Setting up for surround mixing on a small budget

[bradweeks80]

Hi. Apologies if a similar thread already exists but I couldn't find anything that answered my questions.

I normally record bands, voiceovers and the like. A friend of mine who works on films (short & feature) has just asked me to start working on some projects with him so I'll need to modify my setup to mix 5.1.

As most of my tracking is done at a 'proper' studio I hire, my 'home' setup is primarily for mixing and is quite basic. I currently use and/or own Pro Tools 9, iMac Pro, MOTU 8pre, Behringer ADA 8000, M-audio BX8 (pair), BX5 deluxe (pair), BX5a (pair) plus a bunch of outboard gear etc.

Can I use my current monitors and just add a subwoofer or should I look at buying something else?

Is it possible/smart to upgrade from Pro Tools 9 (not HD) to Pro Tools 10 HD or should I buy the Production Tool Kit?

What hardware would I need to buy?

Unfortunately I have a pretty limited budget so the less I need to buy the better. In saying that though, obviously I'd like to put something together that is reliable and will do the job.

Thank you in advance to anyone that can offer some advice.

[reichman]

Getting properly set up for surround is a big deal. That said, the biggest thing in software that's holding you back is not having the Complete Production Toolkit. Buy that, so you at least will have the proper panners and the capability of mixing in surround. PT9 or PT10 will be fine.

An even better option would be to hire one of the many talented and well-equipped members on this list.

Good luck.

[nst7]

Reichman is right, in that there are calibrations and standards that are generally done to have everything up to snuff, among other things.

But if this is more for fun and your friend is not expecting commercial quality results at this time, you would probably want a 3rd BX8 for your center channel (so 3 identical ones across), and you could get away with the smaller BX5's for the surrounds (typically not as much low frequency information goes to them as does to the fronts). Then you could add a subwoofer.

The other thing is you would probably want some kind of surround monitor controller, if nothing else just for volume control.

Or get a new interface that allows you to assign volume control to various outputs. The new Mbox 3 Pro does this, as well as others like the Apogee Ensemble (and maybe the Focusrite Saffire stuff. Not sure.).

Ideally, if you're serious, you'd want the complete toolkit. There is no upgrade from regular Protools to HD. HD is officially only sold with HD systems. However, some people have found HD software on ebay by itself.


There is another option if you're just starting out. It's a plugin that came out from Neyrinck back before the Complete Toolkit was introduced (when the only way to do surround was an HD system). It's called Mix51, and it's basically a plugin that kind of jerry rigs regular Protools to work in surround. It's not ideal, but it's not expensive, and it's a start.

However, you should contact Neyrinck and make sure it's still updated and current with Protools 9 and 10. I'm not sure how much they've kept up with it since Complete Toolkit came out with Protools 8.

http://www.neyrinck.com/Pages/mix51_more.html

Other than that, you may want to get some books to get familiar with what's involved.

[Greg Malcangi]

You said "A friend of mine who works on films (short & feature)". Do you mean he works professionally on commercial products?

If your friend is making films at school then the advice you've received so far would serve you well but if you are talking about commercial products then what Reichman is correct, it's a big deal! it's not possible to "set up for surround mixing on a small budget". You need an acoustically controlled, calibrated environment and that doesn't come cheap.

G

[bradweeks80]

Wow!!! Thanks for all the advice, guys. I really do appreciate it.

My friend works on both commercial and independent films/projects. He understands that I have no background in film but he's happy to work on some projects with me. He's not expecting commercial quality from me, nor am I expecting to produce a commercial standard anytime soon. It's about me learning the ropes and the two of us working on a few projects together.

As for the setup... you've all given me a lot to think about. I'll work through everything suggested and put something together. There's no set deadline as to when I need to be ready so I've got some time to experiment with gear, software, plugins etc.

Thanks again for everyone's advice. I'll post an update on here once I have tried some of the options suggested. :)