Set up for 5.1 with passive speakers

[johns58153088]

I'm hoping to listen to a 5.1 mix using passive monitors. I have optical cable running from my computer to a receiver. I can play 5.1 material, but not from Adobe Audition. I'm only given 2 channel mapping options. Does anyone have a work-around for this?

[ryclark · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately in order for Audition to play 5.1 surround sound you need an audio interface that will stream the six discrete audio channels out of your computer. The optical output that you are trying to use will only provide 5.1 by decoding ready coded audio files like .ac3 or .dts I'm afraid. So if you want to work with surround sound you will need to buy yourself a new USB audio interface that provides six discrete outputs from individual tracks in Audition. And it will probably cost you a bit I'm afraid. Surround sound production isn't cheap.

[johns58153088]

That's what I was afraid of. Any recommendations for a good interface?

[ryclark]

Focusrite Scarlett 6i6

Tascam US 16x08

Behringer FCA 610

A very low cost way to get 6 outputs is an ESI UDJ6 but I haven't tried such a device. It doesn't have any inputs though if you want to record from mics and would need an adaptor cable to get outputs 1&2 from the headphone jack.

[Richard M Knight]

It might be possible to feed an AV amp with a HDMI signal from your graphics card, some feed 5.1.

[R Neil Haugen]

So, I've got a nice receiver/amp connected via optical, and yea ... it does a beautiful job with material already surround encoded, and is hooked up to a decent 5.1 speaker setup ... but anything from Audition that's in a stereo track (say from my video cameras) just comes out of the center speaker.

If I got say that Behringer you mention, sending out via USB, then from that to the receiver, I'd be able to mix 5.1? And I'm also curious, Premiere Pro is not known for loving USB audio gear. How would that app 'feel' about the setup?

Would it be better to get a sound card?

Neil

[Bob_Howes]

I'm curious about what problems you have with USB interfaces and Premiere Pro?  I have a firewire interface into a mixer plus 2 different USB interfaces and I've never had any problems with any of them.

Anyhow, the devices mentioned above all give you six discrete audio outputs and I seriously doubt your receiver can accept six audio inputs rather than a single encoded input.  As ryclark says, surround sound production isn't cheap--but, to do a 5.1 mix, you have to stay with multiple discrete tracks until the actual point when you're ready to mix down and encode the final product.

I'm afraid I don't know of any interfaces that contain a surround encoder to give you a single digital output.

[R Neil Haugen]

My amp's got a multi-channel input section, so yes, it does have six input channels separate from digital & coax & stereo ins. I've no clue why you'd doubt that. The last four amps I've owned, including both the ones currently in use at home & in my editing setup, have a ton of ins & outs, including the full six-channel discrete RCA plug inputs. The amp at the studio doesn't happen to have HDMI, however.

I don't have a six-out mobo on the computer though, only three outs: jacks for stereo front, stereo rear, opticical out. I'm using the optical out. And no matter what I set things for as far as mapping in PrPro/Audition, all I hear from the speaker setup is ... center speaker. Makes it a bit hard to "place" things, you know?

As I've no way to check the balance or location of my surround, so ... I don't do a lot. Want to do some more with some of the projects coming in.

As to USB ... one of the main things in the PrPro forum when dealing with issues of sound, is to query whether they're using USB inputs (especially) or outs, as setting PrPro away from USB settings seems to solve many issues. And yes, some have had to unplug their USB sound gear before PrPro and the OS really agreed properly on what was to happen. Sometimes simply choosing an Asio setting say for ins/outs while still using the USB works. Sometimes ... not.

This spring, I need to get both 5.1 setup and start producing that, and a BlackMagic box to run a program-monitor out for Resolve. Upping the game, so to speak ... always seem to be hardware changes coming.

Neil

[johns58153088]

I'm going to look into some other interfaces. Does anyone know if they can be used with passive speakers?

[ryclark]

If you really have passive speakers then you will need suitable amplification to drive the speakers from the line outputs of the audio interface.

[R Neil Haugen]

After wiring with the "interface" of the audio hardware on the mobo, I found you can go in and change the use of the few 3.5mm jacks. Turn line in and line out into C/LFE and L/R Rear.

This was not an obvious possibility. However, it feeds the six-channel in of my receiver correctly so all is good now.

Neil

[davidpayne1981]

I bought a scarlet 6i6 in order to monitor on 5.1 in premiere with passive speakers however couldn't get it to work without asio4all.

Premiere recognised 3 pairs of stereo outputs instead of 6 individuals. 

Focusrite support confirmed that there was no way around this. 

Can anyone suggest a USB interface that would allow me to map individual outputs to certain speakers in premiere? 

[R Neil Haugen]

I'm calling on @SteveG_AudioMasters_  to see if he has any idea. I'm not aware of one. Which only says, I'm not aware of one.

Neil

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I don't think that anything in particular has changed about this, I'm afraid. Nobody's actually said so in this (now rather old) thread but the fundamental issue here is about MME drivers - which only seem to like things in multiples of two - assuming, that is, that you can get more than a single pair to work at all. This is why ASIO4ALL is generally the solution people go for, certainly with Audition. Audition's engine is ASIO-based, so it makes sense that this is going to work reasonably well, but this doesn't address the issue of what you can do with feeds from it to a Windows-based world - which is where people appear to run into problems.

I'll be the first to admit that I only use Premiere in stereo, so I haven't tried this, but it seems reasonable that any audio device that has its own ASIO driver, which ignores anything that Windows can do, isn't likely to suffer from this issue. ASIO4ALL is, after all, converting the output feeds back to something the OS can deal with, and that's where I think this goes astray. So my guess as to what might work more sensibly in this context is something like an RME Fireface UFX. I'm suggesting this because I have one, and I might be able to give this a try within a few days to see if it's possible. Despite the name, yes it really is a USB interface...

[davidpayne1981]

that'd be great if you get time to have a try Steve. Yes indeed the multiples of 2 with the MME drivers certainly confused both adobe and focusrite when i did my testing..

The issue I have with ASIO4ALL is if I switch to a web browser or a media player to listen to an audio file before I drag it into premiere, for example, it all goes wrong!

[davidpayne1981]

I've just seen the price of the RME Fireface UFX... 

it may not be a solution for me but would still be handy to know if it ism in theory, possible. 

The thing is, I can output 5.1 via my cheapo soundcard to a cheapo logitech 5.1 kit and it'd be amazing, BUT every time I open premiere, I need to switch windows sound control panel back to stereo, then back to 5.1 again for premiere to recognise it. This is a decade old flaw of premiere sadly 

[GLIMMER FILM]

Hi
I think I have the same problem. I can not get Aution to output 5.1. I only get the 2 channel option for all 6 speakers. But it all worked fine in an erlier verison. I use the Logitech THX 5.1 system:
https://www.dustinhome.se/product/5010585993/z-906?gclid=CjwKCAjw_YShBhAiEiwAMomsEO4BYLMWsZ3aFDFvdQU...

I'm attaching a pictur for the 5.1 setting I used in the erlier version when everything worked. but Now I can't make these settings.

So in the newest version of Audion I can only choose two of my speakers and when testing the speakers in the konfiguration window I can not get any sound from center and rear. Using Davinci resolv i will still get sound in all speakers so it's not a problem with the speakers. perhaps some other setting I need to do?

[GLIMMER FILM]

Hi
I installed Media encoder to be able to export 5.1 separate audio. Once I did that the option to choose the 6 speakers was suddenly there. But I could still not listen to them or test them in the konfiguration window.
Exporting from Audition via Encoder worked fine in 5.1 but not in stereo for som reson.

What are the right settings for exporting stereo in sepatate audio files?

And the question about 5.1 sound out from audition is still now solved.