How to create 5.1 surround sound in Sony Vegas 7

[mlong30]

Hi All,

Can someone tell me how to create 5.1 surround sound in Sony Vegas 7? Do I need to render a seperate AC3 file?


Thanks.


Matt

[guns1inger]

Set your project properties to 5.1 AC3 audio and you will get the surround panners on the audio tracks. From there you just need to mix your audio, create an LFE and centre channel if appropriate, and render an 5.1 AC3 audio track from File -> Render. That's the simple explanation. In reality, mixing 5.1 is a lot more complex than you think.

Are you building it from scratch ?
Are you building it from a stereo track ?

if you are trying to create 5.1 from a stereo source, you might be able to use this guide I wrote. It uses Vegas and Sound Forge, but you can also use just vegas to do the same thing. https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=292142

[Disco Makberto]

Guns1Inger,

With all due respect, I cordially tell you that I think there is indeed a software encoder for Dolby Prologic II. From

http://www.surcode.com/manuals/proLogic2_manual.pdf

it reads,

"

1
1 Overview
SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II converts your 5.1 surround soundfiles
to the Dolby Pro Logic II format by matrix-encoding the Center, Surround,
and LFE tracks into the Left and Right tracks. The L and R tracks
then become Lt/Rt, which stands for Left total/Right total - meaning that
Lt/Rt tracks contain the matrix-encoded Center, Surround and LFE
tracks. These Lt/Rt tracks can be distributed and played in stereo, and
also decoded by a Dolby Surround/Pro Logic/Pro Logic II decoder and
played back in surround.
SurCode can accept up to 6 master surround soundfiles in either .WAV
or .AIFF format. SurCode outputs an Lt/Rt .wav file that can be used in
any stereo transmission medium.
Audio files encoded by Surcode for Dolby Pro Logic II are fully compatible
with all branded Dolby Surround, Pro Logic, and Pro Logic II
decoders, either in software or hardware format.
SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II contains a decoder, which is essential
for properly setting the encode parameters. Also, the encoder/decoder in
SurCode can work in real-time, enabling you to monitor the results of
encoder option changes while making them.

"

About the buidling of the endoded material, I can start with Dolby Stereo 2.0 with all my files if that is helpful (or Dolby Surround 5.1).

Again, what is my "perceived" advantage of having the final product as Dolby ProLogic II? If what I have been reading is correct, the stream can be downmixed without losing quality or sub-channels. Then, again, if I am correct, it can be upmixed using a Dolby ProLogic IIx amplifier without overloding some channels.

Gotta go for now... but I will check back soon.

Disco Mak or CAL

P.S: Sorry, this belongs to my thread "Dolby Surround 2.1 software?". It has been reposted there. Thanks!

[guns1inger]

Vegas will also do this, which I pointed out in your original thread. However what you get a 2 channel file which has matrixing information in it. You don't get an LFE channel - whatever might have been in it is distributed to the front L and R. If you play it back through a standard stereo amp, you get a standard stereo signal, as the matrixing data is ignored. If you play it back through a ProLogic amplifier you get Front L and R, C and mono rear. Through a ProLogic II amp you get Front L and R, C and stereo rears. You still don't get true LFE, only what the crossover provides. You don't have a true 5.1 mix, just a matrixed facsimile.

So what do you have ? a stereo file with some matrixing hints embedded in it. It is not a 5.1 file, it is a stereo file. If you are starting out with a Dolby ProLogic (Dolby stereo) 2.0 original you gain absolutely nothing at all, as ProLogic II will do a much better job on it's own that anything you will do with it. If you have a 5.1 original then you lose all the benefits of 5.1 for the sake of a couple of hundred MB of space.

[Rad14]

I followed your Stereo to 5.1 V.I. guide correctly, using the Sound Forge/Vegas 7 method, but when I open the new tracks in Vegas 7 they are out of sync!

Have I done something wrong?

How can I fix this?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Rad14]

I tried it again last night, and the same thing happened again...

Don't know what the problem is, every track is out of sync when I bring it to Vegas.

Has anyone any ideas? please?

[guns1inger]

When you say 'out of sync', what exactly do you mean ?
Are the tracks atrting at the same point ?
Are they out by the same amount all the way through ?
What are you testing on - a 5.1 amplifier, or a 2.0 downmix ?
What is your source ?

So far I have been unable to replicate your problem

[Rad14]

I am trying to convert a movie with Stereo soundtrack to pseudo 5.1 Soundtrack using Sound Forge 8 and Vegas 7. I followed the guide below using the V.I. Plugin suite which claims to be able to do this:

http://www.stevethomson.ca/vi/

1 Save Movie files to Hard Drive.
2 Demultiplex with mpeg-vcr
3 Load mpa file in Sound Forge 8
4 Load V.I STEREO TO 5.1 CONVERTER VST PLUGIN SUITE
5 Follow guide as to CLFE, sLsR, fLfR processing
6 Save as individual wav files
7 Import into Vegas 7

The problem now arises as the Centre track plays while missing seconds, as does the other tracks, giving an effect like for example, someone talks in the movie, their lines are heard, then they are repeated a few seconds later, then repeated again. This happens throughout.

I have been testing this by burning the resulting 5.1 conversion on a dvd+rw and watching and listening to this on a dvd player connected to a 5.1 amplifier. But the results are the same each time.

I hope I have made this clearer to you.

[guns1inger]

You can adjust the audio tracks using the video as reference in Vegas to get everything lined up. Although, like I said, I have never had this problem using my guide.

I suspect that the missing piece of the puzzle, if all tracks are out by the same amount, is the delay in the original not being in the demuxed audio. If there is a delay in the original that gets lost in the demuxed version, then when you put things back you will be out of sync.

[Rad14]

Thanks again for replying guns1inger,

I have already tried to adjust the tracks in Vegas (a lot), but it is impossible to get them all lined up properly.

Why would there be a delay in the original?

And if there was, why would it not be in the demuxed version?

Sorry, I don't get it...

[Rad14]

Never mind, I finally got it myself!!

I think what I was doing wrong was, after I had demuxed the soundtrack I was loading the "mpa" file into Soundforge not the mpeg which I had made with mpeg-vcr

So it was my own stupid fault!


Thanks anyway guns1inger for trying to help, cheers!

[guns1inger]

A lot of discs have delays built into the audio - never bothered to find out why.

First and simplest test - if you load the demuxed audio into Vegas, with the video, do they line up ? If they do, it is something int he processing that is throwing them out. If they don't, it is the delay int he original that you have to adjust for.

As for it being impossible to line them up - it's not. And Vegas is one of the easier tools to work in because you have a good, clear wave form to work with. Once you have one lined up with the video, the rest will fall easily into place. But you must have the video on the timeline as well. Trying to adjust with only the audio is not going to work.


/edit : started this post 20 minutes ago, before your last replay. Glad you have it working.

[raquete]

off topic
@ guns1inger
i have read your posts around the forum and your explanations are always very clear.
please,write audio guides and tutors for us!
you have much to teach and us to learn.

regards.

[Rad14]

Sorry guns1inger,

I wouldn't have said anything, but I see you are still plugging V.1 to others, so had to speak up.
I know in my last post I said I thought I understood where I was going wrong with it...well, guess what? It wasn't what I thought either!

I'm still having the same old problem lining the processed tracks up in Vegas!

In fact, I've had to accept that I'll never get it after all these trys and have abandoned ever trying it again.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong in your guide please understand, but it doesn't work for me...