Info: ¤ RETURN OF THE JEDI ¤ Score Restoration - another OPTIMUM SET ?...

Hi,

I was wondering if it would be worth making again such a restoration project. The ESB OPTIMUM has taken far more time than I thought in the beginning as there are always some new details revealing with time.

My idea for the moment, rather than running into the entire score, remixing all the parts edited together etc, is more to select the best cues both from sonic and scoring point of view for everyone to be able to appreciate at least the heart of the score on a 1CD set of about 76/78min.

I already worked on the Anthology and the SE versions as many of you know and many said it was “cristal clear”. Thank you. From my point of view it lacked of depht on more than 3/4 of the set and the clarity I brought seems to me now a little abusive.

I can’t say if I’ll finish the project, matter of time as you know.

I only launch the idea for now as I learn a lot of things with ESB, and also because I know that with the right selection for the tracks on ROTJ, things may go fast. For instance the RSO ESB CD album has been remixed entirely for the “Optimum Edition” in less than one hour. Managing the whole set with the other sources was much more time consumming.

Btw, if anyone has the RSO CD of RotJ, just leave me a sign please. I don’t know what it sounds like (potentialy speaking) and I haven’t find any reseller who had it since a while.

SAMPLES

These ones are from the OT ST "Salvage" version of RotJ and I consider this is what it really should sound like, excepted for the two last minutes of "Scout Walker Scrambles" wich shows another mixing I haven't managed. Unfortunately they're overpeacked so they can't be used for a future edit.

Anyone interested ?

Into The Trap 

i would love to see an OPTIMUM EDITION of ROTJ (i would really love to see the superstructure chase track in atleast this quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPpgSl2JiWc)

Haha !... You did that ? Nice melting.

The audio compression for Youtube spoils it all, but the "superstructure chase" bit looks very clean compared to the releases. A bit captured from the film I guess ?

... However I don't know if you rode the first post well enough but I don't mean to make the same monstruous work for ROTJ than what I did on ESB. It just doesn't worth it (considering many things).

ABC said:

Haha !... You did that ? Nice melting.

The audio compression for Youtube spoils it all, but the "superstructure chase" bit looks very clean compared to the releases. A bit captured from the film I guess ?

 its all from the SE soundtrack i used Ben Kenobi's Death, TIE fighter attack and the ROTJ superstructure chase where the ROTJ cue was differnent from the ANH cue (orchestration differences and so on)

Interesting. I remember having taken all I could from the Anthology for this score. Possible the SE version of this track sounds better. To be honest I really don't know.

ABC said:

Interesting. I remember having taken all I could from the Anthology for this score. Possible the SE version of this track sounds better. To be honest I really don't know.

 the ROTJ SE version is as bad i believe but the ANH SE is superior

... Ah. I thought the Anthology track was better, the "OT st salvage" mix still better, and the RSO track even better (though a little too dry).

its also your ANH restoration that is used

I would be interested in Return of the Jedi getting more of a shakedown.

Considering it is the score that got the worst treatment by LFL.

They only found the original masters recently and have no intention of going back to them to redo the score.  They had copies of copies for the special edition release they used like a second or third generation copy and then dnr it to hell.

I know your set is pretty good as it is.  But is there any way to do a film edit?

skyjedi2005 said:

I know your set is pretty good as it is.  But is there any way to do a film edit?

 Hey, nice to hear from you. Well, thanks but it was not as good as I though it was the last time we spoke together. Someone proposed me a LP rip... Let's see.

I'm not too found of certain cuts from the film (I remember the rancor sequence), anyway in the wait I'm opened to all suggestions. However I may stick on the idea of a 1CD set, as ESB almost killed me !

I would absolutely love an OE version of RotJ.  The anthology isn't half bad, but the remaining tracks found on the SE sound like I'm listening to them through a tin can.  If you can somehow work your magic on that, I'd be all for it!

Savage said:

... If you can somehow work your magic on that, I'd be all for it!

 I "somehow" already did (just in case you don't know) ;)

BmB said:

You'll overwork yourself surely?

 Thanks to care. I would if I meant to work all the score again, but no way ! Jedi just doesn't worth it.

As I said someone proposed the LP to me, and if it is as mint as I understood and can use directly the tracks, to enhance the best tracks from the Anthology for a 30/35mn add may be quite "easy" and fast as far as I remember enough what was their problem. Fortunately the best tracks are the ones wich sound the better (almost).

Anyway, Empire was the most important as the most problematic for me. Once it's done I have all my life to go on the others !

ABC said:

 I "somehow" already did (just in case you don't know) ;)

I did not know that, as a matter of fact.  I'll have to try to track it down.

Sorry, I thought the OP post made it obvious, so for the samples on post 2...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OfKLwyIGPE

a different approach not as good as the last

Savage said:

ABC said:

 I "somehow" already did (just in case you don't know) ;)

I did not know that, as a matter of fact.  I'll have to try to track it down.

 Did you find them ? Otherwise PM me... Looks like I have a catch.

I think ROTJ has suffered the most throughout the years. Your last release of it was amazing. I can't wait to hear what you do with this optimum release.

flynn2000 said:

Go for it ABC.  RotJ's score has been overshadowed by the other two scores and it's nice to see it get some love.

Think about restoring the Reactor Core track from the rejected version on the cd's, to the proper movie version.  For some reason this track is always wrong.  Just an idea anyway...  I'll be happy with any effort made.

 

Off the subject:  To EyeShotFirst,

I really like your gif on bad color grading.  Do you have any information on how these scenes were fixed.  The new transfer of the Matrix is beyond green.

 

 

They were done with levels in photoshop, the same thing could be applied to video in After Effects. I cannot do Phantom Menace as easily, that film is a curse.

I usually mess around with the RGB levels to my liking. Sometimes I will take the saturation down, or in some cases boost it. I also don't like having heavy contrast, so I take it down a notch.

Burdokva said:

I would like that! RotJ is the worst sounding of the three, especially the Endor battle tracks - even with your previous restoration, which upped the quality, it sounded different and more compressed than the rest.

I hope you are not talking about the tracks I show on post 2, as they are to me the best exemples on my previous work of what RotJ should give... That would be ironical for the least. :)

... I wouldn't mind even if you released a few of the worst sounding tracks with a better, restored quality.

 A great wise said: "Pour pure water in mud and you will obtain... Mud!".

Following this advise I stick on a 1CD project and rather enjoy and put all my energy in the best tracks... There are enough. Without the few "worst tracks" on ESB from CD2 ("Betrayal", "Deal with the Dark Lord", "Darth Vader's Trap"), I would have finished the set since a long time as I would have been able to concentrate further on the most important. But I didn't want to neglect anything.

The tracks you're referring to are too much time (and humor) consuming, notably for a result that won't worth it (I know what they can give, and what they can't).

I think you over estimate me ! ;)

nothing to see here, go look at ABC's Original Post thats were the awesomeness resides