OMG, the noise!

[ItWasneaMe]

Is it me, or is the noise on TV just unbearable? Speech is so quiet or mumbling, that I often use subtitles, but the background music is overwhelming, so you can't hear the speech anyway. Then the ads are excruciatingly loud.

WTF are they playing at?

Do you have a sound bar? We find it's all mixed for sound bars so you have to have it on all the time.

I agree, so annoying.

I just have subtitles for everything, I didn't realise about soundboard, can't be bothered to get one just another bloody thing to spend money I don't have on that will make my life more complicated!

Although some speakers can help, the real problem is how they record programmes now, and particularly if a film made for cinema is shown on tv. this is because they record differently for the cinema, and many directors have said they put sound effects and music at a higher level than speech.

Its one of those things where what is meant to be an improvement as an end product is worse. In the olden days(!) when each person was recorded with a microphone hanging over them speech was always audible. Just as when you watch the news or something there is never a problem hearing (even if depressing).

Now silly techies who probably never listen back to what they have recorded have directional mikes and so on, and seem incapable of then mixing (if that is the word) the dialogue so it is in front of the sound effects.

I watched a film shown on tv (some sort of sci fi) and usually listen at level 12 on my tv which goes up to 30, but however loud I turned it up the lead actress always seem to be whispering. And if I did have it turned right up to 30 all the sound effects of aliens arriving etc., nearly blew my speakers (and me off my sofa).

If a sound bar has the option to change different strands through what I think is called an equaliser, it might help as you can then change the levels yourself. I think sound bars etc only came in because flat screen tvs cant have the depth of speaker that the old tvs with the big tube could have.

There have been 2 recent BBC3 series I wanted to watch and just gave up as you could never bring the voices as they were always behind everything else.

You would think they would at least test a tv programme before releasing it to make sure it works on a tv set.

My rule of thumb is that if you cant hear people reading the news or on a discussion programme but not a tv series, its a production fault of the series. I've got tired of complaining.

Sorry for the long post but it drives me wild. You record something, settle down and within 5 mintues realise it is just going to be irritating to even try and watch. far from being relaxing it just winds me up.

Phew - feel better now for sharing!

I just gave up watching Napoleon for this reason. Well also because it's a bit rubbish (in a cringy way) but that meant it wasn't worth persevering with the mumbly dialogue for.

it has been like that for years,
the adverts are muted,
subtitles are on

I recently began to wonder if my hearing was going because the mumbling was doing my head in! But no - all aspects of daily life are fine.
I have a particular bugbear with the excessive door banging when there is no dramatic need for it. Hardly anyone walks through a door like a normal person.

And what's with the adverts being so loud. Obviously they're annoying for impact, but I have the sound quite low with subtitles on (have young children) for what I'm watching then the adverts come on really loudly

That's why I love subtitles

I hqve been saying this to my dh for years - the tv is so loud but l can't reqlly hear what is being said, it always sounds so muffled.

My TV has a 'clear.voice' setting which has helped a lot. I don't understand what programme makers are thinking on this... surely the only reason you watch a programme is to hear the story/dialogue!

So I don't understand who they THINK they're pleasing or entertaining with this sound mix?

I know Cristopher Nolan does it deliberately in his films - but God knows why he thinks it's right to.

Absolutely agree. It seems that actors are not taught to enunciate and speak clearly these days, but mumble in their throats. And sound engineers don't seem to regulate the sound to account for the dialogue. Casualty is one of the worst - many of the actors that speak quietly are drowned out by the background noise - I get it's a busy hospital department, but the constant clatter is just soooo loud - plus their is a constant drone ( can't call it music) as well. I miss a quarter of the dialogue, am thinking of putting the subtitles on! Did complain to the BBC about it, it's the thing they get most complaints about and they just ignore you and carry on.
same on the radio - on the today programme Nick Robinson and Justin Webb have very poor diction, they drop their voices at the end of sentences so you lose what they are saying, so frustrating.

I'm relieved to find this thread, I thought my hearing was going. There was something recently (can't remember what) that I stopped watching because it was impossible to hear what the people were saying as the "background" music was drowing them out.

I don't mind using subtitles but when they are out of time with what you can hear of what's being said, it's even more distracting and annoying.

The thing about it now being common that people use subtitles is why dont the actors / actresses object?

There they are giving their all to their part, and we aren't even looking at them as we cant hear what they are saying, so need to read sub titles.

Its really strange that they dont organise and stand up to the directors and / or the sound production team.

Slanketblanketi refuse to buy a soundbar out of principle. I've already spent ££ on a good TV. It's also the contrast between the programme and the ad break. Why can't they be at the same volume?

I may be repeating myself, but that is the problem with newer "slim" tvs. They dont have the depth for good speakers.

You dont need a fancy soundbar. Just by some small speakers ie as used with computers. It helps if you get an extension lead so you can have the speakers closer to where you sit.

I agree and all the muttering and having to rewind to hear something so use subtitles and agree with the poster who said that is so annoying when out of sinc with the voice. Background noise never used to be so loud and the ads then blast out. Does my head in.

Annoys me too.
Adverts louder than tv show has been like that for ages.
I too use subtitles and am refusing to get a sound bar.

Christopher Nolan films- cross those off now😂

This is due to a downturn in the skill of directors, composers and producers. The directors are too insecure not to have constant music, to the point where it loses any justification for being there at all; modern-day 'composers' are generally hacks churning out the same old Hans Zimmer-esque schtick using sample libraries that barely require them to use their own brains; and producers are too clueless and terrified to dare believe the audience are intelligent enough to notice or care about any of this.

I thought I was going deaf, I've had to put subtitles on at times just to work out what they're saying sometimes. It's got worse, so feel like background noise has got louder.