Frank Zappa Waka/Wazoo Deluxe 4CD + Blu-Ray 5.1 and Atmos!!!!

[mboddy]

There are no volume differences on my disc bought here in Norway, and the general volume is maybe a little low but not by much compared to other discs I have. This is for the Atmos mix, I don't listen to the other mixes.

My disc bought in Australia appears to be the USA version.
The volume of the WAZOO Atmos is very very low. It is a faulty disc and must be replaced.

 

[esimms86]

I didn’t say I didn’t like the mix, just the interface! I don’t rip anything anymore! That’s too much like work and I just want to enjoy the content. I have 8 TB of ripped content that I’ve assembled over the years.

It may be worth your while to make an exception in this case and rip the disc. You would be looking at the time and effort put into ripping versus the fact you have to deal with the menu every time you play the disc. It’s obviously your decision but I know what I would choose(speaking as someone who rips everything AND also has a healthy fear of disc rot).

 

[esimms86]

My disc bought in Australia appears to be the USA version.
The volume of the WAZOO Atmos is very very low. It is a faulty disc and must be replaced.

IMHO they would almost certainly have to replace the disc if they have any intent to sell future Zappa releases to their customer base.

 

[ergalthema]

Thought I'd give the 5.1 mix a shot since I didn't really care for the Atmos mix overall. While it was a little less intense without the overhead speakers, it was still too overwhelming for me to enjoy. I like the possibility of "sitting in the middle of the ensemble", but this feels like every instrument is 2 inches away, pointed directly at my head, constantly, and from all directions (including directly above in Atmos). The lack of reverb exaggerates this (but I like very dry recordings in other mixes). The effect of an ensemble playing directly at me in close proximity like that can be a very cool effect - especially for certain climactic or intimate moments - but I don't want to feel like that throughout most of an album. It's claustrophobic for too long - I want variety - there is so much more opportunity for surround mixes to create different spaces (but again, lack of reverb limits this).

To be clear - I love complicated music with a lot going on simultaneously - including very extreme forms of metal/jazz/RIO/etc. I don't prefer "front heavy" mixes. I might have said something about appreciating "front-focused" stuff like Animals, but I enjoy lots of activity in the surrounds (Sea Change, Yoshimi, etc.). I've always considered myself as someone who enjoys liberal, full use of surrounds (I've created my own surround mixes with stuff flying all around the room). So, I'm surprised that I haven't been able to enjoy this release.

That said - I'm very glad it exists - I hope there will be more FZ surround mixes.

Honestly, I don't recall ever feeling so bombarded by a mix as this - and I've heard quite a lot of surround mixes over the last 25 years. I'm not trying to be a downer or change anyone's opinion. I'm just surprised by how opinionated I am about this one. It's important for me to try to understand why I feel that way. (I'm not as concerned about all the dialnorm levels stuff.)

And while I'm ranting.... Something else (not specific to this release) that has bothered me is how Atmos is technically Dolby TrueHD (but not all TrueHD is Atmos of course). It's terribly confusing for the average consumer. For example, this disc has an Atmos option and a Dolby TrueHD option - but if I choose Atmos, my UBP-X800 player will still say "TrueHD" in the display (my receiver recognizes and specifies Atmos, at least). A friend was confused by that, understandably. And when you consider that the "Atmos" label can also be applied to anything - soundbars, stereo laptops, etc. - it's a confusing mess.

 

[sjcorne]

A friend was confused by that, understandably. And when you consider that the "Atmos" label can also be applied to anything - soundbars, stereo laptops, etc. - it's a confusing mess.

It may seem like a confusing mess from an audiophile point-of-view, but if Atmos were only marketed towards home theaters (like 5.1 was in the early-2000s) it'd have little chance of catching on.

 

[himey]

Thought I'd give the 5.1 mix a shot since I didn't really care for the Atmos mix overall. While it was a little less intense without the overhead speakers, it was still too overwhelming for me to enjoy. I like the possibility of "sitting in the middle of the ensemble", but this feels like every instrument is 2 inches away, pointed directly at my head, constantly, and from all directions (including directly above in Atmos). The lack of reverb exaggerates this (but can like very dry recordings in other mixes). The effect of an ensemble playing directly at me in close proximity like that can be a very cool effect - especially for certain climactic or intimate moments - but I don't want to feel like that throughout most of an album. It's claustrophobic for too long - I want variety - there is so much more opportunity for surround mixes to create different spaces (but again, lack of reverb limits this).

To be clear - I love complicated music with a lot going on simultaneously - including very extreme forms of metal/jazz/RIO/etc. I don't prefer "front heavy" mixes. I might have said something about appreciating "front-focused" stuff like Animals, but I enjoy lots of activity in the surrounds (Sea Change, Yoshimi, etc.). I've always considered myself as someone who enjoys liberal, full use of surrounds (I've created my own surround mixes with stuff flying all around the room). So, I'm surprised that I haven't been able to enjoy this release.

That said - I'm very glad it exists - I hope there will be more FZ surround mixes.

Honestly, I don't recall ever feeling so bombarded by a mix as this - and I've heard quite a lot of surround mixes over the last 25 years. I'm not trying to be a downer or change anyone's opinion. I'm just surprised by how opinionated I am about this one. It's important for me to try to understand why I feel that way. (I'm not as concerned about all the dialnorm levels stuff.)

And while I'm ranting.... Something else (not specific to this release) that has bothered me is how Atmos is technically Dolby TrueHD (but not all TrueHD is Atmos of course). It's terribly confusing for the average consumer. For example, this disc has an Atmos option and a Dolby TrueHD option - but if I choose Atmos, my UBP-X800 player will still say "TrueHD" in the display (my receiver recognizes and specifies Atmos, at least). A friend was confused by that, understandably. And when you consider that the "Atmos" label can also be applied to anything - soundbars, stereo laptops, etc. - it's a confusing mess.

Baby got back! And top!

 

[bayards]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/14491189...0e2tP1uSci&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Ripped Blu-ray so not needed now.