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Posted: |
Sep 19, 2013 - 10:47 AM
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By: |
Mike Esssss
(Member)
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James Nelson is the best. We've all known it for years and others have learned it. There are reasons for this. Most importantly, he loves music and has good ears. And he cares about the projects. When I decided to do this CD, and they found the analogue three-tracks, there was not an instant of hesitation in telling James that's what we were going to be using. I then told him exactly and in detail what didn't please me about the previous releases: The Varese, too hot and obnoxious and fatiguing to listen to. The two Intradas mastered at way too low a level and that in conjunction with all that extra reverb Bruce Botnick had added to an already wet orchestra PLUS the huge reverb on the choir that then washed the orchestra into aural oblivion even more and made the whole orchestra sound like they were down the hall to the right and then just the whole harshness of the digital sound itself. He listened, agreed with me completely, and then we began. He had lots of questions and I answered them and we spent days and days (this is the most expensive mastering bill I've ever had) going back and forth between the previous releases and the new tracks as they'd come in - the minute I heard the first track that came in I knew we were in great shape - everything was clear and beautiful and - WARM and present. We added no extra verb to the orchestra (he asked me if I wanted to emulate that and I said absolutely not), and a lot less to the choir so all those details suddenly shone through in very obvious ways. It was a revelation to hear. And then, of course, we had to deal with all that unnecessary drama that occurred elsewhere, which was enervating, but which I knew, in the end, would be obvious to anyone who heard the new version.
So in other words, yeah yeah James Nelson is good but let's not forget who was the captain of this ship. 
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James Nelson is the best. We've all known it for years and others have learned it. There are reasons for this. Most importantly, he loves music and has good ears. And he cares about the projects. When I decided to do this CD, and they found the analogue three-tracks, there was not an instant of hesitation in telling James that's what we were going to be using. I then told him exactly and in detail what didn't please me about the previous releases: The Varese, too hot and obnoxious and fatiguing to listen to. The two Intradas mastered at way too low a level and that in conjunction with all that extra reverb Bruce Botnick had added to an already wet orchestra PLUS the huge reverb on the choir that then washed the orchestra into aural oblivion even more and made the whole orchestra sound like they were down the hall to the right and then just the whole harshness of the digital sound itself. He listened, agreed with me completely, and then we began. He had lots of questions and I answered them and we spent days and days (this is the most expensive mastering bill I've ever had) going back and forth between the previous releases and the new tracks as they'd come in - the minute I heard the first track that came in I knew we were in great shape - everything was clear and beautiful and - WARM and present. We added no extra verb to the orchestra (he asked me if I wanted to emulate that and I said absolutely not), and a lot less to the choir so all those details suddenly shone through in very obvious ways. It was a revelation to hear. And then, of course, we had to deal with all that unnecessary drama that occurred elsewhere, which was enervating, but which I knew, in the end, would be obvious to anyone who heard the new version.
So in other words, yeah yeah James Nelson is good but let's not forget who was the captain of this ship.
It's good to be the captain 
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James Nelson is the best. We've all known it for years and others have learned it. There are reasons for this. Most importantly, he loves music and has good ears. And he cares about the projects. When I decided to do this CD, and they found the analogue three-tracks, there was not an instant of hesitation in telling James that's what we were going to be using. I then told him exactly and in detail what didn't please me about the previous releases: The Varese, too hot and obnoxious and fatiguing to listen to. The two Intradas mastered at way too low a level and that in conjunction with all that extra reverb Bruce Botnick had added to an already wet orchestra PLUS the huge reverb on the choir that then washed the orchestra into aural oblivion even more and made the whole orchestra sound like they were down the hall to the right and then just the whole harshness of the digital sound itself. He listened, agreed with me completely, and then we began. He had lots of questions and I answered them and we spent days and days (this is the most expensive mastering bill I've ever had) going back and forth between the previous releases and the new tracks as they'd come in - the minute I heard the first track that came in I knew we were in great shape - everything was clear and beautiful and - WARM and present. We added no extra verb to the orchestra (he asked me if I wanted to emulate that and I said absolutely not), and a lot less to the choir so all those details suddenly shone through in very obvious ways. It was a revelation to hear. And then, of course, we had to deal with all that unnecessary drama that occurred elsewhere, which was enervating, but which I knew, in the end, would be obvious to anyone who heard the new version.
So in other words, yeah yeah James Nelson is good but let's not forget who was the captain of this ship.
Yeah, but the XO if the one who makes sure everything works on the ship...
That's Mr. Nelson.
:-)
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Mastering is, in the best of circumstances, always a collaboration between the producer and the mastering engineer. Some producers are more hands on than others. When I began the journey with Mr. Nelson, I knew he was great right away, but I tended to nitpick stuff back then and soon he knew exactly what I was responding to and very infrequently what I wasn't responding to. In a short amount of time, I would get masters that I didn't have to say boo about. And that is mostly the case because he knows what I like and we agree about sound. Poltergeist II was a different beast - we had a lot of chats about it and the nature of what we wanted it to be. But the work is his - I just know when it feels right and he did a magnificent job on Poltergeist II and in the end it is exactly the sound both he and I wanted for it. Our conversations were mostly about dynamics, and where to put the choir - they're much more defined and clear in the new release and there were times in the film when they'd really shine through where on the previous CDs those moments were completely buried (especially the heavenly choir in the penultimate cue).
I have to say, it was fun to work on, and at the end of the day, we just went our own way and did what we thought was best and what we liked. He is a complete pro and masterful at his job.
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Posted: |
Sep 25, 2013 - 5:06 AM
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By: |
Mr Greg
(Member)
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I'm sorry to say this, but after listening to the entire score on cd 1,
for me it's the worst sequencing i encountered for a complete score.
i understand the cross-fade avoid thing, but transit to new track in a middle of a choir chant?
example: track 13 - the smoke end with a choir track that transit to track 14 - the drink
and the choir part ends after 00:24 seconds, with silent and than new melody began.
i mean, did you ever listening to the score at all? or try to give a decent listening experience?
simple thing is to combine this 25 seconds to track 13 and start track 14 from this point.
i see that occur on many track on this new complete edition.
it's really disappointment that no attention was given to track sequence.
just my 2 cent...
another thing, back cover says 18 track when actual cd is 23 track!!
I'm listening to track 14 right now...not sure where this silence is that you speak of? Moreover, it is quite clearly a separate cue from track 13...and you really ask a record producer whether or not he actually listened to the score at all? And then make comment about no attention being given to track sequence? Way to make friends...! And, um, yeah, not sure where you get the 23 tracks from either...what does iTunes say are the titles of the last five tracks when you insert the disc?
Your two cents are looking distinctly worthless at this time..
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I'm kind of baffled, actually. How can a defective CD have five more tracks? I'd say the defect is elsewhere. And, as others have pointed out, why on earth would I have made "The Drink" part of a cue that it didn't belong to? I could have, I suppose, but I wanted to keep the new tracks separate, even though they're all short. Perhaps this person has no other CDs in his collection of complete scores - that would explain why we're being singled out for having short tracks, when the reality is there are short tracks on hundreds of limited edition soundtrack CDs from every label.
It all seems peculiar to me and I'm glad it seems equally peculiar to others. And I am more than happy to have this fellow return his "defective" disc even if purchased elsewhere - just so I can see for myself how an 18-track CD can have 23 tracks.
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Finally received my copy today.
Very pleased with this release, loved the inclusion of the film versions of Wild Braces and The Worm.
For me the biggest surprise thus far, after a first listen, is to notice that there is a choir on the Grandma Jess theme at the end of Reaching Out. Having all the previous versions of this score and having listened to them a lot I had never notice that there was a choir at that "big moment". The sound is a real improvement.
On this first listen I could not detect the undone crossfades. The one I was expecting to see undone (between The Worm / Out Of The Ceiling is still there, or maybe it was recorded this way and edited in the movie?)
Again this is a fantastic release I never tought it would happen, specially after reading in this board MV mentioning that Lalaland had passed on this score.
Yes, the choir was completely buried in the original mix, but is prominent in the film itself and it's such a wonderful moment - that's why I never really care about previous mixes that are supposedly the approved things. Stuff gets by.
James doesn't do crossfades, so unless it was there and couldn't be undone, we undid them - but it's very subtle.
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This is the definitive release of POLTERGEIST II and an absolute must-have.
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