Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Movie to test Surround

I am just wondering what particular movie or scene which push lots of ambient sound to the surround speakers so that I can test my surround speakers? I have a pair of QS4. THanks.

The just released Kill Bill, Volume 1 uses good surround effects. I really like the mosquito flying around the surrounds in a clockwise fashion. And also the ball on chain being swung around in also I believe a clockwise fashion.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has a number of scenes which make good use of the surrounds.

The Quidditch match, the Dark Forest, the flying keys room...

Was very impressed with my M22's as surrounds today...

WhatFurrer

Agree...Kill Bill Vol 1 is perfect. Also try Titan AE and Lord of the Rings.

All good movies. Also, Alan the expert has recommended The Bourne Identity on several occasions and he's right. The surrond mixing on it is pretty great.

jr

fellowship of the ring. horse chase scene before they get Frodo to the House of Elron lights up the QS series nicely.
I like loud and obnoxious so a lot of the fight scenes in the LOTR films do it for me.

Private Ryan is good.

Not a huge eagles fan, but Hell freezes over seems to put smiles on the faces of people you demo the system to.

Thanks. I'll give these movie a try tomorrow. I don't think I've heard much from my surround speakers. I'm getting a Avia disc to calibrate them speakers.

master and command (coming out soon) will probably have a good surround track

In the first LOTR, check out the scene where Gandolf first comes into the shire on his horse drawn carraige. When Frodo and he are talking there is a very nice "woodsy" ambiance. The sounds of birds, insects, and a breeze rustling leaves fills the room.

My girlfriend started laughing. It sounded like we took the roof off of the house. Very realistic.

Watch "Blue Crush." Yes, it is a teenage pop culture moive with not much of a story line, but the sound in it is pretty darn good.

For starters here's two easy ones. I like 'Saving Private Ryan" DTS edition for mature audiences & if you have kids 'Lion King' SE. Enjoy...

Perhaps you're looking for subtle ambiant sound, but Adaptation has a scene (#13?) with a surprise car crash that is incredible. It's the closest you can come to being in a car crash without physical injury. I've used it to demo the surround sound system for lots of guests, and several have said they might need to change their shorts. Good movie in all other respects, too.

You don't need kids to enjoy The Lion King. In fact we just watched it last night! GREAT audio on that disc.

Hi Denver,

I'd forgotten about "Adaptation." I saw it in a theater and you are right about that accident scene. Haven't tried it at home.

I just watched a fairly cheesy thriller, "Identity," on HBO in DD 5.1, and it has a terrific thunderstorm and effects in all speakers, including a few lightning strikes that seem to be "hard-mixed" to the surrounds. But despite the good cast, it's a mediocre effort. Don't know if it's out in DVD.

Regards,

In reply to:

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GREAT audio on that disc.

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No kidding! One of the best mixes I've ever heard on a dvd. I love what the Disney sound engineers did with thier "Disney Enhanced Home Theater mix". It is a pleasantly enveloping experience.

Star Wars (either EPISODE I or II). But in this instance Episode II. I believe it's chapter 7 or 8?? The scene where it starts out that Obi-Wan jumps out the window and it turns in to a speeder chase scene. Great use of surrounds as vehicles are passing by!

the western 'open range' has some great use of surrounds in it. there are several thunder storm scenes which make you think its raining in your living room. also, the sound of boots walking across the hollow wood floors is kinda neat, and the gun battle at the end of the movie is awesome.

i am told 'the patriot' has some great surround efx, but i have never actually seen the movie.

bigjohn

For something that puts a lot of demands on the surrounds try Monsters Inc. Check out the scene named "23-19"...a helicopter flies overhead, the monsters are running around the room, alarms going off, etc.

Also, the THX intro (test?) scene puts a lot of sound through the surrounds.

If you're into music and concert DVD's then I would recommend "A Concert For George", the tribute to George Harrison. Great music and the surrounds make you feel like you're right there.

Excuse the long post. Here is a summary of DVDs with interesting audio I put together from a variety of sources:

MOVIES

Here is a summary of DVDs with interesting audio I put together from a variety of sources:

Black Hawk Down.
Academy Award for best sound, couple of years ago. Great bass and bullets whizzing all around.

Blue Crush
A movie that has good sound in general, good bass and makes decent use of surrounds is. Chapter 2 is especially good. Unfortunately, you must also watch the movie.

Bourne Identity
The surround mix is stunning in both DD and DTS. Well done and realistic The scene in the field when the birds take flight is special for the surrounds

The Haunting has unbelievable bass - loud and extremely powerful.

Independence Day is a good surround workout.

The Italian Job - The intro music sounds so pure and there is some chest thumping bass when the armored truck is blown "under" the street

Last of the Mohicans is great!

LOTR - Fellowship of the Ring and LOTR - The Two Towers Just excellent all the way around.

Mission to Mars
If you want a really good demo of rear vs. side imaging in the surrounds, then try chapter 11. There is a part where the mission commander's voice circles the room. Put your receiver in DD EX mode and listen as Armin Mueller-Stahl's voice pans from front to side to rear to other side, all in one continuous arc.

Open Range
Awesome on surround speakers. There are several scenes when it is storming, and you can hear the thunder actually 'roll' thru the living room. The sound of boots thumping hollow on an old wood floor. If you aren’t impressed by then, the final 'shoot-out' at the end is very impressive. The shotgun scene is impressive.

The Patriot
Cannons, swamp noises, crickets, bugs, bullets, explosions

Phantom Menace Attack of the Clones
The plot and acting in both of these are poor, but the action and surround mixes are fantastic. The pod race, and the light saber battle scenes are great.

Saving Private Ryan. All of the battle scenes are good, but the opening sequence is stunning.

Seabiscuit
This movie should have won the award for best sound, IMHO. The sound of the horses hooves as they came barreling down the stretch was so thunderous and powerful - it really allows the viewer to better comprehend the strength that the horses have - not to mention the fact that its pretty awesome, hearing a dozen or so horses stampeding through your living room.

Signs, Exorcist and The Others
All three are great for scaring you with the surrounds. They use the rears so effectively to get you to jump or just to creep you out. It's like a new version of the "open door - have something jump out and scare you gag" for frights sake alone. Now, by using the surrounds, the mixers are able to really immerse the audience in the scene, making you feel like you are there - it truly is scarier to hear what goes bump in the night as opposed to what you see (which is usually much less menacing).

S.W.A.T. has some good surround effects with gunshots and helicopters flying around.

U-571 - (depth charges) - great scene for both visual and audio demo. DTS testing the clarity and power of your subwoofer

We Were Soldiers
Has a scene where the camera pans around Mel Gibson and so the sounds of the guns swirl around the room. The scene with the planes coming in and bombing is also pretty impressive. This is DD-EX.

What Lies Beneath
Another one of those subtle, well mastered DTS jobs...lot of water dripping kind of stuff, pretty good modern day Hitchcock too, great flick.


6.1 / 7.1 MOVIES
Two that readily come to mind are Finding Nemo and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Nemo has some of the greatest bass available, as well as some spectacular above water/below water effects and sound panning.

LOTR:FOTR has some very nice quiet sections in the early rural (Shire) parts of the film where it's possible to feel immersed in a real field or forest. The natural sounds are breathtaking. The dynamic range of the film is huge, from whisper quiet to ear drum splitting. The scenes on the mountain or in the mines are a real test for any system, and if your system can pass the test (i.e., play loud without distortion), everyone in the room will be mightily impressed.



MUSIC

In theory the DD or DTS 5.1 audio on DVD video can be better than CD. In actuality it varies depending on many things -- acoustics during recording (especially relevant if a live concert), quality of masters, quality of mix, etc.

Peter Gabriel, Growing Up Live (DTS)

Eagles, Hell Freezes Over (DTS)
Give the well-regarded Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" DVD a try... It's amazing. DTS or DD both sound incredible; it's as if they're doing the show in your room. On the DTS version, there's a bonus track (Seven Bridges Road) that is worth hearing. Enjoy.

Fleetwood Mac - The Dance. The Fleetwood Mac disc is even BETTER. It was recorded in 1997, and I believe it was their first public appearance since their break up in the 80's. They have never sounded better. I have watched this DVD over 150 times and I am still amazed at their flawless performance.

Norah Jones live in New Orleans is an amazing DVD, great picture (not that there's a lot going on) and even better sound. Fantastic for any Norah fan and they now sell a version that includes the DVD and her first CD.

I would also suggest Eric Clapton - Live in Hyde Park.

Geez Ray, that was huge.
Have a slow day did we?

And all that only counts as one post... Good stuff, Ray!

Ray - I just had deja vu

Some weeks ago, I wrote this, on this website, under the
thread:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=HT&Number=36099&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=seabiscuit&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=36054,

Adrien (Capn_Pickard) wrote:

In reply to:

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Some of my favs include:

U-571 - (depth charges) - great scene for both visual and audio demo.

Requiem for a Dream - The whole soundtrack adds so much to the experience of the film. The surrounds are super active, with both music and effects coming from the surruodn stage. It really adds to the disorienting, manic, surrealistic feel of the movie.

Signs, Exorcist and The Others - All three are great for scaring you with the surrounds. They use the rears so effectively to get you to jump or just to creep you out. It's like a new version of the "open door - have something jump out and scare you gag" for frights sake alone. Now, by using the surruonds, the mixers are able to really immerse the audience in the scene, making you feel like you are there - it truly is scarier to hear what goes bump in the night as opposed to what you see (which is usually much less menacing).

seabiscuit - This movie should have won the award for best sound, IMHO. The sound of the horses feet as they came barreling down the stretch was so thunderous and powerful - it really allows the viewer to better comprehend the strength that the horses have - not to mention the fact that its pretty awesome, hearing a dozen or so horses stampeding through your living room.

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Today, on this thread, Ray wrote:

In reply to:

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Seabiscuit
This movie should have won the award for best sound, IMHO. The sound of the horses hooves as they came barreling down the stretch was so thunderous and powerful - it really allows the viewer to better comprehend the strength that the horses have - not to mention the fact that its pretty awesome, hearing a dozen or so horses stampeding through your living room.

Signs, Exorcist and The Others
All three are great for scaring you with the surrounds. They use the rears so effectively to get you to jump or just to creep you out. It's like a new version of the "open door - have something jump out and scare you gag" for frights sake alone. Now, by using the surrounds, the mixers are able to really immerse the audience in the scene, making you feel like you are there - it truly is scarier to hear what goes bump in the night as opposed to what you see (which is usually much less menacing).

S.W.A.T. has some good surround effects with gunshots and helicopters flying around.

U-571 - (depth charges) - great scene for both visual and audio demo. DTS testing the clarity and power of your subwoofer

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At least we know Ray is getting good at using his cut and paste tool. Sure, I don't care that he did this, I'm kind of flattered - but don't play this off of your own, dude. Give credit where it's due - even if its pretty insignificant...

Uh oh, Ray: 'splain yo'seff!

Never mind. Chess 'splained.

Actually although Ray did not acknowledge the exact source of the material, he did state that it was not 'his own'
His opening sentence was:
"Here is a summary of DVDs with interesting audio I put together from a variety of sources: "
I'm assuming Ray got the list from various posts that had already listed some good movies.

Fair enough, Chess. Alright, enough of this - let's continue the list post. Let's drop it.

In reply to:

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Let's drop it

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and hvae anoter martoonie.

Love the Norah Jones sound...WOW on the BASS and her voice is awesome!!! I just watched a Lenny Kravitz DVD (Think it's just called Lenny Live). The sound on that is GREAT as well!!!! Nice bass on the opening of American Woman. A lot of people didn't like his remake, but I liked it!!

Anyway, love these types of posts, let's me know what to buy next!!!!

Hmmm - interesting (and disappointing) response to a little help. I'll try and keep copyright, intellectual property and plagiarism issues at the forefront of my thought process in the future. Where are the martoonies?

haha ray.. when i was reading your responsae, i was like, hey that looks familiar..

i am flattered, i have never had anyone quote me!! here, try this one when you get a chance..

big john say-"never piss on leg when you only got one pair of jeans"..

why am i talking like an indian chief all the sudden??

***OKAY-back to the surround testers.***

bigjohn

Thanks to those who recommended the Norah Jones DVD. I just bought it, and it's great! I did have to turn the sub down a bit, though; the bass seems mixed a bit strong.

Just watched Master and Commander last night. Great surround sound.

Gotta say it again, the Dixie Chicks Live at the Kodak Theater in LA is beautiful. And I don't even like country. And I really don't like Natalie. The song "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" makes me tear up every time.

will- is that an SACD/DVD-A, or just a normal cd/dvd?? my wife loves the dixie chicks, so i might wanna get it for her.

and whats wrong with natalie?? are you still mad at her cause she spoke her mind?? now granted, she chose not the best time or place to do it, but she was still just speaking her mind.. i never understood what all the hoopla was about anyway.. i just thought it got blown way out of proportion. PM if you want, i dont want this to become another 'political' hijack.

bigjohn

I have to second the suggestion of Master and Commander for demoing your surround system. At the beginning of the movie, there is a battle with lots of cannon blasts that will show off your sub, and throughout the movie there are ambient sounds of the ocean and the ship creaking through the surrounds.

Mark

We Were Soldiers is very good. Lots of helicopters flying around and plenty of ambient combat sound during the battle scenes; which is basically 70% of the movie.

Pearl harbor is one of my favorites. You'll know what it must have been like.

I'll give another vote to M&C. Another recent one is, of course, the Matrix Revolutions. The whole movie is one big surround-sound test. Battle for Zion, the sentinel chase scenes, and Neo's meeting with the Mainframe, will give *all* of your speakers a workout.

I picked up the Fleetwood Mac "The Dance" DVD yesterday.......FANTASTIC!
I also ordered the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" and can hardly wait for it it to arrive.
Thanks to Axiom, DVDs and CRT front projection I've discovered music like I've never seen or heard before!