Mixing Action Features - How do Mixers Protecct Themselves

P

Paul F

Veteran
Noiz, Rick, others, - The sound levels in action movies are more that I care to be exposed to. I'm wondering:

How do mixers protect themselves to exposure?
What sort of discussions are going on in the post world about this?
Is there any guidance/requirements/standards as to what level is acceptable for a mix?
What demands are producers/directors making to make audiences ears bleed?
 
- 20dB pink noise = 85dB SPL C weighted is the standard (or at least it used to be) on a mix stage. I mix at 72dB SPL for TV in a small control room with mostly near-fields. You can download the correct calibration files from BlueSky monitors.
 
Take lots of breaks and sometimes work in "dim" :)

One of the main reasons why movies are loud is because the client wants it loud. There is nothing we can do about that... the client is usually paying for my livelihood. Make the client happy.
 
Most of the mix tech's I know used flat response hearing protection on "bad days". Mixers can't really do that. Some directors, producers are a bit deaf and that doesn't help. Fantasy used to post the peak for the day on the mix stage door, but that didn't really help.

The advantage for mixers VS audience is that they don't often have to listen for a long period. You are mixing a bit at a time and really it's only playback you get a full dose, and then only 10 - 20 min depending on reel size. That last of course assumes you are working to a 35mm print and I realize I have been out of a working mix stage so long that I can't say that they are still working in reels, though I hope so.

On low budget stuff I do out of my small studio, I work at a lower level most of the time and only mix at level. It gets tricky because I personally tend to mix lower but a lot of the low budget stuff is aimed at streaming and they want it as close to 0 as possible. Generally in that case I mix as if it were for the big screen and then just do a master bump to get to the "silly" levels they want. You have a client, they want peaks at -0.01, that is where you put them.
 
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