B
BiggerzBetter
Guest
I took a chance and ordered the Triathlon DVD-A disc from the composer's website after reading a review of it at www.highfidelityreview.com. I'm trying to support DVD-A as much as I can within my own financial limits, and the positive review made this seem like a fairly risk-free purchase. Also, I thought that releasing a DVD-A was a somewhat gutsy move for such a small company and that support was called for, even if I ended up not liking the disc.
As luck would have it, I do like Triathlon. It's billed as "original music from the film," but it's actually much more like a New Age title. That's not a bad thing, in my mind. Like any genre, "New Age" has a good and bad aspects to it. Triathlon is a set of 13 very rhythmic songs, some of which reminded me of New Age-artist David Arkenstone but with a harder edge. The melodies are extremely pleasant and catchy. I wouldn't be surprised to hear some of the songs used as background music for sports shows, as they often showcase music that grabs you. Out of the 13 songs, there's only one that I don't really care for, so that's a pretty good percentage.
The liner notes claim that this is the first motion picture soundtrack "conceived, recorded, and mastered" for DVD-A. Big woo, but I understand a company's got to have an angle. The main point here is that the album was apparently thought of as a multi-channel recording from the ground up, so the mix sounds just great in advanced resolution audio 5.1 playback. Instead of having to work from a two-channel mix and then trying to find acceptable ways to expand that to 5.1, the sound for Triathlon seems very natural. There's no flashy channel mixing like on the recent A Night at the Opera, which is okay by me. I think there's a place for mixes like that -- like on the Queen disc -- but I'm glad that Triathlon isn't overtaken by something similar.
I'm guessing that the multi-channel genesis of Triathlon left no room for a two-channel mix since this disc doesn't have one. In addition to the 96/24 advanced resolution 5.1 mix, the disc has 5.1 mixes for both Dolby Digital and DTS (you have to use your player's audio selection to choose between DD and DTS, however). There are a number of extras like still photos, a musicvideo (of sorts), and the film's trailer. I guess I should commend the company for going beyond just a bare-bones release, but I wasn't too thrilled with any of these bonuses.
My only real gripe is that the disc comes in a standard DVD Amaray case, not the Super Jewel Box that has become the DVD-A standard. That wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that the disc's booklet is printed in the standard CD-sized format and the Amaray case can't hold it. When I first got the disc in the mail (in only three days, by the way), the sound of the loose booklet had me thinking that the disc itself was unseated. I hate when that happens! If I eventually find an internet company which sells the Super Jewel Box, I'll just purchase one and resize everything via scanner/printer.
So I'd recommend this disc, definitely. I enjoy listening to it while reading or just zoning out, and the 5.1 mix is terrific.
As luck would have it, I do like Triathlon. It's billed as "original music from the film," but it's actually much more like a New Age title. That's not a bad thing, in my mind. Like any genre, "New Age" has a good and bad aspects to it. Triathlon is a set of 13 very rhythmic songs, some of which reminded me of New Age-artist David Arkenstone but with a harder edge. The melodies are extremely pleasant and catchy. I wouldn't be surprised to hear some of the songs used as background music for sports shows, as they often showcase music that grabs you. Out of the 13 songs, there's only one that I don't really care for, so that's a pretty good percentage.
The liner notes claim that this is the first motion picture soundtrack "conceived, recorded, and mastered" for DVD-A. Big woo, but I understand a company's got to have an angle. The main point here is that the album was apparently thought of as a multi-channel recording from the ground up, so the mix sounds just great in advanced resolution audio 5.1 playback. Instead of having to work from a two-channel mix and then trying to find acceptable ways to expand that to 5.1, the sound for Triathlon seems very natural. There's no flashy channel mixing like on the recent A Night at the Opera, which is okay by me. I think there's a place for mixes like that -- like on the Queen disc -- but I'm glad that Triathlon isn't overtaken by something similar.
I'm guessing that the multi-channel genesis of Triathlon left no room for a two-channel mix since this disc doesn't have one. In addition to the 96/24 advanced resolution 5.1 mix, the disc has 5.1 mixes for both Dolby Digital and DTS (you have to use your player's audio selection to choose between DD and DTS, however). There are a number of extras like still photos, a musicvideo (of sorts), and the film's trailer. I guess I should commend the company for going beyond just a bare-bones release, but I wasn't too thrilled with any of these bonuses.
My only real gripe is that the disc comes in a standard DVD Amaray case, not the Super Jewel Box that has become the DVD-A standard. That wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that the disc's booklet is printed in the standard CD-sized format and the Amaray case can't hold it. When I first got the disc in the mail (in only three days, by the way), the sound of the loose booklet had me thinking that the disc itself was unseated. I hate when that happens! If I eventually find an internet company which sells the Super Jewel Box, I'll just purchase one and resize everything via scanner/printer.
So I'd recommend this disc, definitely. I enjoy listening to it while reading or just zoning out, and the 5.1 mix is terrific.
