TRON Soundtrack Released On Double 180g Vinyl - Analog Planet

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TRON Soundtrack Released on Double 180g Vinyl Fur
Michael Fremer | Aug 7, 2014
Yes, it's a horrendous con ict of interest, I

suppose, for me to be reviewing this double
LP TRON soundtrack reissue since I originally
supervised it, back in 1982, but I was there, so
who better quali ed to do it?
I watched for the rst time the other day

"TRON Legacy" the sequel issued in 2010. I
watched it at home in 3D and of course the TRON Original
visuals were astonishing. They were, I'm sure, Soundtrack
what director Steve Lisberger saw in his head Wendy Carlos (Songs
by Journey)
that back then simply could not be brought to
the screen. Audio Fidelity AFZLP2 177 2
180g LPs
All of "TRON" was originally shot in 65MM, 2, Produced by: Wendy Carlos
(live sessions produced by
2:1 aspect ratio. It was not "blown up" from John Mosely, Bob Hathaway,
35mm. The process used to produce the Disney Sound Dept.)
original movie required all of the live action Engineered by: Wendy
Carlos, BBC Remote
within the computer world to be shot in black
Mixed by: Wendy Carlos
and white. The black and white footage was Mastered by: Kevin Gray at
composited to VistaVision and blown up Cohearent Audio
frame by frame and then backlit on an
animation stand to produce the glowing MUSIC

characters. No wonder the frame by frame
registration was not perfect. The trailblazing
computer animation took forever to render SOUND
and required buildings' worth of computers.
Today it would take minutes on a PC.
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/tron-soundtrack-released-double-180g-vinyl 1/17
In any case, compared to the original, "TRON

Legacy" looked great, but it sounded awful—as if they ran out of money
before post-production began. I was shocked by how badly even the dialog
sounded on the DTS HD Master audio track. It was mu ed and lacking in
intelligibility.
But beyond that, the sound effects were skimpy, mundane and lacking in
imagination. The "de-rezzing" sound that sound designer Frank Sera ne
and I created had dramatic consequence. For "TRON Legacy" the sound
and visual was shattering glass. The original "TRON" had huge, spacious
scene speci c ambiences. The giant aircraft carrier like ship that the evil
Sark (David Warner) commanded had its own ominous, bass-heavy sound
that would signal its appearance even before it arrived on screen. All of
these events were painstakingly created at a time when synthesizers were
primitive. We had access to a Fairlight synthesizer, which was the rst that
could sample and play back “organic sounds”. Back then it cost around
$25,000 (which in today’s dollars is far higher). Today a kid’s toy can do it
better.
The Light Cycles in the original began sonic life as my Saab Sonett’s V-4
Ford engine. We put a pair of microphones in the engine compartment and
recorded to a Stellavox portable reel to reel recorder (similar to a Nagra)
and I drove way too fast on Mulholland Drive down and upshifting. Sera ne
then processed it. The Light Cycles in the new movie were sonically far
more laid back. In fact everything was laid back and I think purposefully so
—but that doesn’t excuse the poor sound quality.
The original “TRON” had a love story between computer programs. It wasn’t
a hot one, nor could it have been and in retrospect it probably wasn’t a
good idea to try. The creators of the sequel didn’t. In fact the only
interpersonal relationship explored was between Kevin Flynn and his son
Sam. Not until Sam escapes the grid back into the real world with one of
his father’s creations does some heat get suggested as they cycle off into
the proverbial sunset.
While this TRON soundtrack packs cinematic musical heat and strong
emotion, Daft Punk’s score is purposefully cool. It percolates softly in the
background as an electronic undercurrent. It all works as planned but a
memorable or revolutionary soundtrack it is not! This one is. Interestingly,
though for continuity's sake a Journey song provides the backdrop for
Flynn's video parlor in the remake, it is not "Only Solutions" but rather
"Separate Ways". Not sure why the substitution.
As I explain in the liner notes written for this reissue (which I won’t spoil
with too many of the details contained therein) few people back then
owned computers or even knew what they were. That may be hard for
some now to believe, but of course it’s true. During pre-production around
1981 or so, director Steve Lisberger ew a few of the artists up to
Cupertino, CA to visit pre-McIntosh Apple Computer so they could look at
circuit boards and other computer hardware. I went along for the ride.
Apple was a small company then. We took the informal tour of some o ce
space basically, during which our host con ded “within a few years,
everyone will have a computer in their home.”
After we left the building I turned to anyone who would listen and said
“Everyone will have a computer in his home? In a bank, yes, in a library, yes,
but in my home???? Why the “eff” would I want a computer in my home?
These people are living in a dream world if they think that!” Oh well.
So in considering the music for a lm set inside a cold, electronic

environment that most people watching wouldn’t easily grasp, the last
thing we needed for a musical score was the obvious Kraftwerk-like
electronic chill, especially given the script’s suggestion of an electronic
ame between TRON and Yori, whose real world analogs were ex-lovers.
We needed an orchestral score and an electronic one too—one for scenes

inside the computer and one for scenes in the real world. Both needed to
have strong emotional components. Who better for the electronic score
than Wendy Carlos whose score for “A Clockwork Orange” included
dramatic synthesizer realizations of orchestral scores along with
imaginative original compositions.
While contemplating whom to hire for the orchestral score, producer

Donald Kushner met with Carlos in New York to discuss the electronic one.
She convinced Kushner that she was more than capable of doing both.
As it turned out, because of scheduling and technical issues that you can
read about in her notes and in mine in the jacket gatefold as well as in an
in-depth story and interview written by Bob Moog that you can access here,
I don’t think anyone other than Wendy Carlos could have produced and
delivered this revolutionary soundtrack that stands up so well after all of

these years.
We originally planned a synthesizer-based soundtrack with orchestral

overdubs but because of time constraints, that had to be turned on its
head. The soundtrack became orchestral with synthesizer overdubs.
London's Royal Albert Hall, 1982
In March of 1982 The London Philharmonic Orchestra performed the large-

scale orchestral tracks in London’s Royal Albert Hall while a smaller group
performed in famed Walthamstow Town Hall—the venue where Decca
Records’ engineers including the legendary Kenneth Wilkinson engineered
many sessions that are still regarded as the epitome of classical music
recorded sound. A BBC remote crew recorded both sessions of course to
analog tape.
The Royal Albert Hall organ
The London Philharmonic Recording at RAH
Walthamstow Town Hall
Carlos’s score called for a chorus. Those sessions were recorded earlier at
U.C.L.A.’s Royce Hall—another legendary recording venue.
Left to right: Assistant to the composer Annemarie Franklin, Wendy

Carlos, orchestrator Jorge Calandrelli, producer John Mosely
Analogplanet editor Michael Fremer in London, 1982
With not much time to spare, Carlos then began the seemingly impossible
task of merging the three recording sessions, performing the complex and
time consuming synthesizer overdubs and then mixing it all down and
tting it to picture. Accomplishing all of that required the use of more new,
and at the time untested in a lm-post production environment SMPTE
time coding equipment.
“TRON” became the rst feature lm to synch a multi-track master tape to

lm as part of the nal mix, thus saving a generation by not having to dub it
all onto 35MM magnetic tape stock. It saved money too.
As Wendy Carlos describes in her annotation, the score is based upon two
themes, one with a quasi-military feel that augments the video game battle
and chase scenes (it includes a quote from Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”)
and the other a melodic, romantic one that has grand, sweeping gestures
that in the context of the cold computer world and the spark-free
relationship between the two computer programs, has an almost campy,
over the top quality that I can only imagine left the Daft Punk guys shaking
their heads—assuming they watched the original for background.
Though I was initially thrilled by Wendy’s completed soundtrack, over time

I’ve grown to appreciate it even more especially freed from picture. To this
day I’m left thinking “how did she do that?” Listen to the almost violent
compressions and orchestral eruptions that accompany the scene where
the spinning MCP (Master Control Program) grinds to a halt after TRON’s
disc interferes.
If Daft Punk’s synth score is forgettable, though usefully cool background

gurgling for an ultra-low key script and production (complete with visual
allusions to the unforgettable conclusion of Kubrick’s “2001: A Space
Odyssey), Carlos’s original is emotionally hot, perhaps almost too hot for
what ended up on the screen. If you know the movie you’ll “see” it as you
listen but if you don’t, it doesn’t matter. There are cues that will make your
skin crawl and others that will evoke great beauty but none will let you
down. The “Ending Titles” has the dread and drive of an old Universal black
and white horror movie and concludes with a classic, cinematic orchestral
frenzy that may have been heard before in movies but not since!
Because of Carlos’s a liation with Columbia Records, the soundtrack was

slated for issue on the label’s classical Masterworks division. The label
insisted the pop song be provided by Journey, which was then red hot. How
and why the Journey song “Only Solutions” sounds so much like the Police
is explained in the album notes.
Mr. Mosely tried to get Pete Townshend to write a song for "TRON"
While we were mixing the lm, Columbia Records president Walter

Yetnikoff called to say that unless the Journey song was used at the
beginning of the closing credits, the label would not release the
soundtrack. We had no choice but to cut Wendy’s slam bang orchestral
nale, though of course it was on the soundtrack album and the laserdisc,
DVD and Blu-ray editions restore it as an alternative ending track.
Unfortunately, the original album crammed fty plus minutes onto a single
LP and it sounded awful. After spending weeks on Lion’s Gate’s brand new
state of the art dubbing stage hearing the original master tape, playing the
album was a major let down. I don’t think I played it more than a few times
in all of the intervening years.
This new double LP version mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed at QRP on
translucent vinyl is by far the best sounding TRON you will hear. Like Audio
Fidelity's QRP-pressed Bladerunner reissue, Tron is a sonic spectacular. If
you are a TRON soundtrack fan, I guaranty you, you will hear further into the
mix than ever before. The bottom end on this production is stupendous and
Kevin gets it all. Carlos’s crystalline high frequency synth ‘stings’ attain a
clarity and precision that sound as if the recording was produced last week,
never mind in 1982. This reissue also re-creates the three-dimensional
spaces both real and arti cial that I’ve not heard since I heard the nal mix
on the dubbing stage. And if you know the Journey songs, I promise you've
never heard them sound this good.
Though Wendy’s notes describe some bonus tracks, due to contractual

issues they are not included here. You’ll have to buy the CD for those.
Please do. And compare the sound. This gatefold edition also includes new
cover art.
End of line.
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COMMENTS
Discount?
Submitted by otaku2 on Fri, 2014-08-08 06:49
Mikey, do we get a discount if we mention your name at one of the

retailers?
TRON soundtrack
Submitted by charliex on Fri, 2014-08-08 07:24
To this day, TRON is one of the best sound designed and sound mixed
movies. It is one of my favorites, too. The Dolby 5.1 mix is brilliant.
Yeah, I'm getting this one.
1982 Pic of Mikey

Submitted by RobWynn on Fri, 2014-08-08 08:00
Great pic, but I'm glad you put the date there. With the suit and the car
behind you it looks like it is from the '40s or on the set of the one of
the Godfather movies.
By the way, I'm not a big soundtrack person but it sounds like I am
going to pick this up. I was 12 when TRON came out and loved it.
Second only to Star Wars. I love hearing all about the challenges of
making this movie and soundtrack.
I've got the 2 DVD set from several years back. I think I gotta watch it
soon, and let my 7 and 5 year olds check it out.
Finally
Submitted by lesdoanj on Fri, 2014-08-08 08:18
Thanks for the excellent article! I was about 7 when I rst saw Tron
and it mesmerized me! The soundtrack was a huge part of that. It
remains one of my all time favorite things. Thanks so much for
putting this out for all to see! Can't wait to pick up the new vinyl!
Multi-track synching
Submitted by singhcr on Fri, 2014-08-08 08:41
Mike,
Thank you for another fascinating article! I am always interested in

the history of a lm, particularly the technical aspects. I have only
ever edited movies digitally on a PC so I was confused as to how one
would create a nal audio mix and sync it to the picture when you
have one on analog tape and the other on 35mm or 70mm lm. Is
there some mechanical synchronization device so that the lm and
tape are running at once for the editor to do their work, much like how
movies used to have sound on a shellac disc and had to be
synchronized with the lm? For a time, the DTS format did that with
35mm lm and a CD-ROM.
"yes" to your question

Submitted by my new username on Fri, 2014-08-08 09:28
In a nutshell you have compatible "hidden" metadata recorded

onto each medium, both the lm and the separate audio recording,
with (yes) a "box" that sees the metadata coming from each. The
controller can control both machines such that at frame X the
audio's crescendo (for example) meets it at that point.
Film and Tape Synch

Submitted by Michael Fremer on Fri, 2014-08-08 10:10
I'm sure you've seen a lm "clapperboard". In the "old days", sound

was recorded to a reel to reel tape recorder and later transferred
to 35MM mag stock with sprockets. The old upright Moviolas and
later atbed KEMs had dual sets of sprocketed reels, one for
picture and one for sound. The editor would synch the image of
the clapper being "clapped" with the sound and that is how synch
was established so both picture and sound could be
simultaneously edited. The same is true with the music track. it
used to be transferred to 35MM magnetic stock and cut to match
picture....it's way more complex but that's the essence. For TRON
we used lm transferred to U-Matic 3/4" video tape striped with
SMPTE time code and striped one track of Wendy's 16 track
recorder with time code so the two could be run in synch and
controlled by what was then a brand new synchronizer. It was a
rst.
Film and Tape Synch cont.

Submitted by singhcr on Fri, 2014-08-08 10:21
Mike,
Thanks for the explaination. I was always curious as to what the

clapperboard was for. At least in the 1980s one had the advantage of
video tape for editing purposes. TRON has always had a stellar sound
track from a musical and audio quality perspective. I would think
having one less generation of copying to do for the nal mix would
contribute to that. I would love to see this in 70mm with the six-track
magnetic stripe sound. I got to see Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm and
it was an incredible experience. The sound was unreal. For someone
raised on CDs and MP3's (I'm 30 now), hearing how movies used to
sound is eye-opening. As much as I like Tron Legacy's score, the
original lm is much more unique and the score plays a large role in
that.
6 Track Mag Stripe

We did special mixes for the Ziegfeld Theater NY premier and L.A.
Cinerama Dome premier. Back in the 1950s, 6 tracks meant 5 full
range in front (left, left/center, center, right/center, right) and mono
surround. Actor's voices were panned on the wide screen to match
their position. Later, the 5 became left, center, right with two
"boom" bass channels and a split stereo surround. We did a 5 full

range speaker mix with mono surround and Disney engineers
went in and reconnected the horn tweeters that were still there
and added full range ampli ers too (etc.). It was GREAT!
Sync
Submitted by soundman45 on Fri, 2014-08-08 12:00
Mike: How did the sync process go with the early SMPTE
synchronizer?
Ive actually worked with some of those early machines and they were
a nightmare.
Early synchronizer nightmare?

It was complicated, technically di cult, required a lot of

maintenance and produced many problems but it worked because
otherwise it would have been impossible for Wendy to have
created a soundtrack with such precision.
What format was the master used for the cut?

Submitted by Michael T on Fri, 2014-08-08 16:42
What was the lacquer cut from, the analog master tape I assume? If
so, was the nal master for the soundtrack 1/2" or 1/4", 15 or 30 ips?
Thanks!
Master?
Submitted by Michael Fremer on Sat, 2014-08-09 07:08
I am not sure what was the nal master Wendy delivered to

Columbia Records but I suspect it was 1/4" 15IPS. Wally Heider
delivered the Journey tracks that way too and Columbia spliced it
together back in 1982. As for this reissue, because of legal issues
(the label says that working with Disney was "di cult") listen and
you'll know!
right up there with blonde on blonde

Submitted by dhyman on Sat, 2014-08-09 09:04
both 10 out of 10! congtatulations to you sir for making this album on
par with blonde on blonde! :)
Ha Ha...
Submitted by Michael Fremer on Mon, 2014-08-11 10:17
Sonically it is. Musically it is too. It gets there via a very different

route though.
Guilty Movie Sound Track Pleasures!

Submitted by Rick Tomaszewicz on Tue, 2014-08-12 10:50
In a similar vein, in a WTH moment, I picked up Telarc's "Star Tracks",

at the Sally Anne. (On CD...sorry Mikey.) Kunzell and the Cincinnati
Pops surprised me with the realization of how good Williams' writing
for all those Spielberg movies was. Although it's program music, it
does stand on its own. I suspect I'd feel the same if I found a
recording of Morricone's best movie music. Although I haven't
bothered with movie sound tracks before, perhaps it's time to start
collecting them. (What's that all about? The beginnings of musical
maturity!?)
Williams' Scores
Find a copy of Erich Korngold's score for the movie "King's Row"
starring Ronald Reagan and tell me what you hear (hint: "use the
Force Luke!")
Ta da, tada ta da, da

Submitted by Rick Tomaszewicz on Fri, 2014-08-15 11:27
Realizing it'll take 20 years before I nd a thrift store copy, I

cheated and iTuned the soundtrack. Well, well; the rst track,
"Main Title", con rmed Newton's quote, "...standing on ye
shoulders of Giants". If indeed Williams knowingly "borrowed"
that theme, at least he followed Eliot's and Picasso's dictum:
"Good artists borrow, great artists steal." Now I'm forever
cursed by the musicological bug to unearth hidden

connections. Thanks a lot.
You are Welcome!

Submitted by Michael Fremer on Mon, 2014-08-18 10:16
I was xed up with his daughter and she didn't like me so I

have a vendetta.
Speaking of hidden connections...

Submitted by Rick Tomaszewicz on Mon, 2014-08-18 10:43
...Randy Bachman, of BTO, has a show on CBC Radio called

"Vinyl Tap"
http://music.cbc.ca/#/Randy-Bachmans-Vinyl-Tap
which explores hidden connections in pop music.
3M 4tk use?
Submitted by vinyldavid on Wed, 2014-09-03 11:55
Was any of the score done done on the 3M 1/2" 4tk deck that Wendy
has in her studio? I have the same deck in my basement and just love
the way it sounds.
Or was everything done on 16tk?
De nitely buying this reissue.
-David
As I recall...
Submitted by Michael Fremer on Thu, 2014-09-04 06:45
She did use that deck for the stereo mix down and perhaps for a 4
channel surround mix that was never used.
I can't stop listening

Submitted by ippyshark on Tue, 2014-09-23 21:51
I just bought this double album two days ago, and it's one of the most
compelling listens I've had in a while. Divorced from the context of the
lm, these tracks really make a case for the versatility and innovation
of Wendy Carlos as a composer. I'm not aware of any other works
that take this combined orchestra/synth approach on such a large
scale. It's a true one-of-a-kind score. (Unless anyone knows of
comparable works?) I'm just now reconnecting with the vinyl world,
and this seems like an ideal demonstration disc. The crystal clarity
and power of the analog synth tones are stunning, and there is so
much detail, I can easily make out the various instrument sections in
the orchestra. Glad I stumbled across your entry here, and enjoyed the
liner notes a great deal.
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12/18/2018 TRON Soundtrack Released on Double 180g Vinyl | Analog Planet

REVIEWS GRUVIES MUSIC TIPS BLOGS NEWS SHOWS GALLERIES

ALBUM REVIEWS LATEST VIDE

TRON Soundtrack Released on Double 180g Vinyl Fur

Michael Fremer | Aug 7, 2014

Yes, it's a horrendous con ict of interest, I

I watched for the rst time the other day

frame by frame and then backlit on an

animation stand to produce the glowing MUSIC

In any case, compared to the original, "TRON

So in considering the music for a lm set inside a cold, electronic

We needed an orchestral score and an electronic one too—one for scenes

While contemplating whom to hire for the orchestral score, producer

delivered this revolutionary soundtrack that stands up so well after all of

We originally planned a synthesizer-based soundtrack with orchestral

London's Royal Albert Hall, 1982

In March of 1982 The London Philharmonic Orchestra performed the large-

The Royal Albert Hall organ

The London Philharmonic Recording at RAH

Walthamstow Town Hall

Left to right: Assistant to the composer Annemarie Franklin, Wendy

Analogplanet editor Michael Fremer in London, 1982

“TRON” became the rst feature lm to synch a multi-track master tape to

Though I was initially thrilled by Wendy’s completed soundtrack, over time

If Daft Punk’s synth score is forgettable, though usefully cool background

Because of Carlos’s a liation with Columbia Records, the soundtrack was

While we were mixing the lm, Columbia Records president Walter

Though Wendy’s notes describe some bonus tracks, due to contractual

Log in or register to post comments

Mikey, do we get a discount if we mention your name at one of the

Log in or register to post comments

Log in or register to post comments

1982 Pic of Mikey

Log in or register to post comments

Log in or register to post comments

Thank you for another fascinating article! I am always interested in

Log in or register to post comments

"yes" to your question

In a nutshell you have compatible "hidden" metadata recorded

Log in or register to post comments

Film and Tape Synch

I'm sure you've seen a lm "clapperboard". In the "old days", sound

Film and Tape Synch cont.

Thanks for the explaination. I was always curious as to what the

Log in or register to post comments

6 Track Mag Stripe

"boom" bass channels and a split stereo surround. We did a 5 full

Log in or register to post comments

Early synchronizer nightmare?

It was complicated, technically di cult, required a lot of

What format was the master used for the cut?

Log in or register to post comments

I am not sure what was the nal master Wendy delivered to

right up there with blonde on blonde

Log in or register to post comments

Sonically it is. Musically it is too. It gets there via a very different

Guilty Movie Sound Track Pleasures!

In a similar vein, in a WTH moment, I picked up Telarc's "Star Tracks",

Log in or register to post comments

Ta da, tada ta da, da

Realizing it'll take 20 years before I nd a thrift store copy, I

cursed by the musicological bug to unearth hidden

Log in or register to post comments