Or how about the mixers whose theory is that increasing LFE out of all proportion , will make a B-grade Action Adventure or Scary Flim into something more than it is.

If you were to be on an actual dubbing stage, you'd be amazed at how relatively tame the LFE is. That bloated LFE is something you hear in some theatres and Home theatres. The films are not mixed as you might think.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by soundhound:
[B] If you were to be on an actual dubbing stage, you'd be amazed at how relatively tame the LFE is. That bloated LFE is something you hear in some theatres and Home theatres.
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...this from the guy who's running 1,000 watts into 4-18" subs!!

I woof softly and carry a big stick.

Soundhound is it possible for Satellite feeds to ‘Let loose the dogs of” LFE? Can the quality/rate of the data stream (?) mess with the mix you get on the receiving end? Similar to radio stations, working compression and signal boosts and tweaking the feed on FM?
It seems a few times on (TV/Satellite) (something?) has boosted LFE all out of proportion. I’ll have to pay attention and see if this happens on any film I can compare to on a DVD. Maybe I’ve imagined its occurred on different sources and its just a DVD I like to trim back a little now and then.

Lena:

There are of course a lot of 'adjustments' that can be made downstream to the balance of the tracks. I don't know why anybody would take the time on a satellite feed to do it, though. In DVD authoring, the film sound is monitored in a room with the typical size of a large bedroom, and is balanced and equalized in such a room. It is possible, and probable, that some adjustments are made there. I doubt though that they would 'pump up' the LFE track beyond the level of the original track, but I suppose anything can happen. The original dubbing mixers aren't dumb; they make a very well balanced mix, and I can't remember any instance where I have thought they had bad taste overall. When I hear the average HT demo in a dealer, the bass is _way_ pumped up compared to the mix as I heard it. In typical movie theatres, LFE is somewhat more like the dubbing stage, but I have heard them louder than they should be. Generally, the overall sound in a movie theatre is a lot poorer than on the dubbing stage, sounding more 'muddled' than it should be. But then again, I'm used to hearing the 'non-Dolby digital' sound of the original master of the soundtrack.

People pay a lot for their subwoofers, and they want to hear them, I guess.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited October 23, 2002).]

On movies.

However, as I said before, this desire for bloated bass often disappears when it comes to music listening. I don't think this desire for slightly different bass reponse for movies vs. music is neccessarily a bad thing. Just personal taste. Which is why it helps to have trim controls on a per input basis (or even a per sound mode basis).

Sanjay

though i agree with the per mode trim option, i think it is only the second logical choice.

i wish every speaker was active. instead, you have 2 channel, 3 channel, 5 channel, 7 channel and mono channel amps, and every combination thereof, as formats evolve.

i'm stunned that multichannel amps are routinely produced without volume controls for each amp.

if avtive speakers were the rule...format changes, add the speaker(s). the pre would be a master volume controller and each speaker's amp would control the balance desired for each mode.

all active subs have parameter adjustments built in, the very least of which being gain control.

what an industry. i really don't fault the prepro designers as much as the lack of indusrty standards. designing a prepro today is a nightmare... one that ends up costing us more money for features we have to adapt on-the-fly to suit ourselves.

bass management, multichannel amps, endless formats....we should start a company.

soundhound: new discovery...that soapbox is WAY too high a step down AFTER the pitcher of margaritas (hic)

Bbut....bbut.....but....how could you get TUBE amps inside?????

Yes! I am also amazed that there are not input level pots on all power amps. It's just plain silly for the omission of them.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited October 23, 2002).]

Powered speakers also provide an ideal chance to use digital amps, since almost all serious issues with this technology centers around poor performance with unusual loads. In the case of a powered speaker, the load is well known and the amp can be tailored to it.