Cinema mixing levels poll

[Steven1145]

https://goo.gl/forms/8bK5mvxxWFEezdhx1

Hi all,
in an effort to get as much data as possible about cinema mixing levels around the world, I have created a short poll.
It would be great if as many people could answer the questions.

Thanks

[reichman]

Can you share the results when you're done? It's anonymous data right?

[joachim]

Originally Posted by Steven1145

I have created a short poll.

Originally Posted by reichman

Can you share the results when you're done?

When will the poll be finished ?

[Cheesehead]

This is a good idea, it'll be interesting to see the results.

Like all these multiple choice things it doesn't allow for the level of accuracy answering these questions that would be really interesting.

for example a lot of people will prep a mix in a smaller room and final in a big Theatre, that's not really covered in this.

At the end of the day I think we need an agreed loudness standard for film, similar to R128 in broadcast and we can get back to enjoying mixing.

[Steven1145]

Originally Posted by Cheesehead

for example a lot of people will prep a mix in a smaller room and final in a big Theatre, that's not really covered in this.
.

I know, that was why I created two different poll questions for predubs and finals. There are many other technical details that could have been covered, but in all honesty I'm not sure I would be able to interpret them nor find how relevant they are to the big picture, which is the recurring issue of cinema sound levels.

[Cheesehead]

(I expect the dialog LUFS at 85dBspl to be -33 +/-3 ...)

I would agree with that Joachim, that's what my mixes come out at also.
It would be a good basis of a 'standard'.

I know, that was why I created two different poll questions for predubs and finals. There are many other technical details that could have been covered, but in all honesty I'm not sure I would be able to interpret them nor find how relevant they are to the big picture, which is the recurring issue of cinema sound levels.

Understood, good that we're all on the same page.

[yoerik roevens]

Originally Posted by Cheesehead

At the end of the day I think we need an agreed loudness standard for film, similar to R128 in broadcast and we can get back to enjoying mixing.

Sorry to say, but that's a terrible idea. Only thing that must happen is that studio's and theaters start respecting the standards again.

Why is it a bad idea in short?

Loudness standard for broadcast is there so there are no big jumps between channels and stations. After all, the viewer has the remote and controls the listening level to taste. What happens if you use a loudness standard in a theater where the viewer cannot do this? A film like Mad Max or 300 will sound as loud or soft as a very quiet intimistic film. It`s like having a standard for concerts that says that a concert by Metallica should sound exactly as loud as a piano piece by Satie.

Keep in mind that R128 was developed specifically for broadcast and all tests where done at 65dBa (if I remember correct, it`s in the papers), which is way softer than cinema.

Keep in mind that R128 loudness metering is intended for programs with dynamic range smaller than +-20 dB (max 'range' you can measure is about 26 dB).

This summer I was sent a document by some Dutch guys who are trying to get loudness standards into cinema.

I did a small test which is very easy to setup, both with test tones/noises and actual footage.

1) I took a rough mix of a quiet short film I was working on, which measured -43.3 LUFS.
2) I boosted it with a MB compressor and limiter to -27.8 dB (which didn`t sound great, but still acceptable)
3) To both versions I added a 30s helicopter sound at a random spot in the film (same spot of course in both versions) of -16,9 LUFS
4) V1 (the quiet one) now measures - 19.7 LUFS, V2 (the compressed loud one) just -26.1 LUFS

So when working with dynamic material, it' s perfectly possible and very easy to make mixes that measure far less loudness, while they actually are much louder.

Besides, think of a theatre as a concert hall. You simply don't want every film to sound equally loud. That's exactly why the current standard is there and it should be defended by all means imo.

[yoerik]

Originally Posted by yoerik roevens

This summer I was sent a document by some Dutch guys who are trying to get loudness standards into cinema.

to be slightly more precise, the paper was not so much about a loudness standard, but rather about maximum levels using loudness measuring, but that runs into exactly the same problems.

[yoerik]

Originally Posted by yoerik roevens

...big jumps between channels and stations.

I can't edit right now as I'm logged in under another account, but of course I meant channels and programs

[Branko]

Originally Posted by Cheesehead:
At the end of the day I think we need an agreed loudness standard for film, similar to R128 in broadcast and we can get back to enjoying mixing.

Originally Posted by yoerik roevens

Sorry to say, but that's a terrible idea. Only thing that must happen is that studio's and theaters start respecting the standards again.

Seems we quickly forgot some things from our recent history. Until the DCPs took over, we always lived with limitations, which is a true name for standards. Let me remind you:

While mixing for Dolby Digital (which has 20 dB of headroom over 85), we had to live with limitations - those of analog soundtracks (100% modulation was 6dB above 85) that served as a backup in case of DD failure during the playback in cinemas. Consequently, you could not make your mix louder than what was permitted by physical limitations of an optical soundtrack, because there would be a huge difference in levels, and "seamless switching" between analog and digital would be impossible. Dolby Consultants would attend print mastering sessions and assure this request was respected. The great difference between digital and analog was (apart from discrete surrounds and LFE) in transients.
Loudness wars started immediately after analog disappeared from our workflow - engineers were quick to fill the empty space above -20 FS and make "louder" mixes.

So, to recap, you cannot just simply go back to pre-DCP standards, because the conditions have changed, and there's nothing (and no one) to tell you where's the limit. As Cheesehead says, we need some new standards/limitations.