Soundfield who are well known for their microphones also branched out a couple of years ago into the plug-in market by producing the Surround Zone plug-in that would take the B format signal from the Soundfield mic and enable you to produce a 5.1 output.   Now they have released another plug-in the UPM-1, which has nothing to do with their microphones, and this is an upmix plug-in taking stereo content and produces a 5.1 output, otherwise known as an Upmix plug-in. They are following the TC Electronic Unwrap and the Waves UM225/226 upmix plugins, but what Soundfield say they are trying to do “is to produce a very stable and natural sounding 5.1 without destroying the original stereo image.”

This was a question that was asked on the daw-mac forum over the weekend and I chose to answer it.   I am also posting it here so more folk can access the info.   Lo/Ro (left only, right only) is a stereo down mix where the different channels are simply summed together. Lt/Rt (left total, right total) is a stereo down mix where the different channels are processed before summing them together. The is also called matrix encoding.   Both LtRt and LoRo provide stereo compatible downmixes of surround content. The LoRo doesn't have the phase shifted surround component to give the Pro Logic decoder something to do. Usually LoRo is set up so the Left & Right channels pass through unaffected the Centre channel gets mixed into both Lo & Ro at -3dB and Left Surround (Ls) is mixed into Lo at -3dB and Right Surround (Rs) at -3dB into Ro. Although these settings can be changed to suit the content to get the most compatible downmixes.   Both LtRt and LoRo are used in television so you must look at the delivery specs to see what the channel is asking for.

This is from their press release today.... Cinema is now on Your Radar - and it's Complementary!   Our LM5D plug-in for Pro Tools HD has been setting the standard for loudness metering in professional post and production studios for years. Now, it is joined by the new AM6 plug-in, and together they form: ‘Radar Meter Bundle for Pro Tools HD’. Our highly-acclaimed radar display has proven a fast track to upgrade audio production for broadcast, film and music from unsatisfactory peak level indicators to loudness based metering.

This is what Dolby say about it...   Universal Remote V1.4.0.8, supporting the companion release of LM100 firmware V1.4.0.4, has been released and is available for download at www.dolbysupport.com.

This is what TC Electronic had to say in their recent newsletter.... Our ‘Rome Calling’ pro-audio seminar in early June was a great success! The Eternal City created a perfect frame for the event, and the keynote speakers willingly shared all of their expertise on recording, mixing, mastering and broadcasting with the participants.

As well as making programmes and knowing a bit about Pro Tools we also provide a variety of media related audio courses which we taylor to each client's needs. We were approached by Orbit Showtime Network to run a 5 day training course for their audio department to help them to start producing their content in surround especially for their HD channels.

This is from their press release... Minnetonka Audio Redefines Dolby E Value and provides more Dolby E functionality for less while adding new crossgrades & bundle Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc., announced today new pricing on the entire family of Dolby E solutions, including standalone encoders, decoders and bundles. In line with these adjustments, a newly announced production suite offers a simple and comprehensive entry into Dolby E workflows for a wide variety of businesses. Minnetonka Audio has reduced the price of their entire line of Dolby E production tools up to 43 percent. In addition, a new collection has been created that affordably bundles all the tools a shop needs to handle Dolby E in their day to day jobs, while new crossgrade pricing helps businesses to flexibly grow their capabilities without limited licensing restrictions. The new SurCode for Dolby E Suite combines the SurCode for Dolby E Encoder and Decoder with Minnetonka's Audio Workflow Engine, AudioTools AWE, and their new SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player plug-in. This suite provides real time and faster-than-real time encoding and decoding of Dolby E streams and files, while also equipping a separate operator with the ability to automatically downmix surround streams to stereo in real time with the cross-platform SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player plug-in for Avid, Final Cut, VST and AudioTools AWE formats. The Stream Player's downmixing is a true emulation of what a consumer equipped for stereo playback would hear. Unit pricing for the SurCode for Dolby E Encoder or Decoder is now US$1975, making it easy to accommodate on any budget. The cost of a SurCode for Dolby E Bundle, which includes an encoder and decoder along with AudioTools AWE for background/parallel processing of audio assets, has been reduced from $4499 to $3495. The new SurCode for Dolby E Suite is priced at $3995, and adds the SurCode for Dolby E Stream Player to the above bundle. For companies who are locked in to a competitor's more limited licensing scheme, SurCode for Dolby E Encoder and Decoder are individually available as a crossgrade for $1695.

This is what Soundfield say.... Microphone manufacturer SoundField has launched a software version of their UPM-1 stereo-to-5.1 upmix processor at IBC 2010. Originally released in hardware form at IBC 2008, the UPM-1 has already been adopted by major broadcasters such as Sky, SIS Live, and NDR as an easy-to-use, reliable means of generating realistic-sounding, broadcast-quality 5.1 surround sound when only a stereo mix is available. While the hardware UPM-1 is ideally suited to live broadcast applications, the new plug-in version is designed for post-production workflows. It will be available in RTAS for Pro Tools users as well as VST and Audio Units for other platforms and is aimed, like the hardware original, at high-definition broadcasters who need to ensure that all of their material is transmitted in fold-down-compatible 5.1 surround, including archive stereo material, effects and jingles. The UPM-1 plug-in creates a more natural-sounding 5.1 mix than many stereo-to-5.1 upmix devices that rely on reverb and phase manipulation. Instead, it uses a unique algorithm which analyses the stereo input material and separates ambient sounds from the direct sounds — or what might broadly be referred to as the ‘distant’ and ‘close-miked’ sounds. As with the original hardware unit, the plug-in allows detailed adjustment of the relative levels of direct sound and front and rear ambient sound in the final 5.1 mix, with continuous software rotary controls for Width and Centre channel Divergence. Level, Mute and Solo controls are also provided for each channel. The UPM-1 plug-in is currently scheduled to ship in October 2010.

Paul says.... I am pleased to announce that SoundCode For Dolby E version 2.0 is now available. Version 2.0 makes Dolby E faster and easier for tape-based and file-based workflows on Mac and Windows. Click here to download and try version 2.0. NEW FEATURES Accelerated Dolby E Encoding - We optimized the encode processing to take advantage of your multi-core processor. Final Cut Plug-In Dolby E Encoder - The encode/export window operates as a Final Cut export plug-in. Just select a sequence and click Export... VST Plug-In Dolby E Decoder - Windows and OS X. Audio Unit Plug-In Dolby E Decoder - OS X. Works with the new N-Mon monitoring utility as well as Nuendo, Soundtrack Pro, and Logic. MXF OP1a File Support - The decoder/player can read and import/decode audio from OP1a files. The encoder/exporter can write to a OP1a file. The decoder/player can import standard definition IMX and DV video for use by Mojo. Improved Multi-Program File Support - The Player/Decoder can choose between programs in a multi-program file for monitoring and decoding. Hot Folder Decode/Import - The standalone decoder/import window supports hot folder processing. N-Mon Utility - Allows many types of Dolby E decode monitoring (see below). Standalone Dolby E Decoder - N-Mon allows the computer to be a standalone Dolby E decoding system using the Audio Unit decoder plug-in. Use a low-cost M-Audio device, for example, to make your Mac a Dolby E decoding system. Final Cut / Quicktime Player Dolby E Decoder - N-Mon lets you insert the Audio Unit Dolby E decoder plug-in with any core audio software. Improved File Decode/Playback - Standalone app features a playback position slider PCM Thru Control - The Dolby E decoder has a "PCM Thru" option so that PCM audio passes through if the Dolby E decoder is enabled. Dolby E Default Decoding - The standalone app decoder has a default Dolby E config so that files with no Dolby E stream at the beginning can be decoded Improved BWF Metadata - BEXT description includes information about configuration, frame rate, track names, and more. Dolby E Metadata Import - The standalone app decoder lets you import Dolby E metadata to an XML file for use by the encoder or archiving. Click here to download and try version 2.0.

'Mark 66' asked recently on the Digidesign User Conference.... I am looking to make an LtRt from a 5.1, is there a plugin that will do this? 'TimNielsen' replied with.... This will encode, but I'm not sure it will go directly from a 5.1, normally you feed the LtRt input L, C, R, and a mono Surround channel to make the LtRt.  It would be fairly easy to take your 5.1 tracks and bus them appropriately to the input. If you just want to make a stereo from the 5.1, and not a true LtRt, then you normally bus your 5.1 tracks to a stereo bus, and then drop the center channel -3dB, drop the surrounds -6 and pan the Ls to L, and the Rs to R, and either drop the Subwoofer -10 or lose it altogether. I usually then run all those through an aux track, and take the oveall level of the stereo down a couple of dB before recording too, since adding in the center and surrounds to the L and R, even dropped as they are, can and will probably still overload the channels at times. But for doing a true LtRt, the Dolby Surround Tools is the only thing I know of, since it's a Dolby matrix that needs to be created, not sure anything else can make you one. 'strangeLoop' added..... Here is the one from Neyrinck Audio. 'JFreak' agreed... Neyrinck is the one to choose, even though Dolby is Dolby, it is not that good. 'bad jitter' added.... Hmm... I have Dolby and the GUI is PITA, agreed. But are you saying that Neyrinck sounds better? 'Frank Kruse' pointed out... The neyrink doesn´t have a decoder so you won´t be able to hear what you're doing. 'JFreak' suggested.... Maybe it's just me, but I get better end results using Neyricnk's. That said, I don't own either, I just trash an extra iLok key when I need those plugs :) IMO encoder is enough, I always use a hardware decoder (home theater consumer stuff) to listen to the mix as that is what the customer is also using. 'dr sound' commented about Neyrinck's lack of a decoder.... I talked with Paul Neyrink at NAB and he told me he is very close to releasing the decoder with the PLII . I will purchase one as soon as that happens. 'laki' suggested a different route... SRS Labs make a plug too. It's decent but I prefer the Neyrinck. Not that it sounds better, but it is adjustable. My only gripe with the Neyrinck is that every instance eats up a whole DSP chip! If you're doing an involved 5.1 mix and need to do multiple fold-downs for stems etc, you may run out of DSP. The SRS plug is less DSP hungry. But 'Stylin' Audio' pointed out.... SRS left us owners for dead - they are not supporting/developing their plug anymore. 'Postman' said... Please, let's not confuse the terms LtRt and LoRo. In PT you can route the surround mix to LoRo, a.k.a. good old stereo. Yes, Dolby decoder will play it just like any other stereo recording can be played, but what emerges from the surround speakers is not the same as when the surround mix is encoded into an LtRt by an actual encoder. LtRt and LoRo/stereo are not the same thing. 'TimNielsen' apologised... Yes, sorry if I confused anyone, the method I listed will NOT make an LtRt, which is a Dolby Specific 'encoded' system of merging L, C, R and a Mono Surround channel into a stereo stream. I was simply listing a fold-down method to make an LoRo, as was noted, which is simply a normal stereo stream that won't lose information, like would happen if you just took the L and R of a 5.1, obviously you'd lose your center and anything in the surrounds. So what I was listing was a crash-down, just in case the person posting wasn't talking about a true LtRt. Sometimes I hear people refer to a stereo mix as an LtRt, when in fact they're simple talking about a crashdown, which as was noted. So I didn't mean to imply I was listing a formula to make an LtRt without a plugin or hardware encoder, it can't be done. You have to use either the Dolby or the other one (which I didn't even know existed). 'Postman' replied... Hi Yes, that was my main point. Thank you for clarifying. I'm seeing regular intermingling of the terms because some people (not you, but some others) do not know any better. It is a regular mistake in the Post forum too. 'gsilbers' commented... we do the "crashdown" (foldown) to make LTRT and we go through a dolby E encoder to layback 5.1+LTRT. it passes QC fine but maybe its different than ltrt for a dvd. Although we send tons of foldown ltrt to dvd houses/blueray and never have had any problems.so maybe they do something else to it. so now im a bit curious on the plugin route and why would it be different.  btw we do this we many many movies and tv shows for fox , univ, disney etc. TimNielsen came back... Please be clear on the terminology here. If you say you are using 'crashdown' method to make your LtRt, then you are NOT making an LtRt, you are making an LoRo! There is a HUGE difference. All you are doing is making a stereo version of your mix. It has no information for the center channel, or surround channel. Now the dolby DECODER might still stear some information to those channels when you play it back, but what you have made is mostly certainly not an LtRt. The term LtRt (Left Total, Right Total) only applies to a 4 channel stream (L, C, R, S) that has been specifically encoded through the Dolby Matrixing scheme, to embed the C and S information into the L and R channels, so that a decoder can properly find them, extract them, and steer them to the C and S channels. Hence it is, and must be a two part process. You must specifically encode, and decode an LtRt. You absolutely cannot make a true LtRt any other way. What you are making is fine, we make them all the times as well, a simple stereo version, for instance for the editors to drop into their Avid. But it is NOT an LtRt, which is a very specific thing for a film print or DVD. The nice thing about an LtRt is that it can play just fine as stereo, it doesn't need to be decoded, if you don't decode, you just hear stereo. So this is used on the stereo track on a DVD. Then if a person at home has a Dolby Surround decoder in their receiver, it will extract the channels and give surround. Of course nowadays, I can't imagine there are many left using Dolby Surround decoders, everything is Dolby Digital and now moving towards Dolby True HD, but anyway...  So really, what you are doing, you should call it an LoRo (Left Only, Right Only), and not an LtRt. Hope that clears up any confusion. If you're not encoding it via a hardware of plugin, you are not making an LtRt. 'CCash' agreed... Right. That is not an LtRt, even if you label it that way. You are getting away with it because it is usually very difficult to determine if someone has given you stereo or an encoded LtRt, even when decoding it to LCRS. That's because the decoders do a pretty good job of steering things to the correct speakers... but you will be at the mercy of the decoder's speaker steering, and it will not retain any of the rear-front panning decisions you made in the 5.1. 'MixMonster' chipped in... I use SurCode by Minnetonka Audio. It's both encoder and decoder, easy to use and I've never had any problems with it. 'The Missile Silo' added.... Having worked in DVD/Audio Restoration for a number of years we used Neyrinck (specifically the Sound.Code for Dolby Digital version for our AC3's.). I did a shootout once between or Dolby plug-in encoder and the Neyrinck, hands down Neyrinck was the obvious choice. 'TimNielsen' mussed... Curious, obviously the decoding matrix will usually steer dialog to the center correctly, since it's perfectly in phase on the L and R. But will a decoder street 'anything' the surround channel from an LoRo? Never tried, but that's the part I assume would just go missing, and instead you'd get a usable LCR out of it. Which, as you said, is what makes it hard to know from listening to a file if you have a real LtRt or not. 'Postman' replied... Absolutely! The less phase coherent is left-right, the more it will be drawn to the surround channel(s). With Pro Logic 1 and 2, stereo reverb gravitates toward surround always. With Pro Logic 2, there are different modes that alter its behaviors, but it tends to "bend" hard left and hard right toward the surrounds. Some music modes make the effect really great, but at the same time do not give the center channel a firm anchor, which can really screw with dialog. I've taken a liberty to turn your remark into a question. Sound that is out of phase between left and right will head into the surrounds, so if you hear some things like ambiences and specific panning stuff like fly overs or pass-bys sounding very out of phase ,between left and right, you are likely hearing an LtRt. But, as you point out, there is no simple way to tell for certain. Anyone can make out of phase information. The trick with true LtRt is there is a 90 degree "all pass" type of phase shift on all the surround material. THAT is not as easy to do as simple routing and 180 degree phase shift. But that is what allows a mixer to pan a mono sound partially front to back without it being pulled toward left or right. Sorry, I'm talking geek speek. 'TimNielsen' came back... No, it's good. I'm learning stuff. LtRt's have always been a bit of a mystery to me. We always make them, but the mixers monitor it coming back from the magic device, and make adjustments based on what they hear, mostly capping volume and maybe riding the dialog a bit! So it's good to get a better understanding of what is happening. It's another one of those technologies that was genius in it's day, but I wish we didn't have now, like Dolby Digital. The most exciting thing for me about Digital Cinema, is 16 available tracks of 24, 48k uncompressed audio!

This was a question asked recently by 'mikevarela' recently on the Digidesign User Conference, he asked... Moved to surround in my home studio (LE) and was wondering about the importance of a surround bundle. Do any of you use? Have some questions too. I know one of the plugs (360 manager) has a matrix functionality, but will it code an LtRt or LoRo from surround. I'm thinking no, but can't seem to understand from their online documentation. Also, how important is it to have a few plugs like the ones available for surround mixing? I have TL Space and am probably gonna get Altiverb, but wondering how much of the other stuff gets used. It s quite expensive. 'mr.armadillo' replied.... No. The 360 manager is a bass management and monitoring plug-in. The 360 mixdown plug-in can create Lo/Ro. You can't create an Lt/Rt with Waves' bundle. You'll need Dolby Surround Tools. I own the bundle and really like the R360 Reverb, the L360, and I use the LFE360 on every session. Those are nice to have. However, you don't really need it if you mix surround IMO. 'infiniteloop' added... The waves surround bundle is probably slightly overkill for an LE system. You can get the UM226 upmixer separately, it's the same as the surround spreader in 360, and you can upgrade your Neyrinck encoder to LtRt cheap. That's all i've found I really need from the bundle, plus the Neyrinck is a proper Dolby encoder rather than "LR wide" in the Waves bundle. There, you've saved about $1400! Any one else got some experiences of working in surround on LE rigs and would care to share them, then please add your comments to this post.

This is from their press release today... Neyrinck is pleased to announce SoundCode For Dolby E version 2.0, now shipping for Mac and Windows systems. Version 2.0 is a major update to the Dolby E software tools making it easier and faster to work with Dolby E. Version 2.0 features a highly accelerated Dolby E encoding engine for faster encodes, a new Final Cut encoding plug-in, Audio Unit and VST decoding plug-ins, and hot folder Dolby E decoding. Also, version 2.0 features a new Mac utility called N-Mon for realtime Dolby E decode monitoring with Quicktime Player, Final Cut, and external video tape testing. Version 2.0 is available as a free update for current SoundCode For Dolby E owners. For version 2.0, the Neyrinck team analyzed the Dolby E encode engine to look for inefficiencies that could be improved upon. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the engine operates in many ways: a standalone application, a Pro Tools plug-in, and in version 2.0, a Final Cut export plug-in. The initial goal was to accelerate only the standalone application, but they found that the Pro Tools environment could also be accelerated thanks to Pro Tools' Audiosuite architecture. The result is an accelerated encoding engine that encodes 1.5 to 4 times faster depending upon the computer system. With version 2.0, Dolby E encoding now operates directly in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express as an export plug-in. One or more project sequences can be selected from a project to be exported as Dolby E. The plug-in automatically uses the time code, frame rate, and optionally the in/out points of each sequence which makes it easy-to-use and reduces operator error. A batch processing mode allows any combination of sequences to be Dolby E encoded at one time for efficient workflows. SoundCode For Dolby E's decoding has also been extended tremendously in version 2.0. VST and Audio Unit plug-ins have been added to allow realtime Dolby E monitoring in workstations such as Nuendo, Pyramix, and Soundtrack Pro. Dolby E monitoring has been extended to output all eight channels simultaneous. A hot folder decode feature has been added to the standalone app for ingest workflows. And on the Mac, Neyrinck has created a utility called N-Mon that uses the Audio Unit plug-in as a realtime Dolby E monitor for Quicktime Player, Final Cut, or external video tape deck. N-Mon accomplishes application monitoring by providing a core audio input device that any core audio application can connect to. N-Mon uses the Audio Unit decoder plug-in to decode and play the audio out to any core audio device. And N-Mon provides the option to monitor from any core audio input so a Mac can operate as a standalone Dolby E monitor for testing video tape laybacks. Paul Neyrinck, president and founder of Neyrinck, says "In version 1.0 we accomplished smooth, realtime Dolby E decoding as well as faster-than-realtime encoding. But we had an inkling we could speed up the encoding on the standalone application. As we analyzed it, we discovered that the the Pro Tools Audiosuite system could also be significantly accelerated. Our Pro Tools customers really like the Audiosuite integration so this is a big win for them. And now that decoding operates in realtime with most audio and video applications, SoundCode For Dolby E is the easiest, fastest, and most complete Dolby E solution available."

This is from their press release... Neyrinck is pleased to announce that V-Mon version 2.0 for Pro Tools is now shipping. The new plug-in increases the surround input sources from six to ten for unparalleled 5.1 stem monitoring. Version 2.0 also adds support for both Windows and Mac based Pro Tools systems. Version 2.0 lets the user select between two V-Mon plug-ins, type 1 and type 2. Type 2 features ten 5.1 surround input sources. With ten surround input sources, mixers can now monitor eight surround stems in addition to the main and alt sources. Type 1 implements the legacy V-Mon system with six 7.1 inputs. The VMC-101 remote controller can select the additional inputs using the Bottom key. Version 2.0 also adds support for Windows-based Pro Tools systems and maintains support for Mac-based Pro Tools systems. Version 2.0 is a free update for existing V-Mon customers. Paul Neyrinck, says "Today's post mixers are being asked to provide more and more stems so film and TV programs can be re-purposed worldwide. So by adding four more surround inputs, a mixer can select between eight stem inputs with two inputs for the main mix and a VTR return. No other monitoring system comes close."

'jahtao' asked this interesting question on the Digidesign User Conference recently.... Default Mixer setup for 5.1, LtRt and stems? Any tips on how to configure the mixer and IO to have simultaneously: 5.1 full mix and M&E Stereo full mix and M&E (made using Neyrinck's LtRt folddown plugin) Stereo stems (music and fx stems would have to be via LtRt) At the moment I'm having to concentrate on getting the 5.1 mix together for the client and worrying about the deliverables later. But I aspire to having everything setup properly and streamlined. I've all HD3 with 2 x 192 etc. 'infiniteloop' replied... well, assuming you've properly grouped all your stem elements correctly, i'd just put a unity gain send on each of Sync, Fx, Mus, M&E and Final busses and send them to new 5.1 busses (I call them SyncMixdown, FXMixdown etc.) Bring them up on aux faders and drop a Neyrinck on each., then set the output to a matching set of stereo busses. Bring these up on audio tracks and you have yourself a stem recorder. Well it is increasing looking like Paul Neyrinck's fold down plug-in is the answer to all our prayers to save having to do two different mixes.

The Canadian educator VFS has enhanced their Sound Design for Visual Media program for surround by ordering 60 licenses of Paul Neyrinck's Mix 51 surround for LE plug-in. This is form Neyrinck's press release... Vancouver Film School (VFS), Canada's premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution, and one of the most distinguished in the world, has integrated Neyrinck Mix 51 software into their Sound Design for Visual Media program . Each student is supplied with a Pro Tools LE notebook system with the Mix 51 plug-in installed. This allows every student to edit and mix surround audio with their portable Pro Tools LE system prior to coming in to the school's main Pro Tools HD studio. VFS Sound Design for Visual Media Senior Instructor Shane Rees says, "Mix 51 lets our students work with surround audio outside of class and without needing to reserve time in our main studio. Mix 51 provides a stereo LtRt down mix, so they can monitor with a pair of headphones or at their home with a Pro Logic decoding system. It is tremendously beneficial for them to work in surround anywhere. This substantially improves the students "knowledge and skill in surround audio." Paul Neyrinck, founder and president of Neyrinck adds, "Surround audio post-production is exploding worldwide as HD broadcast takes hold. It is very important to train sound designers about surround. VFS is a premier education facility that focuses on preparing their students for real-world careers in audio production. And I am glad they are really working on making their students competitive professionals. We could not be happier that they have chosen Mix 51 which is a great solution for audio schools." Neyrinck is a software company founded by Paul Neyrinck who has worked on the design of many audio products including TL Space Convolution Reverb, Digidesign D-Show EQ, Focusrite D2 EQ, Digidesign Mbox OS X Software and Orban Digital Optimod 8200.

This is a very interesting post on the Digidesign User Conference. When ever I have done 5.1 and stereo projects I have done two separate mixes, usually doing thee surround first and then doing a "Save As" and changing the bussing to stereo and doing another mix. JonesH started by asking... Sorry for asking newbie questions, but I can't get my head around a good solution for this. I'm mixing a song in 5.1 and obviously want a stereo version as well. I've solved this my using one send (f) for the stereo balancing and panning, which goes to a stereo mix bus. I've bounced the reverbs in order to use the same machine more than once. My question relates to mostly reverbs and some other 5.1 sources that I of course want to include in the stereo mix as well. Is there a good way to handle sending 5.1 tracks to stereo buses? From what I've found, there's no way that I can make a 5.1 track send to a stereo bus. My very long-winded solution has been to take all the separate mono regions composing each 5.1 reverb recording, assigning them to a 5.1 bus output to use as a master fader for them in the surround mix while using a send from each mono track to the stereo mix. This seems highly inelegant and wasteful of buses. Can you tell me if there's a smarter way? Soundthinker replied... A slightly better approach is to create stereo and mono sub-paths of your 5.1 sources in your I/O setup. Then create two stereo and one mono Aux tracks. Assign the L-R, and Ls-Rs sub-paths to the stereo auxes and the C mono sub-path to the mono aux. The auxes are assigned to your stereo mix buss. Basically a no-plugin downmixer. JonesH responded... I think that's essentially what I've done but with discrete mono tracks instead of using subpaths to make stereo tracks. Using two stereo tracks instead of four mono doesn't make a big difference to me, it's about the number of buses available and ease of mixing... For which I can use the mono version as well. Good idea though! infinteloop chipped in with... lotsa Neyrinck Soundcode LtRt. I use about 5 in my regular 5.1 / LtRt simultaneous template. Any comments from folks here, it would be certainly something I would find useful to save time mixing as long as I can be confident that the stereo won't become the poor partner in this.

Following on from my posts here and here, I have just come across this link on Mac OSX Audio which lists loads of sites with free impulse responses.Take a look....

Ashley Shepherd has written a very accessible guide to working with Pro Tools in video, film and multimedia (ISBN: 1-59200-069-X). He begins by outlining the history of the technology used, going right back to the start of the 'talkies' and Disney's Fantasia, which was way ahead of its time in both artistic and technical innovation. He then goes on to outline an overview of the possible workflows and equipment in use today.The third chapter deals solely with the sticky topic of time code in all its different forms, before we see how to get started with Pro Tools and video. This covers machine control as well as working with video files, including the process of capturing your own using either iMovie or FCP. Chapter five looks in detail at the actual workflow of 'recording to picture' including much more detail on how to deal with OMFs and associated problems, recording foley sounds and the use of sound effect libraries.The next chapter shows how to edit and manipulate the audio to picture within Pro Tools, and will probably be the most familiar section of the book to anyone who is already a competent Pro Tools operator. After that, Shepherd examines some of the processing techniques commonly used in sound for picture, including the use of Synchro Arts' Vocalign plug-in to help sync up replacement dialogue, before moving on to the mixing stage of the workflow. This section includes material on setting up stem mixes, the different surround formats in use, the use of 'pre-mixes' and the different control surfaces available. Finally, he explains how to deliver the mixed masters back to the client, covering line-up tones, tape formats and Dolby encoding.All in all, this is a definite must for anyone working in this area. Ashley Shepherd has managed to combine comprehensive overviews of each phase in the workflow with detailed Pro Tools-specific techniques and tips.

Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc., have announced a new agreement with Holophone to include SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II software in a new Holophone bundle. The Pro Logic II software will be bundled with Holophone’s H4, SuperMINI, PortaMic 5.1 and PortaMic Pro products. This from the press release...“Both of our companies are supplying engineers for the same jobs, but at opposite ends of the workflow,” said John Schur, President of Minnetonka Audio Software. “By adding SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II to Holophone’s already strong microphone products, the customer has a complete solution from field capture to final distribution.”“Teaming up with Minnetonka enables us to offer our customers a digital option for decoding and encoding audio from Holophone’s surround mics, streamlining workflow from the field to production,” says Holophone CEO Jonathan Godfrey. “This provides an affordable end–to–end digital solution for taking the mic’s Dolby Pro Logic II–encoded audio and bringing it back into six channels of discrete audio and vice versa.”Minnetonka Audio will accomodate existing Holophone customers who want to upgrades to SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II. Pricing for the bundles has not been set.For more information, please visit Holophone's web site

Paul has released a cost effective new plug-in that will provide a Dolby ProLogic II compatible LtRt mix from a 5.1 source in Pro Tools. It comes with TDM, RTAS and AudioSuite options as standard. This from the Neyrinck web site... Designed for post-production studios, TV mixers, video game mixers, and broadcasters that monitor or deliver downmixed and Lt Rt encoded audio compatible with Pro Logic™ decoders used in homes worldwide. SoundCode Stereo LtRt Features • Pro Logic™ II compatible matrix encoding • Pro Logic™ I compatible matrix encoding • Lo Ro non-matrixed down mixing • Mute and Phase controls to isolate down mixing problems • Mix Level controls • Brick-wall limiting • Adjustable Metering: VU, PPM BBC, PPM Nordic • Adjustable Peak Metering: Hold, Auto Reset Hold, and No Hold • Adjustable Reference Scale: -16, -18, -20, -24 dB • Peak Value Display • Audiosuite processing for ultra-fast downmixes • Home theater surround monitoring SoundCode Stereo LtRt Specifications • Pro Tools HD and LE (complete production toolkit) 7.0 and later • Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista • LCRS-to-LCRS, 5.1-to-5.1, 6.1-to-6.1, 7.1-to-7.1 (DTS-HD) • LCRS-to-Stereo, 5.1-to-Stereo, 6.1-to-Stereo, 7.1-to-Stereo (DTS-HD) • Bundled With SoundCode For Dolby E • MSRP 349 USD , 269 EURO Paul has produced this little video that shows very simply what this plug-in can do. It is an excellent plug-in at a reasonable price and Paul also offers an upgrade package from the basic plug-in that is included in Digidesign's Complete Production Toolkit at 249 USD.