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Forum - General Questions |
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Question
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*RANSOM* by JERRY GOLDSMITH
Hi guys!...
I have just listened to the recent Prometheus cd release of ''Ransom'' by Jerry Goldsmith over and over enjoying the powerful and melodic score while running back and forth trying at the same time to get the right sound on my stereo system but it seems whichever way I set my equalizer and settings, the sound quality is not 100% satisfactory.
I don't have a top of the line stereo system but it is not cheap either.
I usually don't complain about my soundtracks' sound quality but now I can see where people sometimes are not happy concerning the poor sound quality in soundtrack releases.
Is this Prometheus release of ''Ransom'' a mono recording? It sure sounds like it but not a very good one.
There are numerous mono FSM releases for example which sound much better than this one.
I wonder, did Prometheus Records bother to do any kind of remastering on this release?
Even though I am not a sound engineer my ears tell me that the sound quality is not top notch and full, and sounds muffled and slightly distorted.
With all the technological advancements available today Goldsmith's ''Ransom'' honestly deserved a much better sound quality release.
This Goldsmith score is only from the mid 70's which does not make it exactly ancient, so why for the... not so great sound quality?
So many scores I have from the 70's and even before are excellent sounding, as if they were recorded yesterday, so the decade should not be an excuse for poor sound quality.
I will even go further as to say that I would not mind seeing a re-release of this Goldsmith score with pristine clear sound played by a first rate orchestra exactly as it is played on the original release.
Is anyone who has this Prometheus release dissatisfied with the sound quality as well?
For anyone who has them, I wonder if the sound quality of the Silva Screen release which has both ''Ransom'' only with fewer tracks and ''Chairman'' is better than the Prometheus one?....
and do the LP releases sound any better as well?...
Thanks!
serifiot, May 10, 2006; 7:25 PM
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Answers
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Unfortunately the master tapes were lost so Prometheus had to work with a vinyl
source for this CD. The previous CD (paired with Chairman) also derives from an
LP source but sounded pretty bad. This latest version is - considering the
limitations of the source material - actually a massive improvement on the Silva
one. Yes, some of the tracks are mono. The original Dart LP is the same.
In an ideal world, we'd be hearing a pristine beautiful sounding version of this
music, in stereo, with the film versions added as a bonus (there's some great
music in the film that's not on the album). Maybe some day. You never know.
I think Prometheus did the best they could, and I have to applaud them for a
much better clean-up job than the earlier CD.
stephenlister, May 11, 2006; 3:21 AM
Thanks for the input...
I did read after my posting some reviews on the cd concerning the sound quality and to my suprise they basically say the same thing you are.
I did not know the master tapes were lost though. I sometimes wonder how can master tapes be lost to a score that is not so old?
Anyway... working from a vinyl source explains the sound quality. I can only imagine what the sound quality must be on the previous Silva release. The LP's according to the reviews were no better either.
Not meaning to sound ungrateful, Prometheus I guess has done the best possible...
Perhaps there are master tapes gathering dust vaulted up somewhere and hopefully we would see an even better release with even more tracks like you mentioned than the Prometheus one some time in the future.
The present sound even though improved unfortunately does not do the justice this Goldsmith score deserves but again it is better than not having it.
I love this man's music!
serifiot, May 24, 2006; 3:41 AM
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