[SDDP]

Originally Posted by georgia

ok, well...umm.......

Note: THE FOLLOWING IS A PERSONAL OPINION, NOT A FACT, the only fact about is that it will probably piss off at least 200 people....

(OPINION ON)

I would not recommend/nor would I be happy mixing for FILM and THEATRICAL utilizing a bass management enabled A-Chain. I feel that it may not provide you with a proper understanding of what the mix will sound like in a theatrical B-Chain system.

I see no reason why you shouldn't mix on a bass managed system for BROADCAST or GAMES etc. Since that will end up being the B-chain anyway. So i'd go for it with your gear, what the heck!

(OPINION OFF)

If anyone else can chime me in on using Bass Management, I'd be very grateful. I am using the JLB LSR 5.1 which has it's own BM and works really well.

I know for TV, DVD, and the like it is necessary to use it so when mixing in 5.1 you are not overpowering the .1 since most at home do not have a full range speakers (and home receivers use BM set up anyway's).

HOWEVER, for film (and I have read a ton of threads on here and else where) and a don't think it's a good idea to use BM for a theatrical release.

Here is an example:
Let's say there is a scene of a space ship landing and you have some really powerful effects with some SERIOUS sub harmonic lows for um.. oh about a few seconds right. You send it to all the speakers along with the score (which has some strong Cello and Bass Strings occurring at the same time).
With BM on (lets say at 120) it's hitting the sub fairly well but both the mixer and the director want a tad more oomph going to the Sub so you send some (i.e. bussing it or using waves 360 or whatever means) and it hits it VERY nice and everyone is happy for that scene. All the Speakers are hitting with the right level and the sub (again we have BM on) is getting the lows below 120 from all the 5 speakers and also from the mixer bussing it another signal and the that SUB is REALLY moving, shaken the room and you can feel it in your spine. (not distorting, just set and flavored flawlessly)

Everything is all ear candy and dandy and everyone's happy.

Now, they test it out in a theater which of course doesn't use BM and when that scene comes and the spaceship lands, you hear a subtle thump. That's it. All the bass from the SFX and music score no longer has it's impact that it originally did when in the mixing room.

Unless I missed something here, BM shouldn't be used in Theatrical mixing since in the scenario I have, it would defeat the whole purpose and if it was mixed without BM, then everything would translate over into the theater.