A Bad Think - coming soon in Atmos - new release: LifeLike

[beerking]

Just bought the full download files, Atmos and flac
Will play them later while I'm watching IPL cricket.

 

[esimms86]

Immersive Audio now have 5.1 FLAC and ATMOS downloads available:

Lifelike - A Bad Think (Atmos & 5.1 FLAC Download) (immersiveaudioalbum.com)

While I appreciate the appropriately placed credit given to Bob Clearmountain, the link tells us that Dave Way and Steve Genewick(@Steve G)were also involved in mixing the album. I’m not familiar with Dave Way’s body of work but we at QQ all know that Steve Genewick has well developed surround mixing chops.

Edit: Dave Way is a four time Grammy winner with an A list resume as long as your arm. He has a professional home studio where he also does Atmos mixes.

It looks like the A Bad Think mixing team is more than an embarrassment of riches.

 

[beerking]

This release has a very good 5.1 and Atmos mix.
I would say, on balance, it is not as strong as Savior, in its content but it is still very good .
I'm happy with the 17 English pounds it cost me for the download.
Well, I say happy, naturally it still hurts my precious wallet...

 

[bracelis]

Also available on Tidal Atmos
https://tidal.com/browse/album/180845422
A couple of tracks are unusual in that the main vocals are in the height speakers:
- Remember to Forget
- Strapped to the Wheel

 

[Elad]

Not my favorite of Michael body of work. I thought the Atmos was weak and preferred the 5.1 mix. Sorry to say overall I was disappointed with the material felt his earlier work was stronger. All I can say and I am sorry to say this Lifelike left me Lifeless.

 

[temporaryhuman]

I DL this album. Is it just me or is volume low like Tidal? I mean really low.

 

[CINERAMAX]

And on the abadthink.com web site it is now available on optical bluray disc. I just purchased it.

Thanks but is it in Atmos? Does not say. Edit, answered above.

 

[bracelis]

I DL this album. Is it just me or is volume low like Tidal? I mean really low.

Dolby streams can have a "Dialog Normalization" / offset, and a receiver will use this to adjust the level / loudness.
If I play a Dolby Atmos track from Tidal, Netflix, etc on a streaming device (example Firestick), it doesn't allow you to turn off and ignore this offset.

But if I play the file locally from a desktop (example Windows) and send the stream to the receiver, it would show the Offset on my receiver (Denon/Marantz).

And it allows me to turn off / ignore that Offset.
On a Denon/Marantz receiver, it's in the Audio --> Surround Parameter, and I can turn off the Loudness Management.

Note: This option/setting will only appear while the bitstream is playing.

And regarding the Tidal low volume issue -- the problem is twofold:
(1) The Atmos songs have this extreme Offset / Dialog Normalization ( -14dB in this example)
(2) When the bitstream is sent to the receiver from the streaming device (example Firestick), it seems this setting is lost/hidden ( i.e. the streaming device already took the offset into account), so you cannot turn it off on the receiver at all.
The same thing applies to other apps ( like Netflix ), except the offset on the Netflix streams is not as extreme ( for example it can be -4dB, not -14dB).

 

[Mcallister]

Good interview Audioholics did with Michael and Dave Way (think that names right)

 

[dabl]

Dolby streams can have a "Dialog Normalization" / offset, and a receiver will use this to adjust the level / loudness.
If I play a Dolby Atmos track from Tidal, Netflix, etc on a streaming device (example Firestick), it doesn't allow you to turn off and ignore this offset.

But if I play the file locally from a desktop (example Windows) and send the stream to the receiver, it would show the Offset on my receiver (Denon/Marantz).

View attachment 66725


And it allows me to turn off / ignore that Offset.
On a Denon/Marantz receiver, it's in the Audio --> Surround Parameter, and I can turn off the Loudness Management.

Note: This option/setting will only appear while the bitstream is playing.

View attachment 66726


And regarding the Tidal low volume issue -- the problem is twofold:
(1) The Atmos songs have this extreme Offset / Dialog Normalization ( -14dB in this example)
(2) When the bitstream is sent to the receiver from the streaming device (example Firestick), it seems this setting is lost/hidden ( i.e. the streaming device already took the offset into account), so you cannot turn it off on the receiver at all.
The same thing applies to other apps ( like Netflix ), except the offset on the Netflix streams is not as extreme ( for example it can be -4dB, not -14dB).

wow, great detective work bracelis, thanks for posting that.

 

[dabl]

Lifelike – A Bad Think (Atmos & 5.1 FLAC Download)
...
MP4 files in joc_768, joc_448, dmix and ac4 formats
...

Hmm very curious about the fidelity of these downloads.

The joc_768 reference sounds suspiciously like the same low bitrate Dolby Digital Plus Joint Object Coding files Tidal is serving. joc_448 would be worse.

dmix sounds possibly limited to linux and it's unlikely the ac4 could be played with anything but a phone.

Perhaps someone who's downloaded these can comment or maybe look with mediainfo and post the results.

 

[fredblue]

Dial Norm is the Devil's own work.. i've been going on about this senseless practice for MultiCh Music for many years now and to see it still happening is.. sobering.. and i've had a f'kin skin full this afternoon so you can imagine just how sobering that is!!

 

[mandrix]

I like the BD, the Atmos is tame in the rears as far as standout surround but does compliment the fronts/front high well. (my system is 5.1.2) Price was decent, shipping fast and cheap.
I think Bob Clearmountain did a good 5.1 mix , Dave Way and Steve Genewick did the Atmos. Don't hear an upmix here, depending on how you describe upmix.
$40 delivered for the BD is OK in my book.
In constant rotation.....

 

[humprof]

Dolby streams can have a "Dialog Normalization" / offset, and a receiver will use this to adjust the level / loudness.
If I play a Dolby Atmos track from Tidal, Netflix, etc on a streaming device (example Firestick), it doesn't allow you to turn off and ignore this offset.

But if I play the file locally from a desktop (example Windows) and send the stream to the receiver, it would show the Offset on my receiver (Denon/Marantz).

View attachment 66725


And it allows me to turn off / ignore that Offset.
On a Denon/Marantz receiver, it's in the Audio --> Surround Parameter, and I can turn off the Loudness Management.

Note: This option/setting will only appear while the bitstream is playing.

View attachment 66726


And regarding the Tidal low volume issue -- the problem is twofold:
(1) The Atmos songs have this extreme Offset / Dialog Normalization ( -14dB in this example)
(2) When the bitstream is sent to the receiver from the streaming device (example Firestick), it seems this setting is lost/hidden ( i.e. the streaming device already took the offset into account), so you cannot turn it off on the receiver at all.
The same thing applies to other apps ( like Netflix ), except the offset on the Netflix streams is not as extreme ( for example it can be -4dB, not -14dB).

Brilliant bird-dogging, @bracelis! I wonder if tomorrow's Dolby seminar would be an appropriate venue for raising these sorts of issues:

Interestingly, if I take a Dolby Atmos file "ripped" from Tidal and play it with Kodi or VLC--both of which, with the proper settings, will handle Atmos in m4a or mka containers--then I get the 14dB offset.

But if I take the same file and play it with foobar2000--which only sees the TrueHD 7.1 core and does not process the Atmos object metadata--then the 14dB offset is not in effect.

 

[mattB2]

Immersive Audio has some ATMOS singles at a reduced price at the moment:

Shop (immersiveaudioalbum.com)

I got the Aeone and Debra Lyn songs which both feature really nice surround mixes - it would be nice to get hold of the full albums in ATMOS someday.

 

[dabl]

Not my favorite of Michael body of work. I thought the Atmos was weak and preferred the 5.1 mix. Sorry to say overall I was disappointed with the material felt his earlier work was stronger. All I can say and I am sorry to say this Lifelike left me Lifeless.

Have to agree on all points. It's tough to compete with a Bob Clearmountain mix. Too bad he apparently cannot (yet?) do Atmos at his place.