Wednesday 20 April 2022

The Last Waltz (1978)

Three mixes exist: the 1978 theatrical stereo mix, a 2001 stereo remix, and the 2001 5.1 remix. 

Unlike the theatrical mix of Monterey Pop, the theatrical mix of this film was very well recorded (24-track mag) and mixed, and doesn't have any fidelity limitations. The 2001 remixes sound quite modern;  basically all instruments are at the same volume, which I really dislike. They feature different audience sounds (cheers, applause, etc.), though it's probable that all of these were enhanced in the theatrical mix too.

2001 R1 MGM DVD: The 2.0 track here is the 1978 mix and sounds excellent.

2018 Masters of Cinema Blu-ray: The 2.0 track is the 2001 stereo remix and has some limiting, with some true clipped peaks too.

2022 Criterion UHD Blu-ray: The 1978 mix is a lossy transcode, possibly directly of the DVD track. It sounds as good as the DVD, with the only real difference being that the non-stage segments have been made louder. The 2001 stereo remix is identical to the Masters of Cinema track. There is no obvious limiting/clipping on the 5.1.



3 comments:

  1. How would one know which is the original mix on the Criterion release since there are two 2.0 tracks?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By selecting it via the Blu-ray menu...

      The '78 mix is also encoded as DTS-HD MA.

      Delete
    2. I didn't realize how it was actually labeled as such

      A lot of labels don't even bother with that

      Delete