Sony Speaker SDDS Print Master User Manual

SDDS Print Master  
Guidelines  
Revision 2, October 2001  
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1 SDDS Print Master Format  
5
Akai DD8 machines – Care and Use  
14  
5.1 Models  
14  
14  
14  
14  
14  
15  
15  
16  
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 - T he industry's best sounding format  
17  
Hear the Difference  
17  
17  
17  
17  
18  
19  
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
8
Dolby level versus operating level. Historical notes.  
Subwoofers  
20  
21  
8.1 Introduction  
21  
21  
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.  
21  
22  
22  
22  
23  
23  
23  
24  
24  
8.5 What it means.  
8.6 Setting the digital screen speakers in the cinema.  
8.7 Setting the digital subwoofer in the cinema.  
8.8 Optical subwoofer defined.  
8.9 Setting the optical subwoofer.  
8.10 Subwoofer polarity.  
8.11 Rule-of-thumb methods.  
9
Glossary of T erms  
25  
SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 3 of 26  
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1 SDDS Print Master Format  
1 SDDS Print Master Format  
1.1  
Media  
The following ar e examples of the types of media s ui tabl e for delivering an SDDS  
Printmaster. However, facilities vary from site to s ite as do cus tomer s ’ pr eferred  
delivery requirements, it is therefore advis ed that you check with both the cus tomer  
and the negative r ecor der site which format is required.  
For negatives made in:-  
Use:-  
USA  
DTRS Hi8  
DASH  
6 track magnetic f ilm  
Akai DD8plus MO  
DTRS Hi8  
UK  
Akai DD8plus MO  
The r es t of Europe  
DTRS Hi8 or as specified locally  
1.2  
T rack assignments  
Audio Channel  
LEFT  
LEFT CENTRE  
CENTRE  
RIGHT CENTRE  
RIGHT  
SUBWOOF E R  
LEFT SURROUND  
RIGHT SURROUND  
DASH Channel  
DT RS/MO Channel  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
LEFT TOTAL (Dolby SR)  
RIGHT TOTAL (Dolby SR)  
11  
12  
N/A  
N/A  
OPTIONAL MATERIAL  
MONO DI AL OGUE GUIDE  
15  
16  
N/A  
N/A  
M&E LEFT  
M&E LEFT CENTRE  
M&E CENTRE  
M&E RIGHT CENTRE  
M&E RIGHT  
M&E SUBWOOF E R  
M&E LEFT SURROUND  
M&E RIGHT SURROUND  
17  
18  
19  
20  
21  
22  
23  
24  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
N/A  
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1 SDDS Print Master Format  
1.3  
Synchronisation  
Sampling frequency 44.1kHz. i.e. 44100 samples for every 24 frames of picture.  
48kHz can be us ed, but this will be s ample-r ate-conver ted in the camer a. Make s ur e  
the box is CLEARLY marked if the mas ter is at 48kHz.  
T imecode 25 frames per second, referenced to 50Hz, film speed 24 fps  
Or 30 frames per second, non drop fr ame, referenced to 60Hz, film speed 24fps  
NOT E: For NTSC r ef er enced mixing, the mas ter tape mus t be pr e-s tr iped at  
30fps/60Hz, then “pulled down” on the mixing s tage to 29.97fps NTSC s y nc wi t h  
44.056kHz sampling fr equency. In this case the film speed is 23.98 fps.  
Timecode mus t be r efer enced to the digital audio.  
Reel 1 = 1 hour start, reel 2 = 2 hour etc.  
Head pop/sync pi p should s tar t two s econds or 3 feet before the fir s t frame of  
picture. e.g. for reel 1, pip at 1:00:06:00, first frame at 1:00:08:00.  
1.4  
Audio and levels  
Operating level is –20dBfs. Wide band pink noise at the s ame RMS value as this will  
produce the following S PLs in the cinema. Please note, to compar e levels of tone and  
pink noise, a tr ue RMS voltmeter must be us ed. Console meter s will read differently for  
tone and pink noise.  
Channel  
LEFT  
SPL C-Weighted measurement  
85  
LEFT CENTRE  
CENTRE  
85  
85  
RIGHT CENTRE  
RIGHT  
85  
85  
SUBWOOF E R  
LEFT SURROUND  
RIGHT SURROUND  
Appr ox 91 see*  
82  
82  
*The s ubwoofer channel has 10dB of in band gain. For a full explanation of this, see  
the “S ubwoofer s ” section on page 21.  
T ones should be r ecor ded on all used channels at the head of each reel. 30 seconds  
each of 1kHz at 20dBfs, and pink noise at the RMS level of the 1kHz tone.  
Surround delay is set in the cinema pr ocessor. No delay on the mas ter .  
Overlap. 2 seconds or 3 feet of audio fr om the s ubs equent reel must be r ecor ded  
after the end of the r eel. This can optionally end with a tail pip.  
A/D conversion. No audio pr e-emphas is .  
SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 5 of 26  
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1 SDDS Print Master Format  
1.5  
Media labelling  
The tape or disc s houl d be labelled with:  
The name of the film  
The r eel number  
The wor ds SDDS master”  
The language ver s ion  
The date  
§
§
§
§
§
The box should be labelled with the above things and als o:  
The s ampling fr equency  
The timecode fr ame r ate  
The film speed  
The tr ack assignment  
Details of tones  
Timecode s tar t time  
Total footage  
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
1.6  
1.7  
Checking  
It is strongly recommended that all SDDS masters are played back with picture after  
recording, before the optical transfer is made. A di gi tal clone could be als o made at  
this time.  
T est tapes  
Test tapes are available fr om the S ony Cinema Pr oducts (SCP) office, details on page  
Error! Bookmark not defined.. These contain 1kHz at 20dBfs plus pink noise at  
the RMS value of this tone.  
SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 6 of 26  
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2 Notes, Hints and T ips  
2 Notes, Hints and Tips  
2.1  
Setting up the studio  
The dubbing theatr e monitor ing s ys tem should be equalised to the indus tr y standard  
ISO-2969 X curve, as used in cinemas. The method us ed to achieve this is beyond  
the s cope of this text, but details can be found in the DFP-3000 Quick Start Guide,  
available fr om Sony Cinema Pr oducts (SCP) office, details on page Error! Bookmark  
not defined.. This is usually carried out before the pr oj ect is begun.  
It is important to r ecor d the mas ter at the correct level. The audio is transferred  
digitally into the camer a, with no oppor tunity for level adjustments. A r efer ence tes t  
tape” is available fr om the S CP office. Correct studio alignment can be achieved by  
following thes e s teps :  
Play back the 1kHz section of the S DDS test tape. This is recorded at exactly  
-20dBfs.  
This should r ead hous e oper ating level at the cons ole. This is usually 0VU in the  
USA and 0dBu in the UK. It is also known as Dolby Level.  
Play back the pink noise s ection of the tes t tape. Monitor each loudspeaker in  
turn and s et the monitor ing levels using a S PL meter to the values shown in  
section 1.4 on page 5.  
§
§
§
Send 1kHz at house oper ating level to the mas ter machine. This should r ead  
-20dBfs on the r ecor d machine meter s . It should als o r ead oper ating level  
(unity gain) through the machine at the cons ole.  
§
If no tes t tape is available:  
Send 1kHz at house oper ating level to the mas ter machine, make s ur e it reads  
20dBfs at the machine meter s .  
§
Check for unity gain through the machine, back at the cons ole.  
Measure the output of this machine with a tr ue RMS voltmeter, and then send  
pink noise at the s ame level. For 0VU operating level this is 1.23 Vrms.  
Use this pink noise to s et the monitor ing levels as in section 1.4.  
§
§
§
2.2  
Striping and syncing  
DASH and DT RS tapes should be for matted and pr e-s tr iped with timecode befor e the  
session. It is imperative that the timecode and digital audio ar e locked together . The  
simplest way to achieve this is to s tr ipe the tape fr om the machine’s internal  
generator. The optical transfer rooms are s et up with a 25fps PAL or a 30fps B&W  
NTSC video s ync. Timecode is only used for positional information. The s peed s ync  
comes from the digital audio its elf, which is locked to video, and tr ans ferred digitally to  
the camer a.  
The r ecommended s et up for studios is to us e a mas ter video s ync, to which  
everything is locked; projector, playback and mas ter machines. This will give the bes t  
results. However some old pr oj ector s run from the mains only, without provision for  
video s ync. In this case, timecode mus t be gener ated fr om the mains -locked pr oj ector .  
This is usually OK, but it is particularly important to ens ur e the timecode to digital lock  
is correct. Here we will have a s i tuati on where timecode is used for speed infor mation  
SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 7 of 26  
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2 Notes, Hints and T ips  
in the dubbing theatr e and digital audio is used when the negative is made. Extra car e  
must be taken.  
If NT SC vi deo sync is used in the dubbing theatr e, it is very important that the  
master tapes are pr e-s tr iped with 30 non-drop fr ame timecode at 60Hz. This will then  
mean that the timecode tr ack, control track and A/D converter are all running at the  
same s peed, second for second. 30 frames of code for 44100 samples and 24 frames  
of picture. During r ecor ding of the mas ter , the machine mus t be pulled down” using  
the Fs shift function. This has the effect of locking the A/D converter with the NT S C  
29.97 fps video input. This means that the machine tr ans por t, the timecode and the  
A/D converter will all run slow. 29.97 fps and 44.056kHz. The pr oj ector in this case will  
be r unning at 23.96 fps. Therefore 24 frames of picture will still equal 44100 samples.  
NEVER stripe at 29.97 NDF. The s econds ” of the NDF code will be of longer duration  
than the s econds ” of the contr ol track. Therefore 44100 samples of audio will not  
equal 30 frames of code and 24 frames of picture.  
Obviously, if a 48kHz master is required, then similar rules apply, but the r ecor ding  
sampling fr equency would be 47.952kHz in this case.  
2.3  
Multi-format print masters  
The S DDS format has been carefully designed to enable it to fit in well with other  
digital audio pr int master sessions, as the monitor ing s tandar ds are compatible. The  
RMS pink noise at -20dBfs specification is the s ame as DTS and S RD, however some  
small differences may be found with SRD due to his tor ical RMS measurement  
techniques. This is currently being addr essed by Dolby and s hor tly all formats will be  
within 0.5dB. To s ave time at the s ession, the S DDS master can be taken as a par allel  
feed and all masters can be r ecor ded at the s ame time. However it is very important  
that the S DDS master is then played back with picture to check for errors.  
2.4  
Foreign language print masters  
Normally the pr ocedur e is to r ecor d the mas ter along with all other formats as above,  
then, if time is short, to us e the S DDS master to make the L tRt. This fold-down  
process is not ideal for monitoring the mas ter , but allows the S DDS master to be  
checked to s ome extent. Ideally a s epar ate playback pass should be made (clones can  
be made at this time, perhaps).  
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2 Notes, Hints and T ips  
2.5  
T he importance of checking SDDS masters  
Digital machines are us ually reliable in use. However they are s till prone to errors such  
as:  
Head errors age or dirt  
Alignment problems  
Losing s ync  
Slipping s ync on playback  
Faulty patch leads  
Tape dr op outs  
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Weird nois es from faulty converters or aliasing  
It is therefore vital to listen back to all masters with picture. This will avoid cos tly  
reshooting of negatives. The mas ter may not be monitor ed when it is transferred to  
film as all soundtracks are s hot in one pass.  
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3 DASH Machines – Care and Us e  
3 DASH Machines – Care and Use  
3.1  
Models  
There ar e five models in current use  
Sony PCM3324  
Sony PCM3324A  
Sony PCM3324S  
Sony PCM3348  
Sony PCM3348HR  
§
§
§
§
§
The top two machines from this list can be us ed but are not recommended. The other s  
have eas y provision for Fs shift pull down and have a us eful 0.2dB per segment  
calibration mode.  
3.2  
Head cleaning  
Ensure the utmos t care when cleaning heads on these machines . Move in a s i de to  
side dir ection only. Moving up and down can damage the head per manently and  
replacement is extremely costly. Clean with isopropyl alcohol and an appr oved chamois  
cleaning s tick.  
3.3  
3.4  
Pre-striping  
Although you can manage with advance r ecor d mode, it is far better to pr e-s tr ipe all  
tapes. Format at single s peed us ing advance r ecor d with all tracks armed. SCPC does  
not recommend us ing the Pr eS tr ipingfunction, which formats at 4X speed.  
Number of reels on a t ape  
It is best to have one tape per reel, as this makes replacing r eels much easier.  
However tape cos ts are high. If more than one r eel per tape is recorded, then it is  
recommended that continuous timecode is recorded thr oughout the tape.  
Synchronisation errors will then be minimis ed. The box must be clear ly labelled with  
start and end times . There mus t be an absolute minimum of 1 minute between reels .  
Five minutes is recommended.  
3.5  
Punch-ins  
If drop-ins or punch-ins are necessary, make s ur e the cr ossfade time on the machine is  
set to minimum. This is also another good r eas on for pre-formatting.  
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4 DTRS Machines – Care and Us e  
4 DTRS Machines – Care and Use  
4.1  
Models  
DTRS machine ar e s emi-pr ofessional machines designed for large” home s tudios .  
They became quickly adopted as a s tandar d 8 track digital tape machine in European  
dubbing s tudios . It is still often the for mat of choice for moving mater ial between  
studios. There ar e two makes and s ever al models, the mos t important of which are  
listed below.  
Tascam DA88 – the or iginal  
Sony PCM800  
Tascam DA98  
§
§
§
At present the S DDS masters must be in standard 16 bit format. New high bit rate  
modes are now available, but the camer a s i tes only have s tandar d PCM800s and  
DA88s so they can’t play back the new formats.  
4.2  
Levels  
Note that the DA88 and PCM800 are factor y set so that +4dBu = 16dBfs. An  
allowance for this has to be made if mixing with studio oper ating levels other than  
0dBu (as 0dBu = 20dBfs). The machine its elf can be modified for different levels, or  
console input/output trims can be us ed. If in doubt, check using the S DDS DTRS test  
tape. The DA98 has software s electable levels for +4dBu = -16, -18 and – 20dBfs.  
4.3  
Clean air  
There is a cooling fan in the DA88 and PCM800, which sucks air through the machine.  
There is no filter and the only entry hole is the cassette dr awer . This means that any  
dirt, cigarette s moke etc. in the air is pulled dir ectly over the heads , which is very bad  
for the per for mance of the machine. It is recommended that the air around the  
machines is kept as clean as possible, with no s moking in the s ame r oom. There is a  
simple modification to change the dir ection of the fan and add a filter. The machine  
seems to be s lightly hotter after this mod, so car eful checks must be made after war ds .  
Details are on Eddie Cilettis web s ite www.tangible- technology.com  
4.4  
Errors  
Errors can occur for a var i ety of reasons. Problems caused by dirty or worn heads can  
be checked for by playing back the mas ter after recording. However, many recent  
problems we have found wer e all caused by tape path misalignment. This means that  
the tape will play back fine on the machine on which it was recorded, but causes errors  
on other machines.  
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4 DTRS Machines – Care and Us e  
4.5  
4.6  
Compatibility  
Note that there is no difference in line up pr ocedur e between the T as cam DA-88 and  
the S ony PCM-800. Both machines use the s ame S ony Hi-8 transport, and both  
machines are manufactur ed by T EAC.  
Maintenance  
Check the head hour s regularly (see below). Every 250 hours the unit should be  
cleaned manually and the tape path alignment checked. This should be per for med by  
an experienced engineer with the correct tools and tes t tapes. Every 1000 hours the  
machine s hould be fully aligned with probable r eplacement of the pinch roller and r eel  
tables and the possible r eplacement of the heads . Real world exper ience has shown  
that the heads last for between 750 and 1200 hours.  
4.7  
Cleaning  
The error rate of a known good tape s hould be checked r egular ly (see below – if the  
error LED lights its far too late!). When the error rate begins to r is e, a cl eani ng tape  
should be us ed and then the errors checked again. If there is no impr ovement, the  
machine s hould be cleaned manually and r e-aligned. Note that each pass of the  
cleaning tape will reduce the head life by appr oximately 5 to 10 hours. Manual cleaning  
does not reduce head life, but there is a danger that the head will be damaged (tur n  
anti-clockwise only) and als o the s tr ong possibility that the tape path alignment will be  
altered. It is therefore always advisable to check the alignment after manual cleaning.  
4.8  
4.9  
Head hour display  
To invoke the head hour display, hold S T OP+ PL AY whilst powering on. The dis play will  
say “d XXXX” where XXXX is the total head hour s  
Error rate display  
Hold FF+STOP+PLAY and power on. Within 2 seconds press STOP (for DA88) or PLAY  
(for PCM-800). The dis play says test. Press REMOTE. Meters 1 and 2 now show head  
errors in play mode. A tes t” tape with a tone s hould be made when the heads are  
new. The s tate of the head and alignment can then be monitor ed us ing this tape.  
Newly recorded tapes should als o be checked for error rate per iodically. An “in-spec”  
machine will not show anything on the meter s .  
4.10 T ape gets stuck inside  
If errors occur , sometimes the machine wont eject, for safety” reasons. To ej ect,  
enter test mode as above. Instead of pressing REMOT E, press EJECT. The tape will  
now ej ect. Next turn off the machine and back on to exit test mode. If the tape is  
damaged, do not continue to us e the machine!  
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4 DTRS Machines – Care and Us e  
4.11 Hints for making print masters on DT RS machines  
If possible play back the mas ter in a di fferent machine to which it was recorded.  
If a DA98 is available. This can be us ed in confidence” mode. This plays back the  
audio off tape whilst recording us ing r ead after write heads . Bear in mind the following  
The audio output of the DA98 is delayed by 6 frames. The pr oj ector must be  
advanced to compens ate for this.  
§
The tr acks are ar med in pairs in this mode. Please ens ur e that no nois e, hiss  
etc. is recorded on unused tr acks , especially in a 5. 1 format film. Tracks 2 and  
4 LC and RC ar e s till played back in the cinema, so any noise pr es ent on them  
will be r epr oduced in the cinema.  
§
It is not possible to dr op-in/punch-in in this mode.  
§
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5 Akai DD8 machines – Care and Us e  
5 Akai DD8 machines – Care and Use  
5.1  
Models  
There ar e two models of the DD8. Camera s i tes have the mos t recent model, which is  
the DD8 plus.  
5.2  
Media  
Masters should be s upplied on 2.6Gb MO car tr i dges , with 1 reel per side.  
Note: please check with the optical transfer facility and the film distributor  
before using Akai DD8 MO discs for SDDS masters. Not all optical transfer  
facilities have Akai machines. It is not a s tandar d r equir ement. If youre not sure, mix  
to DT RS .  
5.3  
At the optical camera t r ansfer facility  
The audio will be tr ans ferred digitally via AE S into the camer a. The camer a i s  
synchronised to a PAL video s ync. Timecode is used for positional information, and is  
synchronised with a CB electronics Bi-phase to timecode conver ter . The eas ies t and  
safest method is for the camer a facility to make a s tr ai ght across” transfer without re-  
assigning tr acks , changing s ync et c. Please bear this in mind when making mas ter s .  
5.4  
T rack assignment  
It would gr eatly help the tr ans fer facility if the s tandar d tr ack assignment is adhered  
to. This can be found at section 1.2 on page 4. Tracks can be s wapped inter nally when  
making clones etc. This can be s et up in two ways . Either  
routing inputs ” by pressing S YS T EM – INPUTS, or  
track mapping by pressing S YS T EM – MORE – MORE – TRACKS. This lets  
you swap r ound the output assignments of recorded tr acks .  
§
§
5.5  
Synchronisation at the dubbing theatre  
Sampling Fr equency 44.1kHz with Film speed 24 FPS. Remember! 44100 samples for  
every 24 frames of picture.  
The DD8 can be s ynchr onis ed in several ways.  
Video S ync ( r ecommended)  
Biphase  
Word s ync  
§
§
§
§
Timecode only (not recommended, and will not work with NT SC pulldown)  
SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 14 of 26  
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5 Akai DD8 machines – Care and Us e  
If a PAL sync i s used, this is set up as follows  
Press SYSTEM DIGI  
§
§
§
§
§
Set Sample Rate to 44.1kHz  
Set Digital Sync t o PAL Video s ync  
Press SYNC  
Set Ext. time s our ce to 25FPS  
Please note that if NTSC s y nc i s used in a pulled down” set up, the s ampling  
frequency must also be pulled down to 44.056. This is set up as follows.  
Press SYSTEM - DIGI  
§
§
§
§
§
Set Sample Rate to 44.056  
Set Digital Sync t o NT S C 29.97  
Press SYNC  
Set Ext time s our ce to S MPT E 29.97 nd  
Then record the mas ter in the us ual way.  
5.6  
Levels  
Reference level = -20dBfs  
It is important to s elect the correct analogue oper ating level in the DD8, as the audio  
will be digitally transferred into the camer a. Therefore levels cant be alter ed at the  
optical transfer site. Use the following table as a gui de.  
Studio Operating Level Set Akai ref to  
T one at  
+4dBu  
0dBu  
+2dBu  
-4dBu  
Gives  
-20dBfs  
-20dBfs  
-20dBfs  
-20dBfs  
+4dBu or 0VU  
0dBu or 4VU  
+2dBu or 2VU  
-4dBu or 8VU  
-20  
-16  
-18  
-12  
To change the s etting on the DD8, perform the following.  
Press SYSTEM MORE – LEVELS  
The level can now be changed  
Press EXIT.  
§
§
§
The new setting mus t be s aved, either in the pr oj ect or as a defaul t in the Flas h ROM  
(recommended).  
Please r emember that it is important to listen back to the S DDS master, to check for  
clicks, dropouts, bad connections etc.  
5.7  
Problems with MO dr ives  
One fault of the Akai DD8 is the fact that it doesnt report disk reading errors. If it fails  
to r etr ieve a file, it will simply mute one tr ack for, say, half a s econd, and then carry  
on as normal. Otherwise it may not play a tr ack at all. These pr oblems are caus ed by:  
Fragmentation – If a r eel contains a l ot of punch-ins or has been edited a l ot,  
the dr ive may have pr oblems accessing all the s mall sections.  
Dirt and age – it is extremely important to s er vice the dr ives regularly (see  
below).  
§
§
For SDDS masters it is recommended that a newl y formatted dis c i s used, and the  
amount of punch-ins/editing is kept to a mi ni mum.  
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5 Akai DD8 machines – Care and Us e  
5.8  
Drive servicing  
There ar e no official service inter vals for drives, but servicing at least once a year is  
recommended. Servicing can only be per for med by a s peci alist MO dr i ve s er vicing  
company.  
Moreover, it is absolutely vital to have no smoking in the s ame r oom as these dr ives .  
They are incr edibly susceptible to air bor ne dus t and dir t. Cigarette s moke combines  
the wor s t of all environments, as it is also s ticky. If you have pr oblems with MO dr i ves  
and s moking occur s in the s ame r oom, this is almost certainly the r eas on for the  
problems.  
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6 SDDS - The indus tr y' s best sounding for mat  
6 SDDS - The industry's best  
sounding format  
Sony Dynamic Digital Soundâ (SDDSâ) 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.  
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  
experience. While other digital formats are limited to the same  
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.  
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.  
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 or 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.  
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6 SDDS - The indus tr y' s best sounding for mat  
6.5  
Further details – Why is it the best sounding system?  
In normal operation the S DDS playback equipment uses both sides of the film for  
playback. However, if one s ide is damaged, the unit will play in digital concealment  
mode”. This uses extra back up tr acks for the los t information. There is a backup  
centre and s ubwoofer . The left and r ight channels are mixed to cr eate left mix backup  
and r ight mix backup. These ar e played thr ough the appr opr iate s peaker s at coded  
volume levels . The effect of going into DCM” is seamless. There is always a di gi tal  
centre s o dialogue is not disturbed. The two s ides are s epar ated fr om each other by  
about 17 frames.  
The data r ate off film is 2.2Mbits/sec, rather than 370kbits/second.  
The data compr ession is Sonys accl ai med AT RAC, used in broadcasting and in minidisk  
players. The compr ession ratio is only 5:1, rather than 10:1 or 13:1.  
There is no data s har i ng between channels, all channels are full range 20kHz (even the  
subwoofer ).  
The tr ack is printed in the cyan layer. This is the deepes t layer and ther efor e the mos t  
resistant to s cr atches . The r eader s also us e patented diffuse light, which also  
counteracts scratches. In normal use, with a well printed tr ack, the S DDS track will last  
as long as the pictur e.  
The cinema equi pment is built to S onys high broadcast standards. It features 28 band  
digital EQ on all channels (2 band par ametr ic on the s ubwoofer ). All I/O i s balanced.  
The pictur e below shows the high resolution, small dot size of SDDS (on the left).  
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6 SDDS - The indus tr y' s best sounding for mat  
6.6  
T estimonials  
Eight channel SDDS is awesome! It makes a huge difference on Pearl Harbor. Ive  
never heard a movi e s ound s o r eal. By all means, seek out a theatr e featur ing S DDS 8  
to exper ience Pear l Harbor the way we intended it. ”  
Michael Bay, Director, Pearl Harbor  
The s ens e of being totally enveloped in high-detail sound was particularly noticeable  
on this (SDDS 8) soundtrack”  
François Groult, chief sound mixer,  
“T he Messenger: T he story of Joan of Arc”  
“While the incr eas ed ‘s cr een resolution’ does indeed help with the definition of busy  
scenes, five channels have as much place on quiet films such as ‘Erin Brockovich’. I  
always find that just having thr ee s cr een speakers on intimate films forces me to play  
too many elements in the centr e hor n; otherwise, its distracting to have s ounds  
banging ar ound the exit signs near the left and r ight speakers. With SDDS, I can use  
the left-centr e and r ight-centr e s peaker s for a natur al - feeling, narrow stereo image  
throughout the whole movie, going wider as necessary for exterior scenes.”  
Larry Blake, supervising sound editor & rerecording mixer,  
Erin Brockovich  
“Movie theatr es equipped to pr es ent films in eight full channels can build and maintain  
a gr eater marketing edge over home theatr es . ”  
Listening to the thr ee-channel music became an annoying and dis tr acting  
disappointment, even with a 12 foot (wide) screen. Obviously my earlier notion had  
been mistaken. The S DDS eight-channel advantage will work in any theatre.”  
John F Allen, Boxoffice 1997  
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7 Dolby level versus operating level. Historical notes.  
7 Dolby level versus operating level.  
Historical notes.  
The current standard for digital cinema s ound has a headr oom of 20dB above the  
studio r efer ence level. This is usually 0VU in USA/France/Spain/I taly and 0dBu in the  
UK. If you look closely at a VU meter, 0VU is also mar ked as 100% . It now seems  
ludicrous that 20dB should be mar ked as 100% . However, when the meter was first  
invented, it was decided, for safety that there would be at least 10dB of headroom  
above this 0VU mark. This is because the meter integrates the level over time and  
gives an average r eading. It will miss instantaneous peaks. It therefore tends to under  
read, depending on program material. In the film world the flux level of magnetic f ilm  
was set at 0VU=185nWb/m. This allows roughly 10dB of headroom, remembering that  
maximum level on magnetic t ape is not a s tr i ctl y defined point, but that the ons et of  
saturation and dis tor tion is gradual. This reference level of 0VU then translated to an  
SPL of 85dBc i n the cinema. With the advent of digital recording ther e is no ons et of  
tape s atur ation grey area” so it is even more impor tant to have lots of headroom to  
allow for instantaneous peaks. 20dBs was decided on, which seemed to s uit the  
instantaneous peaks found in film sound tr acks .  
In the UK the film metering his tor y is slightly different. Reference level practises tend  
to come fr om the br oadcas t sector and the BBC in particular was a gr eat setter of  
standards. Here you are to find BBC PPM meter s . Marked fr om 1 to 7, with the higher  
numbers being 4dBs apart. PPM4 is usually 0dBu, PPM5, 0VU. The r efer ence level is  
usually 0dBu, PPM4. The maximum (broadcast) level is then PPM6, 8 dBs above  
reference level. PPMs catch all the peaks so give a tr uer picture of the level. Tape flux  
levels can be s et much higher. 0dBu=200nWb/m was the s tandar d agr eed on for  
magnetic f ilm. These meter s are ver y convenient for mixing engineer s – dialogue  
peaks about 4 and mus ic about 5 is a s i mpl e maxim.  
When Dolby began their involvement with film sound and nois e r eduction in the 1970s,  
they found a di fference of 0.75dB between USA and UK. This is account ed for by the  
difference between 185nWb/m and 200nWb/m. The s imple r emedy for this would have  
been to change the flux level alignment of the mag machines , but in some cas es the  
electrical operating level was changed ins tead, with potentially confusing r es ults .  
In a US A s tudi o, operating level and Dolby levelare always the s ame. But in  
Germany still today, a s i tuati on exists where Dolby level is -4.75dB with respect to  
operating level. The r eas ons for this are pur ely historical and caus e enor mous  
confusion. German broadcasting tr aditionally used the DI N system where the r efer ence  
level was the maximum broadcast level. This was set for +6dBu=320nWb/m on  
magnetic f ilm and T ype 1 PPM meter s were us ed. To make a wor l dwi de film, the  
reference tone has to be 185nWb/m, which then equals 85dBc i n the cinema. It was  
decided to keep the + 6dB= 320nWb/m standard and then record tone at 4.75dB with  
respect to r efer ence level, this equates to 185nWb/m. This was then called Dolby  
Level. This all worked fine, but with the ons et of digital cinema s oundtr acks , a bi z arre  
-4.75dB=-20dBfs scenario was produced and the r eas ons why are being los t. To  
counteract this, Dolby is now recommending that new studios follow the Amer ican”  
system of having the s ame Dolby level and r efer ence level. This makes sense as the  
DIN maximum system has now largely disappear ed in the film industry.  
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8 Subwoofer s  
8 Subwoofers  
- taken from tech note T N99051701 setting the s ubwoofer s ”, by Craig Connelly  
8.1  
I ntroduction  
The topic of setting s ubwoofer levels is the s ubj ect of numerous articles and even  
more numer ous opinions, but of only a s i ngl e pr opos ed s tandar d (S MPT E RP 200, and  
ITU 10-11R/T emp/11-E). There ar e many reasons for this. First, the us e of the moder n  
digital audio s ubwoofer is unique in comparison to the other channels and it is  
recorded with a di fferent monitoring r efer ence. The pur pos e of the s ubwoofer has  
changed with the evolution of cinema s ound, from compensating for the poor low  
frequency response and bass power capability of older screen speakers, to adding  
power to low frequency effects even in theatres having full range s cr een speakers and  
capable amplifiers. Secondly, different post production facilities and even different  
engineer s have followed their own alignment conventions. Finally, equipment and even  
meter standards are different when comparing the US A, Europe, and els ewher e. This  
wordy article is only an overview and is not meant to compr is e a s peci fi c calibration  
process or set of instructions.  
8.2  
Setting the acoustical reference level on the dub stage.  
A s i gnal , generally wide band pink noise, is sent through the dubbing cons ole to each  
of the monitor ing s ys tems screen speakers at the electrical reference level (also  
known as Dolby Level). Using a r eal time thir d octave analys er , the monitor system is  
adjusted for the pr eferred acous tical response at each loudspeaker, given the  
properties of the louds peaker , the r oom, the s cr een, and the X-cur ve” of SMPTE  
202M. The electr ical gain of each channel in the monitor ing s ys tem is then adjusted to  
give an acoustical reference level in the r oom from each screen speaker.  
8.3  
Setting the subwoofer acoustical gain using a scr een speaker as a  
reference.  
The channel used for subwoofer or LFE (low frequency effects) in the dubbing theatr e  
is then adjusted as above, except that the S PL is measured differently. To make this  
adjustment properly, a mul ti - channel real time analys er must be us ed. Analyser bands  
in the flat-r es pons e r egion of a s cr een speaker (generally, the centr e s peaker ) are  
taken as a r efer ence. These bands will not individually measure 85dB SPL, but will be  
somewhat less, depending on the bandwidth of the analys er s bands, typically about  
70 dB SPL for a 1/3-octave analys er as required by SMPT E 202M. This flat-response  
region, between the low frequency roll off caused by the louds peaker cabinet and the  
high frequency roll off due to the s cr een and X-cur ve, is referred to as the in-band  
(acoustical) response of the monitor speaker. The s ubwoofer electrical gain is adjusted  
such that the analys er channels in its in-band r egion are 10dB greater than those in  
the s cr een speakers in-band r egion. This is referred to as 10dB of in -band gain”  
(subwoofer level relative to each screen speaker level).  
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8 Subwoofer s  
10dB higher SPL  
40  
63 100 160 250 400 630 1K 1.6K 2.5K 4K 6.3K 10K 16K  
40  
63 100 160 250 400 630 1K 1.6K 2.5K 4K 6.3K 10K 16K  
Center channel loudspeaker response  
Digital subwoofer (LFE) channel response  
The meas ur ement is made acous tically, not electrically. Typically, each band of the  
analyser in the pass band of the s ubwoofer will then measure about 80 dB SPL. If a  
screen speaker and the L FE subwoofer loudspeaker are each measured with a wide  
band SPL meter, the s ubwoofer will typically measure appr oximately 5.5 dB higher.  
8.4  
Why we do it this way.  
The r eas on for lowering the electr ically recorded level of the s ubwoofer channel and  
making it up by turning up the playback gain dates back to 70mm film. The s ubwoofer  
recording level was lowered to pr event saturation of the magnetic t r ack and the  
playback gain was increased to compens ate. The loss of signal to nois e per for mance  
was inconspicuous because the s ubwoofer signal was sent through a l ow pass filter  
and did not reproduce hiss. This level difference convention has been retained in the  
digital world, where it serves to give additional effective headr oom for the playback of  
low frequency sound effects through the s ubwoofer loudspeaker.  
8.5  
What it means.  
The cons equence of having 10dB more acoustical gain in the s ubwoofer monitoring  
channel is that the dubbing engineer will tend to tur n down the electrical recording  
level of the s ubwoofer by about 10dB compared to what she would have done without  
the incr eas ed monitor gain. However, unlike the s cr een speaker channels, the engineer  
does not use a cons ol e meter to check the electr ical recording level of the s ubwoofer  
(except perhaps to guar d agains t overload conditions ).  
8.6  
Setting the digital screen speakers in the cinema.  
In the cinema, the s cr een speakers are adj us ted in the almos t same manner as they  
were on the dubbing s tage. This calibration, which encompasses the cinema  
processors main fader, equalizers, power amplifiers, crossovers, loudspeakers, screen,  
and r oom response, is referred to as the B-chain alignment. Consider the digitally  
driven loudspeaker alignment first, as it is the mos t important. An electrical reference  
signal, generally wide band pink noise gener ated within the cinema pr ocessor at a  
specific l evel , is used to align each of the s cr een speakers to give the des ir ed r es pons e  
(the X-cur ve or other reference r es pons e) and acoustical reference level for each  
individual speaker (again, 85 dBc, slow response, measured with a wi de- band S PL  
meter). This procedure ties the cinema pr ocessors electrical reference to an acoustical  
reference in the cinema, similar to what was done on the dubbing s tage.  
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8 Subwoofer s  
8.7  
Setting the digital subwoofer in the cinema.  
In a s i milar way as on the dubbing s tage in Step 3, the level of the digital subwoofer is  
set by using a mul ti - channel real time analys er and adj us ting the electrical gain of the  
monitor system to achieve 10dB of in-band acoustical gain, relative to a s cr een  
speaker. The cons equence of this adjustment is that signals which were r ecor ded  
appr oximately 10dB lower for the s ubwoofer will now play back in the cinema at the  
same acous tical level as they did when the dubbing engineer recorded them on the  
dubbing s tage, because the playback conditions have been acoustically matched  
between the dubbing s tage and the cinema ( as closely as variations in rooms and  
loudspeakers will allow).  
8.8  
Optical subwoofer defined.  
The optical subwoofer has a di fferent function than the digital subwoofer . It serves to  
enhance the bass response of the optical playback. It is totally artificial, synthesized in  
the cinema pr ocessor by combining the L , C ( -3dB), and R signals from the decoded  
optical Lt,Rt and s ending the s um through a l ow pass filter. The cut off frequency of  
this filter may be 50Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 120Hz or some other frequency, depending on  
the cinema pr ocessor and the ins tallers judgement. A hi gh pass filter may also be  
applied, if it is not already a component of the optical preamplifier, to r educe low  
frequency artefacts caused by ground nois e timing (GNR) errors and s tr eaking nois e  
on the pr int. The end r es ult is a s i gnal containing fr equency components which overlap  
those being s ent to, though not necessarily reproduced by, the s cr een speakers. In  
Hollywood, the dubbing engineer may not have listened to this signal on the dubbing  
stage (in part because the DS 4 without a cat. 160 card does not create it) and s o  
made no ar tis tic deci s i ons based on it. It is merely an enhancement created in the  
cinema to give the effect of more bass extension in the s cr een speakers and has no  
correspondence to any discrete s ignal on the dub s tage. Note that it also has a much  
lower dynamic r ange than the digital subwoofer signal. The digital subwoofer signal, in  
contrast, was creatively recorded on its own discrete channel (Sub or LFE) of the pr int  
master and is used for specific l ow frequency sound effects.  
8.9  
Setting the optical subwoofer.  
The optical (analogue) subwoofer is adjusted to match the optical screen speakers and  
effectively extend their low frequency response, again using a mul ti - channel real time  
analyser to compar e bands in the pass band of a s cr een speaker and the pass band of  
the s ubwoofer , and s etting in-band acoustical levels accor di ngl y. In this case, there is  
no in-band acous tical gain difference, as the s ubwoofer signal is just the low frequency  
components of the s cr een speaker signals.  
Same SPL  
40  
63 100 160 250 400 630 1K 1.6K 2.5K 4K 6.3K 10K 16K  
40  
63 100 160 250 400 630 1K 1.6K 2.5K 4K 6.3K 10K 16K  
Center channel loudspeaker response  
Analog subwoofer channel response  
Full range s cr een speakers need less help fr om the s ynthes ized optical subwoofer  
signal than do older speakers with poor bass extension. Experienced cinema engi neer s  
may chose to r educe the nominal level of the optical subwoofer , lower the fr equency  
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8 Subwoofer s  
of its low pass filter, or even eliminate the s ynthes ized s ignal altogether, depending on  
the capabilities of the s cr een loudspeakers and the auditor iums acoustical response.  
8.10 Subwoofer polarity.  
As a s i de note, it is often difficult to deter mine the correct polarity of the s ubwoofer ,  
digital or analogue. Even if pink noise is sent to the s ubwoofer and centr e channels  
simultaneously, in many cases there will be no appar ent difference in combined wide  
band S PL measurement when switching s ubwoofer polarity. In the end the bes t  
polarity may come down to an aesthetic j udgement on the par t of the cinema  
technician, based on listening to actual films.  
8.11 Rule-of-thumb methods.  
Measuring the level of a s ubwoofer with a wi de-band S PL meter is of questionable  
value except as a r ul e- of- thumb method to r e-check a theatr e that has already been  
properly calibrated. The r eas ons for this include the fact that the meas ur ed acous tical  
output of a s ubwoofer (or any loudspeaker system) depends on the bandwidth of the  
signal ultimately being meas ur ed. That will be affected by the bandwidth of the input  
test signal, any equalizer or low pass filter settings, the auditor iums response, the  
loudspeaker cabinet response, and the accur acy of the C weight ing r es pons e at low  
frequencies of the S PL meter used for the meas ur ement. A s ubwoofer signal with a  
wider bandwidth may measure the s ame as another with a narrower bandwidth but  
higher level (as indicated by analyser bands within the pass band of the s ubwoofer ),  
using the s ame s peaker cabinet. Considering the DFP-D3000, the bandwidth of the  
pink noise s ent to the s ubwoofer is affected by a l ow pass filter that can be adj us ted  
from 80Hz to 330Hz—a di fference of three octaves or eight times in acoustical energy.  
No s tandar ds exist for such wide band S PL measurements of subwoofer s .  
Although the meas ur ed S PL of wide band pink noise thr ough the s ubwoofer will  
change if the s ubwoofer s low pass filter is adjusted, this will not change the actual  
playback level of the digital LFE channel from film. So long as the filter frequency is  
not set too low, the s ignals recorded on the dubbing s tage will determine what is  
heard in the cinema when the pr oper in-band gain difference is established  
acoustically, as previously described. This is why an engineer who us es a wi de- band  
SPL meter to s et the digital subwoofer level is engaging in self-deception. In general, a  
low pass filter setting for the digital subwoofer (LFE) of 125 Hz, 160 Hz, or even  
200 Hz should s er ve in most installations, and all settings should s ound the s ame when  
playing digital multichannel material. A l ow pass filter setting of 125 Hz will give a wi de  
band s ubwoofer SPL pink noise meas ur ement of appr oxi matel y 91 dBc. This rule-of-  
thumb r es ult is only appr oximate and s hould not be us ed for the pr imar y alignment of  
a theatr e.  
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9 Glossary of Terms  
9 Glossary of Terms  
T erm  
Also Known As  
Description  
Sync pi p  
Head pop  
1kHz tone of 1 frame  
duration used for  
synchronizing s ound  
and pictur e  
Domestic ver s i on  
M&E  
Original version  
The or iginal language  
mix  
International version  
Music and s ound  
effects only, no  
language s pecific  
dialogue  
Dialogue pr emix  
DX premix  
Only the dialogue  
Left total, Right total  
LtRt, SR, SVA  
Matrixed analogue”  
track  
Confidence pass  
Overlap  
Control  
Pull Up  
Playback check  
Audio after the end of  
a r eel from the s tar t  
of the next reel, to  
facilitate manual reel  
changeovers  
SPL  
Sound Pr essure L evel  
DB full scale  
Level of acoustic  
sound in the air  
dBfs  
Level of a di gi tal  
signal, where 0dBfs is  
the maximum level.  
Punch-in  
Drop-in  
The pr ocess of editing  
a r ecor di ng by  
pressing the r ecor d  
button whilst playing  
back  
SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 25 of 26  
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9 Glossary of Terms  
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® Sony & SDDS are r egis ter ed tr ademar ks of the S ony Corporation  
® Dolby and S RD are tr ademar ks of Dolby Laboratories  
SDDS Print Master Guidelines, Page 26 of 26  
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