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Info: Mono soundtracks that were butchered with 5.1 remixes in later releases — Page 5

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There is an inversion with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

It was originally in mono but Studio Ghibli was apparently going to do a stereo remix for it’s DVD release back in 2003 and due to some reasons (either the people behind it were disappointed with how it sounded or the ultra-purist that is Miyazaki disapproved it), it was canned and both the DVD and Blu-ray releases still use the original 1984 mono mix.
Even the dubbed versions (except for the recent Russian theatrical re-dub and the German dub) made over two decades after the film’s original release were in mono.

But what is more interesting is that a stereo remix already exists in a Drama Album containing the film’s full audio (kinda like The Story of Star Wars) in full stereo, with some alternate music cues and sound effects.
It was released in both CD and LP record back in 1989. It actually breathes new life into the original Japanese audio, even if the purist in me wants to stick with the mono mix.

Problem is the Drama Album is currently out-of-print.

And I’ve loved every pixel of it.
(Clarissa Darling, Clarissa Explains It All)

You’re so right.
(Kylo Ren, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

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You can get the Drama album much easier on Record. The CD is impossible to find. As the record is in Japanese there is little benefit for me to buy it as i only understand English sans subtitles. When i can just enjoy the soundtrack instead without the dialog or sound effects. Not the only anime film for there to be an audio drama version or complete dialog and effects on a vinyl record or CD. Some of the Space Battleship Yamato films got that treatment. Even the English version Space Cruiser Yamato is available on Vinyl if not the complete film.

All of the Nausicaa Vinyl releases were reissued except for the drama album. But you can still buy it from Japan if you really want the expense.

I just found that the Mono Mix for Bullitt is available on a Japanese Laserdisc, and Dirty Harry is available on a first issue US disc in Mono. So all i need to do is buy those for my collection. Found out a Fistful of Dollars was released in 2018 on Blu Ray with the mono audio i wanted for a long time. So at least i don’t have to get the Laserdisc for that.

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Ah yes the 1983 laserdisc which is surprisingly good sounding has it

Magnum Force has never had its unedited mono mix on home video as ones that do have it have trimmed shots and other shots time compressed to save the amount of space needed at that time, the 90s stereo mix is the only way to get the original sound effects without any cuts or time compressed shots whatsoever

Raccoons

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Very interesting thread!

SilverWook said:

Worth noting the 2018 Criterion Blu-Ray release of Barry Lyndon has the original mono track.

As I have seen in many releases, Criterion includes the mono track always as 1.0, Olive Films too, but sometimes as 2.0. Why?

silverwheel said:

The other big problem with The French Connection’s surround mix is that the sounds effects, especially gunfire, are extremely loud compared to the music and dialogue. Thank heaven they had the good sense to include the mono (and to redo the color timing with Owen Roizman for the second Blu-ray release).

Here is a good example, I have seen the Blu-ray of “French Connection” but the mono track is 2.0.

If I am not mistaken, in these cases it’s a duplicate. The left and right channels are identical (same track). I think that if it were 1.0 it should sound only from the center channel. Is there any advantage with 2 channels? Shouldn’t it always be 1.0?

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If I am not mistaken, in these cases it’s a duplicate. The left and right channels are identical (same track). I think that if it were 1.0 it should sound only from the center channel. Is there any advantage with 2 channels? Shouldn’t it always be 1.0?

2.0 tracks probably have better compatibility, for example my old Panasonic player outputs 1.0 PCM as 5.1 with only the center channel active, which works but is kind of weird.

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Buster D said:

If I am not mistaken, in these cases it’s a duplicate. The left and right channels are identical (same track). I think that if it were 1.0 it should sound only from the center channel. Is there any advantage with 2 channels? Shouldn’t it always be 1.0?

2.0 tracks probably have better compatibility, for example my old Panasonic player outputs 1.0 PCM as 5.1 with only the center channel active, which works but is kind of weird.

That’s probably the reason but are all 2.0 tracks always a duplicate?

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a_purist said:

2.0 tracks probably have better compatibility, for example my old Panasonic player outputs 1.0 PCM as 5.1 with only the center channel active, which works but is kind of weird.

That’s probably the reason but are all 2.0 tracks always a duplicate?

If the source was a mono film, they should be, but there are quite a few films that were mono in theaters but remixed to stereo for home video: https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/the-ultimate-list-of-mono-to-stereo-remixed-soundtracks.339481/

2.0 for stuff like Dolby Stereo shouldn’t be duplicated, obviously.

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Buster D said:

If the source was a mono film, they should be, but there are quite a few films that were mono in theaters but remixed to stereo for home video: https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/the-ultimate-list-of-mono-to-stereo-remixed-soundtracks.339481/

Quite a couple of the films on that list had certain elements (namely the music stems) recorded in stereo, but downmixed to mono for the optical soundtrack on a film strip (which was, obviously, monaural). Just saying…

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Thanks, I’ll take a look at that list.

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I don’t want to get off topic but is there a thread for films that only were re-released in 5.1 and don’t have their stereo tracks. I own a bunch of films on Laserdiscs, that when the time came for them to be released on DVD or Blu-Ray they left off the theatrical stereo options.

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The recent 4K release of Mad Max restores the proper Aussie mono mix

The comparison video floating around is misleading, the sound effects that it claims are missing were never there to begin with

They were added for the US dub originally, the European DVD is a weird hybrid that utilizes the Aussie dialogue but uses a few of the US mix sound effects

If anyone doesn’t believe me I actually have proof about this

Raccoons

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SpacemanDoug said:

If anyone doesn’t believe me I actually have proof about this

Then why not just post proof?

Army of Darkness: The Medieval Deadit | The Terminator - Color Regrade | The Wrong Trousers - Audio Preservation
SONIC RACES THROUGH THE GREEN FIELDS.
THE SUN RACES THROUGH A BLUE SKY FILLED WITH WHITE CLOUDS.
THE WAYS OF HIS HEART ARE MUCH LIKE THE SUN. SONIC RUNS AND RESTS; THE SUN RISES AND SETS.
DON’T GIVE UP ON THE SUN. DON’T MAKE THE SUN LAUGH AT YOU.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3QSVzSXeos

ok here you go, I didn’t have the video finished yet

the sound of the shotgun falling to the ground, Max falling on the car, and the bird wing noises are all not in this version, which is a recording of an Australian broadcast from 1985

meaning they were never in the Aussie track to begin with, they were first added to the US dub, the region 2 DVD has an altered mono track and the Kino release is correct

with the exception of putting the clips together, I didn’t touch the recording at all (I even left in the PAL speed up), the first clip is to showcase it’s from a broadcast (yes the Superman theme was always there, it was added by the channel who aired this) and the last clip at the end is to show that it does in fact have the Aussie dialogue

Raccoons

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The lossless dual mono track on the WAC blu-ray of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark sounds astonishing

It’s hissy and sounds really clear and crisp as a result, thank fuck they didn’t nuke it with hiss reduction

Raccoons

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Mod Edit: the spam-like content of this post has been removed. Please do not post like this again. It is also somewhat nonsensical and also off-topic. Thank you.
 

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Mod Edit: the spam-like content of this post has been removed. Please do not post like this again. It is also somewhat nonsensical and also off-topic. Thank you.
 

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Nicolas Cage said:

PM Links For Top Gun 2.0 Stereo Mix & Days of Thunder 2.0 Stereo Mix & The Longest Day 4.0 & 2.0 Stereo Mix & Taxi Driver 1976 2.0 Stereo Mix & Rocky 1976 2.0 Dual Mono Mix & Taxi Driver 1976 Audio Commentary With Paul Schrader & Taxi Driver 1976 Audio Commentary With Professor (Film Studies & Digital Media at Georgia Institute of Technology) Robert Kolker & Taxi Driver 1976 Audio Commentary With Director Martin Scorsese & Screenwriter Paul Schrader & Scarface 1983 4.0 & 2.0 Stereo Mix

please stop spamming this thread

Raccoons

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Even though the changes to the sound are subtle compared to remixes for other films, I have noticed that Taxi Driver has had its audio changed (primarily gun sound effects) and the original mono track has not seen the light of day since the laserdisc.

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I find it extremely frustrating that the 4K bluray of Animal House STILL will not include the original mono soundtrack. The last release to have it that I know of was the DVD. Hopefully, it’ll at least be a better presentation videowise. The original bluray had really gross colors.

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I do know for a fact that the blu-ray of Teen Wolf is incorrectly pitched, not sure if the DVD has the same issue

Also I will say that the remix for Animal House is indeed quite annoying, but at least it has the original songs cause I know one of the DVD releases changed a bunch of them (I think the double secret probation edition)

Raccoons

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SpacemanDoug said:

I do know for a fact that the blu-ray of Teen Wolf is incorrectly pitched, not sure if the DVD has the same issue

Also I will say that the remix for Animal House is indeed quite annoying, but at least it has the original songs cause I know one of the DVD releases changed a bunch of them (I think the double secret probation edition)

Yeah, I’ve heard about the Teen Wolf soundtrack being messed with. Such a shame because the video is great on the Scream Factory Blu-ray. As for Animal House, maybe someday I’ll sync the laserdisc audio to the blu ray.

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Sadly no one has sent me a laserdisc rip for Teen Wolf

I haven’t heard anything about the DVD though so it’s possible it isn’t incorrectly pitched

Raccoons