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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Sound issue on a Smart Mod VII

Author Topic: Sound issue on a Smart Mod VII Chris Iacofano Film Handler Posts: 15 From: Athens, OH, USA Registered: Jan 2009 posted 02-08-2010 10:52 PM                        I'm running a Smart MOD VII processor in Dolby SR in one of my theaters and I've noticed a strange problem. When dialogue is spoken there is a strange static sound that is barely noticeable. The static usually lasts for a split second after the spoken dialogue ends. I first noticed it several months ago, but have yet to hear a patron complain (my theater is in a college town with a film program, so trust me they do complain about these sort of things). The thing is, this static only happens when dialogue is spoken in a particular pitch. Typically, it's characters that speak in a pitch that is in the lower registers of female voices and in the upper registers of a male voice. All other dialogue sounds fine, and I don't hear this (or it isn't as noticeable to me) in the rest of the sound mix. Most recently I noticed this in a print of Red Cliff. I ran it in the other two auditoriums (one with an UltraStereo Js-200, one with a Dolby CP-500) and the static wasn't there. Could this be an alignment issue with the soundhead, or possibly something in the processor? Maybe the center channel speaker is going bad? What is the best way to troubleshoot this problem? Am I just being anal-retentive about things?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 02-09-2010 01:29 AM                     almost sounds like the HF driver aluminum diaphram for the center speaker horn has started to crack on you...since it's not in the other channels..  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-09-2010 01:40 AM                     These could be several things. I would first suggest changing (or exchanging) the High Frequency driver from the left to the centre speaker and see if you still get this static. SmartDev is not the best of processors. Does this happen in Analogue only? Do you have a Digital playback device like a DTS or a DA20? Good Luck Demetris  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 02-09-2010 04:02 AM                     I had a similar problem last year and in my case it turned out to be a bad active crossover module in one of the large auditoriums where we bi-amp the sound. I wish I had tried swapping the plug-in x-over mods before I'd climbed all the way up some shakey scaffolding backstage to replace the High Freq diaphram, which in my case turned out not to be the problem. The HF diaphram is usually the most likely cause for the problem you describe, but if you can try swapping anything else before you have to climb up and dis- assemble your HF horn, you might want to give it a try.  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-09-2010 06:41 AM                     A simple swap of the centre with the left channel amp will show indicate better if the problem is on the drive.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-09-2010 12:59 PM                        The best advice I ever learned was that when it comes to sound problems the first place to always start even if you don't think it is where the problem is coming from is to perform an A chain alignment. Mis-Aligned optics/improper input levels can manifest in many strange ways that you wouldnt realize at first is coming from there. Also, once you rule it out yo know it's good and can move on down the line. I find starting at the begenning of a system and working my way through linearly works a lot better than guessing and jumping around all over the place.  |  IP: Logged Chris Iacofano Film Handler Posts: 15 From: Athens, OH, USA Registered: Jan 2009 posted 02-09-2010 07:54 PM                        Thanks for the advice everyone. As it turns out, it was the HF driver. Luckily it's pretty easy to access in that theater, so it was the first thing I checked. I'm no fan of the Smart processors either, but it'll be gone in a couple of months when we install a CP650, so I'll just have to live with it in the meantime.  |  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.