Features

Hollywood Sound: Part Two

Pushing the Consumer Sound Envelope

While surround sound now has a solid install base of recognizable formats, the field of surround sound is anything but static. Research and development into increasing the resolution (number of speakers) of the surround field (also known as the ‘audio pixel'), as well as the realism of the reproduction of sounds in space, is steadily moving forward. There are inherent problems in getting both theatrical exhibition spaces and consumers on board with any new and improved immersion format. Few consumers understand the need for higher resolution surround images, which is why the cinema of the spectacle will probably be the place where these new formats will be introduced. The integration of games consoles into the consumer surround ‘package', integrated with DVD movies and HDTV broadcasts, means that there will probably not be any improvements in the resolution of consumer surround sound without that shift being available in all three areas; games, movies and TV.

Game developers are often challenged to create a more ‘cinematic' sound experience for gamers. Part of the problem is understanding what this actually means in terms of production. Many game developers still eschew audio to be the most neglected component of their development, mixing on consumer systems or creating sound effects in poorly isolated rooms full of computers and hardware that emit high levels of fan and cooler noise. These things alone raise the noise-floor of the development environment and inhibit sound designers from making critical decisions about the sound in games. Again, THX is doing what it can to educate and help game developers, however it is severely cost inhibitive, and these higher production costs are something that only the giant publishers are able to afford and justify.

Having the game content mixed properly is essential in a final post production phase of development. Again, this should be done in a correctly calibrated surround environment, preferably of THX standard. Currently every developer and almost every title have differing approaches to this, while it is true to say that motion pictures also have varying and differing mix strategies, the latter tend to be artistic decisions made by choice, not the bi-products of radically different mixing environments and approaches.

With next generation consoles all being fully compliant with Dolby Digital's discreet surround 5.1 format, the emphasis on mixing and surround in titles is going to become more apparent. These movements will be partnered with integration into the latest surround formats of film and TV. Whatever moves the consumer surround market makes, video games will need to, at a minimum, keep up, but where possible, innovate.

With this in mind, we can already see the move into the realm of 10.2 surround sound, in which greater emphasis is placed on the sub channel, and the resolution of the audio pixel in terms of surround channels. Tom Holman's TMH Corporation are at the forefront of this research. (3)

Immersive Audio Labs at the University of Southern California are also at the cutting edge of this research, part of their Mission Statement reads:

“While DVD and high definition television deliver 5.1 channels of sound to consumers today, in the future these systems will seem as antiquated as the monophonic recordings of Caruso, which were created in the early 1900s. Certainly better than 2 channel stereo, 5.1 channel audio is not completely convincing-it is easily distinguished from the real thing.

Research in the IMSC Immersive Audio Laboratory is focused on algorithms for capturing and rendering sound so that it is indistinguishable from reality. Our goal is to provide an immersive experience through greater imaging and envelopment capabilities than ever before. The unique component to our work is a comprehensive synergy in the understanding of acoustics, psychoacoustics, recording technique, and adaptive audio signal processing. Our hope is that this kind of immersive experience can become practical for various playback environments including movie theatres, home theatres, headphones, and even the desktop computer.” (4)

As part of this is an extension of the THX calibration process into home listening situations, it is almost pointless mixing and designing sounds in a THX designed and calibrated studio if that content is then to be played back on an uncalibrated system. Using high performance speakers and amplifier components is only part of the equation. The radically differing acoustics of consumer and professional studios alike causes radically different listening experiences. Calibration of the speaker system and EQ to match the room the sound is being heard in, is a fundamental problem associated with the THX specifications. Audyssey Labs' MultEQ (5) represents a move towards resolving this, using an ‘auto set-up' that automatically determines how many loudspeakers are connected, whether they are in-phase, satellites or subwoofers, it then analyses speaker level, size and distance in order to give every seat in the house the ‘sweet spot' effect. We will undoubtedly see more of this type of calibration in the home entertainment arena, undoubtedly led by the middle class consumers who can afford such items as Bang and Olufsen's BeoLab 5s. This not only comes with the economic limitations of the speakers themselves, but also with similar economic limitations on affordable housing in which these sound systems can be turned up loud enough not to annoy closely situated neighbous. Subwoofer bans in condominiums are surely a fast approaching widespread reality. For the majority of consumers, this ‘lifestyle' is simply beyond their affordability.

The experience and spectacle of viewing a movie in a cinema will never go away, nor will the larger format ‘spectacle' entertainments as IMAX and ride film, however, the home entertainment arena, through DVD and digital content, is where the battle for surround formats will be most fiercely fought. Games will likely play a role at the forefront of this battle, and this will be achieved by quality of content. This means cinematic surround mixes, a ride-film-like assault of the senses, as well as direction of the action itself through surround sound.

Next up: Part Three - a look into writing inside and outside the game, voice content of video games, and the move into using Hollywood talent to capture authentic performances and stories.

Notes:

(1) This is not to say that this will always be the case, there is a larger debate about ever having a video game that creates such emotional response that it will make you cry. It remains to be seen whether this will ever occur in exactly the same way that a filmic narrative engages the emotions.

(2)  Interview with Tim Archer by Rob Bridgett August 2005, Master's Digital http://www.mastersdigital.com/

(3)  Tom Holman developed the THX sound system while at Lucasfilm Ltd. http://www.tmhlabs.com

(4)  Immersive Audio Labs Website

(5)  Audyssey Labs' MultEQ system, http://imsc.usc.edu/news/releases/audyssey.html

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