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guiser said:
Harmy said:
- "Introducing the Soundtacks"
I'd dearly love to include this one but I cannot with clear conscience attempt to do it myself - I could do the video side of it, but not the audio side and the script. The request for help with this still stands.
I thought hairy_hen was going to write the script for this? My apologies if it was someone else (or if he ran out of time) I can't find the original post and don't want to step on anyones toes.
I just really enjoy reading his posts on the subtle changes and differences in the various versions of the soundtracks and mixes. It always amazes me how much information he can discern about these things from just listening to them.
You know, sometimes I amaze even myself. ;)
Heh, speaking of that, I'll give you a new example: just a few weeks ago I discovered that a delay processor was used on the Emperor's voice in ESB. Listen closely, and you'll hear that every time he speaks, a slightly softer repetition of his lines occurs just afterwards, giving Clive Revill's voice a thicker, slightly echoing sound. This is a trick commonly used on vocals in popular music to make them stand out and sound larger than they otherwise would; and though subtle, the effect also works well here.
This delay effect can be heard in the 35mm stereo and 1993 versions of ESB (which were sourced primarily from the same 4-track master), but it is missing altogether from the 1997 SE remix. In that version, the Emperor's lines do not have this echoing effect as they do in the original mix—evidently they completely forgot about it when doing the remix. Another indication as to how making changes to old work isn't always a good idea . . .
Anyway—I'm still interested in doing a documentary on audio changes to the films. Whether I do or not is only a matter of whether I'd have enough time to do it properly. If I did, it would be primarily audio-based, since that's how I perceive things most clearly, so I wouldn't write it in a visual-oriented way. Actually, the main obstacle I'm faced with may be that I actually have too much information about the mixes: I've found so many differences that cutting it down to a manageable and understandable amount that can be readily explained to others is kind of daunting! To really do that justice, it would have to be a separate project: for the purposes of what Harmy wants to include as a special feature, only a basic overview of the most obvious differences could be included. I'll see what I can do about it in the next few weeks.
