Carbon Surround with 23.6

[MCorbin]

Not sure if you all saw or not... but Pro Tools 2023.6 brings Surround Monitoring to Carbon!

You can monitor up to 10 channels in the format of your choice. It pairs perfectly with the new expanded track widths also released with this version of Pro Tools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQFqOkV30M4

https://www.avid.com/resource-center...arbon-surround

Check it out and let us know what you think.

HUGE thanks to John Whitcore for bringing this across the finish line...

m

[dominicperry]

This is good news, and very pleased to be able to get up to 7.1.2 monitoring with the Carbon. I'd certainly hope there might be a way of managing 7.1.4 at some point in the future but I can't think how it would work, and I guess you guys at Avid can't either!

I did manage to trigger a full scale speaker blast as a result of changing the various speaker outputs but I suspect it was an edge case. There is something about switching in and out of surround monitoring which would be nice to trigger from the box itself or from Carbon Central, rather than having to load up a session and change the Carbon output assignment from inside PT.

But thanks for all the work, good to see the SUR icon light up and have my volume in purple!

Now I have no excuse for avoiding Atmos mixing.

Dominic

[abc1mce2]

I would assume if you could use line outs 1-8 for surround on a single Carbon unit, Avid could open up the Carbon Expanded system (a Carbon + one Carbon Pre) to use the additional Carbon Pre 8 line outs so you could run a 7.1.4 - 9.1.6 ATMOS system.

A system like this would cost more than an MTRX Studio, but existing Carbon owners would only have to purchase a Carbon Pre to run higher than Carbon's current 7.1.2 limitation. The only question now would be is Avid willing to do this.

[dominicperry]

Originally Posted by abc1mce2

I would assume if you could use line outs 1-8 for surround on a single Carbon unit, Avid could open up the Carbon Expanded system (a Carbon + one Carbon Pre) to use the additional Carbon Pre 8 line outs so you could run a 7.1.4 - 9.1.6 ATMOS system.

A system like this would cost more than an MTRX Studio, but existing Carbon owners would only have to purchase a Carbon Pre to run higher than Carbon's current 7.1.2 limitation. The only question now would be is Avid willing to do this.

For mixing purposes three of the headphone outputs could be used for another 6 channels, which would allow up to 9.1.6, but that would be unbalanced and therefore not so easy to calibrate. But another Pre to add another 8 outputs is probably better and more sensible. Anyway, I can't afford 10 speakers yet, so 7.1.2 is still an aspiration.

Dominic

[jlthermi]

you can use the 8 Adat outputs and a mix console for monitoring to go to 9.1.6.
With the new dolby renderer (and the speaker calibration) it's not that difficult to calibrate.

[K Roche]

I just updated to 2023.6
And I only work in and monitor in stereo
But I have a question as the Hardware set up window has changed and I am getting a warning message and exclamation icon that I am not clear on.

Everything is working like before with my monitors and HP. But just curious if anybody knows, should I be concerned with, or need to change anything , shown by red arrows ?

[dominicperry]

Originally Posted by K Roche

should I be concerned

Yes and no. Mostly no. Read this before you fiddle to ensure you don't blow you speakers out!

If you are working in stereo only, then you needn't change anything.
If you are working in surround of any sort, or want to just have a look, then there's one thing to be cautious of.

You have to "give up" monitor paths from the top three lines (Main, Alt1 and Alt 2) to use them as surround paths.
There are now 10 physical ports which can be used for monitor outputs - the two main monitor outputs plus the 8 line outs. Main, Alt 1 and Alt 2 take a pair each, so that would leave you with 6. So if you want your surround to be 5.1 (total of 6 outputs) you can leave Main and Alt 1 and just "give up" Alt 2.

Main - 2 chan
Alt1 - 2 chan
Alt2 - given up / not available
5.1 - another 6 channels
Total = 10 channels.

But if you want to monitor in 7.1.2, that's 10 channels in total, so you have to "give up" Main, Alt1 and Alt2
Main - given up / not available
Alt1 - given up / not available
Alt2 - given up / not available
7.1.2 - 10 channels
Total - 10 channels

All of this is actually pretty simple. Uncheck the little square next to Main and you can now pick whatever surround type you want from the "Path Order Defined" drop down (you may have a little gotcha with your i/O setup if you've changed it from default, but otherwise the options ar 6,8 and 10 channels of surround).

OK, so far, so good, none of this really matters, it's easy to play around with and see what I mean.
But you need to be careful of one thing.
The Yellow Exclamation Mark means that the monitor path is full scale - flat out - not controlled by the encoder wheel. Loud. As loud as your system goes. Ear piercingly, speaker breakingly loud. In your diagram Main Mon is fine - no exclamation mark, so controlled by the encoder wheel. Alt1 and Alt2 are flat out.
If you uncheck the Main box, and use those two channels/ports for your surround speaker config, and potentially all 10 channels get controlled by the encoder. But you will notice that Main then gets an exclamation mark. This sort of makes no sense, because you can't use those channels as Main any more - they are going to be used for surround. When you uncheck Surround and go back to Main, the exclamation mark disappears. So everything should be fine. BUT, what I discovered is that if you are playing stuff from another application through the Carbon, it behaves fine before you fiddle, fine when it's set to Surround, but when you switch back to Main, it goes full scale, unattenuated. You have to desperately fight with the volume control to get it back down to a reasonable level.
This is perhaps an edge case, but one that I found in about 30 seconds after upgrading.
The way to avoid it is to not play anything through the Carbon while you are changing the configuration around, and to check the output lights are down low rather than all illuminated before you click play.

It's a long-winded explanation and mostly unnecessary - just be careful that the volume is set low before pressing play. I'm slightly paranoid now, after 1400 watts of unexpected sound.

Dominic

[abc1mce2]

Originally Posted by dominicperry

But if you want to monitor in 7.1.2, that's 10 channels in total, so you have to "give up" Main, Alt1 and Alt2
Main - given up / not available
Alt1 - given up / not available
Alt2 - given up / not available
7.1.2 - 10 channels
Total - 10 channels



Dominic

The only part you are wrong about is if you decided to run 7.1.2 ATMOS.
You must uncheck the box next to Main (MON L-R) so you can use those outs for 2 additional monitors to achieve a 10-monitor output, 7.1.2.
If you don't uncheck the box, Carbon will continue to use those outputs for stereo and will not run any surround format.
When the 4th option box is checked, you can select and use;

6 Ch Surround (LINE 3-8)
8 Ch Surround (LINE 1-8)
10 Ch Surround (MON L-R, LINE 1-8)

[dominicperry]

That’s what I meant, but you’ve written it much more clearly. Thanks.

Dominic

[K Roche]

Ok thanks guys so just doing stereo and having the Main (Mon L-R) box checked then as before I can just use rotary level knob as before,, which I always leave down in volume