THX Certication and Post Studios

[gsilbers]

I was wondering how many studios of people here in this forum have aTHX certification studio and why or why not?

there is a studio THX certification for studios under 42' and I was wondering if maybe it would bring any benefits to our studio. ?
we mix meduim budget movies and the mixing room is really good and our credits too.
Thus, we know it sounds good so whats the pitch for THX?
so i wondering if anyone had clients ask for THX or was more impressed by it or didnt care or any oither coments. (or jokes)

anyone know the price for THX certification of a mixing studio under 42' and the THX m3 ?

thanks

[gsilbers]

in post poeple around?

[Dunebuggy]

Went to a seminar 4 years ago and a THX guy was there , i dont remember the price but it was pretty expensive for the initial consultation (more than 10000) and then they ask for major accoustic and gear modifications, if needed , and from what i remember it seems to be often needed, after they return and approve the modif. and then you are certified for a year. In Montreal i only know 1 movie theater that is certified , no post facility , that i know

[gsilbers]

that is pretty steep price.

only 1 theatre is THX? wow

[charles maynes]

Originally Posted by gsilbers

that is pretty steep price.

only 1 theatre is THX? wow

THX certification is like CAS membership- It does not hurt, but if not having it is not preventing you from working, well it won't guarantee new clients-

the funny thing is that a lot facilities do get the certification, and then move their consoles after the THX folks leave- in LA the typical console placement is at about the 2/3's to the rear location in the room, whereas THX demands the console to be closer to the screen.

For a dubstage though, the cost of the certification "shouldn't" be an issue- 10k is not that much money for a room which is being billed out at at least 2k a day.

ymmv...


charles maynes

[georgia]

I called THX about 5 years ago when it was doing fairly well. We ended up being a local review team for theatres here in NYC. I also wanted to get my place "certified THX". I asked for the specific list of THX requirements for dub stages... There are none. Period. The guys at THX cannot/or will not provide a list of specs for THX certification. If they could I would assure we are in spec and have them come out and bless the room. In reality what happens is you have to pay them to come out. pay them to "fix" the room, and then pay for the certification. Personal opinion,I wouldn't bother.

I would get DOLBY and DTS approvals, join SMPTE, AES, CAS and MPSE.... and call it a day. These companies and/or groups have what I would consider actual value.

The THX Threatre side is nice however, because I would receive a document for every Film that was going to be checked by THX. it proivded for audio, film/video, seating, food, service,cleanliness, everything that a movie goer wants... We would check off, write-up and review all areas of the threatre from outside to inside... to assure the location was appropriate for the audience to enjoy.

cheers
geo


ps; I still love the idea of THX but they really need to publish a specifc list of specs. Then we can see if its really worth the money.

[gsilbers]

yes, i guess 10k is not hat much if u are mixing good movies, the issue is the return on investment on those 10ks. which seemes not many studios use it.

I think if u check the THX website u have the requierments and equipment. i downlaoded a PDF with it.

now im interested in the dolby and the others, sounds interesting, what are the advantages of gettinging certifide by those companies?
if there is certification.

[Tibbon]

... is to be able to have the huge "THX Sound" clip played at the beginning of the film.

[gsilbers]

Originally Posted by Tibbon

... is to be able to have the huge "THX Sound" clip played at the beginning of the film.

hahah

then yes I'm getting it!!

[georgia]

Dolby and DTS do "APPROVALS" not "CERTIFICATIONS" ...must be a legal issue or something....



cheers
geo

[funkcity]

Or maybe....

THX= Ripoff!

Do they publish a spec?
Do they do any more than licence their logo?
Has a client EVER specified that your room had to be THX approved in order to get the booking?

[charles maynes]

the problem is that most rooms have been certified that do real dubbing-

Those rooms can be had sometimes pretty cheap. So A producer would likely choose a THX room over a non-THX room if they cost the same.


charles maynes

[soundboy]

I think SSI has 3.
I just took a mix, that Jim Corbett and I worked on, to one of their THX rooms. I was surprised at how well the mix translated from my small 5.1 mix room, to their huge THX room. And my room is definitely not THX approved, nor are my monitors. So...whatever.

[funkcity]

Most Hollywood dub stages are not THX certified.
The clients for those stages NEVER ask for THX certification.
The smaller houses "think" they need it to add credibility to their operation.
Most good engineers do NOT need THX to tell them how to build a room.

Oh and how is it that Manns Chinese Theatre with a 10 second reverb time is THX certified... What's up with that??
It's no more than a trademark Logo that you have the honor of continually paying for!

Stick to the SMPTE recommendations, hire an experienced tech/engineer... It's not rocket science. The recording studios in town were soffitting speakers long before the THX wall.

Oh and the "gold standard" Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences theatres
(all 3 of them) are NOT THX certified.

[hociman]

Originally Posted by georgia

Dolby and DTS do "APPROVALS" not "CERTIFICATIONS" ...must be a legal issue or something....

Well, Dolby approval requires that the studio be built to some strict guidelines. For example, you must use a perforated screen, and the center channel speaker must be behind said screen. The studio must be of a minimum cubic volume, the mixer must be towards the back of the room, etc.

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by hociman

Well, Dolby approval requires that the studio be built to some strict guidelines. For example, you must use a perforated screen, and the center channel speaker must be behind said screen. The studio must be of a minimum cubic volume, the mixer must be towards the back of the room, etc.

You are so cheesy hociman, (Avatar). I have the same T2 DVD that you have, classic!

bcgood

[Henchman]

Too bad that they don't hold the playback theatres to the same stadards. As playback levels and calibration are all over the place.

At a local theatre recently, I had to ask them 3 times to turn up the sound, because it was so ridiculously low.

[georgia]

A lot of theatres respect their clients... if you watch a "big film" like T2 to or T3 in NYC it'll be LOUD! If you watch the same film in, just as good a threatre, in Long Island near retirement communities it'll be quiet... Because the patrons all complain that the films are too loud. So a lot of threatre owners adjust the levels to make the patrons happy. I never knew this, in the beginning of my post career, until one day I took a reel to a threatre to check the new optical before delivering to a client. My friend was the projectionist and agreed to play the reel after the last show one night. So i'm sitting alone in the threatre and my film comes on... and it's very quiet... too quiet! I walk up to the booth and he looks over at the Dolby processor and smiles, and turns it back to the Standard position. All's good once again. He then told me the story about how they adjust according to clients, so they can get more people to come to their threatre and not "turn-off" the locals.


cheers
geo

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by georgia

A lot of theatres respect their clients... if you watch a "big film" like T2 to or T3 in NYC it'll be LOUD! If you watch the same film in, just as good a threatre, in Long Island near retirement communities it'll be quiet... Because the patrons all complain that the films are too loud. So a lot of threatre owners adjust the levels to make the patrons happy. I never knew this, in the beginning of my post career, until one day I took a reel to a threatre to check the new optical before delivering to a client. My friend was the projectionist and agreed to play the reel after the last show one night. So i'm sitting alone in the threatre and my film comes on... and it's very quiet... too quiet! I walk up to the booth and he looks over at the Dolby processor and smiles, and turns it back to the Standard position. All's good once again. He then told me the story about how they adjust according to clients, so they can get more people to come to their threatre and not "turn-off" the locals.


cheers
geo

If it's too loud your too old. I remember seeing that slogan a lot in the 80's.

bcgood