Anyone else think the music is too loud in Amok time?

Just rewatching and I find myself wanting to turn the music right down. Turn the volume down and the speaking is too low. The music (which is not bad in itself just drowns out the speaking and this is one episode where I want to listen to the dialogue. I wonder if there’s any way to tune it down in the settings

 

I think the music was a little bit loud in every episode compared to at least current TV shows.
I love the music though.
Except for the love interest music. Id be happy if they cut that out.

 

A way to turn down the music separate from the rest of the soundtrack?

No.

 

The CBS Digital remasters (2006 DVD set and the Blu-rays) messed with the sound a lot. People have complained about the loud engine rumble that the Enterprise makes, in episodes where it shouldn't. The remasters also altered the music content in places, even sneaking in a few bits performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in place of the original score. But I haven't noticed the remasters making the music scores too loud (if there is such a thing, for my money).

 

I've never had a problem with the music drowning out dialogue, but I do agree that the music is quite prominent in every episode. This could be a combination of familiarity/recycling, as well as the classic, triumphant nature of the pieces, which are bold rather than soft. Also, music in TOS is often used to aid a scene's emotion, and is a part of the story, rather than purely incidental. I think it's also a show that has a large percentage of music per episode, as a ratio. I absolutely adore each and every piece of music in TOS. So, I'd be at the very back of the cue to critique this.

 

I enjoy the music, and don’t mind it in actions scenes per se, but I think this episode has more dialogue that seems to be drowned out than other episodes (maybe it was different from season 2? I’ll soon find out...)

 

Bah humbug!

 

Maybe I’m just noticing it more the more I rewatch?

 

No. Gerald Fried's music was perfectly scored for its scenes, and is quite inseparable from the impact of the episode.

 

I don’t dislike the music, but the best soundtrack music (IMO) is the music you don't notice, but miss if it’s not there.

I really didn’t notice it so much on my last rewatch (dvds), but had to keep turning the volume down this time (netflix). I wonder if there is actually a difference in the soundtrack

 

Except that it’s too loud

 

If there ever was an episode where you want the music loud, It's Amok Time. No issues there at all.

 

This!

 

The music is fine, it's more likely your hearing that's the problem.

 

I'm trying to think of one time in Star Trek when I thought the music was obtrusive.

I can't come up with one. The music in TWOK is similarly masterful.

 

What? I can't hear you, Amok Time is on.

 

Well, music in 60's Star Trek, and most shows of that era and somewhat beyond, was always pretty noticeable. Is Amok TIme's score, to you, louder than The Doomsday Machine, The Corbomite Maneuver or Is There in Truth No Beauty? All three of those episodes had very loud music. Or do you just feel like the sound was mixed louder for the music in the Blu Rays or something?

 

Sometimes, the music can blend in with the dialogue if one is hard of hearing. That aside, it's not always hard to notice general episodes' volume mixing and when one or two episodes are out of sync.

On top of that it's worse when the music is flagrantly bad (in terms of tonal quality and/or its trying to pull emotional strings, especially sobbing maudlin sap. It's too often forced, especially if the script's content doesn't deserve the accentuation. It feels too robotic.

It doesn't help when, at least in the 1960s, all this was done by imperfect human hands and not by perfect clock-cycle computers with pre-set settings and the rest of it. Or who keeps changing them for editing different shows.

It also doesn't help when all sorts of shows use wallpaper music to increasing quantities and effect for affect. It's worse nowadays, even bombastic - the more bombastic usually means a weaker story, but the trend started in the 1980s and has rarely gotten better since. A good script and solid acting do more for a story than music or visuals ever could. As a design instructor kept telling his students, "less can be more".

In the end, the TV stories are still about the dialogue most. The background incidental music should never compete against it, or be so loud to replace it. It's just at the point where clunky dialogue isn't as bad.