please help! 5.1 mixing

jordanl wrote on 7/11/2003, 6:21 PM

I am trying to use Vegas 4 in conjunction with a USB sound card that outputs Dolby Digital signals via optical cable into a 5.1 home theater receiver.

When playing audio and panning from the Vegas timeline, playback does not register as "Dolby Digital," on my receiver and consequently doesn't play pans to the rear or the center in "surround sound." It's as though Vegas is not sending a multichannel soundtrack out of the computer.

When I encode something to AC-3, it plays back as multichannel, but in Vegas I need the ability to hear what it is I am mixing through all of my 5 speakers. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong here?

Comments

The_Voice wrote on 7/12/2003, 1:19 PM

What it sounds like is: you will need to outout Vegas prior to mixing, into the SS receiver.

The reasonging behind this is unless you have already converted the files to AC-3, you do not have AC-3.

You will need to use each output from your card (RF,LF,RR,LR,C,LFE) into each respective input of the SS Receiver. Then you can do your mix in Vegas. Remember to use the bus(es) to send multi-track files to one channel. This will allow you to :mix" directly into your Receiver and thus accomplish your objective.

After converting to AC-3, you will be able to use the SS Reciever as a playback device also - thus hearing what your AC-3 file really sounds like once on disc (DVD).

The Voice

JohanAlthoff wrote on 7/12/2003, 10:23 PM

To clarify: Mixing in Vegas is not done in Dolby Digital (Or AC3) since that is a PACKED format. AC3's are only used to distribute complete mixes with e.g. DVD's.

Vegas plays back the six raw channels, so you need a soundcard capable of outputting those, and a surround amplifier that can get them into the speakers. You need a multichannel soundcard (available from M-audio, Echo, EgoSys, Terratec etc.) The Creative Soundblaster Audigy series can also accomplish this, but they are very twitchy and are not recommended.

Oh, and please search the forum. This is not the first time this topic has come up =)

snicholshms wrote on 7/12/2003, 11:09 PM

I've got the Audigy Platinum2 card and want to move up. What card(s) can anyone recommend under $500.00? Looking for the six channels, of course.

jordanl wrote on 7/13/2003, 3:11 AM

Yes, PLEASE reccomend a sound card (or several). Any out there that are USB as opposed to PCI?

Superfulcrum wrote on 7/13/2003, 5:51 AM

http://www.emagic.de/products/hw/emi26/index.php?lang=EN
seems like a great USB solution.

For 5.1 monitoring I manage to get away with a £25 PCI sound card which gives me six analogue ouputs.

JohanAlthoff wrote on 7/13/2003, 7:21 PM

I would strongly advice against buying Emagic products given that they're phasing out their PC department.

As I mentioned in another thread, I use M-audio Delta 410 (somewhere in the $300 range) for my surround work, and I'm very satisfied. A few others are not, however, so let's keep 'em coming =) Someone mentioned Echo as a good, reliable multiin/out-card manufacturer.