Re: Outputting Multichannel sound from stereo sources
Re: Outputting Multichannel sound from stereo sources
- Subject: Re: Outputting Multichannel sound from stereo sources
- From: "Simon Thorpe" <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:28:44 +0200
- Importance: Normal
Paul,
Actually, I'm very aware of the fact that generating outputs to a 7.1 home
theatre system from the stereo only files that you can buy from iTunes
Store or virtually any other source is bound to be a very poor alternative
to proper multichannel recordings of the type you are referring to.
I for one would be very happy if there was some commercial site where you
could download multichannel recordings that are properly recorded to make
full use of the 5.1 or 7.1 configurations that are now so common. But
(amazingly), it appears that no-one can provide such files for download -
even for someone prepared to pay for them. I'm not interested in having to
load up SACD disks or DVD-audio disks in order to play sounds through more
than two speakers - I'm far too committed to digital audio files that I
can play direct from a hard disk using iTunes (or something roughly
equivalent).
So, if anyone can point to me to a place that can sell me multichannel
recordings, I'd be grateful. But, in the meantime, I would just like to be
able to play music through more than 2 speakers. Surely, this is not so
unreasonable?
Logic audio (which I use) has the ability to play back a stereo file
through a surround sound system. But even there, the only thing that seems
to be an option is to move the center of the sound around within the space
defined by the set of speakers. Nothing seems to be provided to do the
equivalent of stretching a mono source to fill up a stereo pair (which you
can do with the Stereo Spreader Plugin that comes with Logic).
My amplifier has a ridiculous choice of different surround effects for
simulating different acoustic environments from a stereo source. Surely,
there is nothing that is done here that couldn't be done by a CoreAudio
plugin?? Is there something that would prevent someone coming up with a
Stereo to 5.1 (or 7.1) plugin that would allow the sort of simulated
surround sound effects that every multichannel amplifier has fitted?
It doesn't need to be exactly the same sort of proprietary technique that
is used by amplifiers equipped with (for example) Dolby Pro Logic II
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/understand/playback/dolby-pro-logic-ii.html
(although I can't see why Dolby couldn't market an Audio Unit that did the
same thing). Just something that did (roughly) the same sort of thing, but
with the possibility of being able to use the Mac to set the parameters.
Simon
On Thu, August 12, 2010 13:55, Paul Davis wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 7:21 AM, Simon Thorpe
> <email@hidden> wrote:
> [ ... ]
>> Thanks in advance for any pointers
>
> I humbly submit that you need to know a great deal more about
> "surround sound". This is a good place to start:
>
> http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Aug01/articles/surroundsound1.asp
>
> My own personal biases would suggest paying a lot more attention to
> ambisonics than you might otherwise think to do.
>
> --p
>
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Coreaudio-api mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden