Surround Mixers' First Mixes - The Best Ones

[ThomC]

It just occurred to me, listening to the Talking Heads' True Stories (after making my way through everything on the new Criterion Edition of the film True Stories): what about Jerry Harrison and the Talking Heads brick? I know he had some help--maybe from experienced surround mixers--but wasn't that his first (and only?) foray into surround?

ET Thorngren did the mixes of the Talking Heads material. Harrison was the producer, but not the actual mixer.
ET originally did Stop Making Sense and Little Creatures when they were first released.

 

[humprof]

ET Thorngren did the mixes of the Talking Heads material. Harrison was the producer, but not the actual mixer.
ET originally did Stop Making Sense and Little Creatures when they were first released.

That's right. Your post made me revisit the booklets--and the Discogs listings. Seems Thorngren and Harrison nominally shared the surround mixing credits (with Thorngren, the experienced mixer, getting top billing--and undoubtedly doing the heavy lifting), while Matt Cohen was credited with a "surround engineer" role.

 

[sjcorne]

That's right. Your post made me revisit the booklets--and the Discogs listings. Seems Thorngren and Harrison nominally shared the surround mixing credits (with Thorngren, the experienced mixer, getting top billing--and undoubtedly doing the heavy lifting), while Matt Cohen was credited with a "surround engineer" role.

Still it's the only known surround remix credit to any of these folks, so it definitely belongs on the list.

I actually just made a "Best Of The Talking Heads" DTS-CD compilation for my car. Hadn't heard anything from the Brick in a while- the mixes are for the most part very good, but maybe not as active as they could've been. My favorite for content and surround is Little Creatures.

I found this great article about the making of the Talking Heads 5.1 mixes. It seems to me they kinda pulled their punches a bit with the 5.1 to keep them from being labelled the dreaded "gimmicky". It's a great release though, and it's awesome they did the whole back catalog rather than just Remain In Light and Speaking In Tongues as originally planned.

Once the tracks were sorted out, the greatest challenge in doing the surround mix was “trying to maintain the integrity of the original mixes,” Thorngren says. “You want it to sound like the original album as much as possible, but with more dimension, more detail.” Even accomplishing that has its pitfalls, as the team learned. “We'd put something in the back [speakers] and think, ‘Jeez, that's really distracting,’” Thorngren says. “And then we'd try moving something around, and a lot of times, that wouldn't work either.”

“We'd have a guitar part up front and think, ‘Let's move it to the back during the chorus,’” Harrison adds, “but then it would sound artificial and the front sounded too empty.”

Updated list:

• Elliot Scheiner - The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over (1997 DTS-CD/DVD-V)
• Steven Wilson - Porcupine Tree's Stupid Dream (2005 DVD-A)
• Bob Clearmountain - Roxy Music's Avalon (2003 SACD)
• Kevin Reeves - The Velvet Underground's Loaded (2013 DVD-V)
• Eddie Kramer - Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (2018 BD-A)
• Greg Penny - Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (2003 SACD/2004 DVD-A)
• Giles Martin - The Beatles' Love (2006 DVD-A)
• Larry Keyes - Santana's Abraxas (1971 SQ LP/Q8 Tape)
• Andy Jackson - Pink Floyd's The Division Bell (2014 DVD-V/BD-A)
• Alan Parsons - Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon (1973 SQ LP/Q8 Tape)
• Jerry Harrison & E.T. Thorngren - Talking Heads' Brick (2005 Dualdisc DVD-As)

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Still it's the only known surround remix credit to any of these folks, so it definitely belongs on the list.

I actually just made a "Best Of The Talking Heads" DTS-CD compilation for my car. Hadn't heard anything from the Brick in a while- the mixes are for the most part very good, but maybe not as active as they could've been. My favorite for content and surround is Little Creatures.

I found this great article about the making of the Talking Heads 5.1 mixes. It seems to me they kinda pulled their punches a bit with the 5.1 to keep them from being labelled the dreaded "gimmicky". It's a great release though, and it's awesome they did the whole back catalog rather than just Remain In Light and Speaking In Tongues as originally planned.



Updated list:

• Elliot Scheiner - The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over (1997 DTS-CD/DVD-V)
• Steven Wilson - Porcupine Tree's Stupid Dream (2005 DVD-A)
• Bob Clearmountain - Roxy Music's Avalon (2003 SACD)
• Kevin Reeves - The Velvet Underground's Loaded (2013 DVD-V)
• Eddie Kramer - Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (2018 BD-A)
• Greg Penny - Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (2003 SACD/2004 DVD-A)
• Giles Martin - The Beatles' Love (2006 DVD-A)
• Larry Keyes - Santana's Abraxas (1971 SQ LP/Q8 Tape)
• Andy Jackson - Pink Floyd's The Division Bell (2014 DVD-V/BD-A)
• Alan Parsons - Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon (1973 SQ LP/Q8 Tape)
• Jerry Harrison & E.T. Thorngren - Talking Heads' Brick (2005 Dualdisc DVD-As)

Those quotes on mixing, sounds like I'd imagine; not as easy or obvious as it might seem!

 

[Clint Eastwood]

ET Thorngren did the mixes of the Talking Heads material. Harrison was the producer, but not the actual mixer.
ET originally did Stop Making Sense and Little Creatures when they were first released.

I just noticed you were on the forum today....I need to play Dance With My Father today....you did such a great job on that surround...it's a pity that it's the only Luther Vandross surround out there...I hope things are going well for you and have a Happy New Year...

In case some of the newer posters didn't know....ThomC is Thom Cadley….he's worked with many well known artists....check this out

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I just noticed you were on the forum today....I need to play Dance With My Father today....you did such a great job on that surround...it's a pity that it's the only Luther Vandross surround out there...I hope things are going well for you and have a Happy New Year...

In case some of the newer posters didn't know....ThomC is Thom Cadley….he's worked with many well known artists....check this out

Very impressive, High Fives to ThomC, here's one of my favs that caught my eye on that list:
https://www.discogs.com/Herbie-Hancock-Gershwins-World/release/8581269

 

[humprof]

Very impressive, High Fives to ThomC, here's one of my favs that caught my eye on that list:
https://www.discogs.com/Herbie-Hancock-Gershwins-World/release/8581269

Yes indeed--that's quite a c.v.! (Among the standouts for me: Marshall Crenshaw and Jeff Buckley. Plus, our man did the 5.1 mix of Beyonce's Dangerously in Love.) Good to have you here, Thom!

 

[ThomC]

FYI... Though I couldn't even begin to guess what my first concert 5.1 mix was, (sometime around 1997)....
The first 5.1 album remix that I did was Destiny's Child "Survivor"(2001).

 

[haikubass]

• Tim Donovan - Chris Brown's Chris Brown (2005 DualDisc DVD-V [DD])

Thanks to @4-earredwonder's post I've finally spun the dualdisc and indeed this is some great, adventurous mix.
Interestingly, Tim Donovan is credited for only one other title (reportedly) in surround [DD], and it's a live one: Stone Hits Live: The Very Best Of Angie Stone.

 

[Simon A]

That's right. Your post made me revisit the booklets--and the Discogs listings. Seems Thorngren and Harrison nominally shared the surround mixing credits (with Thorngren, the experienced mixer, getting top billing--and undoubtedly doing the heavy lifting), while Matt Cohen was credited with a "surround engineer" role.

I've just finished watching Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell, and Jerry Harrison and Eric "ET" Thorngren are credited for mixing the film's songs in 5.1.

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

Toru Takayama's first surround mix I think was Cornelius' Five Point One.
Was Ken Caillat's first 5.1 mix Fleetwood Mac's Rumours? EDIT: I see it was already mentioned.
Yoshikazu Ozawa's first 5.1 job was Prism S/T. Sadly marred by a passthrough Waves L1 Limiter.
David Friddman got it right with The Soft Bulletin. Again marred by compression.