Cinema Sound: Characteristics and 3D Acoustic Measurements

Abstract

In 2014, an SMPTE report stated that sound consistency between dubbing stages and performance venues was not respected. SMPTE technical commission studied this issue in 3 commercial cinemas and 3 dubbing stages in Hollywood using the impulse response method. This lack in sound consistency is probably imputable to the use of a wrong calibration system (RTA + Pink Noise Method) that is time-blind and does not mimic the perceptual listening of the human being. A campaign of measurements has been conducted in Rome to test the acoustic properties of a dubbing stage room and a cinema performance room. Two measurement systems were implemented: One for the extraction of ISO 3382 parameters (Omni, Binaural, Soundfield) and one for studying the spatial distribution of sound in the room (EigenmikeTM).