Different EQ-ing of a theatre mix for small speakers?

[lynx lynx]

Is it a common and preferable practice to EQ the dialogue (or even maybe the whole mix) differently for a stereo TV, internet and DVD version of a 5.1 theatre mix? I realized that when I mix stuff only for TV I tend to EQ voices more sharp, and I tend to attenuate lower frequencies more than for cinema speakers - 100 to 300 HZ, as they often make the voice muddy on lot of TVs and small speakers, but I love them in the cinema. I would also de-ess and attenuate over 7kHz less for TV. Or is it a goal to make a mix that EQ wise (of course you have to deal with dynamics) works for all speakers? Please redirect me if there was a thread about this somewhere else.

Tnx,
Martin.

[elicious]

i remember bob clearmountain reacting in shock when he first heard one of his mixes played in the cinema.
so now he has own cinema eq he uses when mixing
and tweaks for all deliverable formats.

[philper]

The ideal is to be able to make mixes that are custom tweaked for each venue. The problem is, nowadays, that there are too many venues, and often budgets will not allow more than one mix of a project. My suggestion would be to mix in an environment that will be the most consequential for that project, if possible, and do checks in the other environments if possible as well.

phil p

[Bob Olhsson]

Different screen sizes also affect mixes. One size can't fit all but the bean counters never want to hear this.

[seanmccoy]

I mix a lot of broadcast TV spots, mostly on Auratones and always adhering to CALM specs. But these days many of them are also shown in local theaters prior to movies, so I insist my clients let me do a separate mix. When plugging these TV-happy mixes into my calibrated system, I consistently have to do exactly what you mentioned: mellow out the high mids and highs on dialogue and voiceovers, and pump up the low end on everything. Interestingly, I find that these mixes, once adjusted tonally, still usually fall very close to the CALM specs with few, if any, additional changes.

[philper]

The thing I always feel with my own mixes heard in a different venue from what we mixed in is how the distance to the speakers affects how it sounds--I feel like this is one of the major diffs between theatrical and TV mixes, and it's really hard to "imagine" the space of a cinema while mixing on smaller speakers in a control-room type space. But this is exactly what we're asked to do all the time, anymore.

philp

[Vedat]

Let's not forget the X-Curve that is applied at the cinema, makes things considerably dull if not careful.

[Reckless Erik]

Oh crap. That explains it Vedat.

[Cheesehead]

Interesting thread.

I find the horns used in large theatre and dub stage speakers, JBL/Meyer for instance, tend to be quite 'honky' in the upper mids, particularly on some dialogue.

Where as the same mix will sound perfect in a smaller cinema and on DVD/Blu ray.

Do people tend to EQ this out for the theatrical mix?

[lynx lynx]

Tnx to all for sharing your experiences. Oh yes, this was a really ineresting case http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb0...es/it_0209.htm.

I was just checking the same TV mix on Genelecs, small computer speakers, AKG monitor headphones and it sounded nice. But I tried it on a crappy Quadro CRT TV and it sounded dull and boomy, however most of the other broadcast did not, including some Hollywood movies, for example Police Academy 1 which sounded like there is nothing below 250Hz but still really good. I wonder if these guys were doing a separate TV mix or it was the same EQ for the theatrical release. When I attenuated 150 and 250Hz by 6dB, Q=10 my mix was fine on that crappy TV. Now it sounds quite harsh on all of my monitors, but I got used to it. I think people tend to mix harsh for TV so even old people can understand dialogue playing trough cheap speakers, whereas loudness and mass of dialogue allows you to mix softer and more comfortable dialogue for the theater. What do you think?