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0 pointsKaiserPro4y ago0 comments

When the sound design is targeted for 5.1, most of the dialogue comes from the center speaker.

This is great if you have one.

However if its downmixed on the fly (ie done on the client side) the center channel is often just played out of both speakers. This means that sound can be muffled, because its drowned out by the incidental noise that comes from the left/right channel.

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chrisseaton4y ago

> the center channel is often just played out of both speakers

Well what other option do you have when there are only two speakers? Only play it out of one?

noizejoy4y ago

The center channel needs to be made louder in the mixdown to 2 channels

chrisseaton4y ago

But why can't that be done automatically from the 5.1 signal on the consumer's device?

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KaiserProOP4y ago

No,

When you master for 5.1, because you have the centre speaker, you can have dialogue at 100% volume, then out of left and right, you can have incidental noise, be that music or "atmosphere" also at 100%

(its been a while since I've mastered in 5.1) However, two channels of 100% volume (well 0dbu) is louder than just one channel. Which means that if you have lots of music, wind or other foley it'll drown out the dialogue.

It requires artistic choices from the sound team to make work properly.

mulmen4y ago

The next sentence explains why this is a problem.

> This means that sound can be muffled, because its drowned out by the incidental noise that comes from the left/right channel.

chrisseaton4y ago

Yeah I read the same comment you did, but if you're taking a signal with 6 channels, and only have two channels out, you don't really have any option but send the middle channel to both outputs, else it'll sound far too intense in a single ear.

wmf4y ago

A separate stereo audio mix.

chrisseaton4y ago

How else would you mix the dialogue except to come out of both speakers though?

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