How to deal with movies that bounce from too quiet to too loud

Who doesn't like the explosion scenes in the movie? But a common problem with film production companies is that whenever I watch an action movie, in order to hear the character's dialogue clearly, I have to turn the volume high, and then quickly turn it down every time I explode. And if my reaction is not fast enough, my wife will be awakened and then be very angry.

Why does the movie happen?

It's all about dynamic range-the difference between the loudest and lightest parts of the track. Audio tech journalist and consultant Scott Wilkinson (also a "home theater geek" on TWiT.tv) explains that the wider the dynamic range, the greater the drama. In other words, they mix it like this to give you a shocking impact when an explosion occurs.

The problem is, sometimes you don't want this shock. Sometimes you just want to relax and watch superheroes fight each other without waking up your neighbors because of your thin walls – at this point, the wide dynamic range becomes less than ideal.

Wilkinson said: "This is not usually a problem with commercial theaters, which have high-quality sound systems and good acoustics. So you can hear and understand the quiet conversation in one scene without slashing the other. The impact of loud and explosiveness in the scene. "Even though these movies have been remade for home viewing, most people use a bass-quality TV speaker, and the air conditioner is still buzzing in a less than ideal room. This makes the conversation difficult to understand and the volume needs to be adjusted continuously.

If you don't have enough money to improve the acoustics of the room and create your own home theater for soundproofing (I'm not a rich man!), you have other options.

Open "Night Mode"

You may not realize that there may be a set up built in your TV, sound system, or streaming player to solve this problem: it is called "night mode" and the feature is as its name.

Wilkinson said: "This compresses the dynamic range, reducing the difference between the loudest and lightest parts of the track. Unfortunately, this setting is not always easy to find in the device's menu system, although some of it is not always easy to find. There is a dedicated 'Night Mode' button on the remote control of the device. "Clean a look at the settings of your TV, speaker system (if you have it) and streaming player -- this useful mode may also be called " Dynamic compression” or similar name.

Use a high-quality soundbar or speaker system

Even with Night Mode enabled, you may find that your TV speakers cannot make the conversation clear and understandable at low volume. You may not have room to install a huge and powerful surround sound system, but even a small upgrade can go a long way.

[Related: How to Clean Your TV Screen]

Wilkinson recommends using external sound systems such as soundbars or AV receivers with multiple speakers. Ideally, you should have a soundbar or speaker system with at least 3.1 channels (one left channel, one right channel and one center channel, and a subwoofer for good bass). Most of the conversation will come from the center channel, and there is a speaker dedicated to this task that makes it easier to understand the conversation. So when shopping, be aware of the "3.1" label – 5.1 if you want surround sound. I think LG's 3.1 soundbar is a good starting point if you have limited space.

Increase the volume of the center channel

A speaker system with a center channel will be a big improvement over your TV speakers, but you can further reduce the dynamic range by adjusting the volume in the menu. On many soundbars and receivers, you can individually increase the volume of the center channel in the conversation center without increasing the volume of the other channels, Wilkinson said. This is usually not an option for a two-channel system, but you can never go wrong when looking at the settings of your soundbar or receiver. Once you find the volume level of the center channel, turn it up a few gears to see how it works. (You may have to do some experimentation to find the right balance – I always use The Matrix as a test case because it is a great example of a movie with a high dynamic range.)

If all other methods fail, please use headphones

But if you just can't avoid waking the kid downstairs-I know this is not the solution you want-you may have to resort to headphones. “By isolating yourself from any ambient noise and acoustic defects in the room, you can listen at a lower volume and still be able to understand the conversation without being shocked by loud sounds,” Wilkinson said.

You may already have headphones that can do this task, but I recommend not using Bluetooth headphones because there is inherent delay, which can cause the sound to be out of sync with the screen. Instead, connect the headphones to a TV or soundbar using a long 3.5mm extension cord, or use a radio frequency (RF) wireless home theater headphones like the Sennheiser RS ​​175. Some streaming players, like Roku, even allow you to plug your headphones into a remote control — or your phone, using the remote control app — to listen to music “wirelessly”. This may not be the ideal solution, but at least you can enjoy superhero fighting without disturbing your neighbors.

This story has been updated. It was originally published on March 13, 2020.

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