Tag Archives: surround sound

Sci-Tech

The Best Theater Sound System In Finland

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— Kino Piispanristi integrates Genelec’s famous “The Ones” loudspeaker range along with the latest Dolby Surround technology to deliver premium audio quality — the best to be found (and heard) in Finland.

NATICK, MA, August, 2024 —Kino Piispanristi is a full-service 286-seat independent movie theater close to Turku, Finland. The venue is a long-time passion project of Henry Erkkilä, a movie lover who wanted to create a modern cinema that transcends tradition when it comes to audio-visual technology. Kino Piispanristi cinema strives to continually deliver a superior experience, so its luxury new premium screen features a Genelec sound system comprising the brand’s unmatched smart active studio loudspeakers and subwoofers.

Genelec “The Ones”

Erkkilä discovered his love for the film industry as a young boy. His father had a film projector that he travelled around Sweden with, bringing the latest screen favorites to audiences in his home country. Prior to the screening, Erkkilä would be tasked with dropping off advertisements in the local area, showcasing the movie on offer that evening and encouraging people to attend.

Inspired by his father, he set up his very own touring movie theater concept in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2017 that Erkkilä finally opened his first permanent space. Kino Piispanristi began with two theaters, but now the cinema boasts five screens, as well as additional venues in Turku, Salo and Laitila.

“We strive to offer all the perks of a modern cinema without being a faceless corporation,” begins Erkkilä.

A look at some of the Genelec’s installed in Kino Premium.

“We react to trends quickly and make moves boldly so that our customers can walk in and out feeling happy. Having the greatest theater sound system in Finland is an excellent way to help us light up people’s faces!”

Kino Piispanristi’s newest screen is a premium, more intimate space with exceptional picture quality and a 7.1 audio system based around Genelec’s “The Ones” family of coaxial three-way studio loudspeakers – which deliver extended frequency response, controlled directivity and fatigue-free listening. Three 8361s – the flagship of The Ones range – are deployed for LCR, with six of the more compact 8341s in the surround positions, complemented by two 7380 subwoofers for clean, controlled LF performance.

“For our premium space theater, sound is everything.”

“Theater technology, be it projectors, screens, audio or seats, is constantly evolving and unless you’re among the frontrunners, you might get left behind,” Erkkilä explains. “Genelec is widely known and admired as a wonderful example of Finnish engineering and design. As a local business, we try to emphasize the importance of using locally sourced products, and Genelec’s quality is unmatched. This was a pilot project for us and we’re looking into expanding our other spaces – since it’s been such a hit. We charge a few Euros extra for the premium screen, but the movie experience is so good that our customers still see it as excellent value.”

GLM Space calibration software at work.

Usually found powering the world’s most notable music, broadcast and film studios, Genelec’s studio loudspeakers are now being specified for an increasing number of high-end residential and boutique commercial cinemas around the world – thereby allowing customers to experience the same kind of sonic detail and clarity as the movie creators themselves.

The Ones models provide optimized performance by intelligently adapting to the acoustics of the room, achieved by a combination of GLM space calibration software and internal DSP within each loudspeaker and subwoofer. “GLM calibration allowed us to achieve a better balance with the lower and higher voices on screen,” explains Erkkilä. “Without it, it’s likely that the room would’ve changed the natural feel of the audio. It gave us full control over the system.”

PDF brochure on how Genelec used this cinema for a product case study.

GLM offers precise calibration of each loudspeaker’s in-room frequency response, playback level and distance delay, minimizing unwanted room influences and ensuring the best possible audio quality. In addition to the Genelec system, Kino Piispanristi uses Dolby Cinema processors which bring a natural feel to film soundscapes – immersing the audience in the true excitement of cinema.

“Our expertise in cinema and Genelec’s legacy in sound was the perfect match, and the collaboration was even more meaningful because of the local connection,” concludes Erkkilä. “The Ones loudspeaker series has completely transformed the cinema, and now we can offer audiences everything that the big players can – and more. The cinema is a result of a lot of hard work and dedication, and the Genelec system feels like the icing on the cake. It’s reinvented what we show on the screen.”

Art

Screenings In 70MM Film Hit Differently

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This past Saturday, it was back to the Aero at Santa Monica, California for more Ultra Cinematheque 70 Fest.

So far, every one of these screenings have been preceded by a short film titled “Six Tons of 70MM”, in which we follow Matt Burris, an employee of the American Cinematheque, driving around L.A., picking up the prints that will be played throughout the festival. He talks about the work and costs involved in booking, transporting, and projecting these big, heavy-ass prints — this year’s festival totals 40 films — and explains how the higher resolution format makes for a more theatrical experience, quoting Martin Scorsese with “Seventy-millimeter hits different”.

Because this short plays before every one of these 70mm screenings, I was ready to call Burris the Nicole Kidman of the American Cinematheque — if the son-of-a-bitch hadn’t already beat me to the punch during his intro to Saturday afternoon’s screening of 1996’s HAMLET, Kenneth Branagh’s *unabridged* adaptation of the Bard’s play, which was shot in Super Panavision 70. During Burris’ intro, we were told about how the length of the film — over four hours — meant that the *two* projectionists on hand for this screening would be dealing with 20 reels, each weighing about 30 lbs each, totaling about 600 pounds of movie.

I’ve only seen the play performed once, and I’ve never seen any of the film adaptations, neither the Olivier, Gibson, not even the Ethan Hawke one — but I have seen STRANGE BREW, if that counts.

So I can’t compare flicks, but really liked this pumped-up version of the play, which isn’t surprising considering Branagh’s tendency as a director to just Fuckin’ Go For It on some over-the-top shit. That approach might be off-putting to some, but I didn’t have an issue with it, just as I didn’t have an issue with it during his HENRY V. (I still want to see his FRANKENSTEIN movie, for morbid curiosity’s sake, if nothing else.) It didn’t feel like four hours, more like two-and-a-half, if I’m being honest.

I knew of this film during its original release, but totally forgot about the cast, which includes welcome-but-not-surprising appearances by Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Brian “Gordon’s alive!” Blessed, John Gielgud, Rufus Sewell (giving me Purple Rain-era Prince visual vibes here), and many other of the usual respected suspects for this kind of film.

But then every once in a while, someone like Jack Lemmon or Robin Williams or Charlton Heston or fuckin’ Billy Crystal will pop up and it kind of took me a bit to get acclimated to the sudden Yank-ifcation of the atmosphere; of these Special Guest Stars, I felt Crystal (no, really) and especially Heston gave the best performances.

The print looked good, some lines here and there, but there was an odd inconsistency in the rear surrounds with echoing voices in the interior scenes, some parts had it, others didn’t.

But the main thing is that it was a great looking film, shot on 70mm, shown in 70mm, and unlike say, certain foot-fetishizing filmmakers, Branagh and cinematographer Alex Thomson took full advantage of the format, filming in big, wide spaces, both interior and exterior. They do a lot of talking here, but make no mistake, this is a goddamn Movie.

There was a ten-minute intermission a little after two hours, which allowed some of us in the audience to use the restroom, get snacks, or in my case, run four blocks down to feed the meter (which by that point, had expired about ten minutes earlier) because this was a 2PM afternoon show and those Montana Ave. parking enforcers don’t get off the clock until 6pm.

Later that evening, I was back inside the Aero for STREETS OF FIRE, directed by one of my Mount Rushmore directors, Walter Hill. I had actually seen this 70MM print before at the Aero in ’17 — it starts with a British Board of Film Classification at the beginning — and both viewings were equally loud and pristine, both viewings rocked my world.

It’s not even so much a Style Over Substance deal here, it’s more like Style *Is* Substance — the music, the clothes, the attitudes, the neon-lights, the wet streets, the cars (oh my god, the cars), the bikes, the guns, and badasses of both genders.

(And Diane Lane too. I mean, wow.)

Diane Lane in Streets of Fire

Let me mention the music yet again, because both the mix of rock & roll, doo-wop, Ry Cooder score, and Jim Steinman’s breathlessly passionate rants and screeds and laments set to melody, well, they shouldn’t blend so well, and yet they do, kinda like how the film’s world of 1950s meets 1980s shouldn’t blend so well, and yet it does.

During this viewing, I focused more on the dynamic between Michael Paré’s Cody and Amy Madigan’s McCoy. I love how they don’t flex or flaunt, they’re just casually ultra-competent, it’s just what they do when called upon to do it, and I wish I lived in the timeline where we got to see them do more of it together in follow-up films. I’d have followed them anywhere.

One of the things I love about Hill is just how meat & potatoes and no-frills his stories are, they’re real cut-to-the-quick tales that don’t overstay their welcome, populated by characters that are old-school types rather than fleshed-out collections of hopes, dreams, anxieties, etc. (Hell, he didn’t even give the characters of THE DRIVER names, just designations.) He gives you the good guys and the bad guys and that’s it, that’s the Walter Hill way, and his way is an increasingly fresh — and dying — breath of air in today’s chatty and jokey “he just like me fr fr”/“so that just happened” world of action cinema. (Not that I’m against that kind of movie — I enjoyed THE FALL GUY — I just don’t want to see *only* that kind of movie.)

Give me men and women of few words and more actions, is what I mean, or to quote McCoy, “Are we gonna do it, or are we gonna talk about it?”

Hell yeah, McCoy — you can watch my six and sleep on my couch any time.

Great crowd for this showing, a packed house full of both fans and first-timers alike who clapped and laughed at all the right moments. I overheard a lot of excited reactions after the film by people who had no idea what they were in store for, but were very happy they got to experience it. Which in turn made me even happier.

On the walk back to my parking spot, I passed by a car blasting the soundtrack — this also happened when I saw this in ’17, as well as after a 35MM screening at the New Beverly Cinema in ’10. I just thought you should know that. For the Silo, E.F. Contentment. All photos by the author.

Vintage

Why Not Laserdiscs In The 2020’s?

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In this, our new high tech world, a lot of people may think I’ve gone decidedly crazy.

I’ve always wanted the man cave ‘aka’ cinema room to have a nostalgic feel to it. I started collecting videos at the tender aged of 11. All my friends growing up called me videoboy lol because I was the go-to-guy to get films from on vhs videotape but one format that always intrigued me was laserdisc.

A Little History

LaserDisc (often abbreviated as LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978.  No one can say for sure if the disco craze at that time was responsible for its early name or if it was simply a play on the word ‘disc’. Whatever the reason, the early DiscoVisions have distinct cover designs which make them quite collectible and they have a certain unique retro-funk all of their own.

Although the format was capable of offering higher-quality video and audio than its consumer rivals- VHS and Betamax videotape, LaserDisc never managed to gain widespread use in North America, largely due to high costs for the players and video titles themselves and the inability to record TV programs. It was not a popular format in Europe and Australia when first released but was popular in the 1990s. By contrast, the format was strongly embraced in Japan and in the more affluent regions of Southeast Asia, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and was the prevalent rental video medium in Hong Kong during the 1990s. Its superior video and audio quality made it a popular choice among videophiles and film enthusiasts during its lifespan. The technologies and concepts behind LaserDisc were the foundation for later optical disc formats including Compact Disc (CD), DVD and Blu-ray (BD).

A Little Boasting

LaserDisc had a number of advantages over VHS (and Beta) videotape. It featured a sharper picture with a horizontal resolution of 425 TVL lines for NTSC and 440 TVL lines for PAL discs, while VHS featured only 240 TVL lines in NTSC (VHS HQ offered 260). It could handle analog and digital audio where VHS was mostly analog only (VHS did have PCM audio in professional applications but was uncommon), and the NTSC discs could store multiple audio tracks. This allowed for extras such as director’s commentary tracks and other features to be added onto a film, creating “Special Edition” releases that would not have been possible with VHS. Disc access was random and chapter based, like the DVD format, meaning that one could jump to any point on a given disc very quickly. By comparison, VHS would require tedious rewinding and fast-forwarding to get to specific points.

Please be kind! Rewind!

LaserDiscs were initially cheaper than videocassettes to manufacture, because they lacked the moving parts and plastic outer shell that are necessary for VHS tapes to work, and the duplication process was much simpler. A VHS cassette has at least 14 parts including the actual tape while LaserDisc has one part with five or six layers. A disc can be stamped out in a matter of seconds whereas duplicating videotape required a complex bulk tape duplication mechanism and was a time-consuming process. However, by the end of the 1980s, average disc-pressing prices were over $5 USD per two-sided disc, due to the large amount of plastic material and the costly glass-mastering process needed to make the metal stamper mechanisms. Due to the larger volume of demand, videocassettes quickly became much cheaper to duplicate, costing as little as $1 USD by the beginning of the 1990s.

LaserDiscs potentially had a much longer lifespan than videocassettes. Because the discs were read optically instead of magnetically, no physical contact needs to be made between the player and the disc, except for the player’s clamp that holds the disc at its center as it is spun and read. As a result, playback would not wear the information-bearing part of the discs, and properly manufactured LDs would theoretically last beyond one’s lifetime. By contrast, a VHS tape held all of its picture and sound information on the tape in a magnetic coating which is in contact with the spinning heads on the head drum, causing progressive wear with each use (though later in VHS’s lifespan, engineering improvements allowed tapes to be made and played back without contact). Also, the tape was thin and delicate, and it was easy for a player mechanism, especially on a low quality or malfunctioning model, to mishandle the tape and damage it by creasing it, frilling (stretching) its edges, or even breaking it.

My NTSC/PAL hybrid player.

LaserDisc players also had several advantages of VHS and other format playback machines. Some models, such as my Pioneer CLD-1850 are able to playback both NTSC movies and PAL movies. Since I live in the UK- this means that I can buy Laserdiscs from America or Japan (or anywhere in the world that uses NTSC video) and they will play in my machine. Try doing that with VHS or DVD. Another important innovation for Laserdisc was the fact that it was the very first home video format to offer Dolby Digital Surround Sound- often referred to as AC-3 on Laserdisc jackets and hardware. Many fans of Laserdisc are still enjoying this feature because some movies such as the Alien AC-3 LD were released with their original cinema surround mix on the AC-3 Laserdisc and those mixes are unavailable on today’s modern formats such as Blu-ray or UHD Blu-ray. Many early LD players can even be modified to turn them into AC-3 LD players.

The Death And Re-birth Of Laserdisc

By the time of the advent of the DVD, LaserDisc had declined considerably in popularity, so the two formats never directly competed with each other. In fact, combination LD/DVD players were introduced into the marketplace and continue to be quite popular with collectors as these players tend to be flagship models with advanced features such as digital 3D comb filters and digital frame memory and effects. It’s too bad that I couldn’t afford the format at the time , and I really don’t know why I’ve decided to pull the trigger now as Jez would put it lol.

Prices on the used market are still quite high on these combi players but other machines are affordable and the LD’s themselves can usually be found at affordable prices with exceptions for the ultra rare and more obscure releases.  I can’t say exactly

Some of my LD collection.

what has me so excited again about Laserdisc and why I’m back in the hunt but I really like the way the discs are packaged in big vinyl like slips, they look so cool. The artwork has totally sucked me in. I’ve started my journey, but I don’t know where it will end. And of course that journey has to begin with Schwarzenegger LD’S. “Get to da choppa! Hurry!”  

For the Silo, Anneal Butt- member of Laserdiscs & Hardware Enthusiasts on Facebook.

Featured image via highdefdigest.com

Sci-Tech

Why We Have A Romantic Conception Of Reverberation

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Reverberation. Why are its effects so pleasing to our ears and how is reverberation designed and controlled?

Sci-Tech

Gaming Music Production And Sound Design Focusing On 3D 360 Spatiality

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Zylia, the Poland-based manufacturer of audio recording technologies, will host a workshop on 3D/360 music production and sound design during GameSoundCon 2018, today and tomorrow at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Zylia co-founder and CTO Tomasz Żernicki will lead the workshop, focusing on the use of third-order Ambisonics spherical microphone arrays, such as that in the innovative new ZYLIA ZM-1, to capture a 3D full-sphere audio scene for gaming or ambient sound production.

“Use of a spherical microphone array to enable single-device capture of a full sound scene with high spatial resolution is a recent and significant advance in audio recording technology — and one that opens the door to 3D audio production opportunities for both professionals and amateurs,” said Żernicki. “We’re excited to be sharing this technology with GameSoundCon 2018 attendees and to be providing them with useful techniques for capturing 3D sound in Ambisonics format and for working with live sound in VR applications.”

During the Zylia GameSoundCon workshop, Żernicki will demonstrate how just one spherical microphone array can record an entire 3D sound scene and then separate the recording’s individual sound sources for multitrack editing in post production. The numerous physical microphone capsules within the spherical array effectively enable users to work with software-controlled virtual microphones with adjustable direction and spatial characteristics. By isolating particular sounds, cutting out interesting areas of the sound space, and zooming in on particular sound objects, this kind of sound representation allows for soundscape modification in post production and simplifies ambient or Foley sound preparation.5 speaker binaural audio setup

Żernicki will explain how sound recorded by third-order Ambisonics spherical microphone array can be converted into the Ambisonics format and used in 360-degree movies — particularly virtual reality content on Facebook 360, YouTube 360, or game engines — in which listeners can rotate the whole sound scene. He also will discuss usage of 360 sound with the combination of binaural or surround loudspeaker reproduction.

As an audio expert, Żernicki focuses his professional interest on 360/VR music production, spatial sound processing, and recording. He holds doctorates in electrical and electronic engineering, and he takes an active role in the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standardization committee. He also has made significant contributions to audio compression standards such as MPEG-D USAC and MPEG-H 3D Audio.AES Conference for Augmented Reality Audio

GameSoundCon is dedicated to game music, sound design, and virtual reality audio. Throughout the conference, Żernicki and other Zylia experts will be on hand to discuss 3D/360 sound applications, as well as the company’s ZYLIA ZM-1 spherical microphone array, ZYLIA Studio PRO VST/AU plugin, and ZYLIA Ambisonics Converter.

Supplemental- Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO) on making music for games.

Sci-Tech

Dolby Laboratories Media Emulator In Minnetonka Master Suite

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DolbyMediaScreenshots
MINNETONKA, Minn. — Minnetonka Audio Software Inc. (MASI), a leader in production software for motion picture, broadcast surround sound, and consumer electronics applications, recently announced that it is now providing worldwide distribution and resales of the Dolby(R) Media Emulator toolkit from California-based Dolby Laboratories Incorporated. This fortifies Minnetonka Audio’s already comprehensive offering of production problem solvers. Minnetonka Audio has added Dolby Media Emulator to its SurCode for Dolby E Master Suite 3 product bundle without raising the bundle price.

 “Our strategic decision to distribute Dolby Media Emulator strengthens our current product mix and expands our reach into more post suites,” said Jayson Tomlin, vice president of business operations at Minnetonka Audio. “For our customers, Dolby Media Emulator is a bargain in itself. By bundling it with the SurCode suite without raising the price, we’ve created a one-stop shop for media producers that is truly an outstanding value.”

Dolby Media Emulator is a software tool for authoring and post that provides real-time emulation for Dolby broadcast formats. Acting as a plug-in for popular digital audio workstations, Dolby Media Emulator enables an audio engineer to simulate accurately how content will sound when played back through licensed consumer electronics.

Dolby Media Emulator lets an operator preview the results of differing metadata values when decoding Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and HE-AAC audio formats.

One application worth highlighting: Take a look at this diagram. See all of those speakers? Consider that Dolby Surround formats are varied but most include multiple speakers and therefore multiple positions of "sound". The vast majority of consumers are listening to complex surround signals through only one or two speakers. That means, a proper mix MUST take this into account. Minnetonka's Dolby Media Emulator makes sure you get this right. CP
One application worth highlighting: Take a look at this diagram. See all of those speakers? Consider that Dolby Surround formats are varied but most include multiple speakers and therefore multiple positions of “sound”. The vast majority of consumers are listening to complex surround signals through only one or two speakers. That means, a proper mix MUST take this into account. Minnetonka’s Dolby Media Emulator makes sure you get this right. CP

 

“With the majority of surround programs being played back in stereo and mono environments, correct metadata and downmix settings are a critical requirement for deliverables,” said Markus Hintz, director of global sales and business development at Minnetonka Audio. “In addition to previewing their metadata settings, audio engineers can use Dolby Media Emulator for standardized loudness measurement, proper  monitoring of LtRt sources, and downmixes from all other sources.”

Rather than resort to using home audio gear in a professional workflow, engineers can use Dolby Media Emulator to validate mix and metadata decisions against a certified standard in their familiar monitoring environment.

To aid in specifying proper metadata values, Dolby Media Emulator can measure and properly determine the dialogue normalization (dialnorm) value with a standardized loudness meter. The included loudness meter supports international ITU-R BS.1770, ITU-R BS.1770-2, and EBU R-128 loudness standards and incorporates the optional Dolby Dialogue Intelligence(TM) algorithm. Its ability to configure and control the monitoring environment and evaluate metadata parameters makes Dolby Media Emulator an essential product for postproduction, DVD, and DTV facilities that master, author, or broadcast program material with Dolby surround sound formats. Dolby Media Emulator runs as an Avid(R) Pro Tools(R) RTAS(R) plug-in, and as a VST(R) plug-in for popular programs such as Nuendo(R).

Dolby Media Emulator is available for immediate delivery from Minnetonka Audio resellers and distributors, and also directly from Minnetonka Audio’s eShop. In-depth information on Dolby Media Emulator and how it enriches existing tools and workflows is available at www.minnetonkaaudio.com.