When I was growing up, I listened to music in stereo. And I'm sure many of you did too. Stereo was something so simple, yet so amazing. It accurately represented sound so much better than Mono. It made sense, too. You have two ears, you should hear music from two sources simultaneously. I also watched movies in stereo. From a young age, I realized that something was missing. When I went to the movie theatre, I felt different. Even if I was seeing a kid-friendly rated G film with my parents I can remember feeling more interest in the movie then if I watched the same thing on VHS on our family television.
What may not be so apparent is that movies, and music of course, should be heard; more importantly felt. Felt as in actual vibrations. Those sonic pulses are what differentiated the action scene from its oncoming slow concerto.
There also lies feeling in the directionality of the sound. If something were to happen behind you, wouldn't you expect to hear it coming from behind you? If anyone has had the pleasure of being seated in a premium movie theatre, or a well made home theatre system, the viewer is being made to feel as if he were viewing the action first hand.
That said, proper use of sound can enhance a movie. Overuse of this technique, however, can make an otherwise decent movie seem like a confused mess. Whether listening in Dolby Digital or DTS, it is clearly evident which sound engineer has two connected hemispheres, or if his temporal lobe has undergone a lobotomy.
Because many of you may still listen to music in stereo, or worse, through those integrated 10-Watt speakers, you are missing out more of the movie than you would not watching it in 24p. But I digress.
It may seem then that sound is the defining factor in a film . However, it is exactly the inverse; lack of sound makes the movie. Ever see No Country for Old Men? If you watch it again (and again, and again) you will notice the absence of a soundtrack. All that is encoded are things that would really make a sound. Doors opening around you, an explosion to your right, and footsteps coming toward you from behind. When the protagonist and his nemesis draw their arms, you feel as if you were really standing betwixt their gunfire.
This experience is an investment. It either requires going to the movie theatre and paying till the moths fly out from whatever was used to store money. This option sucks. Alternatively, one could invest in a home theatre system of his own. The latter option, sadly, is often avoided. Obviously reasons quickly come to mind. Expensive. Expensive. Expensive. This is not necessarily true. While any real investment in a HT system does cost a decent chunk of change, it doesn't necessarily have to break the bank.
That being said, the first thing one can do is buy a HT system in box. Anyone that has gone to Best Buy knows exactly the scenario. An amplifier and speakers bundled together in one cardboard container. Other than having the worst 5.1 surround system possible and wasting an unnecessarily small, yet still significant, sum of money, you have made yourself look like an idiot to whoever sold you the product. They key here is that Home Theatre should be made, not bought.
More often than not, a proper surround sound will take a year, at minimum, to complete. What this means is many visits to Craigslist, eBay, and garage sales as well as the occasional dumpster dive. When you are done, however, you know that no amount of money can replace what you had currently built. Although it may be worth less than your flatscreen TV, you know that it is the best sounding way to listen to music and watch movies. Your friends will agree. And maybe it will look something like this:
No comments:
Post a Comment