Dolby Atmos Renderer file naming

[Branko]

Hi everyone,

I'm using the Dolby Atmos Renderer for all my (offline) re-renders, but one thing keeps pissing me off:

7.1 config adds Lrs & Rrs file extensions, and Pro Tools cannot figure them out. They should be named Lsr & Rsr. Also it adds a track number to every file, so it makes it impossible for Pro Tools to recognise these as one multi-channel file.

Is there a workaround? Or I better stick to good-ole renaming?

[quadraphonics]

If you export the Re-Renders as interleaved, Pro Tools does not have an issue.

Randall

[paulo m]

Could you post this here as well?

https://developerkb.dolby.com/support/discussions

I´ll be interested in the response as well. It seems that there´s no standard to naming, I also find it annoying.Thanks

[Adam at Dolby]

Hi, Unfortunately there are multiple naming conventions for channel/speaker names beyond 5.1 across platforms. The numbers were implemented to assist in bringing re-renders into NLEs as well as DAWs. There isn't a perfect solution for this though I agree it could be revisited. As noted using interleaved .wav gets around the inability to import but be aware that the renderer uses SMPTE channel ordering - L, R, C, LFE, Ls, Rs, Lrs, Rrs.

[Brandonx1]

Originally Posted by Adam at Dolby

Hi, Unfortunately there are multiple naming conventions for channel/speaker names beyond 5.1 across platforms. The numbers were implemented to assist in bringing re-renders into NLEs as well as DAWs. There isn't a perfect solution for this though I agree it could be revisited. As noted using interleaved .wav gets around the inability to import but be aware that the renderer uses SMPTE channel ordering - L, R, C, LFE, Ls, Rs, Lrs, Rrs.

Why not solve for this by having a preference for DAW or NLE that is being exported to.

[Branko]

Originally Posted by Brandonx1

Why not solve for this by having a preference for DAW or NLE that is being exported to.

+1!

[Branko]

Originally Posted by Adam at Dolby

Hi, Unfortunately there are multiple naming conventions for channel/speaker names beyond 5.1 across platforms. The numbers were implemented to assist in bringing re-renders into NLEs as well as DAWs. There isn't a perfect solution for this though I agree it could be revisited. As noted using interleaved .wav gets around the inability to import but be aware that the renderer uses SMPTE channel ordering - L, R, C, LFE, Ls, Rs, Lrs, Rrs.

Interleaved .wav files are highly impractical, very often delivered without proper documentation, and in many cases produced without a minimum of understanding the way they'll be used.

That is, probably, the main reason all distributors I've worked with always request multiple mono files, not interleaved. They also ask, in many cases, for a Pro Tools session containing all the deliverables synced to a picture.

Bearing in mind Pro Tools is the most used DAW in post around the world, it would be a nice touch from Dolby to adapt their Renderer's output to it. Or, at least, add an option to chose the destination DAW in preferences.
Importing interleaved files adds one more (annoying and unnecessary) step in deliverables production, effectively duplicating the number of produced files, increasing greatly a possibility to commit errors.