount of low-frequency information. It sounds much less 'full' -- more tinny and screechy.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
This one is frustrating because between the original mono mix on the R1 Warner DVD and the 5.0 on the Blu-ray, the former is a better mix and the latter has better fidelity.
The mono is extremely hissy and appears to have gone without additional clean-up, and I imagine it was transferred when this restoration was conducted (given that it syncs perfectly with a +1001ms delay). It's severely missing bass, though, which becomes especially evident during the musical sequences, and the high-end is consistently crackly. Anything brass, in particular, distorts like mad.
In contrast, the 'surround' mix is much cleaner and offers a much more immediate and fuller musical experience, but it could clearly be better separated. It was likely derived from the mono, and there's a tonne of bleed among the channels. As a result, everything--especially dialogue--sounds somewhat hollow and murky. It's very significant and anyone should be able to hear it--it absolutely does detract from one's viewing experience. Yet, the poor fidelity of the mono is enough to make the 5.0 worth preferring, flaws and all.
The mono is extremely hissy and appears to have gone without additional clean-up, and I imagine it was transferred when this restoration was conducted (given that it syncs perfectly with a +1001ms delay). It's severely missing bass, though, which becomes especially evident during the musical sequences, and the high-end is consistently crackly. Anything brass, in particular, distorts like mad.
In contrast, the 'surround' mix is much cleaner and offers a much more immediate and fuller musical experience, but it could clearly be better separated. It was likely derived from the mono, and there's a tonne of bleed among the channels. As a result, everything--especially dialogue--sounds somewhat hollow and murky. It's very significant and anyone should be able to hear it--it absolutely does detract from one's viewing experience. Yet, the poor fidelity of the mono is enough to make the 5.0 worth preferring, flaws and all.
MASH (1970)
Only a couple music cues in the 5.1 mix are sourced from the original elements, and everything else is basically mono and sounds quite out of place as a result. It’s also been no-noised and consequently sounds extremely muffled.
The hissy 192 kbps mono from the DVDs sounds worlds better than the 5.1 on the blu-ray, and can be synced frame-accurately with a quick delay/trim. No idea how the 224 kbps mono on the US blu-ray sounds, as I only have the European one, but one should hope that its fidelity is more similar to the mono on the DVD than the 5.1 on the blu-ray.
The hissy 192 kbps mono from the DVDs sounds worlds better than the 5.1 on the blu-ray, and can be synced frame-accurately with a quick delay/trim. No idea how the 224 kbps mono on the US blu-ray sounds, as I only have the European one, but one should hope that its fidelity is more similar to the mono on the DVD than the 5.1 on the blu-ray.
Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
Two audio tracks were provided on the Criterion blu-ray (and DVD): a restored track, and an unrestored track included at the request of Alain Resnais.
Resnais (bless him), insisted that the unrestored version be included because he believed that any restoration would attenuate high frequencies and thus also decrease detail. Fortunately, and perhaps because Resnais was so closely involved in the transfer for this blu-ray, Criterion haven't applied much noise reduction at all.
The restored track is nearly as hissy as the unrestored one, but crackles, etc. have been removed. It was done very well.
Resnais (bless him), insisted that the unrestored version be included because he believed that any restoration would attenuate high frequencies and thus also decrease detail. Fortunately, and perhaps because Resnais was so closely involved in the transfer for this blu-ray, Criterion haven't applied much noise reduction at all.
The restored track is nearly as hissy as the unrestored one, but crackles, etc. have been removed. It was done very well.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
One of the worst 5.1 "remixes" I’ve heard. It’s just a rechannelled version of the original mono mix, and it’s phasey as hell. Extremely annoying and completely unnecessary. For a while, the mono mix was available only on the DVD, but both the MGM BD and the DVDs were derived from the same master, and are thus frame-accurate after a quick delay/trim.
The mono track on the Arrow BD is presumably from the same source as the MGM DVD mono track (both being from the same dated master), but without any filtering at the authoring stage. It certainly sounds more detailed, but there is a very audible amount of mid-frequency rustling running throughout, as well as (strangely) some very low-frequency thumping that intrudes upon the dialogue very annoyingly every few seconds. In fact, the MGM/Arrow mono tracks are generally monstrously bassy, rendering the score almost unintelligible at times.
The mono track on the Criterion blu-ray is an ENORMOUS improvement. The rustling is gone and everything is MUCH more detailed. Curiously (given that this is Criterion), hardly anything has been done to attenuate or eliminate the high-frequency hiss present, either, but it sounds all the better for it.
It's quite likely that the audio for the new restoration was sourced from lower-generation materials than the audio on the now very dated MGM master. Sounds bloody marvellous.
The mono track on the Arrow BD is presumably from the same source as the MGM DVD mono track (both being from the same dated master), but without any filtering at the authoring stage. It certainly sounds more detailed, but there is a very audible amount of mid-frequency rustling running throughout, as well as (strangely) some very low-frequency thumping that intrudes upon the dialogue very annoyingly every few seconds. In fact, the MGM/Arrow mono tracks are generally monstrously bassy, rendering the score almost unintelligible at times.
The mono track on the Criterion blu-ray is an ENORMOUS improvement. The rustling is gone and everything is MUCH more detailed. Curiously (given that this is Criterion), hardly anything has been done to attenuate or eliminate the high-frequency hiss present, either, but it sounds all the better for it.
It's quite likely that the audio for the new restoration was sourced from lower-generation materials than the audio on the now very dated MGM master. Sounds bloody marvellous.
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