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 Post subject: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 21 Jul 2020, 00:26 
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Hoping to get a conversation going about stand out AC-3 Soundtracks.


23126 Godzilla (1998)
20102 Twister (1996)
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) [PILF-2830]
ML105544 Goldeneye: Special Edition (1995) (i did find the LFE excessive at times)

Are ones i personally have found great so far.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 21 Jul 2020, 01:07 
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I only had at my max 11 or 13 AC3 titles.
Sort of remember Starship Troopers having a great one but its been at least 11 years since I had the decoder and 5.1 I can't remember.

Pink Floyd's the Wall was pretty great too.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 21 Jul 2020, 06:20 
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I definitely agree with Starship Troopers; really great mix. I’m also impartial to Air Force One but I did find that the AC-3 mix is the same as in the SuperBit (or even standard edition) DVD. On a side note, both of these Columbia titles do have rot issues so I wouldn’t try too hard to obtain them on LD.

Other titles in my opinion that I felt had a good mix are:

The Arrival
Breakdown
Con Air
Copland
Courage Under Fire
Crimson Tide
Daylight
Deep Impact
Deep Rising
Event Horizon (surrounds will definitely scare you out of your seat)
Hard Rain
Heat (but one dialog scene has too much bass)
King Pin
L.A. Confidential
Lion King
Men In Black
Mission Impossible
Mr Holland’s Opus
Payback
Ransom
Ronin
Star Trek Generations
Star Trek First Contact
Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition
Unforgettable (the mix in this movie is especially enveloping in the surrounds)
What Dreams May Come

There are a few I considered adding to the list but I need to listen to them again to see if I recall them sounding as good as I think. Also, I did not pick any classic films re-mixed for 5.1 since they for the most part aren’t all that impressive in most cases (exception might be Vertigo but I have to watch it again).


Last edited by ldfan on 23 Jul 2020, 09:46, edited 2 times in total.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 21 Jul 2020, 07:12 
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Is there a way on IMDb to list titles where the soundtrack was mixed at Skywalker Ranch?

For a while it was considered 1/ an honor to mix there and 2/ an almost seal of quality.

They did some badass mixes back in the 90's:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skywalker_Sound#1990s

Julien
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 21 Jul 2020, 10:30 
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Thanks for that list Ldfan

Mr Holland’s Opus is one i have thought about watching on LD, faint memory enjoying it,
Please to hear it has a good AC3 sound.

A few others i own and yet to watch on that list.
Crimson tide and ransom i may have to pick up
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 00:33 
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I can vouch for Crimson Tide. Not only is it a great film with stellar acting and performances, the AC3 soundtrack is very dynamic and involving. I've only ever seen this movie on Laserdisc and I've seen it many times.

Ransom is good too and its the directors cut which is only available on Laserdisc.

Jurrasic Park and Lost World have very good AC3 tracks. Spielberg only wanted to release the DTS version of Jurrasic Park because he was supporting the format, but an AC3 version was eventually released 9 months later. Although I am biased towards the DTS versions, I owned both AC3 discs before I owned their DTS counterparts and I can assure you they both have strong and impactful AC3 tracks.

Aliens has a very good AC3 soundtrack but its only available on the theatrical version. Although I prefer the extended cut of the film, the Laserdisc release had a notoriously noisy transfer and because its release preceeded AC3, it only has dolby surround. Theatrical cut has a really good pressing in comparison. So the AC3 version can be a great way to watch the film on Laserdisc if you've seen the extended cut a hundred times like I have.

Although Titanic uses a 16 bit master for the AC3 track as opposed to the 18 bit master used for the DTS, it still sounds truly fantastic. If you're the sort of person who can stomach this film (I know many cant!) then please endure it for the soundtrack because it has a really enaging and enveloping score. Years ago, I went with a certain someone to watch Titanic on the big screen at the Royal Albert Hall. The selling point was the film played to an accompanying orchestra reciting the films score. The orchestra was too loud and you couldnt hear the dialog so they had the subtitles turned on. The picture was so blue and overly saturated I couldnt enjoy it. The orchestra was pretty cool overall but I kept waiting for music cues I had memorized from the AC3 LD and they never really materialized. The whole time I kept thinking how much more I enjoyed the LD soundtrack. One plus of the night was James Horner made an appearance. I think he died a few weeks later.

True Lies. This one was a reference for me back in the day. I used to love showing this film especially to people who hadnt seen it. Its a great action spectacle and the harrier jet scene is a room shaker.

Another great one is The Fifth Element. This one was apparently SuperNtsc encoded with a chroma resolution of 2Mhz so the picture quality is top notch. It easily has one of the best AC3 tracks. The part when the blue alien starts singing on stage. The frequencies are so high it could shatter glass. :thumbup:
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 01:34 
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Starship Troopers and Blade are two standout AC3 soundtracks.
Love a good AC3 !

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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 08:24 
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned Top Gun up to now? also I've had U571 for years and for a DD5.1 DVD it sounds amazing, I believe it got a late release on LD presumably in DD and I've always wondered how it sounded/looked, can anyone confirm?
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 08:58 
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admin wrote:
Is there a way on IMDb to list titles where the soundtrack was mixed at Skywalker Ranch?

For a while it was considered 1/ an honor to mix there and 2/ an almost seal of quality.

They did some badass mixes back in the 90's:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skywalker_Sound#1990s

Julien



This any use to you?

https://www.skysound.com/projects/
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 09:42 
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laserfanhld-gb wrote:
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Top Gun up to now?


Especially before AC3 was a thing, Top Gun was always used as a demo to show off Dolby Pro-Logic but it was always really overhyped as the emphasis was more about the bass and musical score. So I did buy the AC3 release back in the day and hoping they did something to wow me in the mix and it wasn’t really anything to write home about.

laserfanhld-gb wrote:
also I've had U571 for years and for a DD5.1 DVD it sounds amazing, I believe it got a late release on LD presumably in DD and I've always wondered how it sounded/looked, can anyone confirm?


Can’t confirm the LD mix but I agree the DVD on both DD and DTS were amazing. Very similar in a way to Crimson Tide as they are both sub movies.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 10:06 
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jakeheke wrote:
ML105544 Goldeneye: Special Edition (1995) (i did find the LFE excessive at times)


I forgot to ask, Jake. What scenes in particular? I remember the scene where bond breaks through the brick wall with the tank had me reaching for the volume. Havent spun it in a while but I remember this and Tomorrow Never Dies having amazing AC3 tracks.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 10:16 
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odotb3 wrote:
jakeheke wrote:
ML105544 Goldeneye: Special Edition (1995) (i did find the LFE excessive at times)


I forgot to ask, Jake. What scenes in particular? I remember the scene where bond breaks through the brick wall with the tank had me reaching for the volume. Havent spun it in a while but I remember this and Tomorrow Never Dies having amazing AC3 tracks.


Am yet to spin and watch Tommorow Never Dies,

An Intro scene particularly, the tank scene and the finale i personally found hot but not complaining :thumbup:
Do not at all mean to pu anyone off using this LD title once they have AC3RF setup :lol:
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 10:29 
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Beavis & Butt-Head Do America (1996) [LV332503-WS] has a solid AC-3 mix, still weird the sleeve doesn't mention it at all. Sounds really nice during the desert trip music video scene.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 12:18 
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pokefraker wrote:
Beavis & Butt-Head Do America (1996) [LV332503-WS] has a solid AC-3 mix, still weird the sleeve doesn't mention it at all. Sounds really nice during the desert trip music video scene.


Never seen this or watched the show. I recently won a joblot with this disc included. Will have to give it a spin!
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 12:57 
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odotb3 wrote:
pokefraker wrote:
Beavis & Butt-Head Do America (1996) [LV332503-WS] has a solid AC-3 mix, still weird the sleeve doesn't mention it at all. Sounds really nice during the desert trip music video scene.


Never seen this or watched the show. I recently won a joblot with this disc included. Will have to give it a spin!


Such a good film. The show imho was way ahead of it's time.

The bit where yer man is on the bus and takes the old womans purse looking for meds "hehehehe what else ya got? hehehehe" just cracks me up. Hilarious film!
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 22:45 
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laserfanhld-gb wrote:
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Top Gun up to now? also I've had U571 for years and for a DD5.1 DVD it sounds amazing, I believe it got a late release on LD presumably in DD and I've always wondered how it sounded/looked, can anyone confirm?



Will confirm the visual and sound quality of U-571 is optimal.
One of my favorite movies on LD, not because of late release status.
Love the cast, story, and production.
Bill Paxton at his best dramatically imo !

That Top Gun AC-3 is prime, no doubt.....
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 23 Jul 2020, 23:12 
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firehorse_44 wrote:
laserfanhld-gb wrote:
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Top Gun up to now? also I've had U571 for years and for a DD5.1 DVD it sounds amazing, I believe it got a late release on LD presumably in DD and I've always wondered how it sounded/looked, can anyone confirm?



Will confirm the visual and sound quality of U-571 is optimal.
One of my favorite movies on LD, not because of late release status.
Love the cast, story, and production.
Bill Paxton at his best dramatically imo !

That Top Gun AC-3 is prime, no doubt.....


Excellent....many thanks for confirming that firehorse_44, something I've been keen to learn of for a good while - will look out for a copy now and probably retire that DVD :thumbup:
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 25 Jul 2020, 11:38 
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Has anyone else heard the Strange Days AC3 track? The premise of that film if you havent seen it, is that there is a mini disc like device that can record the memories in your head. Wearing the device will allow playback of those memories as if you are really there. The camera goes into POV mode to show when someone is reliving a memory.

Its during these segments that the AC3 track comes to life. The surrounds engage in such a way that you feel like you are wearing the device and movements and voices can be felt from every angle. When the film goes into POV mode, it's like you are in the film. When I think of soundtracks that are truly immersive this one is at the top of the list.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 25 Jul 2020, 18:27 
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I’ll have to re-watch my copy at some point. Don’t quite remember the mix being impressive but I could have easily forgotten since I only saw the movie the one time.
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 Post subject: Re: Titles with impressive AC-3 Dolby
PostPosted: 26 Jul 2020, 02:06 
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odotb3 wrote:
Has anyone else heard the Strange Days AC3 track? The premise of that film if you havent seen it, is that there is a mini disc like device that can record the memories in your head. Wearing the device will allow playback of those memories as if you are really there. The camera goes into POV mode to show when someone is reliving a memory.

Its during these segments that the AC3 track comes to life. The surrounds engage in such a way that you feel like you are wearing the device and movements and voices can be felt from every angle. When the film goes into POV mode, it's like you are in the film. When I think of soundtracks that are truly immersive this one is at the top of the list.




I do recall this sound track.
Very stark, memorable along with the storyline.
Quite the rollercoaster of a story with a delivery only that all star cast could deliver....
Check it !

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