DVD/DTS Poll Parsons, Alan - On Air [DTS CD]

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Rate the DTS-CD of Alan Parsons - ON AIR


  • Total voters
    75

Bob Romano

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Please post your comments, thoughts and observations about this title...(y) (n)
 
A really good recording, great surround effects and I like most of the music.
good vocals from Christopher Cross and others.No big hits like some of his other releases, but I like the way the lp flows from start to finish.
 
One thing about the "On Air" DTS CD - it's not "20-bit, 5.1" but more like 16-bit, 4.0 Quad. Alan Parsons didn't have access to 20-bit equipment when recording, so the whole album was done 16-bit and no sub or center channel were used. Shows how good true 16-bit can sound - "On Air" is a reference quality surround demonstration disc - and the music is fantastic.
 
timbre4 said:
Musically it's fine and the mix is rewarding; just makes you want the classic material all the more.


I totally agree.

I think the best tracks are the instrumentals. I'm not to keen on much of the lyrics myself. Great mix.
 
Disclord said:
no sub or center channel were used.
There is some sort of center channel, so that must have been created artificially from the 4.0? I remember reading that DTS-Entertainment demands (some) use of center channel.
Anyway, I like this disc. It's a great surround example.
 
I think this disc is great. I liked it so much that I went out and bought the CD, which came with a CD-ROM!!

The first 4-5 tunes are great, and I agree that the instrumentals are excellent. There is a touch of floyd-like effects in the ICARUS tune. All in all, a must have, and a reference disc as to how to do surround, and DTS.
 
I have every Alan Parsons recording. On Air, while not his best effort, has some very, very good moments.
Apollo is what I consider a "High Volume Demo"
This mix is very good considering the source. I give it a 9. (y)
 
Hmmm... Are we talking about same disc ? What effects ? Voice on the left side in deginning of track 1 ? Some backgroud highs on track 8 ?
Stereo mix is absolutely great, with surround feeling. BUT! Most of tracks in 5.1 just isnt differ from stereo version. I switched from 5.1 to downmixed 2.0 on-the-fly. Center and rears dont adds any significant value to the sound.
6 for overal sound quality. Musical content is too simple for me - "singing with accompaniment".
 
The Surround mix sounds good to boring to me, but the music is so bad! It's the lamest Pink Floyd imitation I have ever heard. Hell, even Rick Wright writes better tunes... So a 5 from me is pretty generous
 
I give it a 7 - decent overall mix. Pleasant songs but not a lot of depth here - Christopher Cross contributes a few vocals - not a big selling point!
 
A late comer to this disc but I gave it an Eight...I thought the use of surround was fantastic, Intro & Outro of Blue Blue Skies was great, how can you hate a screaming Harrier jet and an orchestral crescendo?....Yes, a David Gilmour imitation there on Cloudbreak, not a bad thing. Lyrics a bit silly but based on 5.1 effects and some very pleasant songs this will get repeated listenings. John
 
One of my favorite DTS disks, all around.

There is some use of the center channel, but it's very sparingly. I seem to remember a short sound clip of Kennedy talking about going to the moon coming from the center channel during "Apollo".
 
I'm bumping my vote to a 9.

Great surround mix. Perfect flow as a concept album and there are some beautiful songs to boot.

I find I play it a lot.

Parsons nailed the pick for vocal talent on each song.
 
The surround mix is faultless.
This was one of the first "new" surround discs I heard, from DTS, in 1995.
I am a huge Parsons fan. Know and love every single album.

Except this one.
I never play it. Sold it, actually.
The music is very pretty, no doubt. Vocals by Chris Cross and my old 10cc fave Graham Gouldman, sweet and clean as you'd expect from AP. But the excitement level is about a 2.5. The material is so soft and chewy, it's mush, even by Parsons standards.

The Project took a lot of flack from reviewers like Rolling Stone over the years for the more melodramatic albums like Ammonia Avenue. I like them anyway, finding them more cinematic. But this one goes too far in that direction, and lacks the wonder, mystery, and menace of even an average AP effort.

So it is that my very least favorite Alan Parsons album became the only one released in surround sound (not counting the Ambisonic Stereotomy tracks) up until 2006. Just my luck.

I'll say 5.
 
I don't understand what some of you are listening to on the On Air disc. You can rate the performance and you can rate the surround sound. I give the performance a solid 9 .If you think it's a Pink Floyd wanna be, you have other issues. Now when it comes to the DTS Surround mix, I say it's right up there at the top (9.5). If you cannot appreciate it, them you have a serious problem with your surround sound system. If you have a really good surround sound system, it is not calibrated. Perhaps it isn't hooked up and adjusted properly. Maybe you are not using the Digital Optical or Digital coax cable. Perhaps you have the KMart surround sound system. In any case, I have a huge collection of DTS, DD, SACD, DVD Audio, Blu Ray Audio, and this recording is damn near the top of the pile. The sounds flys around my room like nobody's business.
 
I don't understand what some of you are listening to on the On Air disc. You can rate the performance and you can rate the surround sound. I give the performance a solid 9 .If you think it's a Pink Floyd wanna be, you have other issues. Now when it comes to the DTS Surround mix, I say it's right up there at the top (9.5). If you cannot appreciate it, them you have a serious problem with your surround sound system. If you have a really good surround sound system, it is not calibrated. Perhaps it isn't hooked up and adjusted properly. Maybe you are not using the Digital Optical or Digital coax cable. Perhaps you have the KMart surround sound system. In any case, I have a huge collection of DTS, DD, SACD, DVD Audio, Blu Ray Audio, and this recording is damn near the top of the pile. The sounds flys around my room like nobody's business.

Or maybe we just don't like it.
 
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