It's official: Thank God for Remastered!

[Brutal Strudel]

A strong argument can be made that the new effects are an improvement upon the old--fetishist that I am, I prefer the originals. But the re-done theme with the new soprano? Awful. I haven't heard a soprano that grating since Nancy Marchand passed away, buon anima.

 

[Forbin]

Yeah, why in the world did they need to redo the opening music?

 

[Chrisisall]

Yeah, why in the world did they need to redo the opening music?

No reason I can see, except for "digital" purposes....

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I'll be adding more fuel to the fire.

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x22hd/thesavagecurtainhd0004b.jpg

vs

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x22hd/thesavagecurtainhd0004.jpg

I mean HOLY COW, TOS effects look bad in HD!!! That matte line is like a centimeter thick, the lighting is horrible and it's totally blurred out. This doesn't look like an 11 foot model or a 300 meter long ship, it looks like a 30 centimeter model kit.

Conversely, though, the new effect (which is rather lovely, no question) does not look anything at all like what could have been accomplished in 1969.

If this were the worst example, the need for the new version would be less clear - this isn't that bad. Sadly, there are quite a few composites that are much worse.

 

[Ronald Held]

I thought that the music was the same, using the same sheets of musics originally used in the '60s. only the singer was different.

 

[JarodRussell]

I'll be adding more fuel to the fire.

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x22hd/thesavagecurtainhd0004b.jpg

vs

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x22hd/thesavagecurtainhd0004.jpg

I mean HOLY COW, TOS effects look bad in HD!!! That matte line is like a centimeter thick, the lighting is horrible and it's totally blurred out. This doesn't look like an 11 foot model or a 300 meter long ship, it looks like a 30 centimeter model kit.

Conversely, though, the new effect (which is rather lovely, no question) does not look anything at all like what could have been accomplished in 1969.

If this were the worst example, the need for the new version would be less clear - this isn't that bad. Sadly, there are quite a few composites that are much worse.

Yeah, I only happened to stumble over these images, I didn't look to find the worst.

 

[Forbin]

I thought that the music was the same, using the same sheets of musics originally used in the '60s. only the singer was different.

Yes. It's a new performance of the same music with a new singer, substituted for the original.

What on Earth for? Why bother? What was wrong with using the original music? Did they have to fuck with EVERYthing?

 

[Warped9]

Did they have to fuck with EVERYthing?

In a word, yes. It isn't good enough to just enhance the original ideas to make them more accessible to a new audience. They feel compelled to change things just because they can and they want to put their stamp on it.

I liken this to individual tastes in music particularly with the younger crowd. If they like something they have to crank it up and cannot grasp (and/or don't care) that others might not share their tastes.

Personally I find the defense that some new viewers can't tell they're seeing new f/x is bullshit. If someone can't see that difference then they're seriously clueless and uninformed.

 

[Chrisisall]

If someone can't see that difference then they're seriously clueless and uninformed.

Absolutely.
Or...
Maybe they're just paying more attention to the STORIES than the FX, seeing as that's REALLY the important part.

 

[JarodRussell]

What on Earth for? Why bother? What was wrong with using the original music? Did they have to fuck with EVERYthing?

Well for one thing the sound quality was pretty bad. So they re-recorded the music and remixed the opening monologue.

 

[Chrisisall]

Well for one thing the sound quality was pretty bad. So they re-recorded the music and remixed the opening monologue.

This is where we subdivide into peeps that want bad audio & bad video, peeps that want good video & bad audio, and peeps that want good audio & good video.

All I know is that Kirk's voice is less audible to me in the Remastered-with-new-FX version, so I don't like it (the soundtrack) as much as the other versions.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Unlike the new effects (which I do think are good, just out of place), the re-done theme just sounds terrible.

 

[Chrisisall]

Unlike the new effects (which I do think are good, just out of place), the re-done theme just sounds terrible.

Honestly, the MUSIC sounds identical to me, it's the tail end of the new singer's highest note that sort of makes me wince.

And the low level of Kirk's vocal part, as I said.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

It's the entirety of the soprano's performance, for me. As far as the orchestral part, I really can't say because the vocals are so distracting.

I don't think it's really the singer's fault--she has a good voice. It just can't compare to Jesse Norman and the mix makes it stand out like the proverbial sore thumb.

I actually prefer the early version of theme with no vocals at all.

 

[Chrisisall]

I actually prefer the early version of theme with no vocals at all.

My Son & I both agree with you, Brutal.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Indeed.

Thanks to this thread, I've been watching some of the remastereds off the CBS website and, as much as I see the argument that the worst of TOS's effects are improved upon by these new effects, I've seen many where I honestly prefer the originals in their simplicity. I just watched the scene in "The Day of the Dove" where Kang's ship is destroyed and I honestly prefer the glowing red silhouette and white plasma cloud of the original to the video game fragmentation of the cruiser in the new version. The new effect just looks rinky dink to me.

 

[Chrisisall]

I honestly prefer the glowing red silhouette and white plasma cloud of the original to the video game fragmentation of the cruiser in the new version. The new effect just looks rinky dink to me.

Oh yeah, I agree on that one. Also the 'star build-up' in Naked Time when the time warp occurs and they're going backwards. It looks crappy in the new version.
I could pick & choose scores of FX I think they should have left totally alone, but OVERALL, I like the new versions better.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

You and I appear to agree on a great deal.

 

[Chrisisall]

You and I appear to agree on a great deal.

One new effect I kind of expected to see- even wanted to see- was a little Horta running through in the background behind Vanderberg at the end of DITD.
Alas, perhaps it's better that they didn't do that, but I would have gotten a kick out of it.

 

[Ronald Held]

I agree with Forbin and WQarped9.
In a technical sense, was it necesarily to rerecord the music, instead of extracting the music tracks from the old recordings and reprocess them?