The music in this show is obnoxiously.....

[The Wormhole]

After years of the auditory wallpaper in the Berman shows, I can't complain about music in a Trek show that actually stands out.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

TNG's dramatic stings were pretty in your face in the first season. Very Dun Dun DUNNNNN!!!!!!

Despite my general distaste for the berman era sonic wallpaper, I do have a soft spot for the 'be shocked' crescendo at the end of every teaser.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

Rick berman is that you?

OMG, that's exactly what i wanted to write, just in this moment, before i scrolled down

 

[BillJ]

... loud and interferes with dialogue. I need to have CC on the entire time. The music swells up, even when there is what should be a quiet moment between two characters...it's pretty much never ending in the show....music is in the background for almost every minute of every episode.

I have to say, that what I've seen of the show, I don't ever remember any music. Definitely don't remember any interfering with dialogue.

First check the settings on your audio output, then check your hearing aid.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

To be fair, I've complained, in a number of episode threads, that I found the music too overpowering for the dialogue. It's a legit complaint, and the OP is not alone. He doesn't need to be shamed as a "Berman apologist."

 

[Ronald Held]

Music should never drown out dialogue. Maybe enhance the mode? Or my views could be too old fashioned?

 

[antinoos]

English is not my first language and I really need the dialogue to be as clear as possible to understand what's going on, so I think I'd have noticed if the music was loud during the dialogue. But that's just me. Sound level tolerance varies from person to person, obviously.

 

[Vger23]

I find that a lot of times, they just talk so fast that key plot details almost seem like they are being breezed past...like blink and you’ll miss it. And sometimes I notice the music interferes with my ability to focus on what was just said and to process it.

 

[fireproof78]

English is not my first language and I really need the dialogue to be as clear as possible to understand what's going on, so I think I'd have noticed if the music was loud during the dialogue. But that's just me. Sound level tolerance varies from person to person, obviously.

Indeed, yes. I have a very keen ear largely due to a mom who insisted upon me being able to distinguish different instruments in various songs. So, if music is distracting me it's due to hunting out what instrument is present.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Ah, DISCO from a whisper to a scream...

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[Bad Thoughts]

Ah, DISCO from a whisper to a scream...

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Great band. I saw them play live in '86 or '87. I was pelted with beers several times, and afraid of being pulled over after the show.

 

[Dar70]

It also doesn't help that Sonequa Martin-green, talks softly, almost a whispernin fact, most of her dialogue...lol.

 

[nafeasonto]

After years of the auditory wallpaper in the Berman shows, I can't complain about music in a Trek show that actually stands out.

What does this mean "auditory wallpaper" ?

It also doesn't help that Sonequa Martin-green, talks softly, almost a whispernin fact, most of her dialogue...lol.

I don't know what you mean, as William Shatner whispered *a lot* of his lines.

 

[Lord Garth]

What does this mean "auditory wallpaper" ?

This article by Jammer from 1995 sums it up pretty well. Even better because it's from the time.

Cutting pasting the article in this quote:

I still don't understand what it is with the music on TNG, DS9, and now Voyager. Don't get me wrong. I don't doubt the talents of the composers, and I'm not talking about the main themes (I believe the main themes to TNG, DS9, and Voyager are quite good). But the scores for each episode lack energy and interest, and I'm very disappointed with what I hear most weeks.

Currently on DS9 (and in seasons 4-7 of TNG), the music is primarily scored by Dennis McCarthy and Jay Chattaway, who alternate every other week. And week after week it's flat and uninspiring. Occasionally I will be surprised, like with Chattaway's recent score to "The Search, Part I," which accompanied the closing action scene with some bombastic energy. And McCarthy will sometimes turn out nice work, most recently displayed in "Past Tense, Part I." It just makes me wonder why in the world we can't get decent scores like that more often.

In an article in the October 1993 issue of Cinefantastique magazine, I read an interesting article about the music on TNG and DS9. Apparently, the linear-restrained quality has nothing to do with the composers' abilities, but rather the wishes of the producers, and the strict guidelines they impose. It appears to be the reason that led to the firing of Ron Jones (who turned out some of TNG's best scores, including "The Best of Both Worlds" parts I and II, as well as "Brothers," "Final Mission" and many more). Jones was reported as an overbudgeted "troublemaker" who decided to ignore these guidelines—i.e., they got rid of him because his music was too "noticeable." For some reason, the producers decided they wanted no recognizable or recurring themes in the episode scores.

When Jones was gone, the producers gave Jay Chattaway the full time position, working with him to tone down his work. If you go back and watch TNG's third season "Tin Man," you will notice a very atypical score (by recent Trek music standards), with a recurring theme and many bombastic qualities. That was Chattaway's first score for TNG, and many of the qualities within it were exactly what the producers didn't want and had Chattaway tone down throughout his fourth season "break-in" period.

Apparently, Dennis McCarthy's situation was similar. McCarthy started on TNG from the very beginning, and his early works were much more interesting than his post-third season outings (I think the article mentioned that a certain producer retired around that time, leaving the other producers to influence the composers more directly). If you doubt McCarthy's abilities, listen to the very commendable score of "Star Trek: Generations" and you will hear his best work yet. Granted, that was a feature-film budget orchestra, but I know the composers could get more out of their television orchestra—Ron Jones did it every week.

Recently on DS9, they brought in a new composer named David Bell. So far I've liked his work a lot ("Second Skin" and "Past Tense, Part II"). It has a melody that inspires. I'm just afraid that he will sound just as boring as McCarthy and Chattaway by the end of the season, because, provided the producers keep him around, they're going to work on him to get what they want.

I'm not saying the music on Star Trek is totally without merit. But with the resources the composers have at their disposal, it's awful to know that it's being so toned down because the producers think it shouldn't be "overwhelming." I defy anyone who can tell me that they were more excited when Picard was in 10-forward with the baryon sweep coming at him ("Starship Mine"—6th season) than when Data and Worf kidnapped Locutus off the Borg ship and escaped ("The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"—4th season). The reason—linear monotony versus exciting bombastitiy, respectively. Music is about 70% of action or suspense.

Hey, I'm not asking for miracles. But something with some energy, along the lines of "The Search, Part I" would be nice. I knew before the pilot aired that Chattaway was scoring the first episode of Voyager. Being the major TV debut it was and considering Voyager is supposed to be more "adventurous" than the other Treks, I thought we might get something like "Search, Part I" in "Caretaker." But it was just more of the same boring stuff, and worse, because it was at such a low volume it almost didn't matter at all. Take, for example the scene in the tunnels where Paris rescues Chakotay from the staircase about to collapse. The music was so soft and unexciting that it destroyed the scene completely. I'm fed up with that.

The question I ask is, WHY DO THE PRODUCERS THINK THAT TONING THIS STUFF DOWN IS BETTER OFF FOR THEM? "Best of Both Worlds" felt like a movie because of its thundering soundtrack. What can the producers possibly fear in a soundtrack like that?

I was also reminded of it during my 2019 re-watch of TNG in the lead-up to Picard. The music during the first four seasons was fine. Then it turned bland, bland, bland, generic, generic, generic. From late-TNG to the end of ENT. Very little stood out. Whatever stood out was the exception, not the rule. It's better now, but I still think the best Trek music for TV was from TOS and the first four seasons of TNG.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Hate to say it, but if anything I find the Disco music too bland. The idea of it being too overpowering is a bit silly.

 

[ananta]

Haven’t noticed this at all. The music is just perfect for me, both in sheer quality and volume mixing.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

I wouldn't say it is too loud to hear the dialogue, but the music is constant. That is, there is virtually no part of the audio that does not include music. I usually just tune it out (no pun intended) and that works. However, if I sit and think about (i.e., overthink) the fact that there is constant music, I am bothered by it.

 

[ITDUDE]

The Burnham monologues in this show are obnoxiously..... ... loud and interferes with dialogue. I need to have CC on the entire time. The Burnham monologues swell up, even when there is what should be a quiet moment between two characters...it's pretty much never ending in the show....Burnham monologues are in the background for almost every minute of every episode.

FIFY

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

Not in other Treks. But in a few non-Trek shows.

Seems common now for FX and music to be way higher than dialogue in shows.
Read the various reviews of Tenet which took a particular hammering over it

 

[Nerys Myk]

Seems common now for FX and music to be way higher than dialogue in shows.
Read the various reviews of Tenet which took a particular hammering over it

I have noticed that in the FX scenes in a lot of films the volume gets cranked.