Is the dynamic range (audio) of some movies way too high?
As the title implies, I tend to think the dynamic range of movies is too high.
I often find myself scrambling to change the volume after listening at a previously acceptable level. Why would I want my speakers to be at a comfortable level for dialogue, only to go to 120dB during an action sequence? After which, dialogue at the new volume level is hardly at 50dB, so I have to adjust again.
Is this intentional? I know it's 'dramatic' and 'realistic' but I don't actually want tinnitus.
Best Answer
To directly answer your question: I don't believe so, no (though I feel your pain).
Movies are, of course, mixed for a theater environment wherein ambient noise is practically nil, and I imagine the speakers have been tuned and balanced based on their sizes, specifications, capabilities, positions, etc. The creators make the artistic choice to take full advantage of the available dynamic range in the controlled environment where they present the results of their craft.
That doesn't mean the mix will translate well to your home environment.
AC-3 and other formats do provide the ability for "hints" that a disc player or receiver can utilize to smartly compress the range for your home viewing. Many players/receivers feature the ability to scale the dynamic range compression ("DRC") of incoming audio using these hints.
In my experience, even setting the compression to the highest level is often not enough for my home setup. Personally, I typically boost the center channel (which hosts the majority of dialog) by about 4-6 db. This combined with the DRC options generally gives me comfortable "normalized" movie volumes.
Additional note: as I ripped my movie collection for use with Plex, I converted the audio over to 5.1 AAC. Initially, I noticed that movies that I'd ripped had a wide dynamic range. I realized that in the conversion process, I'd lost the DRC hints that AC-3 provided. I found that Handbrake has an option to apply DRC hints during the conversion process to AAC. Enabling this option alleviated the issue for me. Just goes to show that the DRC hints are there and working!
Pictures about "Is the dynamic range (audio) of some movies way too high?"
Is dynamic range compression good for movies?
The dynamic range compression technologies listed above are very effective in providing a relaxed night-time listening experience for your movies, TV shows and series. However, the sound can sometimes lack texture and realism because all the effects and the soundtrack are at the same level.Why do some movies sound louder than others?
Why do movies do this? It all has to do with dynamic range\u2014the difference between the loudest and softest parts of a soundtrack. The wider the range, the larger the dramatic impact, explains Scott Wilkinson, audiovisual technology journalist and consultant (and the \u201cHome Theater Geek\u201d on TWiT.tv).What is a good audio dynamic range?
The dynamic range of any recording is defined as the ratio of the loudest peak to the quietest, expressed in decibels (dB). For context, the human auditory system has a dynamic range of about 90 dB; a person with healthy hearing can perceive everything from a whisper (roughly 30 dB) to a jet taking off (120 dB).Why does the volume change when watching movies? | Why is action loud and dialog soft when watching
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