What's the problem? I've got music from a movie coming in at max but the speaking voices are low.?

Question

We were setting up for our "Rocky Horror" production and ran into some sound issues that we still can't put a finger on...

we ran the movie from a dvd player, the video went to a projector (which worked fine) and our sound went into our mixer then house speakers, the music and background noise from the film was running fine but when the actors spoke you couldn't hear it...

...thinking it was the mixer we ran it through a separate independent sound system and had the same problem... so the problem is coming from the av cables or dvd player or wiring to the mixer... how do we get the volumes level?

(sorry for forming my question in a mad ramble format)

Answer 1

Check your DVD player....

Without the DVD in it, select Menu, then select Audio and look to see if the SAP MODE is TURNED ON....

That will mute the main voice channel and turn on the SAP audio....

And the back ground music will stay the same level.....

So you need to turn SAP off....

Another possibility if you're using the OPTICAL OUT on the DVD is you have it set for RAW instead of PCM (but this is not likely ! )

Now if the DVD is in the unit, you will never get to the DVD PLAYER's menu, and that is where you need to go to.....

Answer 2

This would happen if your system did not have a center-channel speaker, but the DVD player is set up as if it did.  If you have a center speaker, make sure it is properly connected.  If you do not, make sure that in the speaker configuration setup (in the DVD player) that "NONE" is selected for the center channel.

Suggestion: get a DVD test disc ("Video Essentials" or "Guide to Home Theater").  This disc will have test tones that will check every speaker in your system.

Answer 3

How have you hooked up the DVD player?

All Dolby Digital decoders must give you a separate adjustment for the volume of the center, left-rear and right-rear speaker.

This is usually done by the AV Receiver which you hooked up with a optical or coaxial-digital cable.

If your DVD player has the 6 RCA jacks for the speakers, and this is what you hooked to - go into the setup menu for the DVD player.  You will find adjustments for the center speaker volume.

Also make sure the audio selection on the Disk is set to Dobly Digital 5.1.  The first audio track is usually only ProLogic.

Answer 4

some dvd players have multiple rca connectors on the back.  its possible yours has rca outputs for 5.1 channels of surround sound.  if so, those check the labeling closely on the connectors you are using as left and right outputs!  

They may actually be the FRONT left and FRONT right outputs for the 5.1 surround.  Actors voices will not be coming out of those jacks, but out of the one labeled center.  If you are using a mixing board anyway, then simply run a 3rd cable from center out to another input on the mixer.  Have all 3 inputs up, being careful that the center feed is a little bit higher than the other two.  (If your set up allows for it, you can even get fancy and pan the front left feed to the left, the front right feet to the right, and keep the center feeding both right and left.)

If none of this is the case, and the only sound connections are a single left and right output, then go into the sound settings menu on the dvd player and make sure to select "stereo" mode, or stereo "mixdown" mode or "two channel' mode (Labeling differs on each machine.  Consult the manual for labeling specific to your model.)  This adjustment correctly blends the various channels to properly ensure that what is being put out is what you'd expect of a stereo left and right output.

Answer 5

Movies are generally recorded in surround sound so that the majority of the vocal portion is coded to be reproduced by the center speaker. The first implication of this is that the center speaker should be capable of accurately playing back midrange frequencies (where vocals predominantly lie) -- something many speakers are not good at.

Playing back movies in stereo often "mushes" the vocals into the music and background sounds making them hard to distinguish. Even if properly decoded to a good center speaker if the speaker hasn't been calibrated correctly relative to the front and surrounds vocals can get lost. Finally, all too many movies are improperly -- or at least inadequately -- mastered and the vocals suffer.

Hope that gives you some ideas.