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Author Topic: Static Sound (DTS?) Richard Edward Wells III Film Handler Posts: 20 From: Cloverdale, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 10-01-2005 01:26 PM                     I have have sooo many problems with sound in this booth. We are running on the new DTS units (XD10P) and for many of the projectors, when they run on analog sound, they have a really poor quality sound with scratching and static. I have tried cleaning the optics and LEDs.. and it seems to do nothing. Is there a problem with the readers, LEDs, or the analog component on the DTS?  |  IP: Logged Mike Babb Master Film Handler Posts: 250 From: Norwich UK Registered: Jul 2002 posted 10-01-2005 01:42 PM                        Check for scratches on the analog soundtracks of the film.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-01-2005 01:50 PM                     Sounds like either the A chain alignments or damaged film  |  IP: Logged Richard Edward Wells III Film Handler Posts: 20 From: Cloverdale, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 10-01-2005 02:06 PM                     but its projector specific... only theaters 8,9, and sometimes 10 have that sound problem  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 10-01-2005 02:37 PM                     This could also be a loose connection anywhere between the solar cell and the amps. Please list the other equipment involved.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 10-01-2005 02:58 PM                        Or - worn sound drum bearings or belts. These problems can cause a constant background shifting, crackling sound. Since you have the still fairly new XD10Ps, the installation apparently isn't that old. There isn't that much field experience with the unit yet. I took part in the beta testing and it worked very nicely. Still, if this is not a mechanical or alignment problem, you should contact DTS. But they too will want to know if the A chain has been properly aligned. So, if you don't have the tools to do so, you should call in a technician. Even if the problem turns out to be the sound drum bearings, it would be better if you had somebody there with the equipment and knowledge required for A chains. With many machines, you have to take the LED bracket off to gain access to the inner life of the sound drum. Even though you can "earball" the positioning of the LED when you have the Cat.No.69T loop, it is not a good idea.  |  IP: Logged Richard Edward Wells III Film Handler Posts: 20 From: Cloverdale, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 10-01-2005 02:58 PM                     Well, we use Simplex 5 Star Soundheads, and QSC DCA amps oh, and Paul Curro says "hi" from the Roxy 11 in Camarillo  |  IP: Logged Andy Summers Master Film Handler Posts: 397 From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom Registered: Jun 2005 posted 10-01-2005 04:05 PM                 Yeah I noticed this poor quality from the “ODEON Westover Road Screen # 1 Bournemouth, they have the new “DTS XD10Ps” with there poor loudspeakers placed behind the screen ALTEC A4 what a joke and the poor frequency response and range with “Batman Beings” was sickening to listen too, with a scratch high sound always popping in and out the whole duration of the film. I won’t be going there again, there behind the times…. I mean whats wrong with the older DTS models…  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-01-2005 04:18 PM                     Andy, it wasn't the XD10 that caused the problem. They could've put a Dolby Digital or SDDS player in that same auditorium and had the same poor quality sound. Now you figure the rest of it out. Richard, what kind of sound processor are you using and what kind of red led is in the soundheads?  |  IP: Logged Richard Edward Wells III Film Handler Posts: 20 From: Cloverdale, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 10-01-2005 04:52 PM                     Its the XD10P processor, and a red L.E.D. light source  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-01-2005 04:54 PM                     An XD10 is not the processor. Also we KNOW it's a red led. What BRAND and/or model is it?  |  IP: Logged Andy Summers Master Film Handler Posts: 397 From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom Registered: Jun 2005 posted 10-01-2005 05:00 PM                 What about a defect in part of the design packaging, does all the parts come from different manufactures, maybe the fault can be traced back to where it original came from. I like to rule out the possibility of “Electrical Gremlins” though sometimes they do get in and tracing it to the source can be tricky…  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 10-01-2005 05:50 PM                        I would say if you have really crappy speakers like you said, maybe ("wild guess") that may have something to do with the crappy sound you are experiencing? Like I said, I haven't worked extensively enough with the XD10P - the new analog (though internally digital) processor DTS developed together with UltaStereo, and which is also available from USL - to form a solid opinion, but my first impressions so far have been very good. We also used it in an open air cinema installation at the San Diego County Fair. Obviously, open air does not give you a realistic idea of sound quality. But we set up a huge playback chain (all QSC components, QSControl.net, DCA series amps, and cinema speakers) and blasted the venue with tons of sound at very high levels, and the XD10P performed very well, with basically no audible distortion even at very high playback levels. It also ran for many months in a regular cinema installation with no problems. I like it. It is a nice well designed unit, quick and easy to set up, not the most versatile processor out there, but with all the options you need for a normal cinema installation.  |  IP: Logged Richard Edward Wells III Film Handler Posts: 20 From: Cloverdale, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 10-01-2005 05:53 PM                     the XD10P is the processor, we have the XD10 unit as well, but the other is the processor.. its supposed to be "brand new" But the LED reader only says "Cinequip" on it, if that helps at all.. The digital sounds fine, though... it sounds great, actually, but when it plays in stereo (in a few of our theaters) it is terrible  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 10-01-2005 06:07 PM                        One thing you can do right now to check if there are any problems with the preamplifier is to move the optical input from projector 1 to projector 2 on the back panel, then jumper "c/o" to "common" right next to the automation input to change over to projector 2 input. This would be for testing only since you would need to set slit loss and level for that input. If you have at least the Dolby tone loop, the setup software and the authorization to work on the unit, then you could simply copy the slit loss value from input 1 and set the analog level with the level test film. But just to test if there are any problems with the optical preamp for input 1 - not to play shows on it -, follow the simple steps above. The sound will be a bit more muffled and possibly low, but you will be able to test if you still have the same nasty noise. Also check if the wires are all connected properly to the processor. Breakout boards with terminal boards into which you wire the optical sound wiring are fairly common these days. I have found that if the wiring is not connected propely or the connector is not sitting nicely on the input, you can have such problems too.  |  IP: Logged

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