Center channel carries most dialog but stereo mixing habits undermine TV use

Evidence

It is a clearly audible effect. Plenge (1987) explains it, as done here, and goes on to relate it to some theories of timbre perception, pointing out along the way that most listeners do not sit still, and are obviously not bothered by the consequent changes in sound image location and timbre. However, dedicated audiophiles and recording engineers who gravitate to the stereo seat are exceptions. Augspurger (1990) describes how easy it is to hear the effect using 1/3-octave bands of pink noise, observing a “distinct null at 2 kHz” (p. 177). Pulkki (2001) confirmed that the comb filter was the dominant audible coloration in anechoic listening to amplitude-panned virtual images, but that it was lessened by room reflections. Listeners in experiments by Choisel and Wickelmaier (2007) reported a reduction in brightness when a mono center loudspeaker was replaced by a stereo phantom image (their figure 4). Listeners in the Shirley et al. (2007) experiments not only heard the dip seen in Figure 7.2e but demonstrated that it had a significant negative effect on speech intelligibility. This is hardly the epitome of sound reproduction technology. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 673 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The possibilities for improving localization are limited by the practical number of channels the industry feels customers will buy and install in their homes. For most people, it seems that 5.1 is difficult to accommodate in their living spaces. … However, the number of screen channels remains at three for most systems. In spite of that for most of the time all on-screen sounds are delivered by the center channel. I get up from my chair from time to time just to satisfy my curiosity because, for sounds associated with on-screen action there is the powerful “ventriloquism” effect. We hear the sound coming from where we see the lips move, the gun flash, or the door slam. The hours spent by moviegoers listening to a monophonic center channel as action moves around on the screen suggests that it works very well. Only big-budget blockbuster movies do much panning of sounds across the screen. Why? It costs more to do and complicates the editing process that can sometimes go on up to hours before a film is released. When the locations of sounds are few and stable, editing becomes mostly a visual and storytelling operation. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1691 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The ventriloquism effect lets a single monophonic center channel satisfy most on-screen dialogue — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1691; The stereo phantom center image suffers an audible 2kHz timbre dip affecting speech intelligibility — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 673; Most commercial Atmos mixes are embellished stereo using little center channel (+3 more)

Related

• The ventriloquism effect lets a single monophonic center channel satisfy most on-screen dialogue (similarity 0.89)
• Movie sound designers keep on-screen sound centered and monophonic (similarity 0.86)
• Excessive center-channel upmixing damages music soundstage rendering (similarity 0.86)
• The stereo phantom center image suffers an audible 2kHz timbre dip affecting speech intelligibility (similarity 0.85)
• Excessive rear-wall diffusion can destroy the stereo center image (similarity 0.84)
• Phantom center image sound quality is inherently compromised even in the sweet spot (similarity 0.82)
• Phantom center images reduce speech intelligibility due to interaural crosstalk (similarity 0.82)
• A mono center channel suffices because vision dominates perceived sound location. (similarity 0.81)
• A real center speaker improves dialogue clarity over a phantom center (similarity 0.81)
• Stereo presentation masks audible differences between loudspeakers found in mono. (similarity 0.81)
• Home theater center channels are often inferior despite being the most important speaker (similarity 0.80)
• Stereo reproduction injects room and speaker location cues unrelated to the recording (similarity 0.79)
• Headphones lack the phantom-center 2 kHz comb notch present in loudspeaker stereo (similarity 0.79)
• The center channel carries most dialog and on-screen sound in movies (similarity 0.79)
• Stereo phantom images timbrally differ from real-source or mono center images. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• The stereo phantom center image suffers an audible 2kHz timbre dip affecting speech intelligibility #corroborates (0.90) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 673
• The ventriloquism effect lets a single monophonic center channel satisfy most on-screen dialogue #corroborates (0.85) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1691
• Most commercial Atmos mixes are embellished stereo using little center channel #corroborates (0.80)
• Excessive center-channel upmixing damages music soundstage rendering #corroborates (0.80)
• Excessive rear-wall diffusion can destroy the stereo center image #corroborates (0.75)
• Stereo reproduction injects room and speaker location cues unrelated to the recording #complicates (0.75)