You have to have an audio card capable of outputting 6 discrete audio channels feeding into an amplifier with 6 discrete inputs or 6 powered speakers (with one being a subwoofer).

Nick, I have made sure I have selected the correct audio device for playback and that device is selected for front, center, rear channels.

David, as mentioned, my sound device is capable of playing 5.1 or 6.1. It accurately plays back store bought movies just fine.

David, as mentioned, my sound device is capable of playing 5.1 or 6.1. It accurately plays back store bought movies just fine.

That is not the same thing. Movies are encoded into Dolby 5.1 and your soundcard is decoding that. To hear the tracks of a 5.1 project before they are encoded, you need the capability to play all 6 channels out discretely. Totally different than listening to a DVD.

Unless your soundcard is set up with 6 outputs (meaning six cables or 3 stereo cables coming out) into an amplifier with 6 inputs, you cannot monitor 5.1 from Vegas.

This is on my laptop. I use a USB external 7.1 channel audio adapter by Vantec. I am plugged into a home theatre using the S/PDIF output.

Not going to monitor 5.1 from the Vegas timeline with that. It is only for playing back 5.1 or 7.1 encoded audio tracks (Dolby or DTS). When Vegas is set up for 5.1 it is actually outputting 6 mono audio tracks. You need six outputs to an amplifier with 6 separate inputs.

I do have 1/8 jacks on the front of the unit to send analog inputs to the back of my home theatre. If I just render the movie, will it play in surround from the rendered file? Although this will potentially take more time if the balance isn't what I want, I'm willing to try this over finding the cables I need and rewiring my home theatre.

It's a windows 7 laptop. What file type do you recommend rendering as?

Yes, if you render to a 5.1 file, you can probably play it through and hear the mix, but as you say it is a trial and error thing. I did not see the 8 jacks on your unit, but that would probably do it as well. I would need to read more on the specs of the Vantec. I think Vegas only supports rendering 5.1 to Dolby, although it might support a 5.1 WAv file as well.

I'll try rendering and seeing that gives me the desired effect. Not sure if Vegas will make a 5.1 wav file, but I'll check. There are 1/8 jacks on the front of my USB audio device, just hard to see in the picture. Thank you for your time!

Kal_Ironfist, here's what you need:

Project Properties - Audio | Master bus mode = 5.1 Surround

Options | Preferences | Audio Device | Audio device type: you need to select a device which supports greater than Stereo Outputs (e.g. ASIO or Direct Sound Surround Mapper) so that the lines directly underneath ["Default stereo, Default Rear, Default centre & LFE....] become active & give you choices for Front, Rear , Centre and LFE playback... you then have to setup those 3 choices (which initially default to just the Stereo L/R Out) so the outputs are sent out to the correct channels for your monitoring situation. This is critical, as it tells Vegas all about your sound card.

In the Mixing Console view [Ctrl+Alt+6] you should now see (above the Master Meters) that indeed the Master outputs are going to the correct places.

Now about Panning: the default Surround Panners in the Audio Channels offered by Vegas are not so intuitive (I've been complaining about these for years) - In the Mixing Console view [Ctrl+Alt+6], if you right-click on each Channel Surround Panner you can select Pan Type - I find the Film panner to be the most useful.

Always watch your Output Levels!

Hope that helps.

Thanks ChristoC, I'll check all that later. I know I have the options/pref/device/type set up correctly because I have the USB 7.1 device selected for all front, center, rear and LFE channels. I'll check the mixing console view tonight.

I find the panners to be extremely user friendly. You can either mute the speakers on the graphic if you are doing hard positioning (center, front left, right left, etc.) or you can move the cursor around like a joystick to position your sound in the 5.1 space. If you double click on the panner you will get a bigger panner with actual db numbers for reference.

David, I meant to say the Surround Panners, except the Film setting, do not work very well.

For example, take a single mono audio track and the surround panner:

'Add Channels' - you cannot pan just to Centre; front L and R outputs are also included at same level!

'Balance (x dB)' - pan just to Centre; front L and R outputs are also included to some degree depending on 'x', also pan full front L or R always includes Centre output at same level.

'Constant Power' - you cannot pan to front L or R speakers at all!

'Film' - works very well in all regards.

Christo C, forgive me if you already know this, but the speaker icons in the Surround Panner act as mutes. To do a Center Only, you mute the other speakers.



This video shows what I am talking about.

Yes I did know that thanks David; by using switches the control ceases to be a 'panner' doesn't it?

However if you want a sound to positionally follow the action on the screen you can't be mucking about with switches...

I recorded & mixed a 5.1 demonstration film for Dolby Labs a few years ago; it featured 6 instruments, one in each speaker, and the pictures of the musicians dramatically rotated 360deg around the listener at one point, so the requirement was that the sound followed; that would have been impossible with switches in the panning :-)