Making Movies is the third studio album by Dire Straits, released in 1980, and marks a major turning point in the band’s career.
Recorded in New York at the Power Station Studios and produced by Jimmy Iovine, the album adopts a more ambitious, cinematic approach. Mark Knopfler s songwriting gains depth and emotional weight, with standout tracks such as Tunnel of Love and Romeo and Juliet.
The addition of Roy Bittan’s piano enriches the arrangements and broadens the band’s sonic palette. Entirely recorded in analog, the album is widely praised for its sound quality and natural dynamics.
Both introspective and powerful, Making Movies is now regarded as one of Dire Straits essential albums.
For this review, you will find 10 versions tested:
- Ed 1: Japanese vinyl record – 1980
- Ed 2: MOFI vinyl record – 2019
- Ed 3: MOFI SACD – 2019
- Ed 4: MOFI CD layer from SACD – 2019
- Ed 5: CD – 1984
- Ed 6: CD – 1996
- Ed 7: Japanese SACD – 2012
- Ed 8: Vinyl Abbey Road – 2024
- Ed 9: Tidal – 2024
- Ed 10: Amazon Dolby Atmos – 2024
Other reviews of Dire Straits:
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 are available here.
The album is composed of 9 tracks:
- Tunnel Of Love
- Romeo And Juliet
- Skateaway
- Expresso Love
- Hand In Hand
- Solid Rock
- Les Boys
- Satellite (Live at Smoke)
- Malida (Live at Smoke)
Summary, scoring and Samples
Ed 1: Japanese vinyl record – 1980
Presentation
This is the Japanese vinyl edition released in 1980, a fully analog (AAA) pressing.
| Label | Vertigo |
| Reference | RJ-7690 |
| State | Japan |
| Type | Vinyl record LP 33 1/3 rpm |
| Master | Analog |
| Mastering/Pressing | Cutting at Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd. |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 1980 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR14
The waveform of vinyl record shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR14.
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.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the MOFI vinyl record – 2019 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Japanese vinyl record – 1980 (blue curve). MOFI’s mastering highlights the lower end of the spectrum (green zone) with up to 3 dB more below 400 Hz, and above 3 kHz (yellow zone), there’s an increase in treble of up to 20dB more at 15 kHz.
Synthesis and listening
This vinyl edition makes it possible to rediscover the album s original version, which was produced entirely in the analog domain. As such, it stands as one of the best ways to experience the original recording on an analog format. For a digital medium, listeners should turn to the 1984 CD edition, which remains the closest to the original analog master.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 24 bits 192kHz:
Ed 2: MOFI vinyl record – 2019
Presentation
This is the MOFI remastered vinyl edition. The work was carried out using a digital DSD256 transfer of the original analog master tapes.
| Label | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab |
| Reference | MFSL 2-468 |
| State | US |
| Type | 2 LP 45 rpm 180g |
| Master | Digital |
| Mastering/Pressing | RECORD ONE: 1/4″ / 30 IPS analog copy to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe RECORD TWO: 1/4″ / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 2019 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR14
The waveform of MOFI vinyl record shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR14.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal above 30 kHz (white arrow) containing musical information and distortion due to the vinyl record’s operating principle. The spectrogram shows MOFI’s ability to burn vinyl records with a signal up to 30 kHz.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the MOFI vinyl record – 2019 (white curve) with the spectrum of the MOFI SACD – 2019 (blue curve). MOFI vinyl mastering differs from SACD above 3 kHz (yellow zone), with an increase in treble of up to 10 dB at 16 kHz. So there’s a difference between the MOFI vinyl and SACD versions.
Synthesis and listening
The MOFI vinyl pressing delivers enhanced bass depth and more extended treble, resulting in a sound that is both more detailed and precise; however, this presentation departs somewhat from the tonal balance and character of the original recording.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (3.5)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 24 bits 192kHz:
Ed 3: MOFI SACD – 2019
Presentation
This is the MOFI remastered SACD edition. The work was carried out using a digital DSD256 transfer of the original analog master tapes.
| Label | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab |
| Reference | UDSACD 2186 |
| State | US |
| Type | SACD DSD64 |
| Master | Digital |
| Mastering/Pressing | RECORD ONE: 1/4″ / 30 IPS analog copy to DSD 256 to DSD64 RECORD TWO: 1/4″ / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to DSD64 |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 2019 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR13
The waveform of MOFI SACD shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR13.
The SACD spectrogram shows that the signal rises well above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), with signal above 30 kHz . The white arrow indicates the rise in noise above 30 kHz specific to DSD64 encoding.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the MOFI SACD – 2019 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1984 (blue curve). The 2 spectra overlap up to 7 kHz, with a slight accentuation (yellow zone) beyond that for SACD, with 5 dB more at 20 kHz. The yellow arrow indicates the rise in noise due to the DSD64 encoding used for SACD.
Synthesis and listening
The MOFI SACD provides a richer bass and treble than other digital versions, but is less brilliant than MOFI vinyl.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 4: MOFI CD layer from SACD – 2019
Presentation
This is CD layer of the MOFI remastered SACD edition.
| Label | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab |
| Reference | UDSACD 2186 |
| State | US |
| Type | CD layer from SACD 16 bits 44.1 kHz |
| Master | Digital |
| Mastering/Pressing | RECORD ONE: 1/4″ / 30 IPS analog copy to DSD 256 RECORD TWO: 1/4″ / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 2019 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR13
The waveform of MOFI CD layer from SACD shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR13.
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.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the MOFI CD layer from SACD – 2019 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1984 (blue curve). MOFI’s mastering highlights the lower end of the spectrum (green zone) with up to 3 dB more below 400 Hz, and above 6 kHz (yellow zone), there’s an increase in treble of up to 4 dB more at 20 kHz.
Synthesis and listening
The rendering of MOFI CDs is very close to that of SACDs, which bring a little more finesse to the upper end of the spectrum. The difference in rendering between SACD and CD is also due to the difference in processing between PCM and DSD by the DAC.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:
Ed 5: CD – 1984
Presentation
This is the album s original CD release.
| Label | Vertigo |
| Reference | 800 050-2 |
| State | Germany |
| Type | CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz |
| Master | Digital |
| Mastering/Pressing | Cutting at Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd. |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 1984 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR13
The waveform of 1984’s CD shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR13.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises to 22 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above this frequency (white arrow) due to the CD’s 44.1 kH sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the CD – 1996 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1984 (blue curve). The 2 spectra overlap up to 10 kHz, with a higher level for the 1996 CD above 10 kHz (yellow zone).
Synthesis and listening
This is the original CD version released in 1984. It retains the same overall tonal balance as the vinyl edition, though with a less warm sound characterized by tighter bass and slightly more micro-detail in the upper frequencies.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:
Ed 6: CD – 1996
Presentation
This is the SBM ( Super Bit Mapping) CD remastered in 1996.
| Label | Vertigo |
| Reference | 42280005023 |
| State | France |
| Type | CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz |
| Master | Digital |
| Mastering/Pressing | Remastered SBM (Super Bit Mapping) |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 1996 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR10
The waveform of 1996’s CD shows a low dynamic range for this album confirmed with DR10.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises to 22 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above this frequency (white arrow) due to the CD’s 44.1 kH sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Tidal – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1996 (blue curve). The two spectra overlap perfectly up to 22 kHz (yellow arrow), the limiting frequency of the CD due to its 44.1 kHz sampling frequency.
Synthesis and listening
This 1996 CD edition remains close to the original 1984 CD release in terms of overall tonal balance; however, its dynamic range has been reduced compared to the original version, resulting in a loss of finesse and subtlety in the sound reproduction.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:
Ed 7: Japanese SACD – 2012
Presentation
This is the SHM-SACD remastered in 2012.
| Label | Vertigo |
| Reference | UIGY-9520 |
| State | Japan |
| Type | SACD DSD64 (single SACD layer) |
| Master | Digital |
| Mastering/Pressing | DSD Transferred From Analogue Master Tapes |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 2012 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR14
The waveform of MOFI SACD shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR13.
The SACD spectrogram shows that the signal rises well above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), with signal above 30 kHz . The white arrow indicates the rise in noise above 30 kHz specific to DSD64 encoding.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Japanese SACD – 2012 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1984 (blue curve). The 2 spectra overlap up to 7 kHz, with a slight accentuation (yellow zone) beyond that for SACD, with 5 dB more at 20 kHz. The yellow arrow indicates the rise in noise due to the DSD64 encoding used for SACD.
Synthesis and listening
This SACD edition remains close to the original version, offering slightly greater clarity. The perceived differences may also stem from the DAC used, depending on the internal processing applied during playback of DSD64 versus PCM 44.1.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 24 bits 96 kHz:
Ed 8: Vinyl Abbey Road – 2024
Presentation
This is the Limited Edition, Remastered In Abbey Road Studio in Half Speed Mastered in 2024.
| Label | Vertigo |
| Reference | ARHSLP033 |
| State | Europe |
| Type | Vinyl record LP 33 1/3 rpm 180g |
| Master | from Digital Transfert |
| Mastering/Pressing | Half Speed Mastered |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 2024 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR14
The waveform of Abbey Road vinyl record shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR14.
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.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl Abbey Road – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the MOFI SACD – 2019 (blue curve). MOFI’s mastering highlights the lower end of the spectrum (green zone) with up to 5 dB more below 400 Hz, and above 3 kHz (yellow zone), there’s an increase in treble of up to 20dB more at 20 kHz. The Abbey Road Studios vinyl edition is closer to the original version.
Synthesis and listening
This Mastered at Abbey Road Studios half-speed mastering edition was produced from digital transfers of the original analog master tapes. It stands as the reissue closest to the original version, particularly when compared to the MOFI release, whose tonal balance was noticeably altered.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
- Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.5)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 24 bits 192 kHz:
Ed 9: Tidal – 2024
Presentation
This is the Tidal Max presented in FLAC 16 bits 44.1 kHz.
| Label | Vertigo |
| Reference | Tidal High |
| State | US |
| Type | lossless 16 bits 44.1 kHz |
| Master | Digital |
| Mastering/Pressing | Digital |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 2024 |
Waveform and Spectrum: DR10
The waveform of Tidal version shows a low dynamic range for this album confirmed with DR10.
The spectrogram shows that the signal rises to 22 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above this frequency (white arrow) due to the CD’s 44.1 kH sampling frequency.
The graph below compares the spectrum of the Tidal – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1996 (blue curve). The two spectra overlap perfectly up to 22 kHz (yellow arrow), the limiting frequency of the CD due to its 44.1 kHz sampling frequency.
Synthesis and listening
The overall rendering closely resembles that of the 1996 CD release, though it exhibits a noticeably reduced dynamic range when compared to the 1984 CD version, resulting in a more compressed and less airy listening experience.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●oo (3)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Restitution: ●●●oo (3)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:
Ed 10: Amazon Dolby Atmos – 2024
Presentation
This is the Amazon Dolby Atmos presented in Dolby Digital Plus or AC-4, only two tracks, Tunnel Of Love and Romeo And Juliet
| Label | Vertigo |
| Reference | Amazon Music |
| State | US |
| Type | Dolby Atmos |
| Master | ADM Dolby Atmos |
| Mastering/Pressing | Dolby Digital Plus |
| Original recording | Analog |
| State | UK |
| Year original | 1980 |
| Year production | 2024 |
patialization:
The spatialization of Amazon Dolby Atmos – 2024 version varies from track to track, with values between 6.6 and 9.
Spatialization : ●●●●●●●●oo (7.8)
Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.
Waveform and Spectrum: DR15
The waveform of Amazon Dolby Atmos version shows a very good dynamic range confirmed with DR15.
The spectrogram of the Tidal Dolby Atmos track downmixed in 7.1.4 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 used with 120 Hz cut-off frequency (green arrow)
The graph below represents the spectrum of the Amazon 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 used with 120 Hz cut-off frequency. The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.
Synthesis and listening
For this Dolby Atmos version on Amazon Music, only two tracks, Tunnel Of Love and Romeo And Juliet, are available in this format, both taken from the Dire Straits compilation Money for Nothing. The soundstage is preserved, with a reproduction that emphasizes an expanded frontal image up to 180 degrees by incorporating the side speakers.
Rating:
- Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
- Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
- Spatialization: ●●●●●●●ooo (6.8)
- Restitution: ●●●●o (4)
Sample : “Romeo And Juliet” 7.1 16 bits 48 kHz:
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.
The choice of the best version of an album ultimately depends on what the listener is seeking. If your goal is to experience the original sound that is, a presentation that preserves the original tonal balance and dynamic range the 1980 vinyl editions offer the closest representation of what could be heard at the time on a fully analog format. This is followed by the 1984 CD release, which remains the first and most faithful digital edition.
For those looking for high-resolution digital sound, the 2012 SACD remains the closest to the original master.
If, however, you are interested in a remastered version that does not sacrifice dynamics, the Abbey Road Studio vinyl record is a good option, but if you are looking for a reworked tonal balance, the MOFI editions are a valid option. The SACD and vinyl MOFI releases differ in their presentation: the SACD provides greater presence in the low frequencies, similar to the vinyl edition, while also featuring a pronounced emphasis in the upper frequencies. This results in a highly detailed listening experience, perhaps even slightly excessive in that range, depending on the cartridge used.
Dynamic Range measurements 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).
For our 10 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :
| Japanese vinyl record – 1980 | MOFI vinyl record – 2019 | MOFI SACD – 2019 | MOFI CD layer from SACD – 2019 | CD – 1984 | CD – 1996 | Japanese SACD – 2012 | Vinyl Abbey Road – 2024 | Tidal – 2024 | Amazon Dolby Atmos – 2024 | |
| Global | DR14 | DR14 | DR13 | DR13 | DR13 | DR10 | DR14 | DR14 | DR10 | DR15 |
| Min | DR13 | DR13 | DR12 | DR12 | DR12 | DR9 | DR12 | DR13 | DR9 | DR15 |
| Max | DR15 | DR15 | DR15 | DR15 | DR15 | DR12 | DR15 | DR15 | DR12 | DR16 |
| Tunnel Of Love | DR14 | DR13 | DR13 | DR12 | DR12 | DR9 | DR13 | DR13 | DR9 | DR15 |
| Romeo And Juliet | DR15 | DR15 | DR14 | DR14 | DR14 | DR11 | DR15 | DR15 | DR11 | DR16 |
| Skateaway | DR14 | DR13 | DR12 | DR12 | DR13 | DR9 | DR13 | DR13 | DR9 | |
| Expresso Love | DR14 | DR15 | DR14 | DR14 | DR13 | DR10 | DR13 | DR13 | DR10 | |
| Hand In Hand | DR15 | DR15 | DR15 | DR15 | DR15 | DR10 | DR15 | DR14 | DR10 | |
| Solid Rock | DR13 | DR13 | DR12 | DR12 | DR12 | DR9 | DR12 | DR13 | DR9 | |
| Les Boys | DR15 | DR15 | DR14 | DR14 | DR15 | DR12 | DR15 | DR15 | DR12 | |
| Satellite (Live at Smoke) | DR16 | DR11 | ||||||||
| Malida (Live at Smoke) | DR16 | DR11 |
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.
Detail of the ratings :
- Dynamic :
- Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
- Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
- Correct piece DR >=10
- No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
- No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
- Spectrum :
- Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
- Spectrum cut at 15 khz
- Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
- Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
- Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
- Surface noise (only for vinyl):
- Continuous audible noise
- Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
- Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
- Low surface noise, very good quality
- 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 :
- Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
- Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
- Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
- High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
- Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.