Could they Turn Down the Music?

[Starkers]

Explosions is one thing, actual dialogue is another!
How many misheard Smith's line about being a girl after all?

I heard it perfectly, as I do every other line of dialogue in the show.

Would you people actually prefer the auditory wallpaper of modern day Star Trek?

Pardon?

You might hear every line of dialogue, to be honest I hear the vast majority but sometimes it can be a struggle. The Pompeii episode is a classic example--lots of rushing about and explosions, which is going to make the dialogue harder to hear, but then loud music on top of that. I love the music of the new series, I just think at times its used too often and too loud, as people have said though none of that is Gold's fault.

 

[Shazam!]

The music in Doctor Who is absurd. It's about as subtle as swallowing a brick of shit.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm seriously so intrigued by this complaint! I mean, it's obviously an issue for a lot of people, but I have never once had a problem with the music. It rarely even notice that it's there!

 

[tomalak301]

Explosions is one thing, actual dialogue is another!
How many misheard Smith's line about being a girl after all?

I heard it perfectly, as I do every other line of dialogue in the show.

Would you people actually prefer the auditory wallpaper of modern day Star Trek?

What does Star Trek have to do with this complaint though. It's like there are two camps in this complaint. One camp is people like me who think they should turn the music down a little (Not blaming Gold for anything mind you) because it's hard to hear the dialoge, and the other camp pretty much saying "You're an idiot, the music is not loud and how insensitive of you to make fun of the British." (Or something to that effect) I'm not saying we should get rid of it because it is a very good score and adds tension to the episode, but when you have an episode like The End of Time where the Music is constantly going and going and it is hard to hear what is being said in dialoge (Especially since they brought back the Time Lords and I was scratching my head the whole time wondering why they were the way they were and the Doctor was nothing like them) because it's so intrusive. Now maybe it is a BBC America thing, maybe it's just my TV, and I don't have the surround sound like most people do, but it's still a valid complaint apparently.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

the other camp pretty much saying "You're an idiot, the music is not loud and how insensitive of you to make fun of the British."

I don't know about the others, but what I am saying here is "there's nothing wrong with the music, I've never had any problem understanding the dialogue, so claiming that they should turn the volume down is just bizarre, as if people were complaining that the series shouldn't be broadcast in black and white".

 

[tomalak301]

Ok, I was being a little sarcastic, but there was someone up thread who thought I was being insensitive, which is why I brought it up.

 

[Sci]

The music in Doctor Who is absurd. It's about as subtle as swallowing a brick of shit.

Far better that than a droning, boring old score you never even notice.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I don't find the music too loud necessarily. However, in the later Tennant stories, it did become far too over the top & melodramatic. Between the music and the vicious cycle of overacting between Tennant & John Simm, "The End of Time" was just way too damn much to handle. I'm not sure the series has made any musical choices of any interest or subtlety since that great little guitar piece when Rose got trapped in the other dimension in "Doomsday."

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm not sure the series has made any musical choices of any interest or subtlety since that great little guitar piece when Rose got trapped in the other dimension in "Doomsday."

Ooh, yeah. This is probably the most memorable bit of Doctor Who music for me.

 

[Sci]

I'm not sure the series has made any musical choices of any interest or subtlety since that great little guitar piece when Rose got trapped in the other dimension in "Doomsday."

For my money, the entire musical score for "Utopia"/"The Sound of Drums"/"Last of the Time Lords" was a beautiful and sophisticated symphony that essentially told the story by itself without need for the actual episodes.

I particularly loved the way the Master's leit motiff was based on the same time signature as the Doctor Who theme song.

 

[Elayis]

I'm thinking this must just be a broadcast issue.

I've watched Doctor Who on DVD and through iTunes and I've never had trouble hearing the dialogue.

Even watching Who on my laptop has never presented any problems.

And while I'm here, I'm just going to say how much I love Murray Gold's score. Aside from Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who has had the best music on TV I've ever heard. My personal favorites being The Doctor's Theme, Doomsday, All The Strange Strange Creatures, Boe, Song of Freedom, the Doctor Who theme from Series 4 and the Specials, and the score leading up to and during the Doctor's regeneration in The End of Time.

Just marvelous, really.

 

[Stevil2001]

I particularly loved the way the Master's leit motiff was based on the same time signature as the Doctor Who theme song.

Or rather, it's based on the Master's drum beat... which is based on RTD's alarm clock.

 

[Sci]

I particularly loved the way the Master's leit motiff was based on the same time signature as the Doctor Who theme song.

Or rather, it's based on the Master's drum beat... which is based on RTD's alarm clock.

I have no idea what you're referring to about RTD's alarm clock, but that drum beat has the same time signature as the Doctor Who theme song. Seems pretty obvious to me that the Master's theme was written as a sort of twisted version of the Doctor's theme -- which is appropriate, since the Master is a sick and twisted version of the Doctor.

 

[Starkers]

I'm guessing RTD's alarm clock plays the Who theme

 

[Shazam!]

Far better that than a droning, boring old score you never even notice.

But not as good as a score that compliments the action on screen.

 

[Sci]

Far better that than a droning, boring old score you never even notice.

But not as good as a score that compliments the action on screen.

It's a score that does compliment the action on screen.

 

[Shazam!]

When?

 

[Starkers]

Not always. I was watching 42 yesterday and at times the music, brilliant as it is, doesn't seem to chime with what's on screen.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

When?

Even if you don't like it, there's no reason to be deliberately obtuse.

 

[FalTorPan]

I love the new show's soundtrack, enough to buy a couple of the CDs. Having said that, often the sound editors of the show do seem to enjoy making the music drown out the dialogue.