Greetings HA,

I was trying to assist a group about their attempt to take a multitrack session in Adobe Audition into a 5.1 mix. The stereo tracks were split into left and right channels to so we could have six mono tracks (L-R-LFE-C-BL-BR). Using the pan control on the properties box we had tracks 1 & 5 hard panned left and tracks 2 & 6 were hard panned right so that a stereo approximation could be reached lacking only the 3-dimentional aspect.

What happened when we used the multichannel encoder preview was that tracks 2 & 6 that were hard-panned in the right channel disappeared. The first attempt to workaround the problem was was to assign separate busses and hard pan in the mixer window. That failed so we took out the busses and used the envelopes. It still didn't work, the two right channels showed up blank in the 6-way VU meter. If I removed the pans (wrecking the easy transition from stereo to mulichannel) everything came out mono

I left frustrated with the advice to check for an Audition update in the event this was a bug. It almost seems this encoder was only made to make simple conversions, yet I am still baffled that most of the layout did indicate that I was correct in thinking 6 mono tracks would be treated as each separate channel in the encoder.

This problem is a bit hard to explain in forum-style but I figured I'd ask anyway.

Dude,
I'm a bit confused about these 2 comments.
You were using a stereo mix as a source, or you were using the multitrack session as the source?
Hopefully, you understood that you need to be working from the multitrack session, not just a stereo (mixed) file in the multitrack view?
Sorry if I'm stating the obvious! Just want to cover the bases.

Yes, what you said is correct, I was using the multitrack view.

The tracks were derived from the stereo mixdown. I went and saved each of the two channels as separate mono files (and the other files were processed in other ways but still mono-only). The files in the session were:

Track 1 = mixdown-L.wav (pan -100)
Track 2 = mixdown-R.wav (pan 100)
Track 3 = subwoofer.wav (pan 0)
Track 4 = center.wav (pan 0)
Track 5 = ambient-L.wav (pan -100)
Track 6 = ambient-R.wav (pan 100)

I know what I was expecting to hear and it did not come out correct. The tracks hard-panned-right disappeared completely. Makes me wonder why the ones left-panned did not disappear as well :/

P.S. Thx for the bump

edit: grammar and clarification

We're still having the same issue. My friend says he can't find any software updates online, he just knows it's version 1.5 (dunno what build). The version I use is Cool Edit 2.0 so I don't think I can help him out.

Anyone else want to try and post their findings?

Let me just make sure I am on the same wavelength. You have 6 mono files which you wish to use as the 6 channels in a 5.1 mix? I produce 5.1 files from a mixture of stereo and mono files regularly in AA 1.5 without problem. I don't do anything with the busses and pan controls before I use the multichannel encoder window, not sure why you would need to...

Exactly.

Great, so it does work in some fashion or another

The panning was used in order to preview the mix in stereo as far as using DSP's/plug-ins. I was going on the hunch that if it sounded ok in stereo it would come alive in the multichannel encoder.

BUT... isn't it strange that the left-panned tracks are fine but the right-panned ones conk out?

Well, thanks for the feedback. I'd also be most grateful if you have any ideas what procedure I should use in order to encode 5.1 with the setup I mentioned above (which is 6 tracks that are meant to be each of the separate channels). Gratzie

All I can suggest really is that you try turning off all the panning and such, make it like you had just loaded 6 mono files straight into Audition and done nothing to them. Then go straight into the Multichannel Encoder like that. Good luck

This is still the case.

I really don't understand two things about this encoder: a) why it can't deal with (hard-right) pans; and b) why I can't assign each tracks to a specific channel in a multichannel encode.

Based on the results I'm getting it appears the multichannel encoder makes 5.1 guesstimations with mono/stereo material. Since I've already manually oriented the sound-stage of the wavs spatially, lowpassed the LFE, and so on, I might use another program just to make the encoding.

Then it will be the crash course in DVD-audio disc burning

I am confused!

You are using the multichannel encoder window right with the Track List, Surround Panner, and Track Options sections?

To get 5.1 I just select each track in the Track list and set the speaker it is to go to in the Panning Assignment dropdown box. (Using the "FL only, mono", "FR only, mono" etc options)

This is literally all I do, then press "Play all" to preview the result. How are you listening to the result, do you have a 5.1 system connected to the 6 channel analogue outs of your soundcard?

Aah... I thought those options were universal settings for all the tracks. You're saying I can set each track with that same option box Kinda confusing for us who dabble with other's systems. I was getting ok results from BeSweet but I'll take another look at Audition.

Thanks for your patience, Mandel

Yep, you got it!

By the way, what format are you intending to put the 5.1 mix into for listening/distribution?