Simulated 5.1 from stereo software suggestions

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

It works great for me. It is a bit of work though. You will need software that supports vst plugins. You can use Kristal Audio Engine (free), but it will only export 3 seperate stero tracks. You can edit all 6 channels, but the s/w will only export 2 channels at a time.

yep, sony vegas for this works fine -- add a bit of delay in the rear channels also ....

but most receivers have surround modes that do a better job (DTS NEO setting foir example), though i dont like those settings and prefer to just use 5 or 7 channel stereo

Originally Posted by drewzor

I have sony vegas 6 and have only access to stereo settings when working from a stereo source? the surround panner doesn't work with stereo source? could you explain?
I'm more a premiere man... so i maybe missing something

go through your manual = set up project for 5.1 , the surround pans work inreal time even and are key framed or just set up to a settings you want through out ...


seperate the stereo into 2 mono channels , L and R , put them on the audio tracks 7 times , mix one set of l and r into mono center , one set for front l and r , one set for rear l and right , and one set mixed into mono for for LFE ..

render to ac3 5.1 after you like the mix , rears are ussually 6db down and 3-7 ms delay, lfe is ussually +3db from front , with a 120hz low pass filter w/ a 18db per octive rolloff , center will need to be made -6 because it is summed

the manual you got when you bought vegas , it is pretty complete ....

there are various plug ins for sony (and works on other programs) that can do surround effects also - a google search will turnup several .....

but not really needed for a basic mix as above

Originally Posted by drewzor

I'am suprised that there doesn't exist software that simply shows a number of channels (like the look of tracks) that you can master. double click on a channel and enter the track list to master effects in each channel. That i guess it is just too simple to bother with I guess, but what an advantage it would have over these frustrating plugins that all have compatability issues. just add tracks to your channels, master the channels the way you wish and save!

yes - it is called sony vegas and already exists ...

Originally Posted by takearushfan

Hm,
I'm a bit confused here. I'm using Audition. Should I take the 6 channels and use them in the multitrack view? If so, I'm not understanding how each channel should be panned and "volumed". Also, the SL/SR should both be 3-7 ms delayed?
Sorry for being a bit of a dope here
- Justin

i dont use Audition

Hi folks,

Here are some guides that will help you with stereo-to-5.1 conversion:

GUIDE: Using Adobe Audition 1.5 or 2.0 to create 5.1 files uses the three 2-channel plugins that come with V.I along with Audition's Multitrack mode to export a 6 channel wave of Windows Media Pro file.

Creating a Pseudo 5.1 Mix from Stereo Source Using V.I. (uses Sound Forge and Vegas) uses those same three plugins but in the Sony software packages, plus exporting a finished AC3 file.

GUIDE: Converting stereo to 5.1 surround for FREE can be helpful to those using Kristal Audio Engine to generate three 2-channel files. This guide was written for using the three V.I 2-channel plugins with Foobar2000 v8.3, but it has a section explaining how to take the three 2-channel files and create either 6 mono files or one six-channel file.

GUIDE: Using Wavelab to create 5.1 files explains how to use Wavelab for this process.

GUIDE: Using the V.I Stereo to 5.1 Converter in Nuendo and Cubase SX provides the steps for using these apps.

GUIDE: Using V.I with Plogue Bidule gives you info on creating 5.1 mixes in Plogue Bidule. Until Sept. 16, the new demo of Plogue Bidule is free for use. This is probably the most powerful choice and overall one heck of a cool program.

GUIDE LIST: Stereo-to-Surround Conversion Guides is an overall list of guides, if you want to try some other methods for converting stereo to surround. Some of these use Graphedit and DPLII software in popular DVD apps, some use Audition, some use other approaches such as DOS programs, Ambisonics plugins, etc.

The main thing is to remember that very few commercial 5.1 releases you get on DVD actually recorded with 5 channels. Most simply apply effects and panning to create 5.1 mixes. The only real difference between these commercial releases and what's done in these guides is that the guides start with a finished stereo mix and attempt to extract information or else synthesize space. The pros with access to multitracks simply pan a sound to a channel or between channels and then perhaps apply some reverb. If you come up with something that sounds good to you, it's really every bit as valid as a commercial release.

Have fun!
Steve.