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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Topic: Surround speaker placement
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Bill Langfield
Master Film Handler
Posts: 280
From: Prospect, NSW, Australia
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 07-26-2001 10:17 AM
Michael,Surround or A.P is not meant to 'noticed'.
It is intended to blend in. The theatre that you 'noticed' the surrounds would have had
them set above 85db so you could notice them. If you are watching a movie, and sudenly realise WOW sound just came out of the speakers on the wall (or brom behind EX) then they are
being over driven. PS, I always wind up the surrounds. Then the techs come in and
EQ the joint, wind downd the subs, and lower the surrounds.
I like to turn those two UP so people
get some OMPH!!! (Hi John Wilson!!) Bill. Regarding my adjustments, it must be noted, that when I started
working at the complex, all of the cinemas had all channels except centre at preamp level turned all the way down.
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Mark Mayfield
Film Handler
Posts: 12
From: Whitinsville, MA, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 07-26-2001 10:48 AM
There certainly are industry standards, which are followed by most film dub stages. The idea being, if you set up your theatre according to the same standards followed by the dub stages, you will reproduce the same artistic effect intended by the film's creators. Not only speaker type, placement, but also levels, as established primarily by Dolby. If the theatre strays from these standards, then the presentation is not a true representation of the "art" of the film. In general, I recommend that a typical "wide by wide" dispersion surround speaker array begin about one-third the room's length from the screen, and be placed about 10-12 feet above the floor, following the slope, and spaced from 8-12 feet apart, aimed across the theatre so that on axis is aimed at the farthest seat on the other side. There are MANY variables to these rules of thumb, but in general, they reproduce the dub stage environment. Levels are typically set at between 82-85 dB. Modern soundtracks often include dramatic surroundeffects that WILL cause localization, but sometimes this is intentional on the part of the filmmaker. Surround is no longer just ambience. Be sure your surround speakers are capable of wide dynamic range and frequency response, because digital soundtracks have chnaged the rules of the surround channels.
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Phil Connolly
Film Handler
Posts: 80
From: Derby, England
Registered: May 2000
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posted 07-30-2001 08:37 AM
Most Showcase Cinemas in the UK seem to have the surround levels set too low, I think its just they way their techs work.Its a shame because most sites have decent sound systems and every screen has digital audio, but they are too conservative to make the most of it. This true for the three locations I've visited, Warner Village and Odeon (newer sites) have similar specs but seem to have more in the surrounds and Sub's, witch is better. My local Showcase (Derby), does have a good presentation standard in all other respects. I don't know if its the same in the US but former AMC cinema now UCI in the UK, seem to but their surrounds on the Ceiling of the auditoriums, which is horrible. These speakers also have a limited dynamic range which in Derby is most noticable in the DTS screens. In those theaters, I'm glad if the surround level is too low.
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