DVD/DTS Poll Katatonia - The Fall Of Hearts [DTS 96/24 DVD]

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Rate the Audio-DVD of KATATONIA - The Falls Of Hearts (DTS 96/24)

  • 10 Great Surround, Great Fidelity, Great Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 9

    Votes: 6 37.5%
  • 8

    Votes: 7 43.8%
  • 7

    Votes: 3 18.8%
  • 6

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5 Meh....

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1 Poor Surround, Poor Fidelity, Poor Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    16

Bob Romano

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Please post your thoughts and comments on this Audio DVD release containing a DTS 96/24 5.1 surround mix (y)(n)
48-khz/24-bit lossless 5.1 FLAC files can be purchased at Immersive Audio Album.
 

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i wasn't planned to buy because DTS only surround stream. then spotted it on amazon for $14 CAD+shipping.
anyway, some dumbhead decided DTS would be enough and surely screwed up. Bruce did outstanding 5.1 mix.
great surround soundfield, very good dynamic (unlike stereo stream which albeit lossless, sounds quite painful
due extensively applied limiter with compressor).


no album theme neither artistic approach was taken to consideration in vote, albeit i really very much liked what
i heard. thus even more frustration about lossy stream.


so been said - 10+ to Bruce for his work on 5.1
7 to whoever produced and manufactured this release.
 
Quite a pleasant listen. Enjoyable songs. Solid mix. For those that don't like growly metal, this should be your cup o' tea. It's Mellow Metal.
Strong 9. Not a 10, just 'cause that has to be retained for the Darksides and Ravens of this world.
 
I got this one too. DTS (96/24) is no problem for me, although DVD-A would be a definite plus.
I've played it a couple of times and found the songs rather unmemorable. The sound of the surround is OK. The stereo is mastered a lot louder, which shows at the bonus track, that is stereo only.
At this point an eight from me.
 
A solid surround mix, that suffers from the same problems as Bruce's remix of Opeth's Deliverance. The guitars are heavily filtered and lack some bite. Also they're sometimes too low in the mix, though this might be basically caused by the the weird EQing. The snare doesn't have the impact I'd like to hear on this kind of music. The kick drum is too muddy at times.

The songs seem rather unmemorable to me. I don't think I'm gonna come back to this album regularly. All in all a weak 7 from me.
 
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A solid surround mix, that suffers from the same problems as Bruce's remix of Opeth's Deliverance. The guitars are heavily filtered and lack some bite. Also they're sometimes too low in the mix, though this might be basically caused by the the weird EQing. The snare doesn't have the impact I'd like to hear on this kind of music. The kick drum is too muddy at times.

The songs seem rather unmemorable to me. I don't think I'm gonna come back to this album regularly. All in all a weak 7 from me.

(y)
Yep, accurate summary, although this is not as bad as Deliverance which has the main riffs buried in the mix creating a muddy mess.
 
Agreed! It's definitely a step up. Maybe the upcoming Riverside album suits Bruce's mixing style more?
 
Hmmm, thought I already voted for this one...

Love this one. Stellar mix from Soord, and excellent dynamic range. Musically, it's much in the same vein as their previous few albums. Nothing exactly new here, but very good, nonetheless. The melodies reveal themselves slowly, and it gets better each time I listen to it. Bummer no hi-res, but that's a minor complaint for me. Feeling a 9 on this one.
 
I’m voting a “9”. Not much of a metal guy by any stretch, but I really love this album--it has that same shifting focus between heavy and mellow prog-like passages that made Porcupine Tree’s last four albums so compelling. Favorite tracks include “Takeover”, “Old Hearts Fall”, and “Pale Flag” (gorgeous!).

Bruce Soord’s 5.1 mix is a stunning improvement over the stereo version--not just in terms of instrument separation, but also dynamic range, tonal balance, and overall clarity. Unlike the stereo mix, the 5.1 is extremely crankable and doesn’t suffer from the same shrillness in the busier passages. Even the loudest parts of the album, like the intro to “Sanction”, are not fatiguing at high volume. I wish Metallica’s Black Album DVD-A sounded this good! The bass is powerful and tight, while the vocals (emanating primarily from the front speakers, with some isolated support in the center) are always clear.

Soord has also made great use of the surround field, with the rear speakers typically engaged for isolated backing vocals, percussion, mellotron(!), piano, and rhythm guitars. There’s a particularly cool bit in “Takeover” where everything cuts to black except for a distorted guitar in one of the back corners. “Old Hearts Fall” opens with the electric guitars completely isolated in the rears. The layered vocals that blend together in the stereo mix are nicely separated between the front and rear stages, with the higher harmonies usually sent to the rears (as is typical with Soord’s own music in 5.1).

My biggest gripe with the 5.1 mix would have to be the nearly-inaudible lead guitars in “Serein”. I wonder what happened there? Could it be possible that the session file Soord was given didn’t have those tracks? I know from experience that it’s easy to lose things when you’re not careful moving DAW sessions between computers. Maybe a fader got pulled down before it was exported? Whatever the reason, it's a really glaring mistake--especially since he so carefully replicated most of the key balances/effects from the stereo mix, like the reverse-reverb on the vocals in “Pale Flag”.

Unfortunately, I think this disc is now out-of-print (I snagged a beat-up used copy on eBay for $12)--but it’s absolutely worth seeking out if you like the music. One of the best 'metal' 5.1 mixes I've heard to date.
 
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