DT12 5.1 Mix Thoughts

[onnet5]

I haven't really seen anyone mention the quality of the 5.1 mix of the new DT album around the current threads so thought I'd garner some response in its own thread. I've listened to the 5.1 mix a few times now and I think it has been made really well - this is miles better than the Systematic Chaos 5.1 mix (which is awful in my opinion). False Awakening Suite sounds absolutely fantastic in 5.1 and the little drum solo in EM had me grinning ear to ear when it utilised every speaker. Jordan's synths just stand out so much more and everything feels 'big' with the extra room it has. What's everyone elses thoughts on the 5.1 mix?

[BlackInk]

Regrettably I haven't heard it yet, but as soon as my album arrives I will post my thoughts as well!

[Zydar]

Regrettably I haven't eard it yet, but as soon as my album arrives I will post my thoughts as well!

This. I think mine will arrive tomorrow.

[serrano]

  that's great, I didn't have the time to setup my 5.1 system since I'm moving to a new home but that should be the right motivation.

[me7]

I tried downmixing the 5.1 mix to stereo for regular use since the CD mix is too compressed for my taste, and after comparing them for a while I was unable to tell them apart. Usually a downmixed 5.1 mix sounds very different than the CD, simply because it's a different mix (duh). My initial impression is that the 5.1 mix isn't a different mix at all but just the plain stereo mix separated over multiple channels by an upmixing algorithm. I intend to investigate this further when I have the time.

Quality wise, it doesn't appear to be less compressed at all, but there is definitely less clipping. The beginning of "Enemy inside" is a good example. The CD version clips a lot at the beginning and causes audible distortion in the left channel. This distortion is gone in the downmixed 5.1 version. But in sections that don't clip, I'm unable to tell them apart.

[jayvee3]

I listened to the 5.1 mix through my computers DVD player with good headphones, and to me, it sounded considerably sharper and better than the general CD mix.. If I'm listening to the album at home, that is definitely my preferred way..

[Perpetual Change]

It sounds pretty good on my bluray system.

[DreamTension]

Wow.  Just listening to the 5.1 mix for the first time.  It sounds great!  FAS has the choir and cymbal flouishes coming from the rear channels.  The transition effects swirling around you.  Keyboards and vocals are much more present on TEI, with the background vocals coming in from the rear.  About to get to the Wah battle.  So far,  awesome 5.1mix.

[volwrath]

IT is simply mindblowing in 5.1, and thats with a pretty shitty old 5.1 system.

[Progmetty]

Wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute doc!
Are you telling me that I could listen to the 5.1 cd on a normal left/right stereo and it would work without hurting the sound?

[onnet5]

You can downmix a 5.1 mix to just Stereo - some people prefer to do that with their albums as it can apparently produce a better sound. Personally I've never tried it so I have no idea what it's like but I know people use that method especially with Opeth albums.

[lovethedrake]

So I bought the version that has both the CD and the 5.1 CD.

In what instances should I try the 5.1?

Would it work in my car?  On just normal headphones on normal speakers?

Or do I need a surround sound system for it to enhance the sound? 

Thanks!

[Perpetual Change]

The 5.1 is good. It might not be doing well on the DR index, but for some reason whatever dynamic problems and issues with the mix are not really apparent at all.

So I bought the version that has both the CD and the 5.1 CD.

In what instances should I try the 5.1?

Would it work in my car?  On just normal headphones on normal speakers?

Or do I need a surround sound system for it to enhance the sound? 

Thanks!

Yeah, but keep in mind that you can score a decent blu ray home theater system for around $200 now. Way cheaper if you hold off until black friday.

[IslandInTheMaking]

Wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute doc!
Are you telling me that I could listen to the 5.1 cd on a normal left/right stereo and it would work without hurting the sound?

Yes and no Technically yes, you can downmix 5.1 (6 separate channels) into 2.0. Now what you would gain by doing that is the dynamic range. Which is usually better on 5.1 mixes. But you will end up with a mix that is a lot more cluttered and usually a lot more reverb heavy. Now all these things depend on how you do the downmixing. Most of 5.1 mixes have metadata embedded in them that tell your DVD/Bluray/whateversoftware you use how to downmix the Lr/Rr/center/sub channels in LR.  These values are set by the engineer during post production. If not then default values are used. I think there are also plug-ins that allow you to control everything. But basicly you have to use your own judgement on the end product.. it's definetly not what was intented when mixing the album. Is it good is up to you..

[Progmetty]

Thank you so much for explaining, so the system figures out from the CD how to downmix the channels but that's in case of advanced -or at least modern- home systems, how about car stereo? This would be the primary place I listen at. My car is a 2011 Ford Fushion if it helps to tell about the stereo's ability to process that kind of information from the CD.

[IslandInTheMaking]

Thank you so much for explaining, so the system figures out from the CD how to downmix the channels but that's in case of advanced -or at least modern- home systems, how about car stereo? This would be the primary place I listen at. My car is a 2011 Ford Fushion if it helps to tell about the stereo's ability to process that kind of information from the CD.

Not CD. DVD(or BluRay).. if your car has a DVD player that's Dolby compatible then yes it should do that. But there's no way of putting 5.1mix  in an (stantard) audio CD.

[Progmetty]

Oh yeah I forgot the 5.1 is a DVD and not an audio cd, dang that just eliminates that option. I was also kinda looking for an excuse to get the deluxe version for the extra artwork. Maybe I'll listen to it on my PS3. Thanks again

[jammindude]

I have to make some adjustments in my system...I don't think my rear speakers are turned up enough.

I listened to it last night and I still thought the mix was a bit too subtle.   There were moments when I was blown away (the StR guitar solo circling around the room several times was freakin awesome) but for the most part I didn't think they utilized the "surround effect" enough.   But then again, I've never been a subtle guy.  I usually like it when things are a bit more obvious.

Still, as someone mentioned, it is worlds better than the SC mix.  I was happy. 

[volwrath]

I had to turn down my rears as mine were set too high which I usually have set for TV, but Ive found each source is different.

BTW I ebnjoyed your youtube review of the album

[me7]

I have to make some adjustments in my system...I don't think my rear speakers are turned up enough.

I listened to it last night and I still thought the mix was a bit too subtle.   There were moments when I was blown away (the StR guitar solo circling around the room several times was freakin awesome) but for the most part I didn't think they utilized the "surround effect" enough.   But then again, I've never been a subtle guy.  I usually like it when things are a bit more obvious.

Still, as someone mentioned, it is worlds better than the SC mix.  I was happy. 

To me, the 5.1 mix sounds like a tuned version of the stereo mix. I'm convinced that they didn't mix it from scratch with a bigger space in mind, but rather took the finished 2.0 mix and looked for stuff they could change a bit to make it sound spacious.

[jammindude]

I had to turn down my rears as mine were set too high which I usually have set for TV, but Ive found each source is different.

BTW I ebnjoyed your youtube review of the album

Hey cool!  Thanks for the shout out! 

My son and I are having a real blast doing them.   We cut a really quick video of us opening the boxed set yesterday.  It was his first time in front of the camera on the J-Dude Show.

The unpacking the new DT boxed set episode (in case you missed it):
https://youtu.be/Hd1HmRTKuyg

[Zydar]

I had to turn down my rears as mine were set too high which I usually have set for TV, but Ive found each source is different.

BTW I ebnjoyed your youtube review of the album

Hey cool!  Thanks for the shout out! 

My son and I are having a real blast doing them.   We cut a really quick video of us opening the boxed set yesterday.  It was his first time in front of the camera on the J-Dude Show.

The unpacking the new DT boxed set episode (in case you missed it):
https://youtu.be/Hd1HmRTKuyg

Thanks for the clip, it's always entertaining to see people unpackaging this kind of thing. And yours didn't disappoint.

[Nick]

I wasn't impressed with the 5.1, but that's only on first listen.

[Brandon58DT]

I don't have a 5.1 system, and listening to it with my headset makes it seem like the volume shifts louder and quieter every now and then, it's really annoying lol. So I'm stuck with the loudly compressed CD files, because I'm a broke college student and can't get the HD tracks

[BlackInk]

I was pretty impressed with it. Popped it in to my blu-ray system and it sounded great. It made the album better for me.

[mhanna49]

Can anyone else hear distortion noise around 1:35 in Illumination Theory? I can hear it in the 5.1 mix on the DVD. It isn't on the CD.

[cool34231a]

LoL, I messed with 5.1 in Audacity and put a combined center+LFE to the LFE channel, 'cause the LFE only had some low freq hum. This gives nicer bass punches on my sub. I just love doing that stuff 

[RaiseTheKnife]

I don't have a 5.1 sound set up, but, for what its worth, I did like the mix when I played it on my stereo television.