Info: Alien Anthology - Dolby Digital 4.1 Surround — Page 2

Ah, that would've been awesome, thanks but after my search around various forums today, it seems that's one of those sound cards that unfortunately post-processes the SPDIF input streams, resulting in non-exact captures of the digital audio. While it still works for regular PCM audio streams, it will render non-PCM (AC-3, DTS) datastreams useless.

The M-Audiophile 2496 and AudioTrak Prodigy 7.1 should be able to handle it. As I own a LD player with an RF demodulator and other discs with tracks I'm interested in getting preserved, it may be time for me to buy a new soundcard, will keep you updated.

As it still may be some time until I can do a bit-perfect rip of this audio track, I can upload a decent capture for you of the Dolby 2.0 Surround, if you're eager to just hear the 70mm mix, I actually own a mint condition copy of this LD myself now. :) It's wave, in unedited form, split in two parts due to the side break, just let me know.

I had actually forgotten how jarring some of the music/sound editing was in some parts, from the moment when Nostromo is approaching the planet until they enter the atmosphere, the sound editing is surprisingly rough, it's actually hard to believe it was released this way, but I guess it was because of time constraints, the 70mm prints had to be out there day one.

But... many memories came back when I heard this track again, I owned a VHS copy of Alien released in Sweden in the late 80's or early 90's which I'm damned sure of had this same rough sound editing when Nostromo is approaching the planet, as I'm a little doubtful they utilized the 70mm mix for that old VHS release, I'm starting to wonder if this rough sound editing was part of the 35mm release as well.

Except, the few rough parts I mentioned, the 70mm mix is really great, good dynamic range with powerful bass content in various places, and it's very neat to hear all the subtle differences.

When I think about it again, I'm very doubtful the 70mm mix actually had split surround, the Dolby mix on Apocalypse Now is well known to be the first that utilized it, (it had been tested on Superman the year before) and Alien which was released the same year never gets any mention, Alien was in fact released before Apocalypse Now, which had only been screened at Cannes at that point. Btw here's a nice article on Alien 70mm openings: http://www.in70mm.com/news/2003/alien_in_70mm/index.htm

had the pleasure of viewing an original 35mm print from 1979 on friday at The Prince Charles cinema in london

fantastic!!!

Just give me a pm if you're interested to hear the 70mm mix, just thought I would mention this when the uploaded files are still up.

PM sent

bigrob said:
had the pleasure of viewing an original 35mm print from 1979 on friday at The Prince Charles cinema in london
fantastic!!!

the print was quiet scratchy at the beginning of reel changes and there was a slight red tint to it (due to age i presume) but overall it was good

the audio had a few pops and cracks but none of this distracted my attention fromt the film.

was very cool seeing the original X certifciate at the start as well

I booked my tickets for the Alien Anthology screening the day they announced it. so much demand that they put on two screenings (the second screening started 2.5 hours after ours started)

they said though that they wouldn't be able to do this again for a very long time. i presume they hired the prints.

I saw double late night bill of ALIEN and ALIENS summertime 1990, at Cannon Bournemouth screen 2, 35mm Dolby Stereo optical.

I’ve seen ALIENS once before on its 86 release at Odeon Bournemouth in screen 2.

The double bill sadly ALIEN was only presented in format 1 mono as it was mono print not uncommon for early days some prints might have gone out as Dolby stereo optical and mono optical and road show 70mm releases booked in at larger metropolitan cites like Odeon Leicester Square.

Also the fader for ALIEN was set at 10 due to the low level mix, as recall discussion briefly with projectionist that was running the late shows for most weekends.   

I do believe ALIEN was mixed with mono surrounds for 70mm not split-surrounds its not a big deal the sound is still fuller and discrete with its uncompressed sound over Dolby Stereo optical.

The mixes on France track on the region 1 DVD 20^th anniversary has deep rumble on the Nostromo, scenes like after when the Alien as its quick meal, then the crew sends Kane into space the next shot has, deep engine sound. The English tracks don’t. Maybe someone want to look into that further it might be the France have better version it might not then again mean anything.

Also the score is higher quality when Kane is walking around the while the others look at Space Jockey to see if he has an 8 track tapes to play lol, the Jerry Goldsmith score stands out clearer while on English track its a bit soft down in mix.

I did check between the Laserdisc CAV edition same deal soft and the same with that dreadful version that was used for that dreadful bluray Fox are cheap. Umm, that umm, so called ALIEN theatrical for bluray is the same I don’t need to buy to be disappointed a second time!

The remix on that quad box edition is sick. The LCR or left and right centre-phantom was blended mixed on top of the centre discrete WTF! Yes you have to be listening not hearing it, LISTENING to spot it.

The surrounds remain the same mono discrete as they should. The LFE.1 hasn’t been mucked around with unlike some classic Dolby films with fake LFE.1 and fake stereo surrounds.

Listen to ALIEN region 1 as I can’t stand region 2 with PAL speed-up. Listen to when the crew exits the spaceship though the air-lock. You can’t hear the Foley for sh!t on centre due to some idiot twat mixer that has fE&^ked it right up, and Fox being tight would use this version for that so called perfect bluray format what a joke.

Listen for Ripley when she calls for Parker. You can’t hear the soft faint echo in the voice that is on centre only all that idiot mixer did was stuff the centre up with left/right centre-phantom WTF was going though that idiots mind on in a mixing room, no doubt big enough to swing a cat around.

If you like ALIEN as much as do forget bluray it might only be good enough for the extras or ALIEN 3 screw ALIENS I want grain all the way its like buying bread with no nuts in it I want it nutty, not some senile director that’s losing the plot, I think he’s had one too many deep sea dives and less time in decompression chamber.

Going back to where Ripley says “Parker”? Note the pressure hissing air is on stage channels left and right only and even a poorly home theatre can mess it up with details in the centre being masked and that mixer has only made it worse for quad-box-set.

Oddly ALIENS has stereo surrounds and it sounds decent but was it remixed for home release or was it mixed at Pinewood with stereo surrounds for 70mm? The In-70mm site is bit vague on what titles had split-surrounds and Raiders only had mono surrounds as they sound a bit hooky with occasional stage channel fronts leaking into so called “stereo surrounds” when all you should hear is total isolated discreteness. Its trying to sound like SS and as far as I can recall only two Indy films was released with split-surrounds Temple of Doom and Last Crusade.   

Oh and don’t forget films are mixed for an X-curve so the low end on ALIEN is about right the lows hardly reach down to 20Hz I think they’re around the 30Hz mark  when I did waterfall spectrum lab test on it a few years ago.

ALIENS has deep to high range lows and so on and so on for each film, that are mixed differently from one another.

If I can get hold of cheap projector I and second prints no doubt in bad shape, probably all pink by now. Mag track might be flaking also. I don’t trust studios they’ll do whatever to BS us to make themselves a pot of money and not care a bit about the original mix that some of us didn’t get the pleasure of listening to.

If I can get hold of cheap projector I and second prints no doubt in bad shape, probably all pink by now. Mag track might be flaking also. I don’t trust studios they’ll do whatever to BS us to make themselves a pot of money and not care a bit about the original mix that some of us didn’t get the pleasure of listening to.

I would take a guess ALIEN had two of the same “boom channels” and only thing for home is they’re are no format codes like cinema has.

Its easy to put the original mix on DVD with the same channel configuration.

Use the LCR as normal and use the two surround channels as boom channel for channels 2 and 4 use the LFE.1 that is only filtered and use that as full spectrum mono surround same for the left-centre right-centre put those on the surrounds and have Dolby format codes or digital fagging to trigger and assign those channels to the correct loudspeakers.

Home cinema has always been about recreating the cinema experience since the early 80’s when the first domestic Dolby surround decoders appeared its been shambles or mess since day one for the home when Dolby digital came out into the home its a one track mind no format codes, so classic Todd-AO releases don’t get no justification expected butchered into those dtsHDMA 7.1 WTF The Sound of Music what use is that to me? Five-screen has been ignored for the home release.

I think this guys posts on other forums. usually gets banned

Jonno said:

I wish I knew what any of that meant.

Yeah so? Do you want to stay on topic or start a flame war? Please stay on topic or move on...

Better late than never, but thanks for the link msycamore. Still not had the chance to listen to the tracks yet but will try and get round to it at some point.

Jonno, I would be very interested in your video. If you get the chance, I would apreciate a PM.

Bobby Jay said:

Better late than never, but thanks for the link msycamore. Still not had the chance to listen to the tracks yet but will try and get round to it at some point.

You're welcome, that's why it's great that Jonno did this, more easily accessible rather than just to have the raw audio.

I was planning to post all the differences I have noticed in the track but haven't had the time to do so yet. A bitperfect rip of both the 2.0 PCM and 5.1 AC-3 is planned as soon as I have the gear for it, but this is great to have in the meantime, thanks again Jonno!

That's pretty cool. Don't forget to wear your typical seventies clothes! :)

Jonno said:

By the way, I'm going a step further for my own viewing copy (premiering this weekend!) I''m trying to recreate the experience of seeing the movie theatrically in the UK in 1979, so I've pulled together a bunch of ads, contemporary trailers, and an old Dolby trailer to put at the start. Oh, and this too:

Awesome! Is that logo your work? I was looking around for one of those after it was mentioned in this thread but wasn't sure what they look like since i'm in Canada. That is what it would have looked like back in the day? What trailers are you using?

And thank you msycamore. :)