Movie Theater Acoustics

[Ryan Gallagher]

QSC Designer? As in Q-SYS (the program that configures Q-SYS is called designer). If so, that is, normally, the last thing to touch the sound on the way to the amplifiers. What is odd is that someone used JBL/Crown for the amps/speakers but QSC for processing rather than BSS (part of the Harman family).

Now, I don't dislike JBL...in fact, some of my favorite speakers are JBL (most of my personal speakers are JBL)...however, the 4632 is not on my list of favorite speakers. Fortunately, Center is a 3632 (also, not a favorite but it is better than the 4632, though more delicate)...also how sure are you that they are 3632/4632 versus 3732/4732? The 600 series seems out of place (time wise) from the rest of the system, except the CT amps.

Yes, you'll need to get your sound system processing in order to ensure it isn't contributing to the problem(s). Less EQ will be better, not more but bulk EQ (like bass and treble or even midrange) can go a long way. I'd also duck Left and Right a bit low (3dB or so) so the room doesn't build up so much and also allow the dialog to come through.

You might also want to consider talking to Mike Babb about trying a Trinnov OV2. One of its hallmarks is doing better in tough rooms. This could also allow DCPs to have a direct path rather than flowing through the CP650...which could be just your film processor.

I would second dedicating the 650 to analog film, and having something else do the d-cinema heavy lifting. While we do own a DMA-8 here, we don't route any of our digital content through the 650 (anymore). The 650 is passing flat eq and no delay to the discrete inputs on our more modern processor (AP20 in our case), which can handle more than 1 digital source etc. Other perks include allowing you to put the 650 in standby potentially saving digital reader diodes, if you haven't created some other way to turn them off already.

[Stefan Scholz]

That room is demanding. These large glass ports are the first thing I noticed, on a wall parallel to the screen. Not the most clever thing to do. Parallel walls, with hard surface.
The absorption of the room is little, and definitively not enough on most frequencies. Once you go beyond the absorption capabilities, sound suddenly gets worse and intellegibility suffers harshly.
You can add draping, may assist a little, but would definitively change the room design over acceptable for a redone, probably protected architecture.

It would require a thorough analysis of the room acoustics, including reverberant and absorption parameters. And then a designed sound sytem, whose radiation characteristics are designed to just "spotlight" the seating area. Standard Cinema equipment rarely does cases like that. This must be done by individual design, by clusters of speakers covering small areas, combined with selective acoustical treatments to minimise impact on the interior design.
This will cost, but it's possible.