Many
of us will have experienced this: Everytime
you listen to it, UP reveals more details to the point of sensory
overload. All the while the personal favourite keeps changing because
of a newly-found detail or simply a different mood.
All this becomes terribly unimportant as soon
as you put the multichannel SACD into the player. So much has been
written about the music on UP and its quality. Does it really matter
if an album we’ve come to love in normal stereo is released
in high-resolution 5.1 surround sound?
UP was mixed specifially for the SACD surround
sound release. The CD also comes with the normal stereo mix and an
SACD stereo mix. The normal stereo mix is compressed according to
CD standarts while the SACD formats give free reign to the frequencies.
In the audible range this has more impact than one would believe.
Technically, an SACD is always superior
to a normal CD, give or take surround sound. But it is the surround
sound that draws you into the new technology. It is a whole new experience
and you have to get used to have music coming at you from everywhere.
Up to now we hardly knew anything but stereo. Now the music pours
forth from five speakers (plus a subwoofer). Now that’s a change
UP 5.1 Surround - Track
by Track
Darkness
The stereo version pummeled you from the front (I guess we all remember
this explosive moment of surprise). In the surround version you are
a helpless prisoner of an aggressive flood of sound, in the midst
of which Gabriel’s voice can be heard in crystal clearness
Growing Up
The intro comes mainly from behind you, with stronger drums. The sound
effects are merrily distributed between all speakers while the low
singing between the “dots” comes out of the rear speakers.
It’s a whole new experience. One is really surrounded by the
music.
Sky Blue
The surround effect is rather unobtrusive during this song. The sound
is better due to the SACD standard, but it is only when the Blind
Boys come in that the surround effect really shows. Before that, it
is used for minor effects only.
No Way Out
This song has one terrific mix. You will notice the double drumkit
during the chorus which is hardly audible in CD stereo. Also spot
the drum festival near the end and how it is distributed between speakers
I Grieve
This ballad is not only chock full of surprises, but also overflowing
with sound. The surround mix brings out the best of this song and
has the listener floating away on it. When you sit right in the middle
of the room and close your eyes you will be able to hear details you
could never hear in the stereo mix, however hard you tried.
The Barry Williams Show
This song was available for download on Peter’s web site in
5.1. If you had the necessary equipment you could get a glimpse of
the multichannel recording. The video for The Barry Williams Show
in 5.1 format was available on the More Than This DVD. However, neither
version was as brilliant as the SACD recording. “Let’s
go”, comes the whisper from behind and sends you on a seven
minute journey of sound. Strong bass, brilliant treble and all the
sound effects distributed across the speakers. The line “what
a show you’re looking” at comes out better during the
chorus. When the instrumental part begins, the effects reach a climax.
Once more, things hidden in the stereo mix show up. At the point when
the short break in the rhythm occurs, the main drums are briefly moved
to the rear speakers. An excellent effect.
My Head Sounds Like That
The beginning of this song in particular is wonderful. All those peculiar
noises come out much clearer, Peter’s voice is more plaintive
than in stereo and there is simply more volume to the sound. This
song’s fascinating moment is “what’s left out and
what’s left in”. Surround sound and high-resolution make
this a strong and clear musical moment.
More Than This
Few effects for this song. Some details circle through space and the
sound is, of course, richer than in stereo.
Signal To Noise
This is the only song to feature Peter’s voice on the centre
speaker consistently. Nusrat can be heard on the left and right channels.
The sound appears kind of clinical or metallic, but that really goes
well with a song that has long become a fan favourite. When the orchestra
comes in you feel as if you had the best seats in the symphonic hall.
Peter’s vocals are, again, much clearer. Signal To Noise could
have been a grandiose finale for this SACD.
The Drop
The SACD ends less spectacular as far as sound is concerned. The Drop
has been mixed equally on all five channels, thus minimizing the surround
effect.
It is rather difficulat to describe the sound of a 5.1 SACD. Everybody
will experience it in a different way and enjoy other passages better.
This is merely an attempt to describe how the SACD was mixed. There
are 5.1 SACD sounds with a totally different character. Leaving all
musical qualities aside, Herbert Gronemeyer’s Mensch CD has
quite another flair, most of all because his voice comes through the
centre speaker only. This is not a bad thing, since nobody speaks
stereo. Compared to the SACD, Herbert’s voice in stereo sounds
as if he had shouted into an empty tin. Meat Loaf’s current
album was mixed much like The Drop: Few special effects, more like
an equal distribuation of the overall sound. Pink Floyd’s The
Dark Side Of The Moon, on the other hand, has these effects. The coins
dance through the room for Money, and the clock seems to tick away
on the ceiling in Time. There are many ways of shaping the sound.
And if you dislike surround sound because it is too detailed you can
always switch to SACD stereo. The sound quality will still be better
than on a normal CD. At the end of the day, though, 5.1 sound is the
ultimate in listening enjoyment. UP is a beauty for that. It really
is a pity US was not mixed for 5.1 – there is certainly much
to discover.
Author:
Christian Gerhardts
Translation: Martin Klinkhardt
