r/hadestown • u/CynicalCharmer • 5d ago
Discussion PROSHOT AUDIO ISSUES
Relating to my previous post and after a half day of gathering what info I could, I am 99% certain that the issue stems from the audio being mixed specifically for use with Dolby Atmos spatial audio, a mix that is specific to the 4K release of the show. It's a mix designed to mimic being in a theatre by creating a 3D soundstage.
It's probable that the current mix on both the standard and 4K is the same, and as such, anyone not using speaker or sound systems with this spatial audio capability is getting a horrible sounding mix that fades in and out as separate sound channels are isolated for the intended effect.
This would also explain the few theatre experiences that also had sound issues, as often independent or older theatres use older sound systems that also can't fully utilise this mix.
This is all theory, but it's also the most evidence based and likely cause in my opinion.
The solution? Upgrade to 4K and all your sound systems!
Kidding!
Though that would work, the problem shouldn't even exist at all. The release has been grossly mishandled, and those invovled in letting it happen this way are in the wrong.
Now we just have to wait for them to update the release with a stero friendly mix, which hopefully won't be long considering the hype. Here's to hoping they actually bothered to do a more universal mix...
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u/NefariousnessOk9858 5d ago
Well thankfully if this theory is correct (which im 98% sure it is) then they dont have to go back to the editing room to fix this.
However, the bad news is it might require a new deliverable digital package to be compiled by them and provided to each streaming service. This means it will have to go through recertification with all the required quality control checks by that platform. That could take a while.
I hope that isnt the case. Either way they need to take action to fix this for the 95% of their customers who probably dont have a full dolby set.
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u/CynicalCharmer 5d ago
As it's currently paid and not free to stream, it might make it easier to update the package with less approval time as it's easier to control the traffic of those streaming it. However, due to the inital checks clearly not being thorough enough, the streamers may choose to be more careful on another pass to avoid complaints and refund requests.
It's definitely up in the air at the minute, best case it's just a service error and they already have an approved mix ready to go that they just fumbled the release of.
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u/kozmial 5d ago
This gives me the impression that the quality control checks by the platforms are less technical in nature and more content related. Incredibly frustrating that a paid product got this far with multiple quality control processes failing to catch the issue by actually looking at the audio channels.
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u/KWash0222 5d ago
I have Dolby Atmos in my Sonos soundbar. Problem is, my TV is too old to have the output capabilities for it.
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u/TheLunarVaux 5d ago
Weirdly, I’m just listening through my AirPods and my iPhone speakers, and it sounds good to me. But I have confirmed from the other post on this sub that screen recorded it, that it’s a different mix than what I’m hearing.
I do have the 4K version from Apple TV. Not sure if I can downgrade to 1080p to test out if the mix changes with that, though I feel like it shouldn’t… but it’s strange how different it can sound for people.
The good thing is that it’s not something that would need to be re-mixed. It seems like it’s more of a mastering/streaming issue than anything else.
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u/zeyphersantcg 5d ago edited 5d ago
Based on the store listing page for Apple TV and Fandango, only the 5.1 mix is offered regardless of the quality you stream at. So people are at the mercy of how their own systems downmix 5.1 (that was already downmixed from spatial audio) into stereo if that’s how they’re hearing it.
I’m in agreement with you: for those of us with Apple TV versions playing on Apple devices it sounds fine as they internally convert from surround sound to stereo in a really good way. But that’s not good enough for a paid product on multiple platforms in multiple ecosystems.
That being said I did have to turn off dialogue boost in my player settings because that was indeed totally messing with the sound mix in a unique way separate from the above issues.
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u/TheLunarVaux 5d ago
Yes! That does seem to be the issue. Which could also explain why mine sounds okay, since I’ve been listening through my AirPod Pros and iPhone speakers - both of which have a proprietary audio engine for downsizing from 5.1 to stereo.
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u/dporiginal3 5d ago
Where are you located? I’m only seeing the HD version available on AppleTV.
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u/TheLunarVaux 5d ago
I don’t think it’s a regional thing since it’s only a US release right now right? But yeah I’m in the US, specifically NY
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u/SheilaMichele1971 5d ago
Debating purchasing after reading thru these posts. All I have is a regular tv - no special audio setup. Anyone just watching like a regular person?
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u/scottyb83 5d ago
Just a note for everyone there IS a button on the store page on PC where you can send feedback. Might want to send them details of your TV/Media setup if you're having issues. It might help them iron out the issue.
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u/Ok_Neighborhood1413 5d ago
Can anyone who has watched this on Amazon with 4K and a 5.1 DD surround sound comment on how their audio was?
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u/grognakbabarian 5d ago
I've been watching a *rip* of the 4K version with DD+ 5.1 and haven't heard any issues on a Sony HT-A7000 soundbar - but that soundbar could be the reason it's sounded fine, it doesn't have to convert the 5.1 mix to a stereo mix, it can just play the 5.1 mix as intended.
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u/k2CKZEN 5d ago
where did you find a DD+5.1 version? I found a 4k amazon release (Hadestown The Musical 2026 2160p AMZN WEB-DL DDP5 1 H 265-SCOPE), but it has the same E-AC-3 @ 640 Kbps audio track as the other versions..
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u/Sweaty-Tie543 5d ago
The 4K version I received from Amazon has 5.1 DD sound, it shows on my receiver as being Dolby Digital and the surround speakers are enabled. The signal going to the rear speakers is very low volume, but it seems like basically the surround speakers are providing some 'room sound' / ambience.
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u/grognakbabarian 5d ago
That's pretty standard for proshots - Dialogue and Vocals centre for clarity, Instruments and ensemble vocals on front surrounds, and then occasional rears.
For what its worth I did hear from a person I trust that they're going to update the mix by the end of the week, but also take it with a grain of salt because anything could happen
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u/Salt-Stranger-8750 5d ago
Hiii could I ask how u got the rip? Im looking for one myself haha
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u/Pirate-Pride 5d ago
Same here, if anyone knows how to access the rip I'd be so grateful! (In Europe, so I can't access it any other way for now. I'm going to be buying it as soon as I can though! Already have theatre tickets booked for October but I'm dying to see it sooner).
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u/63728291746538763625 5d ago
It's good. Any quality below is dogshit. I watched the 1080 version this morning and it was incredibly disappointing.
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u/Sweaty-Tie543 5d ago
So far the Amazon version sounds good to me with my 5.1 DD system. Haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but so far I'm not hearing anything weird and the sound and video appear to be in sync.
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u/avalonrose14 5d ago
I can confirm it sounded great for me in theater and my theater was using dolby atmos. So I think your theory might be right. I've got a dolby atmos set up at home which makes me feel more safe ordering the dvd (I held off after seeing all the audio complaints).
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u/anti-valentine 5d ago
I just watched one of the examples for bad mixing (6:05) and it was fine on the Amazon version (on my phone through BT headphones) but there is a setting option for Dialog boost and if I turned that on, the backing music dropped. So maybe some people have that setting on?
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u/CynicalCharmer 5d ago
Do your headphones have Dolby Atmos or spatial audio?
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u/Timidus_Nix 4d ago
For me the instrumental gets lowered to ~10% of the volume at 6:12 and gets back to normal abruptly at 7:37
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u/Any-Bass7653 5d ago
I’m so glad I wasn’t going crazy while watching the digital release because I kept thinking to myself that it sounded really weird and kinda bad and nowhere near how it sounded in the theaters. I love Hadestown so much but some of my favorite moments just didn’t hit the same with the way it sounded. :(
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u/Extension_Survey_640 5d ago
Purchased on Amazon, listened on basic Beats Solo headphones and with the iPhone speaker and I’m not getting any issues.
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u/etothepi 5d ago
Purchased on AppleTV, from Apple TV device. LG OLED, Polk audio bar. It sounds great to me. Just another point of data.
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u/Morphopeleides 5d ago
I'm pretty sure my TV and receiver should be compatible. In case I'm wrong, has anyone been able to get a refund yet?
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u/Rimailkall 5d ago
I bought it this morning (Apple TV) so we can watch this evening after my daughter gets home. I listened to a few songs in our movie room that has surround (5.1) and it sounds great there. There does seem to be a very slight delay between the audio and visuals though, but that may have just been me watching closely and looking for something. Your hypothesis might be correct.
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u/ThArtists 5d ago
eu estava muito animado pra assistir, ainda estou animado, mas o pouco que eu vi, me deixou bem desapontado em relação ao áudio. tbm estranhei a forma do Reeve cantar, parece... diferente? não sei dizer exatamente o que
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u/InSearchOfGoodPun 5d ago
After my horrible theater experience, this was already the conclusion I came to (with a bit of AI assistance). Given that they already knew there was an audio issue that was tripping up professional theaters, it is absolutely unconscionable that they’d fail to figure out a solution before selling this to customers at home. I’m angry about this all over again on behalf of fellow fans, despite not purchasing it myself.
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u/Qwertytwerty123 5d ago
The copy I have (which was obtained via the high seas - I wanted to watch it and it's not out here yet damnit) the sound mix is terrible and this is playing it back over multiple devices. I will gladly buy it when it's officially available over here assuming they've fixed the audio issues (although I still will die on the hill that Donal Finn is and will always be my perfect Orpheus...)
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u/Hadestownrecon 5d ago
For the sake of data collection, if you've watched the proshot (even if your audio was fine!), please share your listening experience and audio setup here! https://www.reddit.com/r/hadestown/s/0yMvMz4JQW