HiRez Poll Duran Duran - DANSE MACABRE [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this brand new studio album from Duran Duran entitled "Danse Macabre".

The album features three brand new songs from the band, covers of classic tracks from other artists, and new versions of certain tracks from Duran Duran's back catalogue.

This Blu-Ray audio release is exclusive to the SDE store (thanks @PaulatSDE) and includes both a Dolby Atmos Mix and a 5.1 surround mix from legendary mixing engineer Bob Clearmountain.

 

[stephenianhunt]

After 2 listens of the album, I'm voting a 10. Lots of activity in the surrounds and overheads and very good songs.

Thanks again to paul@sde!

 

[beerking]

Words cannot express the utter joy this fantastic release, brings to me.
Bob Clearmountain has mixed one of the best releases, so far, in the wonderful SDE series of Atmos albums.
I was not into Duran Duran back in their heyday but I am now.
Their rendition of ' Ghost Town', for example, is wonderful.

I have not had any release, on repeat, as much as I have this one.

It's beyond Infinite

Heaven

 

[RustyM]

Terrific Fun and a excellent mix.

 

[Rhinojack]

Starting track 4 and that bass is shaking my walls. Love the funky bass line on Love Voudou. I think I’m going to like this album.

 

[gene]

Two listens in and I gotta give it a 10
Great album and great surround mix. DD are back baby!

 

[cbmmm3]

here is my reaction from earlier today quick listen -

Holy Cow !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AYanguas]

First listen on my 9.0.4
(Yes, I have SUB Broken, but all LARGE speakers give me enough bass.)

While it looks stellar Atmos mix, I have some negative issues:

The Good:
- Good discrete 7.1 differentiating much the side surrounds and surround backs.
- Some pannings circlying around.

The Bad:
- Scarce use of Tops. Only sometimes for some keyboards and chorus voices, maily concentrated in Tops Rear.
- Main vocals too isolated in Center speaker.
- Bass too isolated in Center speaker (!!!), especialy referring to the funky bass line that has a higher freq.
- No wides.

Overall:
- Very enjoyable because It is a good 7.1 with enough discrete content on sides and rears.


Questions:
Why are some good mixers so afraid to put more content on the Tops and put main vocals more immersive spread around you?
Why some good mixers don't put objects at 68º for the people that have Wides to enjoy more?
Does it have anything to do with optimizing the mix for binaural headphones?

I was not a Duran Duran follower, really I am a Duran Duran ignorant. But I had to check this Clearmountain mix.

I vote 8 (regading the Atmos mix), so far, but I need more listens.

 

[sjcorne]

Questions:
Why are some good mixers so afraid to put more content on the Tops and put main vocals more immersive spread around you?
Why some good mixers don't put objects at 68º for the people that have Wides to enjoy more?
Does it have anything to do with optimizing the mix for binaural headphones?

This article about Clearmountain's Atmos mixing may answer some of your questions. I don't get the sense he cares all that much about binaural, but using the tops primarily for ambient sounds seems to be a deliberate creative decision.

....Clearmountain’s Atmos mixes are predominantly channel‑based rather than object‑based. Some would see this as a limitation, but it’s not a problem for Bob; in fact, you get the sense that he’d often be happy not to use objects at all, if it wasn’t for the fact that the Atmos bed channels don’t differentiate between the front and rear height speakers. “In the Atmos bed, the overheads are just stereo. There’s no quad. There aren’t four channels, so my height speakers are actually four basically stationary objects.”

Clearmountain’s willingness to rely on beds isn’t so much a matter of mixing philosophy as one of genre. Classic, guitar‑based rock and pop music makes up the bulk of his workload, and he rarely sees a need to have lots of different sources flying around the listener’s head.

"One of my favorite things is the centre speaker, because the nice thing is when you anchor stuff to speakers, especially the centre, you can walk around the room and it doesn’t move. I do a little divergence, where I put a bit of it down about 15 or 20 dB in the left and right so it’s not totally in the centre, but basically you hardly even notice that, it just makes it a bit fuller sounding that way — but I’m a big fan of the centre."

The vast majority of Atmos listening takes place on headphones, more so even than in stereo. Bob Clearmountain seems resigned to the fact that this will never offer quite the same listening experience as a good speaker‑based rig. “Because of the way the Apogee Symphony MkII works, it’s really easy to A/B between my stereo mix and the Atmos mix or the binaural or whatever, and so I’ll just try to make sure that it sounds as good as possible compared to the stereo mix. It generally does a funny thing with binaural, because it’s trying to make things sound like they’re coming from behind you or above you or whatever, and so it tends to mess with the frequency response a bit.

 

[AYanguas]

This article about Clearmountain's Atmos mixing may answer some of your questions. I don't get the sense he cares all that much about binaural, but using the tops primarily for ambient sounds seems to be a deliberate creative decision.

"One of my favorite things is the centre speaker, because the nice thing is when you anchor stuff to speakers, especially the centre, you can walk around the room and it doesn’t move. I do a little divergence, where I put a bit of it down about 15 or 20 dB in the left and right so it’s not totally in the centre, but basically you hardly even notice that, it just makes it a bit fuller sounding that way — but I’m a big fan of the centre."


Yes, I think I start to understand his philosophy. I have walked around the room while listening and yes, there are no so diffuse sounds around like in other mixes, and the fixed sounds, changing the perspective while walking around is also another interesting enjoyment. Like beeing in a party room with more people, instead of sitting still in your MLP. Isn't that what we call discrete and we like it?

Very instructive to learn to appreciate different alternatives.

 

[mandrix]

Love Paint It Black and Super Lonely Freak.
Some songs not real crazy about.
I rate it at a 9.

 

[GOS]

I'm flat out stunned how amazing this release sounds. Never been a Duran fan, but this is just ridiculous. WOW!!!
Voted a 10

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I was never a Duran Duran fan; but with a decent Bob Clearmountain surround mix (5.1 for me) it really brings this music to life.

I'll probably take some flack from some folks here; but I do take some exception to the now typical Bob Clearmountain mix/amplitude decision for the loudness of the Center channel compared to the fronts and rears. The Center mostly contains the main vocals with Bass and Drums depending on the song. I do like the use of accenting the Bass and some Drums to the Center on certain mixes, if balanced the way I prefer to hear it. The changes really aren't very extreme, however I do feel it gives the music a little more balls overall and a better listen for me.

Here is what the first song "Nightboat" looks like (original):



I spent some time today rebalancing with the following adjustments (mostly to the Fronts and Rears) YMMV, to your tastes of course!

Song:

1: +2db F&R
2: +2db F / +4db R
3: +1db F / +3db R
4: +2db F&R
5: +2db F&R
6: +2db F&R
7: +2.6db F&R
8: +1db F&R / -1dbC
9: +1db F&R / -1dbC
10: +2db F&R
11: +2.6db F&R
12: +3db F / 5db R
13: (No changes)

I'm going with a strong 8 on this one.

 

[bgf1973]

The album and the mix are incredible!! Maybe not so good like atmos but like 7.1 is . I vote 9

 

[AYanguas]

After more listenings, reading about the Clearmountain mixing style (thanks @sjcorne), and after realizing that on first listen I had Center channel +3,5 dB (for movies), and turn it back to 0 dB, I change my vote to 9. I still don't like the Bass too centered. But the 7.1 discrete mix is really fascinating, and I now feel some more subtle sound at the Tops.

My wife entered the room while listening last song "Confession in the Afterlife" and said "What a beautiful song". I find this song with a different 'wider reverb' vocals. That finally let me appreciate much more Duran Duran, that I didn't know before.

I will test further with the @J. PUPSTER channels levels.

 

[GabeL]

Finished listening to the album last night and I must say, I really enjoyed it! I'll have to tweak some of my speaker settings for the next listen and then submit my vote

 

[jimfisheye]

I wasn't expecting this!

I remember hating these kind of bands and all the new wave music MTV had switched to only about 9 months after its debut back in my jr high school days.

I only checked this out on a whim because of the 7.1.4 mix. (Like, what are they gonna do with this?)

Floored at how good this is! There's way more pure psychedelia than pop schmaltz and the mix is really on point! Actual use of surround and discrete stuff in the heights all the time and everything! OK, there were a couple tracks that I ended up hitting the scroll button on that were kind of repetitive pop sounding stuff but most of this was really good and didn't sound remotely close to anything I remember hearing on MTV back in the day. Is this the same band?

Not fully in my wheelhouse with some of the pop moments but this was trippy to hear and a great 12 channel mix!

 

[edisonbaggins]

Voting 9. The content could be a little stronger, though it is fun and enjoyable.
Awesome Bob Clearmountain mix, to my ears. 7.2.4 Atmos.
Life in Surround Review

 

[efb18]

DD just posted this video clip. Like the song, the clip is super fun. Obviously it would've been nice if it were on the disk but since they only just released it...

 

[CINERAMAX]

Amazing!