What three critical areas did early cinema sound calibration need to cover?
Loudness Level, Frequency Response, and Speaker Matching
Cinema sound calibration focused on establishing defined reference points across several measurable audio characteristics to ensure uniformity. Loudness Level required establishing a standard reference volume for dialogue and music so that features from different studios sounded equally loud in any venue. Frequency Response addressed the acceptable range of reproduced tones, focusing specifically on prioritizing and consistently treating the midrange where human dialogue resides, given the inherent high-frequency limitations of early optical systems. Finally, Speaker Matching involved ensuring that the acoustic output profile of the various horn speakers installed across theaters adhered to a predetermined standard.

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The History of Sound at the Movies - YouTube