maxmercy

Godzilla: KOTM has an improvement: It gains some needed heft and slam, but the film overall is lacking. Will post BEQ correction later. JSS

GKM clips only a few times in the LCR. Center is the worst, but only a few samples worth of flat-tops. From the waveforms, great use of the SPL available without obvious flat-tops. But a horrible dynamic range, Only 24dB in dynamics for a 3-Star score. This film must have loud scenes throughout. Will try to check it out this weekend, it got the 'Pacific Rim' filter. Not unforeseen, as Legendary did both PacRim and Godzilla. Nice that they included ATMOS on the BD release, though. JSS

That is an awesome tip. I'll have to use that in the future. JSS

The process would be to use the HDMI out from REW for your signal. You can use EqualizerAPO to 'copy' the signal to other channels in the 7.1 channel bed. Measure at the subwoofer out, at low AVR volume, with a low signal drive level. Add AVR volume until you are at your 'max' listening AVR volume setting, keeping track of both the soundcard input signal level (so as not to clip it and overload/fry the card) as well as the waveform on REW. One or the other will clip as you increase drive level. You want to protect the soundcard while you find the limit for the subwoofer out. You may need a voltage divider circuit to do this, some AVRs can generate significant voltage from the SW out. MOST AVRs will clip the SW out with a WCS (Worst Case Scenario) signal, especially if the AVR output levels for each channel (esp subwoofer) are at "-0" or at "+anything". To make a WCS signal, use channel 4 on the REW HDMI out, and use EqualizerAPO to copy that signal to all other channels. Be careful, that is a lot of signal to be bass-managed, you have to start low on both drive level (-30dB or below), and AVR volume. I would disconnect all speakers powered by the AVR to do this. Once you find what bass-managed signal strength clips the AVR output, you have to make sure it doesn't clip the MiniDSP input. You can either measure a 60Hz signal with a voltmeter at the SW out to make sure it isn't above 4V, or hook up the MiniDSP and look at it's input levels as you play the 60Hz WCS tone with REW and EqAPO as you increase volume to the point where you clipped above. Once you have done that, You have to make sure your EQ is not going to clip the MiniDSP output, and that your MiniDSP output is not clipping your Amp input. Easiest way to do that is look at the MiniDSP out with your craziest EQ scheme and sweep, making sure to protect the soundcard. To see if you clip the subwoofer amp input, you can apply the craziest boost you can to a 60Hz tone again, and use a voltmeter to make sure the V out of the MiniDSP is not clipping, and below your amp's voltage sensitivity rating. You can also measure directly out of the amp with the amp turned down and a voltage divider to protect the soundcard. Lots of things can clip in an audio chain, and if anything in the chain does, it will increase distortion VERY quickly. JSS

What you really need is an oscilloscope. You can do it with a soundcard and a voltage divider and some apps are out there for it. To view a signal realtime: https://makezine.com/projects/sound-card-oscilloscope/ Or, you can use REW itself and use the Oscilloscope window and look at the captured trace and look for flat tops. Measure from each input/output to ensure no clipping with a -0dBFS sweep level. Just be sure not to fry the soundcard input by checking levels carefully or using a voltage divider. I was thinking of making a true WCS test disc, but REW is pretty good at doing almost everything the disc would do. With REW and EqualizerAPO (https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/) you can simulate a WCS, and see where it clips in the signal chain (watching to make sure you do not clip any inputs), and then KNOW you will be free from clipping no matter what signal content is fed into the system. EDIT: Apparently REW beta now has a LIVE oscilloscope feature tracking the measurement and reference channels in real time. THAT is a very handy tool. If you guys have PayPal, donate a few bucks to REW. It is truly a terrific tool that many have gotten better audio experiences from. JSS

I'll check it out. JSS

Agree on both points. Queue the "Circle of Confusion" lecture by Dr Toole....and add that everyone is under time pressure, and director's intent, as well as adding their 'style' to the mix. On the plus side, while it sounded a little heavy handed at times, Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse was a pretty good ride. No TIH bass, but pretty good. I'll graph it, and see if I have time to dig into the LOTR trilogy. IIRC, The DVD:EE and BD:EE were very similar. JSS

Speakons have nothing on these: http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina31.htm I cannot read that without laughing, but I bet they sell thousands of them. JSS

MK/SME, I remember doing some comparisons: I can revisit this if there is enough interest. Apparently we will get a 4k version in 2021. JSS

How is this done? In AVRs, the subwoofer crossover is not adjustable for slope in most cases. JSS

Not only improperly calibrated subwoofers, but crossovers can also degrade the phase/GD: It is a generic drum sound (top) with 80Hz 1st order BW, LR2, and LR4 crossovers applied. For best fidelity/coherence, FIR can be used to fix the phase/GD problems that a subwoofer crossover imparts to the signal. To tell the truth, if you get this far and have solved all of the other problems with bass and sub integration in small rooms that you are correcting the sub crossover, you probably already have a well optimized, terrific system. JSS

Avengers: Endgame (Dolby ATMOS 7.1 channel bed) Level: 4 Stars (110.9dB composite) Extension: 3 Stars (16Hz) Dynamics: 5 Stars (29.44dB) Execution: TBD Overall: TBD Notes: the DTS 7.1 track is not as dynamic as the ATMOS track. JSS

Is this question for real? In this thread? JSS

Sometimes XT32 tries to do things it shouldn't, but overall, it is a pretty decent product. JSS

The blue response looks good. Getting 30-200Hz right (especially integration with mains and center) is much more important than getting extra output below 30Hz. Slam and impact can be very elusive in a small space. Displacement will net you infrasonics. If not, there's always Crowsons. JSS

Very nice response, no suckouts is a good thing. Is this with the sonotubes in place? JSS

That is awful. JSS

The blu-ray I hope has the infrasonic content. I will buy this title if it does. JSS

That is terrific news. I hope more film mixing stages and cinemas use the VLFC and other solutions for monitoring and playback of infrasound in films. JSS

That is awesome. Thanks for doing this! Once I upgrade my hardware, I'll give it a spin. I will currently be out of the ability to BEQ for a while, as I will be HT-less for a bit during a move. I cannot recommend a BEQ I have not screened myself. I plan on doing some more films in the future, and this tool should allow it to be done faster. JSS

Wow....can't wait to see it! JSS

Offset the pucks and have recess and puck in each cab corner so that they will be stack-able in the preferred way? a 3-1/8" forstner bit should work for the recess and give you a little registration wiggle-room. JSS

Hockey pucks and depressions in the mating cab for them to fit into. JSS

Good to hear more people are seeing the shelf filters put in place by studios and we now can at least do something about them. I wish we would not lose the object based metadata with BEQ, but oh well. BEQ was always a 'preference', not 'reference'. Unfiltered, reference soundtracks are still out there, and we still get a few of them every now and then. It seems that we got more of them in the past, though. Given the fact that even after BEQ and MV compensation for same, most BEQ'ed films do not clip nor go above a 7.1 WCS (Worst Case Scenario), the studios should be able to do the same, and with better dynamics. But the loudness war is alive and well in cinema, for many reasons. Mixing stages are often geared toward a different target response than your typical High-End HT; they try to equal the majority of decent movie houses out there, which start rolling off under 30Hz, with haphazard response above that given the current calibration standards. Due to many factors, I simply do not have the time I used to have to devote to measuring films and coming up with BEQ solutions. I will still do so for films that I like (like RP1, my current BEQ favorite), but not in the numbers I used to be able to. Good to see others giving BEQ a shot with 3ld00d's app. It is not that difficult to do, once you get a method down. But screening your BEQ is necessary. Some films simply do not improve. K:SI is one of them that is very LOUD&LOW w/ BEQ, but not much better. It is a bit of a ham-handed mix, IMO, but fits right in with PacRim1 and Godzilla(2014), although Godzilla is probably the best of the three, sound-wise. Again, IMO. JSS

Which one? JSS