stereo to surround help

[smack5099]

I've recently mixed a project in stereo sound, and it sounds fine on stereo systems. Today I played it on my parents' high-def TV with surround sound and suddenly it sounds AWFUL!

Apparently, because the dialogue is panned to center, it only plays on the center speaker (not the left or right). But then when music kicks in, it completely overpowers the rest of the track, because it plays on all the speakers. Do I need to double every mono track and make it stereo just to make it play properly? In stereo, don't we assume that "center" means equally left and right?

The worst problem, though, is that the subwoofer is going nuts. It rumbles on practically every line of dialogue. It's particularly offensive during a passage of music when it booms on every instance of one particular low note on a piano.

I don't intend to - and couldn't if I wanted to - mix this for surround sound, but should a surround sound system be able to play a stereo mix without difficulty? The problem occurs regardless of whether I use AC3 or PCM audio on the DVD, the latter of which, of course, is an inherently stereo format. What do I have to do to make this sound even remotely acceptable on surround systems? (Keep in mind I have no surround mixing capability, and have literally a couple days before this project has to go out.)

[DJ Insomaniac]

Surround sound systems will look for Dolby ProLogic encoding (a mono surround format "decoded" from two tracks), which takes centered audio and puts it to the center speaker. The system is probably not set up properly (and the ProLogic "decoding" of simple stereo isn't helping), hence the low center. There should be a way of turning off the surround setup and just use left and right. As for the sub, chances are it's turned up, as most often subs are turned up too high in home theaters.

I've never had this issue on a system before, let us know how you fair with it.

[smsjr]

There should be a way of turning off the surround setup and just use left and right. As for the sub, chances are it's turned up, as most often subs are turned up too high in home theaters.

Or it could be that you are not monitoring with accurate low frequency response. Are you using high pass filters for your dialogue to roll off roughly 60hz and below? Occasionally these rumbles can be missed if your speakers are not able to reproduce them.

Steve

[smack5099]

I will try rolling off the lower frequencies for the dialogue, but should I do the same thing on the piano? I mean, the sound of a piano has a great deal to do with the frequency range, right? I don't want to lose the low frequencies of the piano, but at the same time, I don't want the low notes to rumble like a T-Rex from Jurassic Park. It's especially offensive because it's a three-chord structure and the rumble occurs mostly on the lowest note of the lowest chord, sounding completely out of whack with the rest of the piece.

[Park Seward]

It sounds like you are assuming that your parent's system is set-up correctly. Perhaps not. We don't know if they are forcing stereo through Dolby or if some "effect" is on. My receiver has a whole bunch of effects that don't sound very good.

As a test, play yout track without Dolby surround and flatten the EQ. Turn down the sub.

What speakers are you mixing on?

[smack5099]

The surround speakers are hooked up to their DVD player. On the player setup, all speakers are set to 0db. This is the only relevant setting I could find in the setup menu. Whether this is ideal or not, I would imagine it's by far the most common setting in home systems and doesn't appear to create any real problems with other CDs or DVDs. I played some Chopin and Bach piano pieces through it, and hear a little bit from the subwoofer but not nearly as offensive.

By contrast, the piece in question is somewhat loud, but it is supposed to be loud. The piece starts off relatively quiet and builds to a dramatic crescendo (and it goes from being laid under dialogue to being a dedicated performance).

I'm worried that any excessive compression or EQ will destroy the effect. Obviously, I can experiment with this to make it go away, but I'm looking for a more fundamental issue in the mix so I can avoid future problems. I mean, as a pianist, I can't help but feel that a piano should NEVER rumble, no matter what note is being played or how hard it's being played. But how does one prevent this while still giving the instrument the power it deserves?

"As a test, play yout track without Dolby surround and flatten the EQ. Turn down the sub."

I'm going to have to plead ignorance here. I don't really get what you're telling me to do. Like I said, I didn't mix in surround sound, so isn't that already "without Dolby surround"? And while I more or less understand the words "flatten the EQ. Turn down the sub," it sounds very general to me. I'm sure I can just eliminate low frequencies from my mix and the problem will be "fixed", but, like I said, I *want* some low frequencies. I just don't want them to rumble

[Park Seward]

You didn't answer the question about your mixing speakers. What are you mixing on?

I am not clear about the speakers "hooked up to their DVD player". Is there no ampifer or receiver?

If there is a amp, make sure the EQ is flat; that is set at zero with no cut or boost. Some receivers have different programs to enhance the sound like "Stadium" or "Jazz Club". Make sure these are not selected.

You don't have to eliminate the low frequencies, just make sure they are at the correct level. If you are mixing on speakers that do not have good low frequency response, you may be boosting the low end incorrectly.

How does this music sound on other systems?