Marillion - Seasons End 5.1 on May

[James Jay]

I never heard before of evaluating a 5.1 surround mix by front channels so forgive me for my ignorance. Aren’t all channels of a 5.1 mix summed together for a DR value? Thanks in advance.

 

[sjcorne]

Aren’t all channels of a 5.1 mix summed together for a DR value?

Yes, which provides a misleading result. As has been discussed ad nauseam both here and on SHF, the DR meter was never intended to be used with multichannel audio.

The fronts (which contain the bulk of the instrumentation, like drums & bass, lead vocal, lead guitar, etc) are really just as dynamically lacking as the stereo remix, but the remaining channels - which usually feature supportive elements like keys or backing vocals, and are much lower in level - artificially skew the average higher.

If you enjoy that 5.1 mix, I won't keep raining on your parade - I actually think it's one of the better entries in the series in terms of creativity/adventurousness with the surround field, but I find the overall sound quality pretty harsh.

 

[César]

Well, I quickly sampled the record (mainly The Space and Seasons End) and I found the mix very immersive although a bit aggressive on the treble (H's vocals on The Space, for example). But my first impression is that this is very far from being a bad mix, don't think it deserves the bad comments in this thread.
In any case, I need to listen in full

 

[James Jay]

Yes, which provides a misleading result. As has been discussed ad nauseam both here and on SHF, the DR meter was never intended to be used with multichannel audio.

The fronts (which contain the bulk of the instrumentation, like drums & bass, lead vocal, lead guitar, etc) are really just as dynamically lacking as the stereo remix, but the remaining channels - which usually feature supportive elements like keys or backing vocals, and are much lower in level - artificially skew the average higher.

If you enjoy that 5.1 mix, I won't keep raining on your parade - I actually think it's one of the better entries in the series in terms of creativity/adventurousness with the surround field, but I find the overall sound quality pretty harsh.

Thanks for the information. Although I am both here on QQ and SHF, I have never read about the DR Meter never being intended for use with multichannel audio. So I learned something today.
Thanks SJCORNE

 

[SHB]

Mine came in the mail today from importcds. I will check it out tomorrow. Also, received my copy of Moody Blues TOCCC today. Two new mixes in the mail today, A Banner Saturday!

 

[colsky]

I listened to the 5.1 this morning and it isn't as bad as I was expecting, given some of the comments above! Its not one of the best mixes, but there's enough instrumentation in the rear speakers to make it worthwhile. The production isn't that great though, not great clarity in the mix.

 

[srbjab]

I received my copy yesterday and had time to listen to the main album in 5.1 and the extra tracks, once. I do think the mix is slightly better than most of the reviews indicate, but it's still very front heavy and conservative - a bit better than just increased ambience but not by much. I find the cover art and extras to be meh. I need to do a few more complete listens before ranking, but so far this one doesn't seem all that special.