[BC] Loud movies (was: Digital Intgerference)

[Steve]

Mike....

You're probably right but I would think it would have been Earthquake with
the Cerwin-Vega systems. There's a story that one of the guys at the
Cerwin-Vega plant in L.A. said something like: We don't build speakers to
move air...we build speakers to move concrete! I howled when I heard that.
Now one thing I was told by a Cerwin-Vega dealer, when Earthquake had just
hit the theaters, is they had to rolloff the low end to16Hz instead of the
5Hz that the sound track originally produced because a steady flow at that
frequency could do serious damage to your guts. True or not I do remember
that story. I purchased some C-V's for a night club I was building at the
time.

Steve
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike McCarthy" <Towers at mre.com>
To: "Broadcast Radio Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [BC] Loud movies (was: Digital Intgerference)


> I seem to recall the first serious LOUD movie was MIDWAY.  The movie's
> cannons and explosions were enhanced and focused on the sub-audible
> frequencies.  I recall many theaters needed to upgrade their audio systems
> from the traditional Altec Voice of the Theater to real beef using Crowns.
> That and sound isolation. Many woofers and some subs were blown on that
> movie if the theater didn't adjust the audio down slightly.
>
> MM
>
> At 07:24 AM 12/21/2005 -0800, Michael Yoshida wrote
> >Hi,
> >
> >As someone who used to setup post production mix stages daily for the
past
> >8 years in a previous job, 90 db is nothing. Each of the left, center and
> >right speakers are individually set for 85 db at the mix position and the
> >surrounds are combined to sum to 85db. Combined subs lap 92db. It's not
> >unusual for an effects driven film to hit 112db during loud parts.
> >
> >On the other hand, most theaters (despite the Dolby presentation
standard)
> >will turn down their audio if enough customers complain so the efforts of
> >directors and producers are all for naught. Loud films have existed way
> >before digital, ie Judge Dredd. But the average levels seem to be going
up
> >probably due to the use of an obscene number of tracks during rerecording
> >all made possible by ProTools and digital consoles with 350 inputs.
> >
> >Michael Yoshida
> >former tech at the Saul Zaentz Film Center
> >
> >At 03:53 PM 12/20/2005, you wrote:
> >>--- At 20.12.2005 00:10, Kevin Tekel wrote: ---
> >>>Goran Thomas wrote:
> >>> > Sound level in cinemas is also very high these days (though large
> >>> > dynamic range of movie soundtrack helps here).
> >>>
> >>>IIRC, the "loud" parts of a recent Harry Potter movie were measured at
an
> >>>SPL of around 90 dB.  Considering that constant exposure to sounds
above
> >>>85 dB can cause hearing damage, that's pretty damn loud for a
_children's_
> >>>movie!
> >>
> >>Actually, loud parts at 90dB are OK. It is prolonged levels of high SPL
> >>that are dangerous.
> >>
> >>According to occupational safety and health rules in most countries, you
> >>are allowed to work 8 hours in environment with less than 90dB noise
> >>(A-weighted), though most experts would want that to be 85dB and suggest
> >>that you wear hearing protection in that case... Anyway, for every 5dB
> >>increase, "safe time" to be exposed cuts in half. For 95dB it's 4 hours,
> >>for 100dB 2 hours, etc.
> >>
> >>But somehow I doubt that's only 90dB on loud parts in cinema. In certain
> >>movies, like during the storm scene in "Captain and Commander", I had to
> >>yell ("This is loud!") so that a friend sitting right next to me could
> >>hear me. That's much more than 90dB!
> >>
> >>
> >>> > High audio levels in headphones (and you need to mask that ambient
> >>> > noise) is a sure way to easily loose your hearing. Permanently.
> >>>
> >>>It's even worse when you _lose_ your hearing.
> >>>
> >>>(Sorry, loose/lose and it's/its are my two worst linguistic pet
peeves.)
> >>
> >>Actually, your correction is appreciated! Probably wouldn't notice it
> >>otherwise and possibly make the same mistake again. I try to at least
> >>write In English correctly (speaking is whole different matter ;-))
> >>
> >>
> >>Regards,
> >>Goran Tomas
>
>
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