X-Curve Is Not An EQ Curve

X-Curve Is Not An EQ Curve
By Michael Karagosian
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers - SMPTE.
Copyright2013bytheSocietyofMotionPictureandTelevisionEngineers,Inc.(SMPTE). Allrightsreserved.
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyany means,
withtheexpress written permissionof the publisher.
A commonly misunderstood tool in cinema loudspeakers require that the measurement
sound is the X-Curve. The very name sug- microphone be placed some distance from
gests it has something to do with equaliza- the speaker system to capture the full fre-
tion of the sound track. In fact, it has nothing quency response, and the loudspeakers are
to do with soundfield equalization. Far from mounted high behind a screen, which itself is
it, X-Curve describes a measurement meth- mounted some distance above the floor. This
od designed to allow the setup of a cinema is not a casual measurement to make when
sound system to match the sound heard by one has a 13m-high screen.
the director in the mixing room.
When placing the microphone further back
To understand X-Curve measurements, its in the room at a more convenient location,
important to understand the challenges of sound absorption, room reflections, and
equalizing cinemas. The most prominent room reverberation come into play. Sound
mechanisms that influence the sound of absorption is not a simple matter, attenuat-
an auditorium are the loudspeaker char- ing frequencies around 10KHz by as much as
acteristics, room reverberation, acoustical 5 dB at 30 m, depending on temperature and
reflections in the room, and the absorption atmospheric conditions. Room reflections
of sound by air. The primary tool by which are generally unwanted and caused by archi-
we attempt to overcome the audible arti- tectural features of the auditorium. In part, it
facts introduced by these mechanisms is is the problem of unwanted reflections that
the equalizer. Unfortunately, even a finely led to the multiple microphone technique
adjustable equalizer is not a match to the commonly used with X-Curve. Notably, nei-
complex acoustical anomalies that can occur. ther reflections nor absorption should be
But some correction is possible, and it is that addressed with equalization. Reflections
which we pursue. should be dealt with using acoustical treat-
ments, while absorption is a factor that the
Good sound begins with good loudspeaker technician must take into account during
systems, but even the finest loudspeaker sys- the measurement. Room reverberation is a
tem will be compromised when placed be- feature of the acoustics of the room, perhaps
hind a perforated cinema screen. Perforated imparting the biggest impact on the rooms
screens introduce diffraction patterns and tone. Reverberation is another factor that
other interference that varies from installa- will influence the sound of the room. Rever-
tion to installation, requiring equalization to beration imparts a frequency characteristic
mitigate. A technique for reducing the im- to the room, but it remains a temporal phe-
pact of room reverberation and reflection in nomenon, which makes it difficult to correct
measurements is to measure in the vicinity using frequency-domain equalization. Nota-
of the loudspeaker, often called near-field bly, the impact of reverberation on surround
measurements. But this technique is not sound will be far less than its impact on the
without problems in the cinema. Multi-way sound of screen speakers.
The problem of room equalization, there-

fore, generally reduces to the correction of
the acoustic coupling of the speakers to the
screen and the room. There are two classes
of measurement techniques that can be ap-
plied: the first embodies a method to equal-
ize the room, based only on first arrival sound,
X-Curve Is Not An EQ Curve

By Michael Karagosian
while the second embodies a method that
takes into account the effect of room rever-
beration. Thirty years ago, when attempting
to devise a technique that could easily be de-
ployed in cinemas around the world, it was
decided that readily available realtime ana-
lyzers could be used if one could take into ac- izing a room, based on first arrival sound
count the effect of room reverberation. Out are not standardized, causing temptation to
of this thinking was born the X-Curve sound discount the use of first arrival methods in
measurement method. cinema. But, in fact, many skilled technicians
prefer to use first arrival methods, and proper
X-Curve is a measurement response window, use of such methods should lead to equiva-
based on measurements made in the rever- lent results. First arrival measurement meth-
berant environment of actual cinema audito- ods tend to be based on proprietary equip-
riums. It allows a cinema technician having ment, so caution must be taken if pursuing
off-the-shelf measurement tools to obtain a first arrival standard so as not to disfavor a
a close approximation of the sound experi- manufacturer of valid measurement tools.
enced in the mixing room, without the need
to employ a more complex measurement SMPTE established a new Technology Com-
method, based on first arrival sound. X-Curve mittee, TC-25CSS Cinema Sound Systems. As
generalizes the impact of room reverberation the name suggests, members of the commit-
on frequency response as displayed by a re- tee will be evaluating other measurement
altime analyzer. SMPTE ST 202 manages this methods for cinema, based on first arrival
generalization by providing a range of mea- of sound. If one or more alternative cin-
surement windows for use with differently ema sound measurement standards should
sized rooms. By using the minimal equaliza- emerge, one should keep in mind that they
tion necessary to produce a response within are an alternative, and not a replacement,
the X-Curve window, the impact of room for ST 202. X-Curve, the method that takes
reverberation on the measurement is miti- into account room reflections, and newer
gated, and the equalization more accurately methods based on first arrival of sound, both
reflects that which is needed to overcome strive for the same thing: a measurement
acoustical coupling problems associated method that allows the cinema technician
with speaker, screen, and room. to best approximate the sound heard in the
mixing room.
While the use of X-Curve as a measurement
technique has been successful in establish-
ing a high degree of uniformity of sound About the author
in cinemas around the world, it has also re- Michael Karagosian is president of MKPE Con-
ceived criticism. Users that do not under- sulting, a cinema industry consultancy. He led
stand the proper application of X-Curve may the development of Dolby cinema products in
sometimes treat it as an equalization curve, the late 1970s and early 80s. His monthly pub-
attempting to equalize the system until an lication mkpeReport.com provides in-depth
exact replication of the curve as published analysis and technology coverage for digital
in ST 202 is achieved, ignoring the response cinema.
window described by the text in the stan-
dard. This generally leads to excessive equal-
ization, and not necessarily the best possible The views and opinions expressed in this article
sound. In addition, the X-Curve measure- are those of the author and do not necessarily
ment method is standardized in SMPTE ST reflect the position of the Society of Motion Pic-
202 and ISO-2969, and methods for equal- ture and Television Engineers - SMPTE.
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
The Oscar and Emmy Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television En-
gineers (SMPTE), a professional membership association, is the worldwide leader in
developing and providing motion-imaging standards and education for the com-
munications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. An internationally
recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery educa-
tion and engineering across the broadband, broadcast, cinema, and IT disciplines.
Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal
and developed more than 600 standards, recommended practices, and engineering
guidelines. SMPTE members include motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative
and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students from
around the world. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
Copyright2013bytheSocietyofMotionPictureandTelevisionEngineers,Inc.(SMPTE).
Allrightsreserved.
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted
inanyformorbyany means,withtheexpress written permissionof the publisher.

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The problem of room equalization, there-

X-Curve Is Not An EQ Curve

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