SDDS Print Master Guidelines - Film-Tech
Contents
1. 12 12 12 12 12 13 SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 2 of 26 OU FIN Wooster FOTNTTIOI 5 Akai DD8 machines Care and Use 5 1 Models 5 2 Media 5 3 At the optical camera transfer facility 5 4 Track assignment 5 5 Synchronisation at the dubbing theatre 5 6 Levels 5 7 Problems with MO drives 5 8 Drive servicing 6 SDDS Theindustry s best sounding format Hear the Difference 6 2 System Basics SDDS Products 6 4 Big Sound for the Big Screen 6 5 Further details Why is it the best sounding system 6 6 Testimonials 7 Dolby level versus operating level Historical notes 8 Subwoofers 8 1 Introduction 8 2 Setting the acoustical reference level on the dub stage 8 3 Setting the subwoofer acoustical gain using a screen speaker as a reference 8 4 Why we do it this way 8 5 What it means 8 6 Setting the digital screen speakers in the cinema amp 7 Setting the digital subwoofer in the cinema 8 8 Optical subwoofer defined 8 9 Setting the optical subwoofer 6 10 Subwoofer polarity 8 11 Rule of thumb methods 9 Glossary of Terms 14 14 14 14 14 14 15 15 16 17 17 17 17 17 18 19 20 21 21 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 23 24 24 25 SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 3 of 26 1 1 OU FIN IVIST FOTNTTIOI SDDS Print Master Format Media The folowing are examples of the types of media suitddle for delivering an SDDS Printmoster However fadlities vary2. defined point but that the onset of saturation ond distortion is g adud This reference level of OVU then translated to on SPL of 85cBcin the dnema With the advent of dgtd recording there is no onset of ta saturation grey area so it is even more important to have lots of headroom to dlow for instantaneous pecks 20cBs wos dedded on which seemed to suit the instantaneous pecks found in film sound tracks In the UK the film metering history is slightly different Reference level practises tend to come from the broadcast sector and the BBCin particular wos a great setter of standards Here you are to find BBC PPM meters Marked from 1 to 7 with the higher numbers being 4cBs apart PPA is usudly Ou PPMS OVU The reference level is usudly Ou PPIV4 The maximum broadoast level is then PPIV6 8 ds above reference level PPMs catch di the pecks so give atrue picture of the leva T ape flux levels con be set much higher OcBu 200nNWb m wes the standard agreed on for magnetic film These meters are very convenient for mixing engineers didogue pecks doout 4 and music dou 5 is a simple maxim When Dolby begon their involvement with film sound and noise reduction in the 1970s they found a difference of 0 75cB between USA ond UK This is accounted for by the dfference between 185nWb m and 200nWb m The simple remedy for this would have been to change the flux level dignment of the mag machines but in some cases the dedriod operating leva wos cha
3. dockwise only and dso the strong possibility that the tace path dignment will be dtered It is therefore dways acvisdcole to check the dignment after manud deoning Head hour display To invoke the head hour display hold ST CP PLAY whilst powering on The display will say d XXXX where XXXX is the totd head hours Error rate display Hold FF ST OP PLAY ond power on Within 2 seconds press ST OP for DA88 or PLAY for POVE800 The display says test Press REMOTE Meters 1 and 2 now show head errors in play mode A test tqo with atone should be made when the heack are new The state of the head ond dignment con then be monitored using this tao Newly recorded tapes should dso be checked for error rate periodadly An In spec machine will not show anything on the meters 4 10 Tape gets stuck inside If errors occur sometimes the machine wont eect for safety recsons To ged enter test mode cove Instead of pressing REMOTE press EJECT The tape will now ged Next turn off the machine and back on to exit test mode If the tape is Camaged do not continue to use the machine SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 12 of 26 4 DIKO VOJINS A e AIO USE 4 11 Hints for making print masters on DTRS machines If possible play back the master in a dfferent machine to which if wos recorded If a DA98 is avdildole This con be used in confidence mode This plays back the audo off tqoe whilst recording using read t
4. from site to site do customers preferred Celivery requirements it is therefore advised that you check with both the customer ond the negotive recorder site which format is required For negatives made in USA UK The rest of Europe Track assignments Audio Channel LEFT LEFT CENTRE CENT RE RIGHT CENTRE RI CHT SUBWOCFER LEFT SURROUND RIGHT SURROUND LEFT TOTAL Dolby SR RIGHT TOTAL Dolby SR CPTI ONAL MAT ERI AL MONO DIALOGUE GUIDE M amp E LEFT M amp E LEFT CENT RE M amp E CENT RE M amp E RIGHT CENT RE M amp E RIGHT M amp E SUBWOCFER M amp E LEFT SURROUND M amp E RIGHT SURROUND Use DTRS Hi8 DASH 6 track magnetic film Aka DD8plus MO DTRS Hi8 Aka DD8plus MO DTRS Hi8 or spedfied locdly DASH Channel ONO aK why 12 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DTRS MO Channel ONO aK why N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 4 of 26 1 3 1 4 ODDO FNI IVK HIET FOMAI Synchronisation Sampling frequency 44 1kHz i e 44100 samples for every 24 frames of picture 48kHz con be used but this will be sanpe rate converted in the amea Mcke sure the box is CLEARLY marked if the master is ot 48kHz Timecode 25 frames per second referenced to 50Hz film speed 24 fps Q 30 frames per second non crop frame referenced to 60Hz film speed 24 fps NOTE For NT SCreferen d mixing the master tape must be pre
5. have been acousticdly matched between the dubbing stage and the dnema cs dosely variations in rooms and loucspeckers will dlow Optical subwoofer defined The ooticd subwoofer has a different function thon the dgtd subwoofer It serves to enhance the boss response of the ooticd playback It is totdly artifidd synthesized in the dnema procsssor by combining the L C 3cB and R signds from the decoded opticd Lt Rt and sending the sum through alow poss filter The cut off frequency of this filter may be 50Hz 80Hz 100Hz 120Hz or some other frequency deoending on the dnema processor and the instdlers judgement A high pass filter may dso be qodiied if it is not dready a component of the opticd preamplifier to reduce low frequency artefacts caused by ground noise timing CNR errors and strecking noise on the print The end result is asignd contdning frequency components which overlgo those being sent to though not necessarily reoroduaed by the screen speckers IN Hollywood the dubbing engineer may not have listened to this signd on the dubbing stage in part because the DS4 without a cot 160 card does not create it ond so made no artistic dedsions based on it It is merely cn enhoncement created in the dnemato give the effect of more boss extension in the saeen speckers ond has no correspondence to any discrete signd on the dub stage Note that if dso h a much lower dynamic ronge thon the dgitd subwoofer signd The dgitd subwoofer sign
6. sent to the subwoofer ond centre hannels simultaneously in many ccses there will be no qopa ent difference in combined wide bond SPL me urement when switching subwoofer polarity In the end the best pdarity may come down to on aesthetic judgement on the part of the dnema technidan based on listening to actud films Rule of thumb methods Me uring the level of a subwoofer with a wide band SPL meter is of questiondde vdue ex pt a rule of thumb method to re he a theatre that h dready been properly cdibrated The recsons for this indude the fact that the mec ured acousticd output of a subwoofer or any loucs pecker system depend on the bcndwicth of the signd ultimately being mecsured That will be affected by the bandwicth of the input test signd ony equdizer or low poss filter settings the auditoriums response the louc pecker cabinet response and the accuracy of the C weighting response at low frequendes of the SPL meter used for the mecsurenent A subwoofer signd with a wider bandwidth may mecsure the same another with a narrower bondwicth but higher level as indicated by andyser bands within the pass bond of the subwoofer using the same specker cabinet Considering the DFP D3000 the bandwicth of the pink noise sent to the subwoofer is affected by alow pcss filter that n be adjusted from 80Hz to 330Hz a difference of three octaves or eight times in a oustiod energy No stonda exist for such wide band SPL measurements of subw
7. the room from each screen specker Setting the subwoofer acoustical gain using a screen speaker as a reference The chomna used for subwoofer or LFE low frequency effects in the dubbing theatre is then adusted above exasot that the SPL is mecsured differently To me this agustment properly a multi channd red time ondyser must be used Andyser bands in the flat response region of a screen specker generdly the centre specker are token areference These bonds will not indvidudly mecsure 858 SPL but will be somewhat less depending on the bondwicth of the ondysers bonds typicdly doout 70 OB SPL for a 1 3 octave cndyser os required by SMPTE 202M This flat response region between the low frequency roll off caused by the loudspecker cabinet ond the high frequency roll off due to the saeen and X aurve is referred to the in bond acoustical response of the monitor specker The subwoofer dectricd gain is adjusted such that the andyser channels in its in band region are 10cB greater thon those in the screen speckers in band region This is referred to 10cB of in bond gain subwoofer level relative to each screen specker leva SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 21 of 26 8 4 8 5 8 6 6 QUDWOOUIETS et ee ee ee 10dB higher SPL Center channel loudspeaker response Digital subwoofer LFE channel response The measurement is made acousticdly not dedriodly T ypicdly each bond of the andyser in the pass bond of the s
8. Film Tech The inf or mation contained in this Adobe Acrobat pdf file is provided at your own risk and good judgment These manuals are designed to facilitate the exchange of infor mation related to cinema projection and filmhandling with no warranties nor obligations fromthe authors for qual ified field service engineers If you are not a qual ified technician please make no adjuatments to anything you may read about in these Adobe manual downloads www filmtech com SON Y SDDS Print Master Guidelines Revision 2 October 2001 SDDS ia Soin Contents 1 SDDS Print Master Format 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 Media Track assignments Synchronisation Audio and levels Media labelling Checking Test tapes 2 Notes Hints and Tips 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 5 Setting up the studio Striping and syncing Multi format print masters Foreign language print masters The importance of checking SDDS masters 3 DASH Machines Care and Use 3 1 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 Models Head cleaning Pre striping Number of reels on a tape Punch ins 4 DTRS Machines Care and Use 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 4 7 4 8 4 9 Models Levels Clean air Errors Compatibility Maintenance Cleaning Head hour display Error rate display 4 10 Tape gets stuck inside 4 11 Hints for making print masters on DTRS machines N a OO D OU nar K D Co CO N N 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 11 12
9. IO USE Drive servicing There ae no offidd service intervds for crives but servidng af least once ayer is recommended Servidng n only be performed by aspeddist MO drive servidng company Moreover it is dosolutely vitd to have no smoking in the sane room os these crives They ein edhly suscectible to drborne dust nd dirt Ggarette smoke combines the worst of dl environments it is dso sticky If you have problems with MO crives and smoking occurs in the same room this is dmost certdnly the reason for the problems SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 16 of 26 O DD INE ITOBITY S OSI SOUNOANYG TOFTTIOI 6 SDDS The industry s best sounding format Sony Dynamic Digital Soundd SDDSG is the motion picture industry s most advanced digital sound format designed exclusively for cinema presentation In developing SDDS Sony applied decades of innovative experience in professional and home audio to deliver the highest quality sound presentation SDDS has been engineered to give filmmakers increased creative freedom and ultimately to preserve the integrity of the master soundtrack With SDDS today s moviegoers can now experience a film s sound exactly as heard by the director and sound engineers on the mixing stage SDDS om 6 1 Hear the Difference Digital sound has changed the way people see movies The clarity and vibrance of SDDS truly heightens the movie going SDDS experience While other digital formats are limited t
10. IVIST FOTTTIOI Media labelling The tace or dsc should be Icoelled with The name of the film The real number The worc SDDS master The language version The date MMMM Mm The box should be Idoelled with the doove things ond dso The sanpiing frequency The timecode frame rate The film speed The track assignment Details of tones Timecoce stat time Totd footage on UN UN N CN CN UM Checking It is strondy recommended that di SDDS masters are played back with picture citer recording before the optiod transfer is made A dgitd done could be dso mace at this time Test tapes Test tes are waldde from the Sony Anema Products SCP office details on page Error Bookmark not defined These contdn 1kHz ot 20cBfs plus pink noise at the RMS vdue of this tone SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 6 of 26 2 2 1 2 2 Notes Hints and Tips Setting up the studio The dubbing theatre monitoring system should be equdised to the industry standard 1SO 2969 X curve as used in dnem The method used to achieve this is beyond the scope of this text but details can be found in the DFP 3000 Quick Start Guide avdidole from Sony Anema Products SCP office details on page Error Bookmark not defined This is usudly carried out before the project is begun It is important to record the master at the correct level The audo is transferred dgidly into the camera with no opportunity for level adjustments A referenc
11. anner they were on the dubbing stage This cdibration which encompasses the dnema processor main facer equdizers power amplifiers aossovers loudspeckers screen and room response is referred to the B chdin dignment Consider the dgitdly driven louckpecker dignment first as it is the most important An electrical reference signd generdly wide bond pink noise generated within the dnema processor at a spedfic leva is used to dign each of the screen speckers to give the cesired response the X curve or other reference response ond acousticd reference level for each indvidud specker again 85 cBc slow response mecsured with a wide band SPL meter This procedure ties the dnema proasssors dedriod reference to on acousticd reference in the dnema similar to wnat wos done on the dubbing stage SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 22 of 26 8 7 8 8 8 9 6 QUDWOUIETS Setting the digital subwoofer in the cinema In asimila way on the dubbing stage in Step 3 the leva of the dgitd subwoofer is set by using amulti channd red time ondyser and adusting the electrical gain of the monitor system to achieve 10cB of in bond acousticd gain relative to asareen specker The consequence of this adjustment is that signds which were recorded aoproximately 10cB lower for the subwoofer will now play back in the dnema at the same acousticd leve they dd when the dubbing engineer recorded them on the dubbing stage becouse the playback conditions
12. but dlows the SDDS master to be checked to some extent dedly a sepcrate playback pass should be mace dones am be mace at this time perhaps SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 8 of 26 2 5 Z NOIS MINIS Gnd 1 IS The importance of checking SDDS masters Digtd machines are usudly radidde in use However they cre still prone to errors such Cs Head errors age or dirt Aignment problems Losing sync Slipping sync on playback Faulty patch leacs Tape drop outs Weird noises from faulty converters or dicsing MMMM UN MM It is therefore vitd to listen back to di masters with picture This will avoid costly reshooting of negatives The master may not be monitored when it is transferred to film dl soundtracks are shot in one poss SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 9 of 26 3 3 1 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 DORA VOJIN Coe ana USE DASH Machines Care and Use Models There cre five modas in current use Sony POVB324 Sony POVB324A Sony PQVB324S Sony PQVB348 Sony POVB348HR The top two machines from this list con be used but are not recommended The others have e y provision for Fs shift pull down ond have a useful 0 2cB per segment cdibraftion mock Head cleaning Ensure the utmost core when decning hea on these machines Move in a side to side drection only Moving up ond down con damage the head permanently and rediacement is extremely costly deon with isopropyl daohal and an qoo oe
13. c the correct andogue operating level in the DD8 the oudo will be digitdly transferred into the camera Therefore levels cont be dtered af the opticd transfer site Use the following tdde a guide Studio Operating Level Set Akai ref to Tone at Gives 4dcBu or OVU 20 4cBu 20cBfs OcBu or 4VU 16 OcBu 20cBfs 2cBu or 2 VU 18 2cBu 20cBfs 4cBu or 8VU 12 4cBu 20cBfs To once the setting on the DD8 perform the following Press SYSTEM MORE LEVELS Theleve an now be changed Press EXIT The new setting must be saved either in the project or a default in the Flash ROM recommended Please remember that it is importont to listen back to the SDDS master to check for dicks dropouts bad connections etc Problems with MO drives One fault of the Aka DD8 is the fact that it doesnt report disk reading errors If it fals to retrieve afile if will simply mute one track for say hdf a second and then cary on normd Otherwise it may not play atrak at di These problems are caused by Fragmentation If areal contdns alot of pundr ins or has been edited alot the crive may have prodiems accessing di the smdl sections Dirt md a it is extrendy important to service the crives regularly see below For SDDS masters it is recommended that a newly formatted dscis used ond the amount of punch ins editing is keot to a minimum SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 15 of 26 5 8 9 AKO LL MOINES LE A
14. d in contrast wos creatively recorded on its own discrete donna Sub or LFE of the print master ond is used for spedfic low frequency sound effects Setting the optical subwoofer The ooticd andogue subwoofer is adjusted to match the opticd screen speckers and effectively extend their low frequency response again using a multi chonne red time qmdyser to compare bon in the poss bond of a seen specker and the pass bond of the subwoofer ond setting in band acousticd levels accordingly In this axe there is no in band acousticd gain dfference the subwoofer signd is just the low frequency components of the screen specker signds et a CR a Ren a ee aR ee a a a Same SPL 40 63 100 160 250 400 630 1K 1 6K 2 5K 4K 6 3K 10K 16K 40 63 100 160 250 4 Center channel loudspeaker response Analog subwoofer channel response Full range screen speckers need less help from the synthesized opticd subwoofer signd thon do older speckers with poor bass extension Experienced dnema engineers may chose to reduce the nomind level of the opticd subwoofer lower the frequency SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 23 of 26 6 dUDWOOIETS of its low pass filter or even diminate the synthesized signd dtogether depending on the coodbilities of the sa een loucbpeckers ond the auditoriums acoustiod response 8 10 Subwoofer polarity 8 11 As aside note it is offen dfficult to determine the correct polarity of the subwoofer dgtd o ndogue Even if pink noise is
15. d chomais decning stick Pre striping Although you an manage with advance record mock it is far better to pre stripe dl tapes Format at singe speed using advance record with di tracks armed SCPC does not recommend using the PreStriping function which formats at 4X speed Number of reels on atape It is best to have one tape per reg this makes rediadng reels much ecier However tace costs are high If more than one reel per tape is recorded then it is recommended that continuous timecode is recorded throughout the tape Synchronisation errors will then be minimised The box must be dearly Idodled with stat ond end times There must be on dosolute minimum of 1 minute between reds Five minutes is recommended Punch ins If drop ins or punch ins are necessary make sure the crossface time on the machine is set to minimum This is dso nother good recson for pre formatting SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 10 of 26 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 VI KO IVOOITES CE Gd Use DTRS Machines Care and Use Models DT RS machine are semi professiond machines designed for large home studios They became quickly adopted astandard 8 track dgitd tape machine in European dubbing studos It is still offen the format of choice for moving materid between studios There ae two mckes ond severd modas the most important of which are listed below T ocm DA88 the crigind Sony PAVBOO Tascam DA98 At present th
16. e test tape is avdaladle from the SCP office Correct studo dignment con be achieved by following these steps Play bak the 1kHz section of the SDDS test tape This is recorded at exactly 20cBfs This should read house operating level at the console This is usudly OVU in the USA ond OcBu in the UK It is dso known Dolby Level Play bak the pink noise section of the test tape Monitor each louc pecker in turn and set the monitoring levels using a SPL meter to the vdues shown in section 1 4 on page 5 Send 1kHz of house operating level to the master machine This should read 20cBfs on the record machine meters It should dso read operating level unity gain through the machine af the console If no test tace is avaldole Send 1kHz cf house operating level to the master machine mcke sure it reads 20cBfs at the machine meters Check for unity gain through the machine back at the console Mecsure the output of this machine with a true RMS voltmeter and then send pink noise at the same level For OVU operating leva this is 1 23 Vrms Usethis pink noise to set the monitoring levels in section 1 4 Striping and syncing DASH ond DIRS tapes should be formatted ond pre striped with timecode before the session It is imperative that the timecode ond dgtd ado are locked together The simplest way to achieve this is to stripe the tqoe from the machine s internd generator The optiod transfer rooms are s
17. e SDDS m ters must be in standard 16 bit format New high bit rate modes are now avdildole but the camera sites only have standard POVBO00s and DA88s so they ant play back the new formats Levels Note that the DA88 and POVB00 cre factory set so that 4cBu 16cBfs An dlowonce for this h to be made if mixing with studio operating levels other than OcBu cs OdBu 20cBfs The machine itself can be modfied for different levas or console input output trims can be used If in doubt check using the SDDS DT RS test tape The DA98 has software selectchle levels for 4cBu 16 18 and 20cBfs Clean air There is a coding fon in the DA88 and POV800 which sucks air through the machine There is nofilter andthe only entry hole is the cassette crawer This means that ony drt dgarette smoke etc in the dr is pulled drecily over the heacs which is very bad for the performance of the machine It is recommended that the ar around the machines is keot deon cs possible with no smoking in the same room There is a simge modfication to change the direction of the fon ond add afilter The machine seams to be slightly hotter after this mod so careful checks must be mace offerwarcs Details are on Edde Cletti s web site www tangible technology com Errors Errors con occur for avariety of recsons Problems coused by dirty or worn hea con be checked for by playing back the master offer recording However many recent problems we have found wer
18. e di coused by tape path misdignment This means that the tope will play back fine on the machine on which it wos recorded but causes errors on other machines SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 11 of 26 4 5 4 6 4 7 4 8 4 9 4 DI K gt vnes Ware aid USE Compatibilit y Note that there is no dfference in line up procedure between the Toscan DA 88 ond the Sony PQV 800 Both machines use the same Sony Hi 8 transport and both machines ore manufactured by TEAC Maintenance Check the head hours regularly see below Every 250 hours the unit should be deoned manudly ond the fe path dignment checked This should be performed by an experienced engineer with the correct tools and test tages Every 1000 hours the machine should be fully digned with probable redacement of the pinch roller and real tddes ond the possidle replacement of the heads Red world experience has shown that the heads last for between 750 ond 1200 hours Cleaning The error rate of a known good tape should be checked regularly see below if the error LED lights its far too latel When the error rate begins to rise a deoning tape should be used ond then the errors checked again If there is no improvement the machine should be decned manudly ond re digned Note that each pass of the decning tape will reduce the head life by qooroximately 5 to 10 hours Menud deaning Coes not reduce head life but there is a danger that the head will be damaged turn anti
19. er write hea Bear in mind the following The ado output of the DA98 is delayed by 6 frames The projector must be advenced to compensate for this Thetracks aeamedin pars in this mode Plecse ensure that no noise hiss etc is recorded on unused tracks espeddly in a5 1 format film Tracks 2 and 4 LCadRC re still payed bax in the dnena so ony nose present on then will be reoroduced in the dnema It is not possible to dop in pundin in this mode SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 13 of 26 5 1 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 5 9 AKA DOS ITIQUITES LUE AIO USE Akai DD8 machines Care and Use Models There cre two modas of the DD8 Camerasites have the most recent mod which is the DD8 plus Media Mesters should be supdiied on 2 6G MO cartridges with 1 reel per sice Note please check with the optical transfer facility and the film distributor before using Akai DD8 MO discs for SDDS masters Not di opticd transfer fadlities have Aka machines It is not astandard requirement If youfe not sure mix to DTRS At the optical camera transfer facility The audo will be transferred dgittdly via AES into the camera The camerais synchronised to a PAL video sync Timecode is used for positiond information and is synchronised with a electronics Bi jphase to timecode converter The ecsiest and safest method is for the camera fadlity to make a Straight across transfer without re assigning tracks chonging sync etc Please bear th
20. et up with a25fps PAL or a 30fps B amp W NTSC video sync Timecode is only used for positiond information The speed sync comes from the digitd audo itself which is locked to video ond transferred dgitdly to the camera The recommended set up for studos is to use amc ter video sync to which everything is locked projector Playback and master machines This will give the best results However some old projectors run from the mains only without provision for video sync In this cose timecode must be generated from the mdns locked projector This is usudly CK but it is particularly important to ensure the timecoce to dgtd lock is correct Here we will have a situation where timecode is used for speed information SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 7 of 26 2 3 2 4 Z NOIS MINIS IQ IS in the dubbing theatre and digitd audio is used when the negative is made Extra care must be taken If NTSC video sync is used in the dubbing theatre it is very important that the master taces are pre striped with 30 non croo frame timecode at 60Hz This will then mean that the timecode track control track and A D converter are dll running cf the same speed second for second 30 frames of code for 44100 samples ond 24 frames of pidure During recording of the master the machine must be pulled down using the Fs shift function This h the effect of locking the A D converter with the NTSC 29 97 fps video input This means that the machine transport
21. g sound and picture The origind language mix Music and sound effects only no language spedfic ddogue Only the ddogue Matrixed andogue track Playback check Audio cfter the end of areg from the stat of the next red to fadlitate monud reel changeovers Level of acoustic sound in the ar Level of adgtd signd where OcBfs is the maximum leva The process of editing arecording by pressing the record button whilst playing back SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 25 of 26 Y GOSUY OI GIT WWW SDDS COM Sony amp SDDS are regstered trademarks of the Sony Corporation Dolby ond SRD cre trademarks of Dolby Laboratories SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 26 of 26
22. hole movie going wider necsssary for exterior scenes Larry Blake supervising sound editor amp rerecording mixer Erin Brockovich Movie theatres equipped to present films in eight full channels can build and mantain ageda marketing edge over home theatres Listening to the three channel music became an annoying and distracting dsqopoinfment even with a 12 foot wide screen Obviously my earlier notion had been mistaken The SDDS eight channel advantage will work in any theatre John F Allen Boxoffice 1997 SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 19 of 26 DADY Ieva VETSUS Ope ang Ieva HISTOTIOU NOISS 7 Dolby level versus operating level Historical notes The current stondord for dgitd dnema sound h aheacroom of 20cB doove the studo reference leva This is usudly OVU in USA Fron Spain ltdy and OcBu in the UK If you look dosely at a VU meter OVU is dso marked 100 It now seems ludiaous that 20dB should be marked 100 However when the meter wes first invented it wos cedded for safety that there would be at lecst 10cB of headroom above this OVU mark This is becouse the meter integrates the level over time and Qves on average reading It will miss instantaneous pecks It therefore ten to under read depending on program materid In the film world the flux level of magnetic film wes set at OVU 185nWb m This dlows roughly 10cB of headroom remembering that maximum level on magnetic fope is not a strictly
23. is in mind when mcking masters Track assignment It would greatly help the transfer fadlity if the standard track assignment is adhered to This con be found at section 1 2 on page 4 Tracks con be swapped interndly when making dones etc This con be set up in two ways Either routing inputs by pressing SYSTEM INPUTS or track mapping by pressing SYSTEM MORE MORE TRACKS This lets you swap round the output c signments of recorded tracks Synchronisation at the dubbing theatre Sampling Frequency 44 1kHz with Film speed 24 FPS Remember 44100 sanples for every 24 frames of picture The DD8 om be synchronised in severd ways Video Sync recommended Biphase Wordsync Timecode only not recommended ond will not work with NTSC pulldown SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 14 of 26 5 6 5 7 9 AKA DOS ITIQUITES LUE AIO USE If a PAL syncis used this is set Up follows Press SYSTEM DIG Set Samade Rate to 44 1kHz Set Digitd Sync to PAL Video sync Press SYNC Set Ext time source to 25FPS MMMM mM Please note that if NTSC syncis used in a pulled down set up the sampling frequency must dso be pulled down to 44 056 This is set up os follows Press SYSTEM DIG Set Sande Rate to 44 056 Set Digitd Syncto NTSC 29 97 Press SYNC Set Ext time source to SMPTE 29 97 nd Then record the master in the usud woy Levels Reference level 20cBfs It is important to sde
24. ly a single proposed standard SMPTE RP 200 ond ITU 10 11R T emp 11 E There ce mony reasons for this First the use of the modern dgitd audo subwoofer is unique in comparison to the other channels cand it is recorded with a different monitoring reference The purpose of the subwoofer h changed with the evolution of dnema sound from compensating for the poor low frequency response ond boss power capcbility of older screen speckers to adding power to low frequency effects even in theatres having full range seen speckers nd apade ampiifiers Secondy different post production fadlities and even different engineers have followed their own dignment conventions Findly equipment and even meter stondarcs are different When comparing the USA Europe and esewhere This wordy artide is only on overview ondis not meant to comprise a spedfic odibr ation process or set of instructions Setting the acoustical reference level on the dub stage Asignd genedly wide bond pink noise is sent through the dubbing console to each of the monitoring systems sareen speckers af the electricd referencelevd dso known Dolby Level Using ared time third octave mdyser the monitor system is adjusted for the preferred acousticd response at each louc pecker given the properties of the loucs pecker the room the saen and the X curve of SMPTE 202M The dectricd gain of each chomna in the monitoring system is then adjusted to Qve on acousticd reference level in
25. nged instead with potentidly confusing results In a USA studo operating level ond Dolby level are dways the same But in Germany still today a situation exists where Dolby level is 4 750B with respect to operating level The reasons for this are purely historicd and couse enormous confusion German broadcesting traditiondly used the DIN system where the reference leva wos the maximum broadcost level This wos set for 6cBu 320nWb m on magnetic film and Type 1 PPM meters were used To make a worldwide film the reference tone has to be 185nWb m which then equas 85cBcin the dnema It w dedded to keep the 6cB 320nNWb m standard and then record tone at 4 75dB with respect to reference level this equates to 185nWb m This wos then cdled Dolby Leva This di worked fine but with the onset of digitd dnema soundtracks a bizare 4 75CB 20cBfs scenario wos produced ond the recsons why cre being lost To counteract this Dolby is now recommending that new studios follow the American system of having the same Dolby level ond reference level This makes sense the DIN maximum system hes now largely dsaqopecred in the film industry SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 20 of 26 8 1 8 2 8 3 6 QUDWOUIETS Subwoofers taken from tech note TN99051701 setting the subwoofers by Q dig Connelly Introduction The topic of setting subwoofer levels is the subject of numerous artides and even more numerous opinions but of on
26. o the same Se 5 1 channels as home systems SDDS provides movie audiences with up to eight channels of crystal clear discrete audio The additional two channels increases sonic detail and headroom adding impact to the presentation CHANNELS IN SELECTED THEATRES 6 2 System Basics SDDS is a sound on film format comprised of the SDDS soundtrack optically printed on both edges of 35mm film and the SDDS playback hardware a reader and processor As the film is projected the SDDS soundtrack is scanned its data is processed and ultimately converted into analogue audio signals for the cinema s loudspeakers and amplifiers 6 3 SDDS Products Sony manufactures a range of products that fit the exhibitor s needs For new cinemas there is the DFP D3000 system that includes analogue and control functions and can serve as the central processor in any cinema also available as an analogue only processor For retrofit applications there is the add on DFP D2500 that simply adds SDDS to any existing system Both systems use the DFP R3000 Reader to scan the soundtrack CA The reader mounts to the top of any 35MM projector 6 4 Big Sound for the Big Screen The days of narrow shoe box small screens are over Today the emphasis is on making cinema going an event There is a trend towards building larger wider screens to maximise the experience SDDS enables filmmakers and theatre owners to fill big auditoriums with six o
27. oofers Although the measured SPL of wide band pink noise through the subwoofer will change if the subwoofers low pass filter is adjusted this will not cnange the actud playback level of the dgitd LFE hamna from film So long as the filter frequency is not set too low the signds recorded on the dubbing stage will determine what is heard in the dnema when the proper in band gain difference is estdolisned aoousticdly os previously described This is why on engineer Who uses a wide bond SPL meter to set the dgtd subwoofer level is engaging in self deagotion In generd a low pcss filter setting for the dgtd subwoofer LFE of 125 Hz 160 Hz or even 200 Hz should serve in most instdlations ond di settings should sound the sane when laying digitd multidone materid A low pcss filter setting of 125 Hz will gve a wide bond subwoofer SPL pink noise mecsurement of qooroximately 91 dc This rule of thumb result is only qooroximate ond should not be used for the primary dignment of atheotre SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 24 of 26 Glossary of Terms Term Sync pip Domestic version M amp E Didogue premix Left totd Right totd Confidence pcss Overlap SPL cBfs Punch in Also Known As Head poo Qignd version Internationd version DX premix LiRt SR SVA Control Pull Up Sound Pressure Level DB full sode Drop in Y GOsay Ol GIT Description 1kHz tone of 1 frame Curation used for synchronizin
28. r eight channels of discrete digital sound through five screen loudspeakers two surround channels and a full frequency sub woofer channel The glory days of 70mm big sound have returned with SDDS None of the latest home theatre environments can compete SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 17 of 26 6 5 O DD INE INQUSITY S OSI SOUNOANYG IONA Further details Why is it the best sounding system In normd operation the SDDS playback equipment uses both sides of the film for playback However if one side is damaged the unit will play in dgitd concedment mode This uses extra back up tracks for the lost information There is a backup centre and subwoofer The left and right channels are mixed to create left mix backup and right mix backup These are played through the qopropriate speckers at coded volume levels The effect of going into DV is seamless There is dways adgtd centre so ddogue is not disturbed The two sides are sepa ated from each other by out 17 frames The cota rate off film is 2 2Mbits sec rather thon 3 70kbhits second The data compression is Sonys acddmed AT RAC used in broadcasting and in minidsk players The compression ratio is only 5 1 rather thon 10 1 or 13 1 There is no data sharing between channeds di channe s cre full range 20kHz even the subwoofer The track is printed in the yon layer This is the deepest layer and therefore the most resistant to saatches The readers dso use patented diffu
29. se light which dso counteracts saatches In nomd use with a well printed track the SDDS track will last long as the picture The dnema equipment is built to Sonys high broadcast standards It features 28 bond dgtd EQ on di channes 2 band parametric on the subwoofer All O is bdanaed The picture below shows the high resolution smdl dot size of SDDS on the left SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 18 of 26 6 6 O OVLS INE INQUSITY S DS SOUNONG TOTTUI Testimonials Eight channel SDDS is awesome It makes a huge dfferenc on Pear Habar ve never head a movie sound so red By dll means seek out a theatre featuring SDDS 8 to experience Pearl Harbor the way we intended it Michael Bay Director Pearl Harbor The sense of being totdly enveloped in high detaill sound wc particularly noticeable on this SDDS 8 soundtrack Francois Groult chief sound mixer The Messenger The story of Joan of Arc While the inaeased seen resolution does indeed help with the definition of busy s nes five hands have os much place on quiet films such as Erin Brockovich Aways find that just having three saeen speckers on intimate films for s me to play too many elements in the centre horn otherwise its dstracting to have sounas banging around the exit signs near the left and right speokers With SDDS am use the left centre and right centre speakers for a naturd feeling narrow stereo image throughout the w
30. striped at 30fps 60Hz then pulled down on the mixing stage to 29 9 fps NTSC sync with 44 056kHz sampling frequency In this cose the film speed is 23 98 fps Timecode must be referenced to the dgitd audo Rea 1 1 hour start red 2 2 hour etc Head pop sync pip should start two seconds or 3 feet before the first frame of adure e g for re 1 pip at 1 00 06 00 first frame at 1 00 08 00 Audio and levels Oper ating level is 20cBfs Wide bond pink noise at the sane RM vdue this will produce the following SPLs in the dnema Please note to compare levels of tone and pink noise atrue RMS voltmeter must be used Console meters will read dfferently for tone ond pink noise Channel SPL C Weighted measurement LEFT 85 LEFT NTRE 85 NTRE 85 RIGHT CENTRE 85 RIGHT 85 SUBWOFER Approx 91 see LEFT SURROUND 82 RIGHT SURROUND 82 The subwoofer honne h 10cB of in bond gain For a full explonction of this see the Subwoofers section on page 21 Tones should be recorded on di used honnas at the head of each reel 30 seconds each of 1kHz at 20cBfs and pink noise at the RMS level of the 1kHz tone Surround delay is set in the dnema processor No delay on the master Overlap 2 seconds or 3 feet of audo from the subsequent real must be recorded der the end of the real This con optiondiy end with a tal pip A D conversion No audo peenpnais SDDS Print Moster Guidelines Page 5 of 26 1 5 1 6 1 7 UD FIN
31. the timecode and the AD converter will di run slow 29 97 fes and 44 056kHz The projector in this cose will be running at 23 96 fps Therefore 24 frames of picture will still equd 44100 samples NEVER stripe ot 29 97 NDF The seconds of the NDF code will be of longer duration thon the seconds of the control track Therefore 44100 sangles of audio will not equd 30 frames of code ond 24 frames of picture Obviously if a48kHz master is required then similar rules Godly but the recording sampling frequency would be 47 952kHz in this ccse Multi format print masters The SDDS format h been carefully designed to endde it to fit in well with other dgitd audo print master sessions os the monitoring standards are compatible The RMS pink noise at 20cBfs spedfication is the sane DTS and SRD however some smadl differences may be found with SRD due to historicd RMS mecsurement techniques This is currently being addressed by Dolby ond shortly di formats will be within 0 5cB To save time at the session the SDDS master con be taken a padla feed ond di masters con be recorded af the same time However it is very important that the SDDS master is then played back with picture to deck for errors Foreign language print masters Normdly the procedure is to record the master dong with di other formats coove then if time is short to use the SDDS master to make the LtRt This foldkdown process is not ided for monitoring the master
32. ubwoofer will then mecsure about 80 dB SPL If a sqan specker and the LFE subwoofer louc pecker are each mecsured with a wide band SPL meter the subwoofer will typiodly mecsure qgoroximately 5 5 dB higher Why we doit this way The recson for lowering the eectricdly recorded level of the subwoofer honna and making it up by turning up the playback gain dates back to 70mm film The subwoofer recording level wos lowered to prevent saturation of the magnetic track and the playback gain wes increased to compensate The loss of signd to noise performance wos inconspicuous becouse the subwoofer signd wes sent through alow pcss filter and dd not reproduc hiss This leva dfference convention has been retained in the dgtd world Where it serves to give additiond effective headroom for the playback of low frequency sound effects through the subwoofer loucs pecker What it means The consequence of having 10cB more acousticd gain in the subwoofer monitoring anne is that the dubbing engineer will tend to turn down the electrical recording level of the subwoofer by coout 10cB compared to what she would have done without the ina e ed monitor gain However unlike the screen spoeke chcnne s the engineer does not use a console meter to check the dedriod recording level of the subwoofer exceot perhaps to guard against overload conditions Setting the digital screen speakers in the cinema In the dnema the screen speckers are adusted in the dmost sane m
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