Change sound to mono to normalize audio of a movie?

Question

Hi, newbie here. Sorry if this is obvious, just trying to learn & can't find this in the help docs so thought I'd ask here:
Without trying to sound like a whiner, it seems like no matter what DVD, TV, DVD player & recorder I've bought since 2000 I have to keep the volume remote in hand the whole time due to needing to turn up the sound to hear what the actors are saying then having to turn it down quickly due to explosions in the movie, loud background music, whatever (I live in an apartment so don't want to hear it from the neighbors).
I figured it might have to do with being forced to buy equipment with 5.1, surround sound, whatever.
I've tried a Surround sound Processor hooked to my TV but that didn't work.
So maybe I don't want mono as such but I just wondered what the best methods are for normalizing volumes for movies in APE7 if I rip amend and reauthor (and yes, the copies would just be for my own personal use etc. just my playing copies).
So let me know how to do this if I can with APE7, if not, any suggestions? Thanks in advance for the replies. :)

Answer 1

For the problem with your listening enjoyment, you might want to recalibrate your system a bit. In most Hollywood-type movies, the dialog is mainly centered, with some spatial info and bleed to the Front Left & Right. This is where it should be, and the main reason for the Center channel. Most systems come setup with the Center channel attenuated about -6db. This means that the SFX, and usually the music, overpower it. Next the audio engineers punch UP the SFX and the music some more. This is often done for a bit of "shock factor," and to let your LFE channel really prove that it can work. What ends up happening is that the Center channel is now ~-9db to -12db down from the rest of the audio programming, i.e. very hard to hear, especially when the actors are whispering. By recalibrating your system to diminish the LFE a bit, and increase the gain of the Center channel only, you will likely realize a vast improvement in listening to most movies.
When I mix for DVD, I always work to keep the dialog clean, fairly centered (unless we need to explore the spatial relationships), fed to the Center, with about -3db bleed to Left and Right Front, and also make sure my music is way, way below the level of the dialog.
Obviously a test DVD and a good sound pressure level meter would be ideal for this, but you can do it via listening. The biggest hangup is that the controls for the receiver are usually ill-placed to get an idea of how it sounds from a normal listening position. It is best to attempt this with two people - the listener and teh person at the controls.
Now, you mention 5.1 audio. I do not believe that PE can Export, or author DD 5.1 SS. I can Import it, but the output will be stereo. Premiere Pro, with the SurCode plug-in, CAN Export DD 5.1 SS for authoring in Encore.
Hunt