Tomlinson Holman
Encyclopedia
Tomlinson M. Holman is an American
film
theorist, audio engineer, and inventor of film technologies, notably the Lucasfilm
THX
sound system. He developed the world's first 10.2
sound system. Earlier, Holman developed what was known as the Holman Preamplifier, for the Apt Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(1968). Tomlinson Holman is the author of some books including Sound for Film and Television (2001) and Surround Sound: Up and Running (2008).
One of the first 10.2 implementations for public demonstration was installed in 2001 at Bjorn's Audio Video in San Antonio, TX in the Bjorn's "Ultimate Theater Experience", alongside a high-end 6.1 home theater system. Initially, the 10.2 system at Bjorn's used the Mac OS
to store and run the demonstrations. This system uses 14 Whise speakers
and 6 Whise subwoofer
s which are tuned using a complex equalizer
that fills a hidden rackserver about three feet tall.
Some demonstration soundtracks were developed exclusively for the 10.2 system, while others were mixed (under Tom's direct supervision and instruction) by taking original, unmixed recordings and splicing them together into a unique 10.2 soundtrack
. One demonstration that showcases the 10.2 system's capability to envelope the listener is a soundtrack that has a ping-pong ball hit back and forth at different points around the room, and then rotates around the room in complete circles. The added ability to switch between un-equalized 10.2 sound and equalized 10.2 sound with this setup allows listeners to experience demonstrations without custom configuration, or exactly as Tom intended. Tom claims that places in the demonstrations where audio was cut and/or put together are entirely undetectable and challenges listeners' ears to hunt for any imperfections.
Tom Holman currently teaches film sound at the University of Southern California
, and his book Sound for Film and Television is required reading in many college film courses.
In 2002 he received the Academy Award for Technical Achievement
.
In 2007 he received the IEEE Masaru Ibuka Award.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
theorist, audio engineer, and inventor of film technologies, notably the Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
THX
THX
THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. The current THX was created in 2001 when it spun off from Lucasfilm Ltd...
sound system. He developed the world's first 10.2
10.2
10.2 is the surround sound format developed by THX creator Tomlinson Holman of TMH Labs and University of Southern California . Developed along with Chris Kyriakakis of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, 10.2 refers to the format's slogan: "Twice as good as 5.1"...
sound system. Earlier, Holman developed what was known as the Holman Preamplifier, for the Apt Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
(1968). Tomlinson Holman is the author of some books including Sound for Film and Television (2001) and Surround Sound: Up and Running (2008).
One of the first 10.2 implementations for public demonstration was installed in 2001 at Bjorn's Audio Video in San Antonio, TX in the Bjorn's "Ultimate Theater Experience", alongside a high-end 6.1 home theater system. Initially, the 10.2 system at Bjorn's used the Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
to store and run the demonstrations. This system uses 14 Whise speakers
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
and 6 Whise subwoofer
Subwoofer
A subwoofer is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies known as the "bass". The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below...
s which are tuned using a complex equalizer
Equalization
Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
that fills a hidden rackserver about three feet tall.
Some demonstration soundtracks were developed exclusively for the 10.2 system, while others were mixed (under Tom's direct supervision and instruction) by taking original, unmixed recordings and splicing them together into a unique 10.2 soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. One demonstration that showcases the 10.2 system's capability to envelope the listener is a soundtrack that has a ping-pong ball hit back and forth at different points around the room, and then rotates around the room in complete circles. The added ability to switch between un-equalized 10.2 sound and equalized 10.2 sound with this setup allows listeners to experience demonstrations without custom configuration, or exactly as Tom intended. Tom claims that places in the demonstrations where audio was cut and/or put together are entirely undetectable and challenges listeners' ears to hunt for any imperfections.
Tom Holman currently teaches film sound at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and his book Sound for Film and Television is required reading in many college film courses.
In 2002 he received the Academy Award for Technical Achievement
Academy Award for Technical Achievement
The Technical Achievement Award is a kind of Scientific and Technical Award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to those whose particular technical accomplishments have contributed to the progress of the motion picture industry and who are given a certificate, which describes...
.
In 2007 he received the IEEE Masaru Ibuka Award.
External links
Holman's current entertainment technology company is http://www.tmhlabs.com- Association for Computing MachineryAssociation for Computing MachineryThe Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
Video Interviews with Tomlinson Holman - Surround Sound, Second Edition by Tom Holman
- Sound for Film and Television, Third Edition by Tom Holman