David Gilmour, guitarist and singer of Pink Floyd, presents his 5th solo album entitled “Luck and Strange”. The album, which marks his return after almost a decade, was recorded in various studios, including Gilmour’s Medina Studio in Hove and Mark Knopfler’s British Grove Studios in London. The album reflects an unexpected period of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a period during which Gilmour found himself confined with his family. These moments gave rise to family livestreams, dubbed the “Von Trapped” series, and breathed new creative energy into the artist. “Luck and Strange” is produced by Gilmour and Charlie Andrew, and features contributions from Gilmour’s family, including additional lyrics and instrumentation.
The album is available from September 6 in various formats, including vinyl and Dolby Atmos bluray.

For this review, you will find 5 versions tested: Sea blue vinyl record, bluray stereo and Dolby Atmos, Tidal MAX and Dolby Atmos.

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.
The synthesis of the review and the samples are available here

The album is composed of 13 tracks:

1. Black Cat
2. Luck and Strange
3. The Piper’s Call
4. A Single Spark
5. Vita Brevis
6. Between Two Points (with Romany Gilmour)
7. Dark and Velvet Nights
8. Sings
9. Scattered
10. I Have Ghosts (Featuring With Romany Gilmour)*
11. And Strange (Original Barn Jam)*
12. Single Spark (Orchestral)**
13. Scattered (Orchestral)**

* Only on streaming and Blu-ray. ** Only on bluray

Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed 1: Sea blue vinyl record – 2024

Presentation

The vinyl record is composed of one sea blue LP in 33.33 rpm, the vinyl record containing 9 tracks (ref:196588751615). The vinyl record comes with Gatefold.

Waveform and Spectrum: DR10

The waveform of the vinyl record shows a correct dynamic range with DR10. The recording level is more than 6 dB lower than usual for a vinyl record. This is due to the length of side A (over 25 minutes) and to the use of a dynamic range that is equally low compared to Dolby Atmos mixes, which require a lower recording level. These two characteristics seem to confirm the use of the digital master with dynamic compression as the source for the vinyl record. Less and less mastering with high dynamic range is being done to take full advantage of vinyl’s capabilities.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal above this frequency (white arrow) containing musical information and distortion due to the vinyl record’s operating principle.

Synthesis and listening

The vinyl edition (Gatefold) is very attractive, with the Sea Blue LP. On measurement, the quality of the response curve is exemplary compared to the digital version. Proof of a mastery of engraving equipment that we’d like to see more often.

But unfortunately, the engraving level is a little low and the dynamic range reduced. It’s becoming a habit to use dynamic-compressed digital masters to burn vinyl records. Vinyl has a higher dynamic range than digital, due to the fact that vinyl does not support brickwall compression (see article “Does Analog Media increase the dynamics?“). But when you listen to it, this phenomenon works in vinyl’s favor, with a more pleasant, natural sound than the digital stereo version. But it remains far inferior to the dynamic range of the Dolby Atmos version (listen to the Dolby Atmos track extract from the bluray downmixed to 2.0 for comparison). The qualitative potential of the LP is not exploited on this album.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●oo (3)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Surface noise: ●●●oo (3.5)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)

Sample : ” Luck and Strange” 24 bits 92 kHz:

Ed 2: Blu-ray stereo – 2024

Presentation

Ths is the PCM track resented in PCM 24 bits 96 kHz of the bluray (ref:198028048194).

Waveform and Spectrum: DR7

The bluray Stereo 24 bits 96 kHz shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR9. The level of the stereo track is attenuated by more than 7 dB compared with the Tidal version. This is to avoid abrupt volume changes when switching between the Dolby Atmos and stereo tracks. Dolby Atmos has a maximum integrated average level of -18 LUFS.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with some signal above 30 kHz (white arrow) .

Synthesis and listening

It’s always disappointing to see a mix that takes full advantage of the high resolution of a 96 kHz sample rate, only to be partly spoiled by a mastering process that updates the loudness war on 7 tracks with a DR between DR6 and DR7. Is this really necessary? David Gildmour doesn’t need this for his music. This results in tracks that lack energy compared to the Dolby Atmos version, which is more natural to listen to, less compressed. They could have made an effort on the bluray and offered a version without dynamic compression like The Pineapple Thief with their It Leads To This album.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3)

Sample : ” Luck and Strange” 24 bits 92 kHz:

Ed 3: Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2024

Presentation

Ths is the Dolby Digital track resented in Dolby Digital TrueHD (lossless) of the bluray (ref:198028048194).

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Waveform and Spectrum: DR12

The bluray Dolby Atmos shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR12.

The spectrogram of the Atmos downmixed in 7.1 version of blu-ray shows that the signal goes down to 24 kHz (yellow arrow) and that there is no signal above this frequency (white arrow), due to the 48 kHz sampling frequency used. The LFE channel is not used for all the songs.

Synthesis and listening

The first track puts us straight into the immersive atmosphere. The track “Luck and Strange” gives an idea of the personality of the album’s Dolby Atmos mix, with the soundstage extended mainly in width using the side speakers and also wide (in 9.1.4 listening), but with punctual extension on all channels, including height.
On the track “Sur Dark and Velvelt night”, the music’s frontal and lateral domination is clearly evident. The lyrics are diffused by the front L and R channels. All the channels come to life on certain passages, with the backing vocals also present on the laterals.
It’s a Dolby Atmos mix that goes very well with the style of music, seeking to offer very wide restitution without seeking to be ultra-demonstrative. It brings a dimension of spatiality superior to the stereo version, with more dynamics and just as much precision.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●oo (3.5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●ooo (7.3)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : ” Luck and Strange” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed 7.1):

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and Save Audio As and play it with an external player.

Sample : ” Luck and Strange” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed 2.0) :

Ed 4: Tidal MAX – 2024

Presentation

This is the Tidal Max presented in FLAC 24 bits 96 kHz.

Waveform and Spectrum: DR7

The TIDAL max 24 bits 96 kHz shows a low dynamic range confirmed with DR9.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with some signal above 30 kHz (white arrow) .

Synthesis and listening

Similar sound rendering is found on the stereo version of the bluray, also presented in 24-bit 96 kHz.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3)

Sample : ” Luck and Strange” 24 bits 92 kHz:

Ed 5: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2024

Presentation

This is the Tidal Dolby Atmos presented in Dolby Digital Plus or AC-4 (link).

The spatialization graph in 9.1.6 below clearly shows the widening of the soundstage with wide speakers.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The Tidal Dolby Atmos shows a good dynamic range confirmed with DR13.

The spectrogram of the Tidal Dolby Atmos track downmixed in 7.1 is limited to 20kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding, which is a lossy encoder that limits bandwidth to optimize data size for a bit rate of 768 kbits/s. The LFE channel is not used for all the songs.

Synthesis and listening

The Dolby Atmos version (bluray) in Dolby Digital Plus (streaming) remains inferior to the bluray version presented in a lossless compression format.
There’s a loss of precision in music rendering, and also in spatial rendering, with less precision in spatialization. To give you an idea of the impact of compression on the signal, you’ll find below a comparison of rear channel samples decoded for the Tidal Atmos and Bluray Atmos versions. It’s important to note that the same Dolby Digital Plus encoding is also used for Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●ooo (7.1)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)

Sample : ” Luck and Strange” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed 7.1):

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and Save Audio As and play it with an external player.

Sample : ” Luck and Strange” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed 2.0) :

The two extracts below represent the rear channels of the Dolby Atmos tracks on the Dolby TrueHD-encoded Bluray and the Dolby Digital Plus-encoded Tidal version.
The difference in sound comes from the differences in encoding, with LossLess encoding for the bluray version at over 4000 kbits/s and lossy encoding for the Tidal version at 768 kBits/s.

Unfortunately for this album, the high-resolution stereo digital version is affected by the volume war, even the bluray version! It’s a pity that The Pineapple Thief’s example with their album “It Leads To This” wasn’t followed. Indeed, the bluray version offers a very dynamic stereo version (without the violent brickwall compression), unlike the CD and streaming versions. If I look at the vinyl record, despite the superb engraving work, it’s also sick, suffering the collateral damage of the loudness war, it also uses a dynamically compressed master as its source! Fortunately, there’s still the Dolby Atmos version of the Bluray presented in Dolby Digital TrueHD (lossless format), which brings a bit of life with a dynamic, precise version and a very successful spatial mix!

Dynamic Range measurements and spectra are shown below.

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Measurements

Dynamic Range comparaisons

Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. The target is to compare the dynamics of the music and not of the media (CD, digital files or vinyl).

Comparison of digital stereo, vinyl record and Dolby Atmos downmixed to 2.0. The link between waveform dynamics and measured DR is clearly visible.

For our 5 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Sea blue vinyl record – 2024	Blu-ray stereo – 2024	Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2024	Tidal MAX – 2024	Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2024
Global (without Bunus Tracks)	DR10	DR7	DR12	DR7	DR13
Min	DR10	DR6	DR9	DR6	DR11
Max	DR12	DR12	DR15	DR11	DR15
Black Cat	DR10	DR10	DR9	DR10	DR11
Luck and Strange	DR10	DR6	DR15	DR6	DR13
The Piper’s Call	DR10	DR6	DR14	DR6	DR14
A Single Spark	DR10	DR6	DR12	DR6	DR13
Vita Brevis	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR11	DR11
Between Two Points (with Romany Gilmour)	DR11	DR6	DR14	DR6	DR13
Dark and Velvet Nights	DR10	DR6	DR12	DR6	DR14
Sings	DR10	DR7	DR13	DR7	DR14
Scattered	DR10	DR6	DR10	DR6	DR13
I Have Ghosts (Featuring With Romany Gilmour)*		DR11	DR12	DR11	DR15
And Strange (Original Barn Jam)*		DR11	DR13	DR11	DR15
Single Spark (Orchestral)**		DR10	DR12
Scattered (Orchestral)**		DR11	DR13

As a reminder, the scale goes from 0 to more 20, but the dynamics are considered good from 12, quite good between 10 and 11, and deteriorate below 10.

Spectrum comparisons

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Clear blue vinyl record – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray stereo – 2024 (blue curve).The spectral curves are almost perfectly superimposed over the entire frequency range, although beyond 20 kHz, the signal is higher on the vinyl record due to background noise than on the digital version. This is an exemplary engraving that conforms to the digital master. It’s an example we’d like to see on all vinyl records, but such mastery has become rarer these days!

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Blu-ray Dolby Atmos downmixed 2.0 – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray stereo – 2024 (blue curve).It’s a comparison I don’t often make, but the sonic coherence between the stereo version and the Dolby Atmos downmixed to stereo when listening is evident on the curves. The spectral curves are perfectly superimposed up to 6 kHz, with the Dolby Atmos stereo downmix adding a further 2 dB. On listening, the overall sound balance is similar, with a little more clarity for the Dolby Atmos version.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Blu-ray Dolby Atmos – 2024.
The spectrum of Blu-ray Dolby Atmos TrueHD version decoded in 7.1 shows that all channels are used except the LFE channel for this song. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to the 48 kHz sampling frequency used. The bass channel is not present at 120 Hz.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Tidal MAX – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Blu-ray stereo – 2024 (blue curve)..The spectra curves are perfectly superimposed across all frequencies, demonstrating the use of the same master.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2024.
The spectrum of Tidal’s Dolby Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that all channels are used. The LFE channel is not used for this song. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.

Detail of the ratings :

• Dynamic :
  1. Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
  2. Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
  3. Correct piece DR >=10
  4. No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
  5. No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
• Spectrum :
  1. Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
  2. Spectrum cut at 15 khz
  3. Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
  4. Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
  5. Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
• Surface noise (only for vinyl):
  1. Continuous audible noise
  2. Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
  3. Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
  4. Low surface noise, very good quality
  5. Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
• Spatialization :
  • Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
  • Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
  • For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
• Restitution :
  1. Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  2. Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  3. Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
  4. High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
  5. Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.

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