Maybe the best film sound job ever....

[charles maynes]

Horton hears a Hoo-

Randy Thom

Magnificent....




cm

[santacore]

Nice, I need to check that out. Hopefully it's something that both myself and my kids will enjoy.

[charles maynes]

Originally Posted by santacore

Nice, I need to check that out. Hopefully it's something that both myself and my kids will enjoy.

my kids all enjoyed it (8,11,13,16)...


It is really THAT good- better than most Pixar films too... (which I consider the gold standard)...


As to setting the bar- Gary Rydstrom's work on Toy Story 2 was my previous fav animated sound track- Horton kills it though...


cm

[bcgood]

Is it better than Rushmore's sound, doubt it...

[charles maynes]

Originally Posted by bcgood

Is it better than Rushmore's sound, doubt it...

yes it indeed is- I am a huge Rushmore fan actually...


cm

[kk@jamsync.com]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

yes it indeed is- I am a huge Rushmore fan actually...


cm

I can't wait 'til the BR comes out. Our theater once again screwed the sound. This time the surrounds were off. We complained and they just turned up the dialog. Last time they played only the right channel on the Bourne Ultimatum. My kids were deeply embarassed that I went to management and asked for a different theater in the complex. That is, they were upset until they heard the full mix in the other room.

Unfortunately, tonight, we caught the last show and we just had to sit through HHaW. It's a solid shame that the biggest, newest theater complex here in Nashville gets the sound wrong so much of the time, not to mention that the center channel needs new drivers in nearly every theater. They are definitely fatigued.

I definitely enjoy the sound in my studio more than going out...maybe it's because all the channels are playing!

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

yes it indeed is- I am a huge Rushmore fan actually...


cm

You're making me want to go out and see this. Maybe I'll take my nieces.

[danijel]

Originally Posted by bcgood

Is it better than Rushmore's sound, doubt it...

are you guys talking about wes anderson's 1998 rushmore?
is it a well-known example of sound design, that i wasn't aware of?
if so, i can't wait to see it again, i love that movie.

[BrettMorello]

Originally Posted by kk@jamsync.com

I can't wait 'til the BR comes out. Our theater once again screwed the sound. This time the surrounds were off. We complained and they just turned up the dialog. Last time they played only the right channel on the Bourne Ultimatum. My kids were deeply embarassed that I went to management and asked for a different theater in the complex. That is, they were upset until they heard the full mix in the other room.

Unfortunately, tonight, we caught the last show and we just had to sit through HHaW. It's a solid shame that the biggest, newest theater complex here in Nashville gets the sound wrong so much of the time, not to mention that the center channel needs new drivers in nearly every theater. They are definitely fatigued.

I definitely enjoy the sound in my studio more than going out...maybe it's because all the channels are playing!

I just hate it when stuff like that happens. When I went to The simpsons Movie there was definetelay something wrong with the center channel. Everytime the dialogue got a little loud, there was a crackling 'the speaker is broken sound'. But I start to notice it when the movie had allready begon, and at that point you really hate getting up to quit the movie and going to complain.

This weekend I went to 'Into The Wild' and all the commercials before the movie sounded distorted. I was almost ready in my seat to go and complain, but gave the movie a chance. Once it was busy, there was no problem at all, so I still wonder how or why they changed settings between commercials and the movie. i doubt that commercials made for cinema use were all mixed with incorrect levels that they overdrive the system.

[dkatz42]

Originally Posted by BrettMorello

I still wonder how or why they changed settings between commercials and the movie. i doubt that commercials made for cinema use were all mixed with incorrect levels that they overdrive the system.

Dunno how it works in theaters you go to, but in the ones I've gone to over the last few years they're obviously using digital projectors for the commercials, and film projectors for the trailers and the movie. Different audio chains, different source material, different production philosophy...

[danijel]

Originally Posted by dkatz42

Dunno how it works in theaters you go to, but in the ones I've gone to over the last few years they're obviously using digital projectors for the commercials, and film projectors for the trailers and the movie. Different audio chains, different source material, different production philosophy...

here, video commercials usually go through some small mixer, into the aux inputs of the cp650 (where the distortion is most likely to occur.) film commercials (although properly mastered for 82 LEQ) usually get attenuated by 2 notches on cp650 by individual theater regulations (because of frequent visitor's complaints on loudness). the same goes for most theaters in hungary and germany, the last time i checked (about 3 years ago).

[BrettMorello]

Originally Posted by danijel

here, video commercials usually go through some small mixer, into the aux inputs of the cp650 (where the distortion is most likely to occur.) film commercials (although properly mastered for 82 LEQ) usually get attenuated by 2 notches on cp650 by individual theater regulations (because of frequent visitor's complaints). the same goes for most theaters in hungary and germany, the last time i checked (about 3 years ago).

Interesting stuff guys, thanks for the info.

[jahtao]

Ha! Yeah I remember going to see 28 Weeks Later (about 7 times better than the first one if you ask me) and having to tolerate a beep every 20 seconds or so from somewhere over to my right. Luckily its a very loud film, nonstop action mostly so I didn't really mind. Afterwards I found the source: an air freshener mounted on the wall was alerting the world to the fact it had run out of juice and needed refilling!?!?!?!

[soundguydave]

I hate the really bright exit signs at the corners of the theater. Not that I think they should be eliminated, but some theaters have the unobtrusive green LED ones.

[nathand]

Hey Charles,

Is it fair to compare a mix for an animated feature where all the dialog was recorded in an ultra controlled environment to a non-animated feature where all the dialog sounds like...well you know what it sounds like?

N8

[bcgood]

I just got through watching Atonement on DVD. Really nice sounding, it's late so I watched it while wearing my Sennheiser HD 280 headphones. The sound was really nice to say the least. In my opinion this kind of sound design is more impressive than the sound design on animated features. YBMM

[charles maynes]

Originally Posted by nathand

Hey Charles,

Is it fair to compare a mix for an animated feature where all the dialog was recorded in an ultra controlled environment to a non-animated feature where all the dialog sounds like...well you know what it sounds like?

N8

the dialog is not really an issue in this film- It sounds fine, but the measure of "reality" that was constructed is what is so impressive- you should see it

[bkositzky]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

the dialog is not really an issue in this film- It sounds fine, but the measure of "reality" that was constructed is what is so impressive- you should see it

Definitely agree with you, even though all of the dialog was recorded in a studio they still managed to create realistic environments.

[danijel]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

Horton hears a Hoo-

Randy Thom

Magnificent....




cm

I joined jwsound.net today in face of my big feature-recording gig next spring, and it turns out Randy Thom joined in today as well!

If we all shout REALLY LOUD, maybe he hears us, and joins gearslutz as well!!!??

RANDY! RANDY! RANDY! RANDY!

[danijel]

about 150 people saw my previous post, and nobody wants to join the effort? You all liked the Horton sound-job, but where's that Horton spirit!!?

Now, let's hope Randy DOESN'T see this thread - if he does, he certainly won't join )

Maybe I delete these infantile posts of mine a couple of days down the road.....

[charles maynes]

Originally Posted by danijel

about 150 people saw my previous post, and nobody wants to join the effort? You all liked the Horton sound-job, but where's that Horton spirit!!?

Now, let's hope Randy DOESN'T see this thread - if he does, he certainly won't join )

Maybe I delete these infantile posts of mine a couple of days down the road.....

He has been flooded with glad tidings on Horton already.....

[TocaLaGuitara]

Glad to see I'm not the only one with movie theater woes.

Opening weekend for LOTR: Return of the King. For the first reel of the film, the audio was completely f***ed. Dialogue was distorting a bit. Not completely unlistenable but definitely recognizable for someone tuned into audio. But when the soundtrack played, especially long violin sections showcasing beautifully scenic vistas, I wanted to claw my ears off. Distorted beyond belief. If you took an SM57 and used a pin to poke multiple holes in the diaphragm, this is how the violins sounded like they were captured. I was just getting out of my seat to complain to management when the film changed to the second reel and everything was better. I'm still not sure what the problem was. I chalk it up to a bad transfer to filmstock.

On a side note: I know in the world of analogue tape recording, we are susceptible to wow and flutter. In theaters that use traditional film stock with sound on film, not digital projection, is this a phenomenon that continues to happen? There are movies that I have seen in the theater in the last year or two that, I can swear, deomonstrate signs of wow in the music soundtrack. Again it's usually violins that make it apparent to me. Most recently was The Dark Knight, on opening weekend! And the funny part is, I could have sworn the theater had a Dolby Digital symbol on the plackard next to the movie name. Oh well. One of the bad parts of being audio-sensitive.... when things aren't quite right, it bugs the hell out of you.

[Steven1145]

Having the Dolby Digital sign up does'nt (sadly) mean that you're hearing DD... A misaligned photocell can have you listening to the SR track for the whole movie as it cant hook onto the DD blocks, or worse: dropping from DTS or DD to SR on a regular basis.

I saw Castaway when it came out, and the sound kept going from super wide/ super defined, to near-mono (SR). It bounced back and forth like that every 2-3 minutes for the whole movie. Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhh...

[Sonsey@mac.com]

Hey... Dolby was just here... :D

(Yes, I've ACTUALLY been told that by a Theatre Manager....)