my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Spot surround by looking at the soundtrack?

Author Topic: Spot surround by looking at the soundtrack? Dan Chilton Expert Film Handler Posts: 191 From: Springfield, MO Registered: Mar 2004 posted 11-19-2005 08:27 PM                        We just installed a new surround EQ card and I want to test it with a trailer loop. Is there a way, by looking at the soundtrack, to find a good scene to test the surrounds with? I'd prefer to use a pink noise card, but I don't have one, unfortunately. I've noticed that some of the trailers have a small dot-dash line along certain points of the soundtrack... is that an indicator of surround?  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-19-2005 08:29 PM                     Nope the dash line is DTS timecode Get some surround test film from Dolby  |  IP: Logged Dan Chilton Expert Film Handler Posts: 191 From: Springfield, MO Registered: Mar 2004 posted 11-19-2005 08:32 PM                        quote: Gordon McLeod Get some surround test film from Dolby Gordon: I'll do that, but in the short-term is there any way to know by looking at the soundtrack?  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 11-19-2005 08:35 PM                        If you were to reverse (temporarily) ONE of the cell leads, you would have center channel audio coming out of the surrounds. This is an easy test anyone can do. Reverse means take, for example, the LEFT cell pair and reverse the red and black wires.Louis  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 11-20-2005 04:01 AM                     quote: Dan Chilton I'll do that, but in the short-term is there any way to know by looking at the soundtrack? Nope. -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: Boulder Creek, CA. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 11-20-2005 05:08 AM                     Turn off/down your amps running the screen chanells and run a trailer for an action movie. It's not like you can really adjust it properly without test film anyway but you'll know there's something coming out of them at least.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 11-20-2005 07:35 AM                        Following up on Louis's suggestion, running an old bi-lateral mono track with the phase temporarily reversed on one channel should put most of the sound through the surround speakers. Can't you borrow some Dolby test film, which is the best option?  |  IP: Logged Marin Zorica Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 671 From: Biograd na Moru, Croatia Registered: May 2003 posted 11-21-2005 08:02 AM                     What's the purpose of testing EQ card with trailer or surround test film? Use pink noise and do eq of surround speakers with test microphone. Instead of pink noise generator you can generate pink noise on some audio software and burn it on CD so you got pink noise.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.