Encoding to WAV (Channel Confusion)

[RabidSmurf]

Hey guys this is sort of a continuation of my other thread Encoding AC3 to 6 Channel WAV. Reason I started a new thread is because the fundamental issue of the other thread is resolved, this appears to be a new issue.

So history, I am trying to encode from AC3 to 6 Channel WAV to WMA (5.1) for combining with a re-encoded .WMV HD video.

Everything appears to be working fine, except for one small glitch.

The front right channel is getting all the of the audio for the center speaker (dialog)
The center speaker is getting all of the audio for the front right speaker

The rear right speaker is getting all of the audio for the SUB
The SUB is getting all of the audio for the rear right speaker

The only place where I specify anything to do with channels, is when I use HeadAC3 to convert my AC3's to 6 channel WAV.

I select the AC3 as my input (it picks it up as 5.1 ch) I change the destitnation format to WAV 24 bit int, I click options, and then the 6ch button (I assume it assigns the channels properly???)

Then I click start....

I then re-encode the 6channel wave to WMA using WMNicENc and then combine the WMA with WMV using media stream editor.

Where did I go wrong? Or did I..... (maybe it's just this one movie?)

[Soopafresh]

Could be in a lot of different places. Are the individual WAV files doing that, or does the problem occur when you remap to WMA ? Listen to the individual WAV files first, and make sure the track labeled Center, etc sound like they're correct.

Check it out
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/howto/articles/audio9procmmt.aspx

[RabidSmurf]

Hmmm I am not sure how to even check the .WAV's

To be clear, I am only creating 2 WAV's, one for the firsthalf.ac3, and one for the endhalf.ac3 (not six separate ones). Was kind of hoping the utility would auto detect this stuff...

I am not even sure how to go about trying to re-map the channels...

[Soopafresh]

Per the MS link

Using the Channel Mask Mapping Tool
Download and install the Windows Media Audio 9 Professional Channel Mask Mapping Tool, and then do the following to remap the channel mask of a multichannel Windows Media file:

1. Open a command prompt, and change to the directory in which the Windows Media Audio 9 Professional Channel Mask Mapping Tool (WMCME.exe) was installed. The default installation directory is %systemdrive%\Programs Files\Windows Media Components\WMCME.
2. To run WMCME.exe, type the following at the command line, and then press ENTER:
wmcme -i [input file, required] -o [output file, optional] -c [channel mask]
* Input file. Includes the path and name, ending with .wma.
* Output file. Includes the path and name, ending with .wma. If an output file is not specified, the channel mask is changed in the input file.
* Channel mask. The following table shows the value to enter for each channel configuration.

[RabidSmurf]

Right on, thanks. I'll give that a shot

[RabidSmurf]

Looks like the channel mask is correct, but the sound is still coming out of the wrong channels... any other thoughts? Are there any settings in HeadAC3che that may have caused this?

[Soopafresh]

Try DAudioK . It might work and it will save you a lot of grief if it does. Feed your original, non split AC3 file to it. It bypasses the AC3 to WAV conversion, so the 2GB limit isn't an issue.

[RabidSmurf]

I will give that shot, also i am going to try the EAC3to utility which allows you to do a custom channel map (I can always just fart with it till it sounds right).

Thanks soopa you've been a huge help!

[RabidSmurf]

I don't think that utility supports 6 channel wav, no biggy I am just going to do a manual channel mapping in EAC3to, this seems to encode way faster then HeadAC3ch as well.

[gadgetguy]

From the AviSynth GetChannel() documentation...

Remark1:

Every file format has a different channel ordering. The following table gives this ordering for some formats (useful for plugin writers )
reference: channel 1: channel 2: channel 3: channel 4: channel 5: channel 6:
5.1 WAV front left channel front right channel front center channel LFE rear left channel rear right channel
5.1 AC3 front left channel front center channel front right channel rear left channel rear right channel LFE
5.1 DTS front center channel front left channel front right channel rear left channel rear right channel LFE
5.1 AAC front center channel front left channel front right channel rear left channel rear right channel LFE
5.1 AIFF front left channel rear left channel front center channel front right channel rear right channel LFE

* 5.1 DTS: the LFE is on a separate stream (much like on multichannel MPEG2).
* AAC specifications are unavailable on the internet (a free version)?

So when you convert from one format to another you have to re-order the channels for the new format.