Audio Channel Mapping for 5.1 upmix??

[mr24663603]

Hello,

I want to make a 5.1 upmix from audio stems the person gave me (dial/ score / sfx) I imported 6 files.

When I use the track panner I do hear the audio (panning from left to right etc).

However under audio channel mapping  I only have two device channels 1 &2 because I don't have 5.1 hardware/drivers.

My question is will I be able to make/create/export a 5.1 mix without having the 6 speakers on my computer?  Any channel mapping options for my 6 files?

T.Y.

on CS 6 - Adobe CS 6 PR doesn't have a Dolby digital export option  so I'm just using AU/ imac

[SteveG_AudioMasters_ · Accepted solution]

Well you will... but you won't have the faintest idea of what it sounds like!

There is no hardware requirement to be able to do this, but without a basic 6-channel output and some sensible monitors, it's going to be impossible to do the panning in anything like a meaningful manner. I do have one tip though; unless it's the bass from something like an enormous explosion or an earthquake, don't put anything at all in the .1 channel - that's all it's meant for. 'Normal' bass gets handled by the surround speakers - that's why it's labelled as 5.1 rather than 6.

[mr24663603]

Because the tutorials all start at different points and talk about different things I would like to clarify my steps

Open new multi track session

template - film sequence surround

Track 1 Dialogue (mono) - open Track panner - pan to center by clicking on the "C" (should I panned all the way into cup/pocket? sometimes it took longer for me to hear the sound when I dropped it all the way into the cup but I don't know if that was becuz of something else)

Angle 0

Radius 100%

Center 100%

LFE 0%

Track 2 Narration (mono) same as above)

Track 3 Score (stereo) open track panner to L  (drop into cup/pocket

Angle/ Radius ?

Center 0%

(since these were already mixed do I need to adjust the mixer for anything i.e. bring down to -3b? or OK)?

Track  4 Score (stereo) open track panner to R

Track 5 & 6 Design/Sfx (stereo) panned to Ls / Rs

Should I create a track 7 and put design/sfx in the back center?

Once done -  I don't need to do anything regarding the audio channel mapping ?

Go to Export Multi track Mixdown -

Format WAV

Sample rate 48

Format setting wave uncompressed 24.0 floating

Mixdown options Master 5.1

is that everything ?

other tutorials have it going back to PR, but this CS 6 PR doesn't have a dolby digital AC3 option so I'm skipping that part.

I'm trying to fix this so a DCP can be made and the original audio person is m.i.a.

T.Y.

[ryclark]

Well as Steve said if you don't have the means to listen to the resultant 5.1 mix all of the above is pointless really since you cannot tell what level any of the tracks need to be in order to be heard properly on a surround system. What material is in the Design/SFX stems? I would have thought that they needed to be panned according to where they should sound in the surround field, not just be shoved into the back/side speakers.

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I can't tell you anything about the levels, except that without monitoring them, they are absolutely bound to be wrong. But I certainly wouldn't place them like that, as you'll end up with considerable confusion between the narrative and the dialogue, and you really can't have anything panned into a single location and retain any degree of credibility about the results at all, I'm afraid. Stereo music almost certainly needs to be across the main L and R channels, and the dialogue needs to be panned to follow the action, as do the fx.

And there is no centre rear channel in 5.1 surround, so there's no point in creating a 7th channel.

You really can't do this without monitoring the results!

[mr24663603]

Not doing it is not an option.

If anybody did it before I want to confirm if there's anything special I need to do during the export.

TY

[emmrecs]

mr24663603  wrote

Not doing it is not an option.

If anybody did it before I want to confirm if there's anything special I need to do during the export.TY

I very strongly suspect no-one has done this before for the very pertinent reasons that Steve and ryclark have both clearly stated: You have absolutely no idea at all of how it will sound unless you can monitor as you work.  Monitoring of 5.1 sound unequivocally demands a 5.1 monitoring set up, which you do not have.

IMO, your chances of producing anything like an output which could be described as "acceptable" is Zero!

[ryclark]

Your only hope might be that the various stems that you have been provided with were prepared in a 5.1 surround environment I suppose.

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

mr24663603  wrote

If anybody did it before I want to confirm if there's anything special I need to do during the export.   

I think it's unlikely that you'll find anybody, as whoever they are, they won't be gainfully employed in the audio industry any more...

[mr24663603]

Yes I made it and sent it to somebody with surround sound speakers

they stated that the subwoofer crackled and nothing came out.  ( I didn't add anything to that channel it was empty)

Otherwise,  it was fine, stated nothing was too loud or too low

and 2nd person stated

The file opened just fine and the layout is just fine. No information present on the LFE track.