HiRez Poll Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream [DVD-A]

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Rate the DVD-A of Porcupine Tree - STUPID DREAM

  • 7:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2:

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

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    139
Hard to believe this was Wilson’s first Surround mix! He obviously rapidly learned from one of the masters, and Scheiner is easily that, but I think Steven outdid the teacher with this incredible effort. A more immersive and natural sounding surround mix is not easy to come by. A ‘10’ without reservation.
 
I got a album test pressing of Stupid Dream that I had for a long while. It sounds fantastic. The dvd-a is pure bliss.

This was the first PTree show among many I have seen since 1999. Front row. Barbieri was 5 feet away from me with his keyboard. Steve walking around in bare feet. After the show we got to meet the band members and get autos. I asked Steven if they would come back to the states next year and he said yes.
 

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Hard to believe this was Wilson’s first Surround mix! He obviously rapidly learned from one of the masters, and Scheiner is easily that, but I think Steven outdid the teacher with this incredible effort. A more immersive and natural sounding surround mix is not easy to come by. A ‘10’ without reservation.
I think In Absentia was the first he was involved with, I am also pretty sure 'Deadwing' & 'Fear of a Blank planet' was before he revisited 'Stupid Dream' and 'Lightbulb Sun' it was all a long time ago now
 
I think In Absentia was the first he was involved with, I am also pretty sure 'Deadwing' & 'Fear of a Blank planet' was before he revisited 'Stupid Dream' and 'Lightbulb Sun' it was all a long time ago now
Deadwing, like In Absentia, was mixed by Elliot Scheiner. Wilson sat in, but did not mix. Stupid Dream was his first surround mix, in 2006, followed by Fear of a Blank Planet in 2007 and Lightbulb Sun in 2008.
 
This is most certainly NOT a disbalanced surround mix. Might be time recalibrate your system!
Probably I had to calibrate my system exactly to this mix. But my system worked well with other albums that I have. So I thought I shouldn’t make any exceptions. Here comes explanation and a way how I usually test all mixes in my reviews for my Russian MCH Blog.

(English is not my native, so get it just the way it is….)

1. Balance (equal loudness on front and rear sound fields). To my ears here is just one pure balanced track, and it is #4 "Pure Narcotic". Several tracks I would call as "dynamic-almost-balanced": 1, 2, 8, 9 and 10. This means that the balance arises for the period when the instruments turn on, take place in short periods of choruses and improvisations, as well in the beginning or the end of the compositions. It is kind of swing: sound force goes back and forth, a sound wave that fills rear field during tutti. I don’t like this method of mixing… I’d agree, but not when it appear in that numbers of songs. As you remember, there are 12 tracks on the album. So still left 6 tracks that are totally disbalanced (a helluva 50%), where front sounded louder than rear… if you understand what I mean.

2. Static. In most of tracks static was used correctly: rhythm guitars, vocals-backup singers, synthesizers-organs, percussion-cymbals are put into the rear panorama… In general, everything is as Steven Wilson knows how to do. However, there is one annoyance that spoils the impression: the front rhythm section /big drum and the lead vocals push down the rear sound volume. Therefore, it seems that the rear panorama is weaker, created to serve the front. This strains the listener's hearing in an attempt to grasp all the instruments that located behind him. By the way, there could be more instruments than are now. It’s easy to understand when you take # 6 ("Don't Hate Me") for example: there is too much empty atmosphere in the rear. And look how much of rear sound in the 2016 album (4 ½) version! Just compare them! Only once, the mix of the composition "Pure Narcotic" get quite a top ten: the static nature of the instruments, well exposed in the corners of the system.

3. Dynamics. The mixer paid attention to this criterion, but I would like more flying objects to hear. Well done tracks: 2, 3, 5, 6, 11. Flying sound effects placed both circular and limited by the rear field.

So all in all I gave the 8 stars for the mix of Mr. Wilson.
 
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