stereo to 3.0 conversion? (to use the Center speaker as well)

[zee944]

Hi guys,

I'm wondering if there's a way to convert a 2.0 audio to 3.0 properly?

My idea is that if the center channel is also used, it's much more pleasant to listen to. Especially at dialogues in a movie, it's more natural and pleasing to hear them from the Center channel instead of both sides at the same time.

I know there's a simple method in audio editor softwares to get rid of the center sound and make a karaokee track (for instance: in GoldWave: Effect -> Stereo -> Reduce vocals). This way I can have only the stereo effects, so the Left and Right channel, but not the Center - what method I should use the get only the Center? I know there's an Audio Channel Extractor in Adobe Audition, but I'm not sure if it'll do.

Please note I don't want to ruin the original sounding, don't want fake effects or virtual 5.1, just want to properly convert a stereo track to use the Center speaker as well on a 5.1 system.

Any help will be greatly apprectiated.

[guns1inger]

Please note I don't want to ruin the original sounding, don't want fake effects or virtual 5.1, just want to properly convert a stereo track to use the Center speaker as well on a 5.1 system.

The don't touch it. If your amp has Dolby ProLogic II, let that do the work for you. It will do a much better job.

[zee944]

The don't touch it. If your amp has Dolby ProLogic II, let that do the work for you. It will do a much better job.

Thanks, but that'll do a fake 5.1 or something similar, won't it? Besides, my amplifier doesn't have DPLII.

[guns1inger]

Theoretically, if you can get just the stereo parts of the track, then you can also just get the central parts of the track. The way voice removal works is based on the fact that most stereo tracks record certain parts equally down both channels. By inverting the phase on one channel, and overlaying it on the other, you cancel out anything that is equal in both.

Therefore, if you then take the new track, invert the phase of it, and overlay it on the original track, all the stereo effects should be canceled out, and only the centre remain.

If you can create this channel, and save it as a mono audio track, then take the left channel and do the same, then finally take the right channel and save it as a mono audio file, you should be able to use Aften to create a 3.0 AC3 audio track. I would suggest using ENCWav2AC3 as the front-end.