Introduction to Maya - Modeling Fundamentals Vol 2
This course will look in the fundamentals of modeling in Maya with an emphasis on creating good topology. It's aimed at people that have some modeling experience in Maya but are having trouble with complex objects.
# 16 13-03-2011 , 12:07 AM
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The THX speakers will of course be tuned to the room size when the engineer installs them (I kid you not!!)

Jay, thats actually an incorrect approach to speaker EQ believe it or not, and not all stores have certified THX's installers, or non THX certified installers. Anyway, you don't want to tune the speakers to the room. What you want to do is prevent any acoustics from interfering with the tuning process. Thats why alot of speakers don't sound as good as they should, even after being tuned. I have worked with the THX enigeers for the commercial cinema many times, and they all do the same thing. They all do far field EQ. Thats actually in the back 2/3rds of the theater. When you do that you get the acoustics involved with the tuning process and it gives you a false reading on the sound analyzers. The result is a really high boost on the high frequencies, and if you have ever been to a theater where the sound is ear-piercing, and shrill, then you know the projection tech is using a far field EQ approach. If the sound is muddy, dull and shrill, then projection tech is using just one acoustic mic at far-field distance. Multi-mic readings give you better results but still wont sound flat if a far field approach is used. Theater techs ( and the THX ones alike ) are trained to accept that that is what cinema sound is supposed to sound like.

Same thing applies to home theater. If you set the mic at the listening position, you get the room acoustics involved in the sound readings. The best way around the problem is get the mic up close to the speaker ( near field ), that way the acoustics are for the most part removed from the readings, and you get a really flat response. I did that at a theater I used to work at and got alot of really good feedback from movie watchers. The company projection tech; however, was furious and said I didn't know what I was doing and changed the tuning back. Customers were kinda pissed after that happened. And the manager never sided with me on the issue, even though I was approved to do such work on the system.

I have used the same near-field technique for home theater and it still works. You still want to acoustically treat the room by all means, because it prevents/ and or lessens severe room reverb, slap-ecos and bass traps.

The bad thing about home cinema is the built in Audyssey EQ that alot of receivers and preamps now have. It takes alot of control away from the user because it does it all itself. And it instructs you to set the mic far field, at the listening position. And it uses a totally different kind of a test tone that what is normally used.

i am not an expert. maybe what murabi wants is a suggestion what you would buy with his budget


Well, I sill don't know what he really wants. He seems to be going back and fourth between a Home theater PC and standard home theater components. Until he settles on what he wants to go with, I really cant help him much.

# 17 13-03-2011 , 01:23 AM
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THX

I am just relaying the information given to me by a certified THX dealer/installer engineer just before I bought my system. We have a THX EQ actually on a few discs here at home and it runs thru the whole speaker setup in the lounge testing pitch and balance so each speaker is as optimal as possible for output, and this is even on a non THX system lol. Bunch of arse if you ask me at the end of the day, the sound will only ever be as good as its recorded, obviously Blu ray being of a better clarity than standard dvd which is all over the place.

anyway I recall that shrill actually at a Star Wars screening a few years back for SW EP3, it was awful LOL and sitting bang in the centre was murder on the ears!!

ttfn

Jay

# 18 13-03-2011 , 07:10 AM
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Jay, the THX optimode on those disks you have don't really have much to do with EQ, but more for balancing your speaker levels. To use the test tones ( for equalizing a speaker system ) from THX optimode, you need a Pre-Pro system along with a 1/3rd octave EQ device hooked up between the amps and processor. And to analyze the data you will need a realtime analyzer along with a calibrated acoustic mic.

Anyway, I rarely watch movies at a theater anymore because sound is so crappy, shrill and dull, and if it's not so shrill, it's definitely dull.

And your absolutely right, the sound will only sound as good as it's recorded.

# 19 13-03-2011 , 09:35 PM
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Hey I want to get speakers worth 3.5k and the rest i wanted to spend on a receiver and a projector sorry for not explaining myself well I already purchased the projector so im left with 6.1k for the rest

# 20 13-03-2011 , 10:38 PM
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Awesome Murambi, what kind of speakers and recievers are you looking at?

# 21 14-03-2011 , 07:39 AM
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well most the home theaters that i have seen on you tube and a couple on some sites are using onkyo systems so im leaning towards them unless you have a better recommendation for my price range

# 22 14-03-2011 , 11:49 PM
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I see alot of Pioneer and Denon systems, and they are very comparable with Onkyo. If you want to go a small step beyond those, I recommend checking out the Marantz systems. They are a little more expensive and are considered hi-end because they are built better than the others, and are worth the extra money. I have some old marantz THX monoblock amps at home that run my pre-pro system. I actually bought them new back in the mid 90's, back when THX meant something.

let me know if your interested at all in really expensive ultra high end. I will send you some links to some websites.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that Denon has a really expensive ( alot more than Marantz ) hi-end product line also, but alot of their inexpensive basic systems can be found in many places.


Last edited by THX1138; 15-03-2011 at 01:02 AM.
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