Info: Jaws - PCM mono track — Page 2

Hello, has anyone been able to preserve the audio from any of the Laserdisc editions? Keep in mind I dont own or have seen the BluRay edition so I dont know how the mono track on there sounds. I dont have a Laserdisc player either. However I do have the DVD editions. The mono track appears on the 2005 and 2012 DVDs. While the track is mostly identical on both releases, I found the 2005 mono track a bit crisper than the 2012 mono track. Also the 2012 track is somewhat ‘flawed’ in some areas. For example, the sound of the engine exploding is in the incorrect pitch in the 2012 mix while its in the correct pitch in the 2005 mix. When I get a chance I’ll post some video examples. Unfortunately my main computer is not working presently. Anyways I brought up the Laserdisc edition since I was watching the 1995 VHS and since some things are bit more audible in that version I thought perhaps it may appear this way on the Lasersisc. Some examples of that I noted above. Anyways just wanted to bring this peoples attention.

Also if anyone is thinking of preserving the audio from the Laserdisc, the 1995 LD would probably be best since most pre-1995 VHS versions Ive seen have the replaced beach song. I assume the same is with the Laserdisc, yes??

Someone at FanRes has the synced LD track in case it matters to anyone.

crissrudd4554 said:

Someone at FanRes has the synced LD track in case it matters to anyone.

I had requested the sequels. Would love it if someone had them.

Jp4195 said:

sounds cool, the 7.1 track on the blu ray sounds amazing but im curious to see what’s different in the original track, on a related note does anyone know which releases have Brody speak the full line “Smile you son of a bitch” and not be cut off by the gunshot and explosion, id like to hear

The mono track is on the blu-ray as well. Just listen to it.

The BD does include the mono track so purists are safe for the most part. Me personally, the mono track on the BD is good but the mono track on the 2005 DVD was slightly crisper. Lately Ive been comparing the BD Mono track, the 2005 DVD mono track, and the mono track from a 1990s LD and noticed some things.

1. After Chrissie’s attack, theres a shot of a wave rushing over Cassidy. At one point we see his mouth moving. On the LD mono we clearly hear him burp. On the 2005 mono and the BD mono, you only hear the burp if you listen very VERY carefully. The burp is missing completely in the surround mixes.

2. In the scene where Hooper cuts open the Tiger shark, at one point he pulls out a coffee can followed by a license plate. On the BD mono, the sound effects of these items hitting the floor are about a split second out of sync. On the 2005 mono and LD mono, the sync is identical.

3. The dialogue being shouted when the shark is tugging the boat is more audible on the LD mono as well as the surround mixes. On the 2005 mono and BD mono some of the dialogue is nearly drowned out by the water crashing as well as other various noises.

4. The sound of the engine exploding is in the wrong pitch on the BD mono. On the LD mono and 2005 mono, the pitch is identical.

5. There’s a noticeable drop in volume during a shot of the shark ripping the cage apart before the rigging snaps on the BD mono. This doesnt happen on the 2005 or LD mono.

6. Brody’s scream when the cage rigging collapses is louder on the LD mono as well as the surround mixes. You can only faintly hear it on the 2005 mono and BD mono.

7. The surround mixes and mono tracks on the BD and 2005 DVD restore a line thats not on the LD track. When Quint raises the cage to the surface and he and Brody clearly see Hoopers gone, earlier in the shot we hear Brody whisper ‘yeah’. This is more audible in the surround mixes but missing completely on the LD.

Also as far as any visual alterations go, theres two I noticed thus far on the BD. First the wire balancing the buoy during Chrissie’s attack scene was removed and also a sailboat that was on the horizon later in the film was also removed.

I know its not my thread but I figured Id post this for any newcomers. Some various YouTube videos to compare the mono and surround mix.

‘Bigger Boat’

Mono
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=qt92K0mTYEg

Remix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7PYqhABiSo&nohtml5=False

Shark smashes window

Mono and Remix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7MiVghLlQk&nohtml5=False

‘Smile you son of a…’

Mono
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oFl_2p_LHU&nohtml5=False

Remix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIi6HGt2JeY&nohtml5=False

In the case of the last two, as you can see the word ‘bitch’ is much more audible in the mono. Also on the BD, the ricochet sound from the mono was added to the remix.

Yes all LD editions have the mono. The remix wasn’t introduced until the 2000 DVD/VHS.

Most pre-1995 releases I’m pretty sure don’t have the song. The song ‘Having my Baby’ by Paul Anka is playing during that scene on the DVD but the 1980’s VHS which mentions ‘Some Music Rescored’ on the back cover had a different song in that scene.

Yes I have the 1991 VHS which has that text on the back cover and it does have a different song playing during the beach scene where the Kinter boy is killed compared to the song on the DVD/BD. Best bet is getting the 1995 Signature Collection LD which I believe has the unreplaced song since the 1995 Letterboxed VHS also has the unreplaced song.

Each release has its differences. The pre-1995 video releases feature the mono but with the replaced song. 1995-1999 video releases feature the mono with the restored song and a few minor differences. Not changes just things that were more drowned in the mix now stand out more (Cassidy’s ‘burp’, dialogue in the scene when shark tugs boat). The 2000 DVD/VHS was the first to include the surround remix that rerecorded all the sound FX and did NOT include the mono. The 2005 DVD included the mono and the remix. This mono was mostly identical to the mono from the pre-1995 releases but with the restored song. The mono on the Blu-ray is mostly identical to this mix but with a few minor differences which I noted a couple posts ago. Additionally the surround mix on the Blu-ray is an upscale of the previous surround mix but with a few original sound FX restored.

hello,

I just read this thread and found it very interesting as a big “Jaws” fan. I don’t know if I understood everything right therefore I try to summarize it a bit.

So the '91 and '87 MCA Laserdiscs have the overall most clear dialogues but have rescored Music.
The 1995 Signatur Laserdisc is the version which is closest to the original Version which ran in cinemas in 1975 but isn’t as clear in the dialogues as the 91/87 LD’s ?

And the '95 LD is the same source which was used for the DTS Monotrack on the latest Blu-Ray which was also used as a compressed version on the 2005 DVD ?
Or was the '91 and '87 MCA track used for those with only one song restored and the other "homeversion/licence problems"changes stayed ?

Was that correct ?
thanks
regards
-loa

Ok I will go through this step by step again. The pre-1995 video releases features a different song being played for a bulk of the beach scene where the kid on the raft is killed. This explains the ‘Some Music Rescored’ notification on some of the video covers. Heres something I didnt mention before but I’ll mention now. I have two copies of the 1991 VHS. One actually uses the same content as the 1980’s VHS edition and has poor image quality. The second uses a print thats much more improved. Both tapes have the ‘rescored’ track although the ‘improved’ version has certain sound effects/dialogue that are more present in the mix. I wont say what these were because I already have a few times in this thread.

The 1995 VHS/LD uses what was essentially the mono used on the ‘improved’ 1991 VHS but actually features the restored beach song. The 2000 VHS/DVD replaces the mono with the stereo remix which angered fans who preferred the mono. Fortunately the 2005 DVD included both mixes. The mono on that release sounds similar to the pre-1991 mix but has the restored beach song. The track on the BD is essentially the same as this but had a few ‘flaws’. I had already mentioned what those were before so I wont again.

This week I’ll try to essemble a comparison video so everyone knows. 😃

The posting of the video’s gonna have to be pushed back a week or so so I can upgrade to Vimeo Pro. Believe it or not the video is about 18 minutes! (yikes!) And unfortunately its too big a file for my limited 500mb/week storage on Vimeo. Once I upgrade I’ll post it. I even tried cutting it down and thought maybe I’d post it in parts however if I do that I’m gonna have like 7 videos posted! May as well wait and upgrade! TBC!

Heres the video I promised. If it helps perhaps watching with ear phones will make certain things stand out more. The purpose was to point out the differences among the mono mixes yet I used the surround mix for a few examples.

https://vimeo.com/166704816