CHapter 1 - Setup


Before you get started listening to your first project, it is important to consider how you are hearing. What system will be the reference that will determine your decisions? Every decision that you make will be based on your perception of how you hear the audio and every decision that you make driven by your opinion. Remember that it should not just be the speakers that affect your choices; the environment where you listen is an important consideration too.

Below is audio to test the low frequency response of your speakers

Here is a simple diagram to give you an idea how to setup speakers in you room. Always have speakers level with your ears and sit in the center, between the stereo speakers, which are placed at a 60 degree angle. This positioning displays 5.1 surround and stereo (with the blue lines).

Front-back dimension should be the longest. Listening position close to 1/3 of the room. No listening positions closer than 1-1.5m from any walls.

Front-back dimension should be the longest. Listening position close to 1/3 of the room. No listening positions closer than 1-1.5m from any walls.

Here is a very useful link to a webpage that will calculate the recommended placement of your speakers based on the dimensions of your room.

For this scene, there was only one track of audio, and the director could not understand why it sounded so bad. Can you see why?

For this scene, there was only one track of audio, and the director could not understand why it sounded so bad. Can you see why?

As I begin the chapter, and the book, I quote Pascal Quignard from his book, "The Hatred of Music". He explains much better than I, why audio is so important in our lives. Yet, for so many independent filmmakers, sound is an afterthought. Image is the dominant priority. It is interesting to me that there are many nouns to describe a look; a glance, a scan, a stare, a glimpse, a peep, a gaze, etc. Yet, I know of no noun for the way we hear. Maybe if we had ears likes dogs.