Exporting a 5.1 surround sound sequence

Report · Mar 18, 2019

Need to change the Export setting in Premiere Pro CC so my exported sequence keeps its surround sound. Right now the end result is in stereo.

Where could I change those audio settings?

Thanks for info

Bert

Report · Mar 18, 2019

What video format is your export. is your sequence 5.1?

Report · Mar 19, 2019

Hi! Thanks for your prompt answer.

My Export video is set to H264.

This is my first experience into 5.1 surround sound. I can tell you that I see all six audio channels next to the timeline fluctuation with the different levels during playback.

I will assume that it is an indication that I have successfully created a 5.1 surround sound sequence.

Already made a DVD and that is when I found that I only get stereo sound, not surround sound. Only the two front and center speakers playback what was recorded.

Thanks for your help.

Bert

Report · Mar 19, 2019

For DVD your export should be MPEG2-DVD.

What program do you use to author the DVD? If Encore, 5.1 .WAV-file will be transcoded to stereo. For 5.1 you need to export the audio as Dolby Digital and that feature was removed from Premiere Pro a while ago. As a workaround you can install TMPGEnc Movie Plug-in AVC for Premiere Pro and export the audio as 5.1 Dolby Digital (.ac3) and then export the video from Premiere Pro using the MPEG2-DVD exporter and then import those two files into Encore.

Report · Mar 19, 2019

WOW! This is becoming rather complicated.

To burn DVDs I use "Avid DVD."

I also have some other programs which includes burning up to blu ray

quality.

Is there an easier way to burn a DVD than the one you mentioned?

Thanks for your interest in helping me.

Report · Mar 20, 2019

To burn DVDs I use "Avid DVD."

Then i would have consulted the manual for how-to or search for YouTube tutorials on how to burn a DVD with 5.1 audio in Avid DVD.

I have no experience with Avid DVD, so that´s the only help i can give regarding Avid DVD.

Report · Mar 20, 2019

OK, so, which DVD burning software do you recommend?

I presently own: Power DVD which I use to burn Blu Ray discs.

Ashampoo, Brorsoft and Xilisoft, to make a few.

Do you recommend anyone of those?

Thanks,

Report · Mar 20, 2019

OK, so, which DVD burning software do you recommend?

I recommend you to use the program you are most familiar with. If you want 5.1 audio you will have to check if the application you use support 5.1 audio and of course make sure that the audio you export from Premiere Pro is 5.1. For example, if your Master track for the audio is Stereo you cannot export 5.1 audio. The Master track must be set to 5.1. (See the attched image)

Personally i use Adobe Encore so that´s the program i am familiar with. You can use Encore as well since it is included in Creative Cloud. Click on Other Versions and install CS6. Mind you that the learning curve is high to use Encore.

I don´t have an easy answer.

Report · Mar 20, 2019

Your first task is to ensure that you are actually exporting 5.1. Use Mediainfo or similar to examine your exported file. Also, post a screenshot of your export settings, and your sequence settings Averdahl and others to look at.

I took a quick look at Avid DVD, and it appears to have also been made by Sonic, which is the authorcore underlying Encore. I suspect many programs are similar, in that they will pass through 5.1 Dolby, but they have problems with other versions.

Report · Mar 21, 2019

I have attached two images, one of my display and the second one of my export setting.

The image sent to me displays a 5.1 setting for the audio. I know where that info is, but I do not know how to change it. Besides, if you look at the pictures I am sending, it does not display exactly the same. I am using Premier Pro CC 2019.

Report · Mar 21, 2019

By The Way... I am still new at Premier Pro. Is there a way to save the setting (once I know how to do it,) for Surround Sound and a different one for standard Stereo, so I can simply click and change from one setting to the other?

Thanks for continued help.

Bert

Report · Mar 21, 2019

Not sure how you attached the pictures but I find them too small to read, ctl+ makes the bigger but no clearer.

Report · Mar 21, 2019

I can´t read the images either.

Mind you that DVD requires MPEG2-DVD export for whatever authoring app you use. If you insist on using H.264 it will be re-encoded by the app you use to author the DVD and hence loosing image quality. DVD is by definition always MPEG-2.

Report · Mar 21, 2019

OK, I am including the images again to see if they can be properly viewed.

I would appreciate if I could be given the very specific setting that should be used in order to always have as an end result, a DVD.

I already got the one about MPEG2-DVD. What else do I need to set?

Please remember that I am coming from Avid, where things are quite different.

As soon as I got to Premiere Pro, I had an Adobe tech support technician electronically come into my computer and set it up for me. Perhaps things got changed after the latest upgrade to Premier Pro CC 2019.

So, could I have a list of the specific settings for an end product on a DVD.... and seldom a Blue Ray disc?

Attached are the two pictures

Report · Mar 21, 2019

You have an odd frame size, iow 1280x1080, so when creating a DVD you will get black bars around the video.

To export 5.1 audio to a .wav file:

To export video to MPEG2-DVD:

Report · Mar 21, 2019

Well...well... strange things are happening....

i decided to start making changes and see what results I should get.... this was done prior to reading the previous posts, after I re-sent the images....

I was NOT able to get a surround sound in the Export window until change to Quicktime. Then I got the option of L,C,R, Ls, Lr, etc.

Tried and burned a DVD with the short sequence I had in the Timeline.

There IS surround sound coming from my home theater. I am still not happy with the actual levels of each channel, but at least I am being able to hear all channels working.

I have had it for today, but tomorrow will try to fine tune and further isolate the sound from each individual channel.

In the meantime, I am wasting blank DVDs like going out of style.... but at least I am getting somewhere... I hope.

And by the way, there have been NO explosions from my computer or the home theater system.... amazing!

Thanks again for your interest in helping me.

Bert

Report · Mar 21, 2019

wasting blank DVDs

Buy yourself some RW's.

Report · Mar 22, 2019

Thanks, I have about 50 of them but for some strange reason although I

erase them, Avid DVD burps them out from the burner. Will try a

different burning software and/or delete the files in another computer.

Be well,

Report · Mar 23, 2019

I have certainly learned a lot from all you guys.

I have what should be the final question:

All my music library on CDs and the sound from my camera are in stereo.

Is there a setting where I could send the stereo sound from the camera and from my music library to the Front left and Front right speakers and have it playback in stereo, -all with the surround system on, while perhaps sending sound effects to the Back left and Back right speakers? And oh, yes, all sent to the subwoofer for good bass?

I would even accept the camera to be sent mono to the central speaker and everything else sent in stereo to the other speakers.

Thanks for the continued help and cooperation.

Bert

Report · Mar 24, 2019

If you want to send a stereo track to front left and right only. open up the track mixer and move the puck in the surround panner to centre.

If you want to send the signal to the front speaker, as before put the puck to centre but turn up the centre speaker send.

If you want to send anything to the sub track turn up the sub feed/

It is a misconception that you need the .1 track for bass.

When bass heavy effects movies first were released a lot of cinemas found that their speaker and amplifier systems could not cope with the bass levels. To save cost in re-equipping the theatres the 'point 1' system was introduced so the only new equipment that was needed was a bass speaker and amplifier.

For home use that should not be required, if the normal speakers are bass light often the bass is redirected to the sub, this has nothing to do with the .1 track.

I have produced a number of organ recital Blurays and one of the early comments from buyers was that ' my point 1 level meter on the amplifier does not show any signal, what have you done wrong' Rather than trying to explain, the sound recordist now adds a little to the .1 track to make the meter move.

Report · Mar 22, 2019

I'm a little confused, your screen shots show your tracks labled as the surround tracks but they are all seem to be stereo and none seem to be panned to the correct place. You don't seem to be using the centre or the sub feed. If you had 6 mono tracks this is a way to make the surround file:

6 mono tracks to 5.1

If you are happy with your surround mix and need a Dolby AC3 version for making the dvd, if you export as a 6 channel Wav file and put it on Dropbox ( or similar) I can make the conversion for you.

Report · Sep 30, 2019

5.1 in Premiere is poorly implemented. I have found this out the hard way making DCP files for cinema use and there are a number of gotchas.

1 - You need to set up the output buss as a pproper 5.1 buss, and then you must route all the audio to the correct channels with the panner, or it just will not work on export. So left needs to be left, centre to centre, right to right, LFE needs to have the LFE feed up & all 5 main channels muted and the rears must be correctly panned. Check playback - if you can hear the mix properly it will export properly.

2 - Do not, ever, use 16-bit as it is pointless. Use 24-bit 48kHz as a minimum. 24-bit is 48dB quieter than 16-bit, and with modern loudness monitoring you need to be aware that going too close to 0dBFS is also a very bad idea indeed.

3 - For Blu-ray, and this cannot be overstated sufficiently - forget all about Dolby Digital / AC3. This codec is not your friend, and using this codec will change the way your mix sounds - this is absolutely guaranteed - unless you understand the way that AC3 metadata works, especially DRC and Dialnorm parameters & Mix Information.

You should be exporting to a lossless 6-channel output, and then encoding to either DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby True HD, bearing in mind the vagaries of lossless surround in Blu-ray being utterly dependent on the correct audio connections being used.

If you would like more detailed information on this, I will be happy to try & walk you through it - but the most important thing you must do is set up & calibrate a 5.1 mix system so you cann hear what is happening. You cannot run a 5.1 mix without listening to it, as this is asking for all sorts of trouble. Monitor systems for this should be proper setups, with the 5 main channels all the same make & model and full range (with a minimum frequency response to 40Hz and an upper minimum of 22.5kHz) and if you need LFE channel then you will need a correctly set up LFE - which is not the same thing as a subwoofer, although it is often confused with such.

Please go and get this document all about Surround Sound & the correct recommendations for getting this right from the RPGA, as it explains everything you need to know. Surround mixing is the most fun you can have, but it is not a simple thing to do.