5.1 tracks on a laptop

[matbiv]

Hi all,

Is there a way to listen to 5.1 tracks on a laptop?
Listen to the LR from LCRLsRsSW is enough for me. Is just to be able to work at home without any interface.

PT 9HD on MacBook Pro
Mac OSX 10.6.6

Thanks,
Matbiv

[HD2]

Neyrinck stereo surrounde code plug in

[matbiv]

Thanks for that but i think it's not what i want.
What i want is to be able to listen to a 5.1 track (but the LR of this track is enough) with my laptop speakers just when i click on PLAY.
So my question is, is it possible? maybe with I/O setup, bus, aux or anything else?

Matt

[Meads]

Sure. Split up your 5.1 track to 6 mono tracks and route each to the same stereo-aux, routing L-left, R-right, C-center, Ls-Left (-3dB), Rs-right (-3dB), leave the sub out. You'll probably run into phase issues, but for monitoring it should be fine.

[clint bennett]

No need to split the track up. Just create a fold down mixer within the session. Create 1 5.1 Bus (call it Fold or HP or something).

Create subpaths - these can either be all mono or 1 L/R Front stereo, 1 Ls/Rs Rear stereo, 1 Ctr, 1 LFE.

One you have this bus made, on the 5.1 track you'd like to hear (or perhaps many tracks, doesn't matter), just create a send to this new 5.1 bus, probably keep it post fader, and put the fader at unity.

Create 4 aux tracks (2 stereo 2 mono, or all mono) in your session label them fold or whatever. Assign the inputs to L/R Front, Ls/Rs, Ctr, LFE. Assign the outputs of the FOLD auxes to your main L/R Laptop bus out (whatever that may be for you).

Adjust the volume of the Ls/Rs, Ctr, & Sub to taste.

This can always co-exist in your session without hurting anything or causing you to change your setup when jumping from a surround room to your laptop.

-clint

[matbiv]

Thanks Meads but i forget to say that i didn't want to split the tracks.
And Clint Bennett, your solution is exactly what i was looking for. i just tried it, and it works perfectly.
Thank you all for helping me,

Matt (a little less newbie than yesterday!)

[pneyrinck]

If you have the Complete Production Toolkit, the SoundCode Stereo plug-in is bundled with it so you can monitor in stereo by inserting it on your 5.1 mix bus.

[matbiv]

to HD2

Sorry, your were right too, it's what i need!

Thanks

[clint bennett]

Originally Posted by pneyrinck

If you have the Complete Production Toolkit, the SoundCode Stereo plug-in is bundled with it so you can monitor in stereo by inserting it on your 5.1 mix bus.

Hi Paul,

Yes, I use that as well and it is very handy. It's too bad that there isn't a way to have it live on a master 5.1 output when on the laptop. When in a surround room with multichannel hardware the plugin is really nice in that you can be listening to your surround mix and then just un-bypass the plug and it will do the fold right there. If I move the same session to a laptop and only have the 2 outs, that main out is no longer available at all (since the hardware won't support it).

You have to set up an AUX as your main 5.1 out initially and then it's a little less elegant (but still works). You can do the fold by placing the 5.1/stereo instance of the plug on the AUX and it will then allow you to select the stereo outs.

I just suggested the manual method of creating the fold mixer because he had said in an earlier post that he was using an HD asset which seemed to suggest he did not have CPTK (and your excellent plug).
-clint