Hi guys, so here are the "news" that most of you already know XD:
THE EMPIRE STRIKES STRIKES Imperial "Audiophile" Edition - 2012 Update
ABC had been reviewing his work for the IAE, and improving it! So now he has finished a 2012 version that surpases his previous works. The technical stuff is better explained by him than me nooby XD:
"*** THE EMPIRE STRIKES STRIKES Imperial "Audiophile" Edition - 2012 Update ***
the previous uploaded version of the IAE has not been such an improvement at all next to the older AE ("Audiophile" Edition)... but rather a mess.
The choice for a slightly warmer and less aggressive sound was good but the way it has been done wasn't... Mainly:
1) A badly set DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) can really spoil such a work.
2) The new equalizations lacked of subtlety, mostly weakening the sound and its range.
3) The further balance corrections/compensations were not necessary and often weakened the dynamics too.
4) The few speed & pitch corrections previously done in 16-Bit, and without real time dithering messed up the tone of the tracks.
... plus, a few mistakes, like an unspotted wrong speed (Yoda's Entrance), a wrong one (Mynock Cave, OST part - that had to be left untouched, instead of owing on the SE wich has an altered speed on this part), or ones to be done with more precision (Duel/Clash Of Lighsabers) are other details that diserved a closer attention.
Listing all the improvements and corrections finally brought to this new Set would be too much useless informations. Just rest assured it has been much more correctly processed back from the AE material. Only the very first track have been taken back from the earlier OE3 (Optimum Ed.), the only track to be here slightly clipped on a few fractions of a second but still the best version I ever made of this one.
Many tracks have been now processed in 24-Bit to preserve the quality, many of the new equalisations on the session transfers have been revised more subtlely, the stereo is back to the AE version for the OST and overlayed mixes overall, and revisiting many noticeable cuts from the sources the editing is now as perfect as it can be done from these.
One track is worth mentioning for it's new editing on Set 2: Swamps Of Dagobah (Crash Landing). It's still complete but has now the film timing break at around 2'00", and I suspect the teams who worked on either the Anthology or the SE edited it merged without the silence just because they couldn't know it. I may mistake, but remember I have been sent the complete hand-written cue sheets from J Williams and that cue was missing...! It makes much more sense with that short silence in place.
Otherwise, the Arts remain untouched, tracklists are the same.
Purpose of the different sets:
- SET 1: The Complete Cue Archival Collection, for "completists".
- SET 2: The Original Score, as written for the film, with film timing suites (not film editing).
- SET 3: The Original Album, restored and completed, gathering all the highest range OST/overlayed mixes.
- SET 3 Bonus: The Imperial Edition DVD (not updated), the Original Score reconstructed and completed against the motion picture.
-ABC"
I'm gonna send links for all the three sets to the people interested. Do whatever you want with them, share them, burn it, listen them, ... use them as a present for the next father's day, or simply don't download them if you are good with what you have! Although I'd prefer if you don't publish them openly, cause it's better for everyone if they stand for some months instead of days XD