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murky dialog -- Noah Timan


Ty Ford

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Jeff Wexler was talking the other day about how Peter O'Toole's voice could be heard at a whisper a block away.

 

I was diving into old movies last night and watched part of the first Pink Panther film and then Alice B. Toklas - It was a Peter Sellers night.

Via streaming over a Chromecast, I found the first film moderately unintelligible and about half of Alice B. Toklas the same. Some actors popped out a bit but half were in the mud. Too much in the 100-300Hz range, if I were to guess. Do you think that was a bad transfer somewhere up the line?

 

We were also discussing Jim Cavizel's whispery dialog on "Person of Interest" and how difficult it must be to catch his voice. Jan McLaughlin said Noah Timan did the work on that show and it won him an Emmy nomination. I don't know if you've ever watched the show, but it's a miracle how much separation he gets given how quietly Cavizel speaks. Noah, if you're around, can you tell us how you do that?

 

Regards,

 

Ty Ford

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  • 1 month later...

I'm also interested in this.  I went to a screening this year at the arclight in pasadena ca.  I was super excited to see raising arizona on the big screen.  In general the arclights sound and picture quality is top notch but this screening was terrible.  the sound to my very novice ears sounded so compressed that it actually hurt my ears.  I asked to manager to check to make sure the levels were ok etc but she reported to me that they were at their standard.  I left and was pretty put off by this experience. I wonder if it's the same thing you're talking about Ty.  Also I've watched a bunch of your vids on different mics etc, and love them.  Thx for the great knowledge sharing and content.  

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But what is 'their' standard? Is it the Dolby standard? sb

15 hours ago, Steve strobel said:

I'm also interested in this.  I went to a screening this year at the arclight in pasadena ca.  I was super excited to see raising arizona on the big screen.  In general the arclights sound and picture quality is top notch but this screening was terrible.  the sound to my very novice ears sounded so compressed that it actually hurt my ears.  I asked to manager to check to make sure the levels were ok etc but she reported to me that they were at their standard.  I left and was pretty put off by this experience. I wonder if it's the same thing you're talking about Ty.  Also I've watched a bunch of your vids on different mics etc, and love them.  Thx for the great knowledge sharing and content.  

 

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A great friend of mine who has a big post studio in KL (Imaginex) mixed a film that I recorded.

 

He then went to a lot of trouble to get the huge premiere cinema sounding good.

 

So it's not just about the supplied mix but previewing at the cinema and fine tuning.

 

mike

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I went to the premiere of "Annabelle: Creation" at The Chinese Theatre. Home of many big "Hollywood" premieres. I had been to the mix, so knew what it was meant to sound like. The sound in the theatre was muddy, some dialog unintelligible, and some of the story-telling sound effects were nearly inaudible. 

 

I went to a regular multiplex a few days later and I sounded great. Crisp and clear. 

 

It seems The Chinese Theater has some "issue" with sound that can't be resolved due to the building's landmark status. I find that hard to believe. Such a shame too. The director looked very confused throughout as he was clearly recognizing when things were getting missed. 

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