Isolated score fans - How do you prefer to listen to them ? (1 Viewer)

[Rob W]

Reading the back and forth about isolated scores in the One-Eyed Jacks thread, I thought of a question but decided to start a new thread rather than hijack the One-Eyed Jacks discussion.

For those of you who are fans of movie scores ( and I know there are plenty of you ) , I was curious as to exactly how you make use of the isolated score tracks on various dvd's and blu-rays.

Do you sit and watch the film with only the isolated track playing ?

Do you listen to the isolated track purely as an audio experience without looking at the film ?

The reason I ask is that I find neither to be a particularly rewarding experience as music is seldom used continually throughout a film , leaving more than a few dead spots of total silence regardless if you are listening with or without picture.

Music cues are not chapter-stopped, which rules out jumping from track to track to keep a continual flow of music.

I'd love to know how you die-hards use them, although I'm fairly certain there won't be a common consensus, or even a 'right' answer. I'm just wondering if there's something I hadn't thought of to make better use of the many scores I have in my collection.

 

[Robin9]

Reading the back and forth about isolated scores in the One-Eyed Jacks thread, I thought of a question but decided to start a new thread rather than hijack the One-Eyed Jacks discussion.

For those of you who are fans of movie scores ( and I know there are plenty of you ) , I was curious as to exactly how you make use of the isolated score tracks on various dvd's and blu-rays.

Do you sit and watch the film with only the isolated track playing ?

Do you listen to the isolated track purely as an audio experience without looking at the film ?

The reason I ask is that I find neither to be a particularly rewarding experience as music is seldom used continually throughout a film , leaving more than a few dead spots of total silence regardless if you are listening with or without picture.

Music cues are not chapter-stopped, which rules out jumping from track to track to keep a continual flow of music.

I'd love to know how you die-hards use them, although I'm fairly certain there won't be a common consensus, or even a 'right' answer. I'm just wondering if there's something I hadn't thought of to make better use of the many scores I have in my collection.

I don't utilize isolated score soundtracks for the reasons you've mentioned. I did once make a CD-R for the car by copying tracks from various discs, but that's about all.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I wind up not listening to isolated scores often for the very same reason. I've always been a soundtrack fan, and I buy movie scores on CD, and I often wish that the CDs that include edited versions of score tracks had the entire thing instead... but I find them difficult to watch on the DVDs when included because of all of the dead space between cues and lack of chaptering to advance from one cue to the next.

That said, if Disney had offered a music-and-effects-only track for Tron Legacy, I would have watched that. The director wanted to include one but ultimately Disney opted not to do it.

 

[Race Bannon]

Two ways:

Play them while I'm doing something around the house. It's like listening to music, only a chance to hear great orchestral music that sounds like a score for what I'm doing.

Put them in and go to bed, listen to them and let them lull me to sleep (can fight insomnia).

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I usually watch them all the way through with the English subtitles turned on, like a "silent" version of the movie.

 

[Dick]

I usually watch them all the way through with the English subtitles turned on, like a "silent" version of the movie.

And, of course, silent movies by default have isolated scores, and have no breaks between cues. I go to sleep to Carl Davis sometimes.

 

[Tom St Jones]

Not a bad thread idea, Rob W!

As for me, I'm similar to Race Barron - I'll play them while I'm doing stuff around the house, or while internet-browsing...

 

[Stephen PI]

I usually watch them all the way through with the English subtitles turned on, like a "silent" version of the movie.

If I watch the film all the way through, I do the same.
The sound quality is infinitely better on the TT releases than the CD, as it is in DTS-MA, and sometimes the scores are presented in THREE-TRACK, which to me makes a huge difference.

 

[moovtune]

If the score is in 5.1, I digitize it to the computer, cut it into tracks and make my own DVD-A for listening purposes. If the score has never been ereleased on CD, I may do that for a stereo isoltaed track as well, but probably burn it to CD.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

I listen to them as an audio experience. I can't tell you the number I've used them to help me fall asleep at night; nothing like listening to Bernard Herrmann or Jerry Goldsmith to help you fight insomnia.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I like listening to scores at night time for help falling asleep, but I'm not a big fan of using isolated score tracks for it - the dead zones of quiet that can be punctuated with a quick loud burst of music before returning to silence don't really help with me falling asleep. But a score soundtrack CD? Absolutely.

 

[Virgoan]

I will definitely watch a movie using only the isolated score to fully appreciate what the composer has done to enhance the action on the screen. Of course, this is "after" I've watched the movie as it is intended to be seen (with voices and effects). Because I do appreciate a wonderful score, it is an added bonus to be able to watch a film with only the visuals and the music (and, also, the lack of music where it is absent).

 

[Worth]

I will definitely watch a movie using only the isolated score to fully appreciate what the composer has done to enhance the action on the screen..

That reminds me of this. The last scene in Star Wars without the music:

 

[Virgoan]

That unscored Wookie yell was hilarious.

 

[Paul Rossen]

I only listen to the isolated score track if there is a commentary along with it such as the one on The Sand Pebbles...

 

[Steve Christou]

Guys you can create your own 'almost' isolated score with any multi-channel movie, I can't remember how it happened but I had some movies playing on my computer a year or so ago and the audio manager on my PC went awry and reversed the channels, all I could hear was music, no voices, maybe the odd sound effect popping up now and than, but I was impressed with the sound quality. So if you want, switch the wires on your amp and sit back and watch Skyfall or Star Wars The Force Awakens with an isolated soundtrack. It's worth a try.