LT/RT Surround Encoding

[mnoxious]

Anybody know how to encode a Dolby LT/RT from 5.1. I'm using PT6.4LE and have heard that Universal Audio has a plug that will do it. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

[dr sound]

mnoxious,
You have a mix in 5.1 and you want to make an Lt/Rt.?
You can go to Plug In info on the Digi site and then click on Dolby Surround Tools for complete information.As for PT LE, I don't know if you can mix Surround on an LE. Since I'm a HD4 Acell guy I may be wrong. Either way go to the Plug In Info on the site.
Good Luck,

[mnoxious]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately Dolby Surround Tools is a TDM only plug. I'm testing something right now using A.Pack but I'm quite skeptical on whether it will work. As for mixing 5.1 in LE it can be done but the pans aren't true surround pans, it's quite a chore and makes me want an HD rig bad. Also syncing to SMPTE timecode with LE is another pain but that's another story. Anyway thanks again.

Mark

[ChrisMac]

Apack only encodes AC3 files. If you want to do true Lt/Rt you either have to go TDM or you need to use Dolby hardware

[TVPostSound]

Poor man's LT/RT:
PLEASE NO FLAMES

Pan Center to left and right, flip one surround channel 180 degrees out of phase pull each surround channel down 3 dBs and assign to left and right channels, pan subs to left and right, level to taste.

Disclaimer: Im not saying this is how anyone should do it, but it has been done on "Major" features in the 90s, when a Dolby encoder wasnt affordable!!!!1

[dr sound]

This isn't a flame, just a question. What "Major" film ? If it's "Major", then it's affordable.It was only $7500.Are you telling me "they" predubed in LCRS and then followed your layout?
PLEASE!!! Don't tell me it was some "TV" version you worked on.

[martian]

circle surround - or ultrastereo can also be considered.

whatever it's essential you monitor thro the encode decode chain to avoid steering errors.

[mnoxious]

The final output is DVD and VHS and I'm only worried about the LtRt for the VHS because the 5.1 mix sounds good downmixed by the DVD player for those without dolby surround decoders. This is what I have done and tell me what you think. I've encoded the 5.1 mix as an AC3 and then used the decoder to create stereo LR as SDII files. Because in the encoding of the 5.1 AC3 I applied the phase shift to the rears, -3dB downmix of the Center, and -6dB downmix of the surrounds the output SDII files have that information in them. Thus they should be the "poor man's LtRt". I tested this theory by creating another AC3 (only to test on a DVD) with these SDII files, with the option Dolby Surround Encoded selected. Upon playing this stream on my home theater they showed up as LtRt and played as expected. The question now is will those SDII files if laid to VHS or Beta be read as LtRt in a decoder? Let's hope so because the project is due today. Any thoughts on this? And yes, I know I need to upgrade to TDM and will do so as soon as possible because all this "getting around things" is a pain.

Mark

[Chief Technician]

I would like to resurrect this thread.

I may have a project coming through that requires an Lt/Rt mix. I'm reading that the Lt/Rt mix, if played back through a stereo system with no dolby decoding whatsoever, should sound like a stereo mix. So the question I have for those of you who mix for Lt/Rt delivery is this - do you find yourself doing a seperate stereo mix? To phrase it differently, do you have to remix for stereo after mixing for Lt/Rt?

Also, for those who may have done Lt/Rt work for advertising clients, do you do a stereo mix layback on tracks 1 & 2 and the Lt/Rt layback on tracks 3 &4, or just an Lt/Rt layback?

Thanks for reading!

[TVPostSound]

I have always delivered the LT/RT a stereo compatible, never a seperate stereo mix.