Ha ha, suckers:
Fans of John Williams are up in arms over an apparent glitch in the new Star Wars DVD set in which the left and right channels fed to the rear speakers in surround sound are reversed in the original Star Wars movie (Episode 4). John Takis, who frequently analyzes film scores for Internet groups, points out that the violins can be heard coming from the left surround-sound speakers and the cellos from the left. "It is essentially a 124-minute audio glitch," Takis writes on the John Williams fansite, www.JW-Music.net. "The sound effects are correctly positioned in the surround channels. It's just the music that's backwards." Takis also takes issue with other aspects of the sound mix for the original movie. "Remember the awesome fanfare version of the Force theme that kicks off the Death Star battle?" he writes "Good luck hearing it this time around -- it's virtually inaudible."
Confirmation from DVD site The Digital Bits, as well.
Lucasfilm responds:
"We are always impressed with how closely fans listen to the many different sound mixes we have made for the Star Wars movies over the years. It is flattering to know that, indeed, the audience is listening. Consequently, each mix comes out differently and any changes that you hear on the all-new Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX tracks on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set are deliberate creative decisions. We can confirm that there are no technical glitches as has been reported."
So...either they're idiots, or the reversal of the score was an inexplicably "deliberate creative decision." Nothing would surprise me at this point, though I wonder how much my surround sound-deprived self would actually notice. In any case, I still hadn't made up my mind about obtaining these. Now I think I won't, as it will spoil all my pointing and laughing.
Believe me, more exciting than the prospect of playing a battle droid in the Gungan war is the promise of playing a stormtrooper on the 5th moon of Endor and - as depicted in the game's preview - blowing away Ewoks with a bloodlust unmatched since the last time I played Sega NHL '93. Finally, a great wrong will be righted as the military might of the Empire is correctly brought to bear against those miserable wannabe Mon-Chi-Chis.
And Knights of the Old Republic 2 comes out next year.
I dunno if I'd want to play as the storm troopers. As bad-ass as their military might ought to have been, you'd think the Empire enlisted a bunch of half-drunk, cross-eyed, hooligans with inner-ear infections. Those guys couldn't hit jack, even at point-blank range.
From what I've heard, however, Vader appears to fight for (or aginst) you. And, quite predictably, he wrecks mutha... fuckin'... HAVOC!!! You can just stand back and watch him slaughter all who oppose him. Ah, good times.
I keep reading "the violins can be heard coming from the left surround-sound speakers and the cellos from the left". Is one of those "lefts" supposed to be a "right?" If so, which one?
Who pays attention to sounds emitted from one speaker or another? Who has time to analyze it that closely? I don't mean to be insulting but, Good God, we are talking about a movie soundtrack, right? This isn't Mozart's Requiem nor is it the Carmina Burana.
ChuckEye, a friend of dubious reliability reports it is violins coming from the right and cellos and bass from the left. For BabyJane's benefit, I just reversed my PC speakers and played some random orchestral music. It's annoying as all hell to have it backwards from the 'usual' way. Orchestras have been training us to hear it violins-left for too many years, I guess.
Pete, you write:
So...either they're idiots, or the reversal of the score was an inexplicably "deliberate creative decision."
So what you are saying is, uhhh, 'either they are idiots, or they are idiots.' Right?
Hmm. Jeff, reversing the speakers != reversing the panning of a particular sound of the many that compose the orchestral sound track.
As a test, turn on some music from your computer. Now turn around 180 degrees in your chair (moving the char if necessary). Is it annoying as all hell? All the sound that was going towards your left ear is now going towards your right...
...each mix comes out differently and any changes that you hear on the all-new Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX tracks on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set are deliberate creative decisions. We can confirm that there are no technical glitches as has been reported.
Why does my mind keep tranlating this as "It's not a bug, it's a feature!"
Jeff, I'll take your word for it, but I still don't understand why this is such a hot button topic.
Michael, I don't think my experiment equates with re-arranging two or three orchestral sections in a performance, it is merely the closest convenient analogue. As for turning around in my chair, that is not annoying, probably in part because I lose a great deal of perceived stereo separation when I do it. And also because there is a distinct absence of the sense of facing the performance; in other words, my altered physical orientation toward my center of attention probably psychologically disposes me to expect its apparent reversal in a way that an altered performer's orientation toward me would not. I'm not sure you would get the same psychological effect if you were facing the television screen and heard odd arrangements coming from behind you; we've been trained to think of orchestras as sitting in the pit, just below the visual center of attention. It is worth some experimentation for those who think the issue important, I suppose.
BabyJane, I don't know why it is a hot button topic either, as I haven't heard the altered soundtrack. But I can easily understand why it might annoy some listeners, especially if the channel separation is extreme and if the listener has a high regard for the Star Wars soundtrack (as many do). That was mainly my point. But I admit it could also be that it is being exaggerated out of proportion to its actual effect, or it could just be exacerbated by the general annoyance with Lucas that seems to be going through the fan base.
"This isn't Mozart's Requiem nor is it the Carmina Burana." - True, but it's a terrific, operatic-style soundtrack. I love IV, V, and VI and the music is an integral part of them. I'm not sure how big a difference this would make to the "viewing experience", but I've seen them often enough to think I'd notice.
I rarely enter into the Star Wars fray, here at APCB. Sure, some of the movies were pretty great. But still, they were just movies. George Lucas may evoke strong feelings one way or the other from some folks. (But not me). As does the endless (and highly questionable) tinkering which those timeless classics seem to endure.
But none of that matters right now.
What does matter is that Star Wars: Battlefront is now available for X-Box and PS2. I played it last night with a few of my nerd-friends. It has a look and feel similar to Halo (if that means anything to you), though is still lacks a certain je ne sais pas, relative to Halo. However, Star Wars: Battlefront has one major, astoundingly awsome asset that Halo and is progeny does not have: you can play the bad guys! Not connecting the dots yet? Allow me.
If you play the bad guys on the first level, you get to fight as the little robotic army that goes up against the Gungans. Translation: you get to shoot Jar-Jar Binks over, and over, and over again!!! With sniper rifles, blasters, run him over with vehicles, etc. And that, my friends, is something even casual Star Wars fans have been wanting to do for years. Kudos, Lucas Arts, for getting something right, at last.