A friendly reminder that with any mix— Dolby Digital or analog— on the actual print itself, you’re likely getting the “far field” version of the soundtrack, with mixing choices and dynamic range better suited for listening in large auditoriums. In contrast, that same mix is typically adjusted for “near field” listening in significantly smaller environments for the film’s home video release. The former mix is prepared knowing it will play from speakers a considerable distance from the listener(s); it also considers the architectural impact of the soundtrack in that room to give the audience a full, reflected acoustic effect. The latter is more direct and sometimes may even sound more detailed— or, at least, unmarred by the aural impact of a large auditorium because you’re sitting much closer to speakers with smaller drivers in a smaller room.
Neither is necessarily better or worse than the other (not always, anyway…). Still, it’s always best to consider the differences between what’s on a print and what typically ends up on the home video release. An excellent example of everything mentioned here can be heard in Aladdin’s theatrical and home video versions. In the scene where the Cave of Wonders begins to fall apart, the differences in the intensity of the sound effects are night and day. Pay particular attention to the moment when the lamp shrine bursts into flames. Not even the LaserDisc audio, an otherwise fine track all around, sounds that aggressive. You can hear the DVD/35mm audio comparison here:
All this is to say yes, you will want to include the analog track— for posterity if nothing else. =)
true, BUT I’ve heard the whole near vs. far field mix thing is a good deal overblown and that a lot of it was pushed by a single mixing studio that apparently wanted to use the idea to prop up their finances and sort of talked all the studios into the ‘critical’ need for it. I’ve read that many say that a lot of the claims pushed to get the whole thing going, upon further examination, didn’t really pan out like they claimed and some say the whole thing caused more trouble and even worse home results in the end, although it seems there is still some arguing over who is correct.