Yes - Close to the Edge 5.1 DVD-A/BluRay in October

I just compared the 5.1 mixes of CTTE and Fragile....you know what?
I prefer Fragile for being a more dynamic mix and also the surround elements are mixed very well as is the bass.

Come on Mr. Wilson...

IMachine said:

I just compared the 5.1 mixes of CTTE and Fragile....you know what?
I prefer Fragile for being a more dynamic mix and also the surround elements are mixed very well as is the bass.

Come on Mr. Wilson...

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Fragile: annoying extra reverb on vocals and acoustic guitar; drums strangely mixed down at times; missing parts in South Side of the Sky; atrocious 'America' remix

CttE: annoying vocal rebalances; keyboards strangely mixed down at times; so-so 'America' remix

I call it a wash though I'll probably play the CttE remixes more than I have Fragile.

We can agree to disagree.

the true litmus test of just how good those old Warner Kilngberg/Kellogg DVD-A mixes of Fragile & Brain Salad Surgery are/were will come when Jakko's BSS comes out and he or SW gets round to remixing Fragile again. FWIW, I love both the old DVD-A's of BSS & Fragile, faults & all.. if I were to reject a 5.1 remix or Quad mix because of things like added reverb or dialled down elements or things missing altogether I wouldn't be left with very many surround music titles to listen to! How many Quads or 5.1 mixes can anyone here name that feature the exact same mix balance as the stereo mixdown? Silverlines, upmixes and double stereo fake Quads not included!

Not a big fan of the Fragile mix, but am a GREAT fan of the BSS one...

fredblue said:

the true litmus test of just how good those old Warner Kilngberg/Kellogg DVD-A mixes of Fragile & Brain Salad Surgery are/were will come when Jakko's BSS comes out and he or SW gets round to remixing Fragile again. FWIW, I love both the old DVD-A's of BSS & Fragile, faults & all.. if I were to reject a 5.1 remix or Quad mix because of things like added reverb or dialled down elements or things missing altogether I wouldn't be left with very many surround music titles to listen to! How many Quads or 5.1 mixes can anyone here name that feature the exact same mix balance as the stereo mixdown? Silverlines, upmixes and double stereo fake Quads not included!

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We have a small test case: Lucky Man. I prefer the old DVD-A mix to SW's.

ssully said:

We have a small test case: Lucky Man. I prefer the old DVD-A mix to SW's.

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me too spellbinding stuff on the old DVD-A.

fredblue said:

me too spellbinding stuff on the old DVD-A.

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Well , as always. ...apples and orages m i think that it's WONDERFUL to have TWO GREAT versions of them...

Can't wait what's in store...

Scott M4 said:

Like you, I found Tales disappointing until I saw them perform it live at the Montreal Forum and was utterly blown away. I have loved it since and it's a goto fave on my iPhone. (Track 3 is still my least fave tho.) This album could be spectacular in surround. I hope Steve can take the time required to make it so. There's a lot of music and elements in there. Maybe I'm going to learn to love track 3!

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I know that Wilson more than once said his favorite YES album is Tales... So I´m pretty sure we´ll get one of his best remix work on that one

milesahead said:

I know that Wilson more than once said his favorite YES album is Tales... So I´m pretty sure we´ll get one of his best remix work on that one

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[25 Dancing Bananas!] Although I'm really looking forward to experiencing Awaken from GFTO in surround, I'm truly itchy to immerse myself in Tales, especially the (all too short) Wakeman "swirling madness" passages, so I hope Steve doesn't dial them back. There's certainly lots of vocal layering to surround us and all the intense percussion on side 4! [25 more Dancing Bananas!]

Scott M4 said:

...I'm truly itchy to immerse myself in Tales, especially the (all too short) Wakeman "swirling madness" passages, so I hope Steve doesn't dial them back...

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Immersion in tales could hinder your balance:

Quad Linda said:

Immersion in tales could hinder your balance:
View attachment 13883

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The meter gonna be pegged!

ssully said:

We have a small test case: Lucky Man. I prefer the old DVD-A mix to SW's.

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Although the BSS version resembles more the sound (mastering?) of the original, the Steven Wilson mix wins in my book by having the Moog solo placed right. But as expressed before, great to have another take at this stuff.

It's interesting that you mention that. I've had the SW edition of ELP's first album since it came out, but I hadn't compared the treatments of Lucky Man until I read your post. I played
SW's and was reminded that it is 24/48 first of all, then listened to the BSS DVD-A and remembered that it's 24/96. Then I realized that I liked the original much better than SW's. I was shocked to say the least. I love all of SW's mixing, but I don't understand what his thinking was when he did this. Have you read anything from him that explains why he did it the way he did by any chance? Thanks for any info that anyone might have to give some insight into this. Best Regards -

So- we're coming up on a year since Neil made this announcement for CttE. I keep hoping every time I check in here recently that we'll see his announcement for Tales...

While we wait for the next Steven Wilson 5.1 YES project:

...the other day I was rubbing shoulders(keyboards actually...) with Good Sir Timbre and we had a spirited but brief tete a tete regarding Steve Howe's involvement in 5.1. Well... I found this simply by chance:

http://soundbard.com/total-5-1-mass...xing-yes-close-to-the-edge-in-surround-sound/

Steven Wilson replies about the CTTE 5.1 remix he did:

"Sure. Steve [Howe] and Chris [Squire] heard it, but only when it was pretty much finished. Both of them really liked it. There wasn’t necessarily any sort of constructive criticism, but it was nice to have the seal of approval, let’s put it that way. Since then, Steve has been a lot more hands-on with the subsequent Yes stuff I’ve done. We get along quite well, and I appreciate his input."

Nice article. Looks like Steven Wilson has convinced another old bunch of proggers that 5.1 is actually pretty cool!

Is there any info about the remixed stereo 96/24 tracks actually only using 16 bits on the DVD-A of this title? Over at SHF someone has commented that this problem is unique to the DVD-A and that the remixed stereo 96/24 tracks are actually 16bit files in a 24bit container. Wouldn't be the fist time this sort of thing has happened - is this a known issue?