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Author Topic: elevator music... Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-15-2011 12:45 AM                        Good gawd this is aweful. This is the DEFINITION of elevator musak. Who would play this mono Lawrence Welk-ish stuff for preshow? I even heard surface pops and clicks in a few of the cuts which immediately catapults your audience back to the 50s and makes them feel like they are in some sleazy smoke-filled bar/lounge. Naw, I'll pass on this; even that it's free doesn't make is sound any better.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-15-2011 01:23 AM                     Frank, try listening to these selections posted on youtube... Perky (This one is a favorite) Holiday for Strings Cabaret Girl From Ipanema Seeburg BMS demonstration record How anyone could not like this stuff is beyond me. It is so awful it is wonderful! There is something about it playing quietly in the background in the screening room with the curtains closed that just works. People sit waiting for the show to start tapping their foot and tipping their head in enjoyment. Probably the favorite song I have is a Seeburg version of "Hound Dog". At some point I plan on converting what I have to mp3 and will post them here. Here and here are selections from the industrial library.  |  IP: Logged Tom Petrov Five Guys Lover Posts: 1121 From: El Paso, TX Registered: Jan 2003 posted 05-15-2011 01:28 AM                    I am amazed there isn't an actually "movie" theatre channel you can subscribe to. One that would say "visit the concession" stand etc.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-15-2011 11:47 AM                        quote: Brad Miller How anyone could not like this stuff is beyond me Brad, I LOVE the titles they play -- lots of movie themes and as you list, plenty of popular titles. BUT, their hokey arrangements have a cheap 50s style and many are downright lounge band -- this is real elevator music. I have been listening to the stream for a few hours and find there may be 1 out of every 10 selections that sound decent enough that I would consider including them in my preshow library. But I also find that on quite a number of selections you can here scratches -- the bane of analog mechanical transcriptions. That will scream low-tech to an audience. Putting the question of style aside, who wants to play mono preshow music? We even process our preshow 2 channel stereo music with a 4 channel Sansui Pro decoder so we can extract ambience from the stereo channels for the surround channels. Sorry, while no one can claim they love Lenny's West Side Story medley with more passion than I; the Seeburg elevator arrangement of it with a 6 piece ensemble instead of a full orchestra and replete with surface scratches and compression pumping is downright embarrassing and I would never subject my audience to it. And BTW, I am listening right now to horrid version of I Remember It Well from GIGI -- nice song if it didn't have a good dose of WOW. Sounds like one of their discs was punched slightly off center or they have turntable problems. As I said, free doesn't cover hokey style....in mono with scratches no less. No thanks -- I don't want to drive everyone under 75 out of the theatre.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-15-2011 02:23 PM                     quote: Frank Angel Putting the question of style aside, who wants to play mono preshow music? Me, and lots of others. This is a trick from GCC Northpark in Dallas I still use to this day. The non-sync is center mono at a low background level, but enough to hear it without it being background noise. Trailers are LCR stereo (no sub or surrounds) at a comfortable "tv volume" (fader typically at 4 for current-era trailers). Then the feature kicks in full throttle with all channels playing and fader at 7. Anyone who has seen such a presentation can attest it really makes a presentation. It is similar to curtains. You don't need them, but it certainly says "the show is starting" as they open. I am simply creating a similar thing with the audio system.  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 05-15-2011 03:16 PM                     Good for you Brad! Showmanship isn't dead yet. (Even without curtains.)  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-15-2011 03:25 PM                        What Brad said. I usually do L/R stereo (no surround) for non-sync music (depends on the venue and sound system...a few places are still mono-only for everything, including film), but the effect is the same.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 05-15-2011 06:51 PM                        I get the impression that records for the Seeburg 1000 aren't terribly uncommon, yet. It would be wonderful if someone who had access to these things would create an organized series of rips of the available records, similar to what is on that webpage posted here the other day. 1. It's useful. Even today there are many venues that could and would use this content for background music. 2. It's of historical interest, and stands a greater-than-zero chance of having at least some of the content disappear unless steps are taken to preserve it. 3. The music is good and some of it is really exceptional. (My opinion, don't shoot me.) 4. And it's just damn cool overall.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 05-15-2011 06:57 PM                     We keep all the licensing fees paid and play what ever we want from CD, etc.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-15-2011 08:08 PM                     quote: Brad Miller At some point I plan on converting what I have to mp3 and will post them here Well, it's been 19 hours since you posted this...where are they?  |  IP: Logged Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 05-16-2011 01:45 PM                     All I can say about the Seeburg tunes is WOW Wow and flutter that is... It is kind of fun to listen to though in a perverse sort of way...and it would be fun to torture some audience members to see their reaction.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 05-16-2011 01:50 PM                        Seeburg Christmas Album Seeburg 1000 - The Sound & Colour of Christmas  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 05-16-2011 04:16 PM                     The purpose of this music is to have noise so the customers won't annoy each other chomping food to drown out the farts. You guys are supposed to be at work not listening to the music.  |  IP: Logged Andres Briano Expert Film Handler Posts: 162 From: Buenos Aires, Argentina Registered: Jan 2008 posted 05-24-2011 10:44 AM                        quote: Brad Miller Trailers are LCR stereo (no sub or surrounds) at a comfortable "tv volume" (fader typically at 4 for current-era trailers). Then the feature kicks in full throttle with all channels playing and fader at 7. I do the same thing but I got it from somewhere else. Actually I did the same thing. The company that does our on-screen advertising got into a fight with me. They demanded that their ads be played in SR-D. I wouldn´t hear of it. They ended up going to my boss. I lost the battle. Andrés  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 05-24-2011 02:33 PM                     Andres, this is one of those situations where you nod, smile and say "No problem, boss" then as soon as they leave the booth go back to doing it your way. Most theatre owners/managers are so stupid they wouldn't notice a good presentation if was tatooed on their pecker.  |  IP: Logged

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