Today we delved into the challenge of multi-channel mixing for films, specifically 5:1. A big difference between 5:1 and standard stereo sound setups is the extra speakers to the rear of the listener. These extra speakers provide a much greater sense of depth, with the sound being able to travel around you in 360 degrees. However, this setup comes with additional obstacles, mainly potential phase issues. Eric Dienstfrey provides a great example of this from Apocalypse Now and its Dolby sound system in his journal saying “mixing track six with tracks two and four would inadvertently mute sound effects intended for the rear loudspeakers. Dolby consultant John Iles recalls that this phenomenon, known as “signal cancellation” (Dienstfrey, 2016).
In 5:1 you are able to create a more immersive soundscape, to make the listener feel as if they are potentially inside the film itself, providing z contrast between the locations shown on screen. Eric Dienstfrey again provides an excellent example of this in his journal, describing 2 scenes from the film Tron (1982) “The use of atmospheric effects accentuates the differences between Los Angeles and the computer world. For instance, when Kevin, Lora, and Alan converse in Kevin’s small apartment, their voices and the noises of the city remain in the front loudspeakers (0:19:10). In contrast, when Kevin, Tron, and Ram discuss their plan to attack Master Control, the buzzes of the mainframe’s neon lights emanate from every channel (0:48:15) (fig. 4). In order to emphasize the digital world’s stadium-like size” (Dienstfrey, 2016). The sounds coming directly from the front speakers in the apartment scene, directly involving the viewer in the conversation. In contrast to this, in the next scene mentioned, the sound from all sides emulates the disorientation the characters would feel when placed in the centre of a stadium. As I said before these details from the sound design in the film really help to emulate the locations shown on screen, vastly improving the viewer’s experience while watching.
When it comes to mixing dialogue in 5:1, according to Diego, the raw dialogue is almost always placed on the centre channel, with the side channels being used to create the surround image by bleeding in the reverb from the actor’s vocals. If the dialogue tracks are sent to the side speakers to obtain the position within the camera frame, the audio can jump around and become jarring if not done correctly. For example it is excellently utilised in the film “Gravity” with Sandra Bullock’s dialogue coming from all sides as she and the camera swing around in the depths of space. For a dialogue-heavy film however, this may not be ideal, too many jumps or volume changes could ruin the flow of the film.
This was an issue I ran into when mixing my dialogue edit artefacts, specifically the casino scene. Though these clips are in stereo rather than 5:1, the point I made above still applies. I initially tried to match the dialogue volume and tone to the the distance of the characters from the camera for realism. After completing my mix and listening back however, I realised it didn’t sound right. I compared my mix to the poker scene from ‘Casino Royale’ since they were stylistically similar, and noticed that no matter how far the camera is from the characters or how loud they are speaking the volume of their dialogue stays relatively the same level. Something like a volume change would be best expressed when empasising a certain aspect of the scene, intentionally drawing the viewers focus to that point. I used these details from comparing scenes to improve my dialogue edit by toning down my use of perspectives, making the scene a smooth watch.
i don’t plan on mixing any of my current projects in surround sound, but when the time comes for me to start, the information I have learnt from today’s class and through my research will be invaluable to me in overcoming the challenge that is multi-channel mixing. Being able to design and mix a project in surround is a crucial and valuable asset to have, almost everything on screen nowadays is mixed using a 5:1 speaker setup. It is also useful to know that anything mixed in surround sound can be folded down into a stereo session with ease on pro tools, something I didn’t know about last term when I was mixing my project in 5:1.
Dienstfrey (2016). The Myth of the Speakers: A Critical Reexamination of Dolby History. Film History, 28(1), p.167. doi:https://doi.org/10.2979/filmhistory.28.1.06.