i was getting a bit fed up with all the steps involved in all these 2.0 to 5.1 encoding processes so i started investigating straight recording the output of playing the 2.0 source thru Media Player Classic with MatrixMixer (directshow filter that does a better job than the Ambisonics seemed to do on my first few tries). now to record this, it would be best if i recorded it in one fell swoop, rather than 2 tracks at a time (L, R; SL, SR; C, Lfe) and trying to sync it. however, i couldn't find any software that could record 5.1. IS there such a thing? It doesn't look like the latest version of Total Recorder 4.4 Pro can do it (don't feel like installing the trial, but i scoured the PDF manual) and i don't think i can get my hands on the Developer version... i continued looking, but didn't find anything...

IS there at all any way to record 5.1? (audition? some other obscure Total Recorder-like software?)

well a dshow encoder should do the job

try the aac encoder from 3ivx

source (2.0) -> matrix mixer (5.1) -> 3ivx audio encoder -> 3ivx mp4 muxer -> file writer

ohhhhh graphedit? can it write multichannel WAVs?

ok, i've gotten this far, but i have no idea where to go after MatrixMixer... i guess my 3ivx encoder's run out of encodes, even tho i haven't used it ever... even if i COULD use it, could i force it to output to a WAV?

nope

a decoder outputs uncompressed streams (.wav)

an encoder outputs compressed streams (aac in 3ivx' case)

any ideas as to what to do after MatrixMixer? it won't connect MatrixMixer to FileWriter...

you have to input the wav dest (wavdest.ax) filter in between

sweet. thanks!

it took a while to find a WavDest.ax i trusted (eventually just chose a russian site at random and installed, crossing my fingers and petting NAV). the WAVs it put out are rejected by BeSweet and Nero's AAC encoder, but DiskWriting them thru Winamp seems to fix them somehow...

thanks again!

hello...new to this discussion, am a musician and some software i use may be of help... if what you are trying to do is record multichannel waves , play them back and such a program called Bidule from Plogue software http://www.plogue.com does record and playback multichannel(1 to 10 channel) wav files in 16/24/32 bit float, also works with aiff doesn't do mp3/4 at this point (still in development)...it's a free download(will eventually be commercial)...i've been using it lately (i use it for composition/live playing) to investigate ambisonics, there are ambisonic vst plugins available for it from gerzonic.net & York university ( links can be found at www.ambisonic.net)

i tried that and fiddled with it with several different settings but never was very satisfied with the results. have you tried MatrixMixer? it's output is similar to Winamp's 5point1 output plug in. it even does 16/24/32bit outputs and can take any number of inputs and up/down mix them to any combination of 1 to 5.1.

http://matrix-mixer.sourceforge.net

If you've never used it, then it hasn't run out.

The expiry count only starts after the first encode, and only counts each encode towards the use limit

(PS: these limits are part of the AAC license)

i think i MAY have accidentally used it once or twice... was there a time or #of encodes limit (whichever came first) or something?

Now if there was a MatrixMixer plugin for Foobar2000, it would make things much easier...

30 days or 50 encodes, whichever comes first

hey cool.. matrix decoding.

would this work well with SQ? (ie, could it compete with DPL II or the tate?)

i'm dying to get my Dark Side Of The Moon SQ LP into some kind of multichannel format, but have no decoder (i'm considering the ambisonic method, but it strikes me an SQ matrix would be more appropriate for an SQ encoded disc )

i'm not that familiar with those terms, SQ or tate, and i have limited knowledge of DPLII as i don't have the equipment. i know OF people on usenet (a.b.sounds and a.b.s.dts) that have done a AC-3 or DTS-CD of DSotM and other 4 channel LPs, but i haven't looked into it much. i just assumed they took the output of their record player or amp and recorded it somehow on their PC... you might try asking afforementioned groups if you can't find any help here