Am I the only one avoiding going to the movies because..

It is just so freaking loud!
The last 3 times I have gone out to the movies the volume has just been overwhelming. I went to see Furry and walked out of the theater sonically exhausted. And I a musician that has spent 35 years standing in front of drum kits & 100 watt guitar amps getting pretty damn loud on stage at times.:guitar:

I don’t know if it is I am just getting old :grumpy: Or that I am going to matinees when the theater is only 20% full & the volume level has not been adjusted to take in to account that there isn’t all those bodies absorbing the sound or what?.

But I swear I am to the point of preferring to watch movies at home on my HD big screen & home theater set up where I can control the sound.
I am even thinking of adding a compressor/limiter to my home 7.1 system to add some control the overwhelming dynamics in some of the action movies.

It is strange because it seems movies are mixed with this huge dynamic range. And yet music seems to be mixed to have all the dynamics squished to death.

What is up with audio mixing & mastering these days?

Am I just a audio control freak or are there others that feel the same way at the movie theaters these days?:scratch2:

Damn I like going to the movies but I feel like I need to wear hearing protection sometimes:thumbsdn:

As always YMMV
Cheers
PQ

 

The volume is one of the reasons I no longer go to the pictures, the rude behavior of much of the audience is the other.

 

I do take hearing protection on my rare trip to a theatre. I will likely miss some subtle dialog but the overwhelming bursts are unnecessary. It's not really the volume; it's driving the system well beyond it's capacity to produce quality sound.

 

Last movie I went to was Indiana Jones Crystal Skull. Distortingly loud and annoying. I watch at home only now. I can't imagine what a bang bang shoot-em up is like by now.

 

I avoid them because of talking, lip-smacking, open mouth popcorn chewing, candy wrapper crinklers that inevitably surround me.

 

The last movie I attended, I had - swear to God - a big head/hat in front of me, seat-kicker behind me, sticky floor under me, and cell phones and talkers all around me.

I have a 10-ft screen in my home theater and never look back (or out)

 

Have nor been in years. Last few times I went the volume gave me headaches, cell phones were ringing, persons talking to each other, and the attendants were absolutely disrespectful. They were emulating the bank and airport line 'em up like criminals lineup system and the popcorn still tasted and smelled terrible. On top of it all no 2-cartoon leading or Gene Autry Radio Ranch serials.

 

Yeah, I'd rather do all that in the privacy of my home.

 

One of the inconveniences about going to the movies, is being able to negotiate taking out a second mortgage in time to afford the show!!

 

Around here the price of the ticket isn't too bad....if the rest of the experience (see my previous post) was tolerable. But, I agree, the prices of concessions are crazy high.

 

And the 3rd is its a germfest! Ok maybe I'm a little germaphobic but you must admit it can be nasty. Sticky floors and chair arms yuck!

I only go to the movies about once every 2 years but only a weekday matinee when there are only a few people in the theatre.

 

I'm only 30 but it won't bother me if I never step foot in a movie theater again. I do get irritated by the volume sometimes, mostly by scenes with music where it doesn't need to be that loud. The volume is lowest on the list though, getting comfortable when you're over 6' in those seats isn't easy by the 1 hour mark, I'm constantly switching which leg is crossed/which cheek is getting the pressure. Bathroom breaks: I don't get a drink because I'll have to miss 4-5 minutes of the movie after I awkwardly try to get through a row of people with whispers of excuse me, sorry, thanks, you're good I got it.

I'd rather do it from my couch and be in complete control and saving at least $30.

 

Doing away with the Roadrunner and Bugs Bunny cartoons was the end for me. I don't like the noise, the filthy floors, the seats not made for tall people (my knees are always mashed) and the inability to pause the movie to go use the bathroom or get a snack. Home is a much nicer experience.

 

Tom nailed it.

VERY true.

A certain "high end" theater in these parts had one whole right channel out on their system during "WWZ"

I mentioned it to the teen manning the counter. Nothing done.

I went back 6 months later, still out. Asked about it, "Well, they're supposed to come fix it."

Maybe if you dummkopfs wouldn't drive the amps to clipping, they wouldn't blow up??

Theaters are run by goofball children, at least in my area. And run poorly, I might add.

 

Unlike you hermetic, germophobic, skin-flint, fuddy-duddies, I like to go out and be among the people.

Like Tolstoy.

 

The price, smelly popcorn, sneezing, coughing, seat-kickers, seats made for kids, (you maximize your profit that way), dirty seats and floors, cell phones ringing, peoples talking, line up, retarded attendants, belching, farting, no cartoons , did I forget anything, yep, the noise. When kids complain about the sound, it has to be loud, no question about it.

Two years ago the grand-kids and I were at the movie, that was the last time for me.

 

Yeah, so do I in general. But, when I go to the movies I prefer to be able to actually enjoy them in relative peace and quiet (re. audience noise). Since that usually is not the case, I don't go as much as I'd actually like to.

 

If you arrive late to miss the ads, do an early matinee to keep cost/audience down, you're stuck in a strange town and you have a pint bottle and a bag of nuts in your pockets it's not a bad deal. Once every twenty years.

 

Circling back to the OP's topic, if you don't have enough Sabines in the seats, then it's going to sound a little different than the mixers intended. The full dynamic range is presented because they are ostensibly played back on systems that are constructed (and hopefully maintained) to a known standard. And when it does work, it usually sounds quite good. It is unlikely that damage-causing volumes would be tolerated as an industry due to the liability. Individual systems can, and are, be ouside this spec. The kid at the counter really doesn't have the power to do anything; start with the actual manager, or complain to the chain's HQ with specific show/date/theater.

If you'd still like to go, but it's occasionally too loud, consider some shooter-style hearing protection. They have little mechanical valves inside that are open for normal levels of conversation, etc., but close and attenuate when a given SPL is reached. Some Googling will probably reveal choices for various SPLs. They're handy for many other uses, too.

As for table etiquette, venue cleanliness, predatory snack pricing, and the like -- well, what do you want for fifteen bucks anyway, linen tablecloths and a sommelier? All you can do is hope someone doesn't get capped for texting before the movie even starts. (Hello, Florida!)

It's easy to see why HT is popular.

Chip