Latest Surround Design for Cinema

The Fundamental surround design for latest Cinema Sound　[ PDF ]

Mick Sawaguchi Fellow M of AES/ips

Abstract

In this paper, I introduce a fundamental sound design for surround.

It gained from my 35 years practical surround mixing designing experience, Also I have been investigated a number of Best Sound Design Films which were analyzed from Academy Best Sound Editing Award since 1981 to 2013.

1  Six basic patterns of surround sound design for dramas

1-1 Surround ambience

This is the most fundamental surround sound design. It sounds enable the audience to better perceive how the story is proceeding. There are two typical techniques to create it.

One is build up from conventional 2CH stereo to front and surround.

The other is that to use a surround-recording ambience.

1-2 Fly-over

As suggested by the name, specific sound flows longitudinally between the front and rear sections of the studio. A sharp snap of sound effect adds a strong impact to the scene.

1-3 Whirlpool

The audience is thrown into a spiral whirlpool of sound and so feels as if the place is swinging in every direction.

1-4 Proceeding and After Image

Sounds, which may predict what is about to happen in subsequent scenes, are reproduced, not merely generating a sensation of reality or feeling of unity as with the method in Item (1) above. The sounds produced here must be short, have a punch and allow the audience to guess what's coming next.

1-5  Sound shower from top

A shower of sound comes from above the audience. It is theoretically impossible to reproduce vertical relations using any configuration of the current horizontal 6-channel speakers. The method, however, makes use of the physical advantage of surround speakers, which are typically installed higher than the audience seats. It is much enable to produce to make use of latest 3D-Surround format such as Dolby Atmos or Auro 3D so far.

1-6  Big, closer sound feeling

Most of the sounds come horizontally instead of from above; the main components are reproduced with the front C-channel, and supplementary components with the L-R/SR-SL channels. This method is useful for emphasizing a specific human voice in dialogue or monologues or for big sound effects representing gunshots and explosions. In this method, sound can be boosted larger than that reproduced from a single channel. Using more than one channel can strengthen the drive to a higher level than representing all with a single channel, while securing the peak margin.

2 Latest Surround design by Digital format

It sounds bit hard to get such design on Matrix surround or SR-Dformat.But Thanks of Digital format,It will expanding more ideal sound design which are  adaptable to Designer's needs.

2-1 Independent discreet sounds

It is new sound design since come up digital surround format.

The advantage it has that to representing different sound source without any

Interference.

2-2  Hard Ambiences

It is also new sound design since digital format.

The difference between ordinary surround ambience it that

It enable to presenting much harder sound wall than conventional ambience.

To give a more enclosed space or tension to audience.

2-3 The contrast of Subjective and objective sound

It is also a new sound design since digital format.

It enable to representing a subjective sound and objective sound according to

Cut back the both cuts.