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nube

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Everything posted by nube

  1. nube
    I updated Ender's Game. Please log in and vote on the remaining polls.
  2. nube
    Ender's Game (7.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 5 Stars (113.3dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (4Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (29.1dB) Execution - 4 Stars (by poll) Overall - 4.75 Stars Recommendation - Buy (by poll) Notes: Ender's Game might be the next 5 star movie, although that's certainly up for debate. This one does have a significantly humped graph, and kinda cheats to get that 5 Stars extension rating, but there is legit, unfiltered content down low at 4Hz. The mix is good, and the use of bass is pretty well done, though without any big effects below 20Hz. Honestly, for those of you with big displacement sealed systems, this one is pretty good, but not great. For moderate, commercial ported systems, it'll prolly sound like one of the best mixes ever. Check out the many scenecaps below to find out more. Unfortunately, there is also clipping in the LCR and subwoofer channels that mars the otherwise good sound design. This one isn't as clean and pure as the mix on some of last year's best, and there's a reason it's not nominated for any big sound awards, but it's generally pretty good. Purists will prolly give this a 4 Star execution rating, but it's certainly a crowd pleaser visually and audibly, even if the movie was merely average at best. PvA: SpecLab scenecaps: Rocket Launch
  3. nube
    All Is Lost (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 4 Stars (111.9dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (1Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (30.24dB) Execution - 5 Stars (by poll) Overall - 4.75 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: What is it about small sea vessel movies that makes for so much use of the LFE? I dunno, but I'm not complaining. This is a tremendous movie that has a bunch of very deep content. It has a scene that nearly rivals the Olympus Has Fallen - Washington Monument scene. (See below.) While I probably won't watch the movie ever again, and it was pretty annoying at times, it's overall quite solid and firmly entertaining, especially with this type of sound mix. PvA: SpecLab scenecaps:
  4. nube
    Yeah, that rating for dynamics is a huge number for that high of a level. Need votes on the polls so I can retire them. Help out, folks! Watch some movies with bass! Specifically, if you're reading this, vote on Elysium and The Lorax - they both need tiebreaker votes. While you're at it, vote on all the other open polls of the movies you've watched.
  5. nube
    Escape Plan (7.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 3 Stars (109.1dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (1Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (34.02dB) Execution - 3 Stars (by poll) Overall - 4 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: PvA:
  6. nube
    I measured Last Vegas late yesterday, but it's not worth mentioning. Nor is anything released next week, besides Escape Plan, which I'll post about next Tuesday. As for the rest of ya'll, vote in the various polls! Watch more of these movies and register your opinion on the execution. Please!
  7. nube
    Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 2 Stars (105.4dB composite) Extension - 2 Stars (22Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (32.38dB) Execution - 2 Stars (by poll) Overall - 2.75 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: PvA:
  8. nube
    Rush (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 4 Stars (110.85dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (9Hz) Dynamics - 4 Stars (26.98dB) Execution - 4 Stars (by poll) Overall - 4.25 Stars Recommendation - Buy (by poll) Notes: This is an excellent movie with an excellent mix. Although it clips or is soft limited in a fair amount of places, it's pretty obviously intended, given how racecar engines sound in real life. It doesn't really detract from the mix or the story. Bass extension is great, although most of the content is higher in the range. Overall great use of sound design and the mixing board to create an incredibly enveloping mix in almost every octave. You wish every movie's sound was designed and mixed like this. Even people who don't care for racing, like me, will enjoy the flick. This one gets a strong BUY recommendation. PvA:
  9. nube
    I posted the Skadoosh scene's graph over at AVS, and it was reposted recently by somebody else I think. This is one of my favorite movies ever, because it's so, so silly, and it really deserves to be measured. I'll consider that and try to get the disc at my next opportunity. The Conjuring has some disc issues that, at least for now, prevent us from measuring it. It says "[0:16:06] The source file seems to be damaged (discontinuity). <WARNING>" when trying to extract the digital audio. I'm not much into it horror movies anyway. Also, did you mean Evil Dead (2013)? If so, looks like maxmercy has you covered. No sound card required for the process of analyzing digital audio from discs; prolly need to refer to PMs for more info. Desertdome had a good tutorial for doing this in the AVS new master list of bass in movies thread. Just search for his name in that thread, and it's like the 6th or 7th post listed by recency. I'm not much into horror films, but we'll see what maxmercy and I can come up with. Baraka is one of my favorites movies of all time as well. Glad to see this one get mentioned; looks like maxmercy has you covered! Are you asking if I have any specific graphs of scenes within the movie Machete Kills? I don't, as I haven't watched it and likely won't. However, if you have exact timestamps, I'll be happy to graph at least a few of them. Nothing really stood out for me watching the scroll in SpecLab when getting the PvA graph, although there is moderate single tone content at 5.5Hz and 11Hz a few times throughout the second half of the movie. For the most part, while not filtered, the majority of hot content is as shown in the red (average RMS) trace in the PvA graph.
  10. nube
    Machete Kills (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 3 Stars (108.79dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (1Hz) Dynamics - 4 Stars (27.35dB) Execution - 3 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.75 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: PvA:
  11. nube
    Thanks, but all credit goes to maxmercy. What I do is easy compared to his incredible job of getting this all figured out, and making sure the testing methodology was nailed down. I just measure what ends up in my mailbox!
  12. nube
    Lots of new polls and updated measurements with final execution scores and recommendations. Please vote in the new polls!
  13. nube
    Captain Phillips (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 2 Stars (107.3dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (7Hz) Dynamics - 3 Stars (24.7dB) Execution - 5 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.75 Stars Recommendation - Buy (by poll) Notes: This isn't your typical bass movie, but it was good enough that the Academy nominated it for both the Sound Editing and Sound Mixing awards this year. This should tell you something about how good this mix is. It has truckloads of low level, extremely low frequency bass that is used to amazing effect, creating unbelievable tension throughout the movie. That's also why the dynamics are so low. This isn't a big, in-your-face action movie or thriller. There are almost no high amplitude effects (read as: no demo scenes at all), yet it has a ton of bass that adds so much to the experience. It proves that great movie mixes don't have to do things in the formulaic way many have come to expect from their action flicks - loud explosions, clipped content, or predictable effects and sweeps. I think it also shows the value of the lowest octaves in storytelling - they are essential for creating that immersive feeling that the best movies have, and it's certainly in evidence here. Oh yeah, the movie is also pretty good all-around. Though not a typical bass movie, and probably not a movie I'll ever re-watch, this one delivers in nearly every aspect of entertainment. That is, unless all you want is kaboom boom; in that case, look elsewhere. PvA:
  14. nube
    You're Next (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 1 Stars (99.5dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (1Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (29.25dB) Execution - 3 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.5 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: PvA:
  15. nube
    Fruitvale Station (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 2 Stars (107dB composite) Extension - 4 Stars (14Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (28.89dB) Execution - 3 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.5 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: PvA:
  16. nube
    Riddick Unrated (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 3 Stars (108.5dB composite) Extension - 1 Stars (27Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (29.93dB) Execution - 3 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: This one leaves a lot on the table, though it does have pretty good dynamics. To compare it to Pacific Rim, which was also steeply filtered, but at a lower starting point than Riddick, this one is ~10dB lower in total, overall RMS. That's a lot left on the table compared to PR, though Riddick doesn't suffer nearly as much from compression/limiting. The overall mix is decent, but was missing a fair bit of surround effects compared to other sci-fi action movies, which was most obvious in the opening action sequences and at the end in the storm - surround effects of wind & rain came in and out of focus intermittently. Extension only to 27Hz as the -10dB point is weak, and caused the mix to come across as fairly flat-feeling compared to most other action mixes in recent memory. This was never more evident than near the beginning when Riddick knocks over a large black stone obelisk. If you've ever been around construction sites, you know that when large, heavy rock or concrete hits the ground, it causes a tremendous sound & pressure wave. The obelisk in Riddick did nothing of the sort as it fell and broke, partly because the effect had almost everything below 25Hz steeply filtered out. What was above 25Hz was loud, but not especially realistic because it included none of the powerful energy you feel in person - most of the energy is centered at 45Hz. Check the graph at the bottom to see what I'm talking about. I think the franchise as a whole is just a vehicle for Vin Diesel to act gruff & tuff, and the movie stinks anyway, so the sound is not really a surprise. This film isn't something you should own, unless you're a fanboi who's totally in the tank for Vinny and the series. PvA: SpecLab scenecap: Obelisk Cliff falling
  17. nube
    Carrie (2013) (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 4 Stars (112.1dB composite) Extension - 1 Stars (29Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (30.3dB) Execution - 3 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.25 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) PvA:
  18. nube
    I updated many of the measurements based on their polls, and alphabetized all measurements in the first post.
  19. nube
    Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, aka Ninja 2 (5.1 TrueHD) Level - 4 Stars (110.3dB composite) Extension - 4 Stars (13Hz) Dynamics - 4 Stars (26.6dB) Execution - 4 Stars (by poll) Overall - 4 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: Watching the scroll in SpecLab, it looks like almost all of the serious content is from 15-40Hz. Very steeply filtered starting at 20Hz. Will update when I watch it. PvA:
  20. nube
    Runner Runner (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 1 Stars (101.53dB composite) Extension - 5 Stars (1Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (30.58dB) Execution - 2 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.25 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: This one isn't a bass movie, but has some weird out of place 1-5Hz noise in three or four places that doesn't seem to correspond with anything else happening on screen. That means it kinda cheats to get that 5 Stars extension rating. Supremely low levels in this mix. Will update if I watch the whole thing. PvA:
  21. nube
    Closed Circuit (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 1 Stars (104.71dB composite) Extension - 1 Stars (31Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (30.92dB) Execution - 2 Stars (by poll) Overall - 2.25 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: Will update if/when I watch it. PvA:
  22. nube
    tuxedocivic, A few people over at AVS requested the same thing, so I graphed the ~50s of that explosion and added it to the measurements post for The Wolverine. It's good, but the OHF Washington Monument scene destroys it in terms of intensity and extension. Be careful with that scene!
  23. nube
    Don Jon (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 4 Stars (110.83dB composite) Extension - 2 Stars (22Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (31.47dB) Execution - 4 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.75 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: Don Jon really surprised me. Gary Rizzo did an excellent job with this mix, leaving very little on the table. The most prominent bass takes place in the club scenes - hence the peaks at 25, 36 and 46Hz - but it's really good. It's punchy and dynamic and generally used appropriately. The film makes great use of effects and surrounds to really envelop the listener, and uses the surrounds in every scene you'd expect it. This mix is better than a lot of big budget action flicks, to be honest. This isn't a typical romcom - your gf/wife prolly won't like it. I didn't care for the movie either, but the exceptional mix made it worthwhile. This mix reminds me a LOT of the quality and clarity of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Besides the high -10dB point, it's hard to find any fault with this mix. PvA:
  24. nube
    Insidious Chapter 2 (5.1 DTS-HD MA) Level - 2 Stars (106dB composite) Extension - 4 Stars (11Hz) Dynamics - 5 Stars (33.56dB) Execution - 4 Stars (by poll) Overall - 3.75 Stars Recommendation - Rent (by poll) Notes: Will update if I ever watch it. PvA:
  25. nube
    MKT, That one you mentioned isn't low. You really like the 20Hz on up stuff, don't you? I added it and another to the Elysium measurements post.
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