#1003155 - 09/10/05 12:53 PM
Making DTS CD's for surround mix auditions
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Eric Day
Senior Member
Registered: 08/23/04
Posts: 65
Loc: Austin, TX
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What method do you all prefer for auditioning first mixes of AC3 files in a home system? For example, hearing your mix on a 5.1 system in your family room or client lounge. I've been burning a DVD as of recently, but that's gotta stop, too expensive. It's also too time consuming with Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro, just for a mix check on my home system. I see Minnetonka makes the DTS-CD encoder for $99. I wonder if the DTS mix can be burned in Toast on my MAC. It's a 16 bit 44.1kHz file. I've also thought about getting DVD-RW discs, using them over, but I've never experimented with that. Third option, I could just drop a long optical cable from my project studio directly down to my receiver in the family room. The cable would be no longer than 15 feet. That would allow me to preview a AC3 file right out of the computer in real time, full resolution. I would probably load the AC3 file up in DVD Studio Pro, hit play, and run down stairs. Just trying to come up with a viable solution, one without falling down the stairs ;-) Curious what you guys have come up with.
Any tips?
Thanks,
Eric Day
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#1003156 - 09/13/05 05:36 AM
Re: Making DTS CD's for surround mix auditions
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Neil Wilkes
Gold Member
Registered: 07/06/02
Posts: 514
Loc: London, UK
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Originally posted by Eric Day:
What method do you all prefer for auditioning first mixes of AC3 files in a home system? For example, hearing your mix on a 5.1 system in your family room or client lounge. I've been burning a DVD as of recently, but that's gotta stop, too expensive.
Originally posted by Eric Day:
It's also too time consuming with Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro, just for a mix check on my home system. I see Minnetonka makes the DTS-CD encoder for $99. I wonder if the DTS mix can be burned in Toast on my MAC. It's a 16 bit 44.1kHz file. I've also thought about getting DVD-RW discs, using them over, but I've never experimented with that.
Originally posted by Eric Day:
Third option, I could just drop a long optical cable from my project studio directly down to my receiver in the family room. The cable would be no longer than 15 feet. That would allow me to preview a AC3 file right out of the computer in real time, full resolution. I would probably load the AC3 file up in DVD Studio Pro, hit play, and run down stairs. Just trying to come up with a viable solution, one without falling down the stairs ;-) Curious what you guys have come up with.
Unless you use a coaxial lead, but again the length will need to be checked as I am unsure what the maximum length is on a coaxial cable. 15' sounds like a long way to me.
With the AC3 files, I am very fortunate and it is one of the reasons I use Nuendo.
The Nuendo Dolby Digital encoder works off the timeline direct, so if I export in Real Time mode, I can hear what is being encoded. Also there is an option to export simultaneously to the pool, and this will take the encoded AC3 file and decode it back to WAV and put it into my project. This way I can easily tell what the decoded file will sound like.
Also, the Nuendo DDE will also export to Dolby Digital WAV file - the same idea as DTS-CD.
For your purposes though, I don't think you can go wrong with the SurCode DTS-CD encoder at $99, even though it is an old encoder now it still sounds pretty good. And for a quick "rush" at the end of a day, it works really well.
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#1003157 - 09/14/05 12:40 AM
Re: Making DTS CD's for surround mix auditions
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goalie81
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Registered: 07/06/05
Posts: 6
Loc: Baltimore, MD
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Hi Eric-
I too am using a Mac, with Digital Performer 4.6 to make my 5.1 mixes. The 5.1 encoding software, not included with DP of course, has been a hunt for me lately, but here's what I've gathered...if anyone else can shed light on the Mac side please do!
Dolby Digital: It appears the A.Pack app that comes with DVD Studio Pro might be my only choice. I see others like a plug-in from Nuendo and perhaps one for Pro Tools, but nothing I can use. Besides, those are way expensive anyway for me who is just doing this as a hobby. I currently don't have the ability to do Dolby Digital as I'm not shelling out the $400+ for DVD Studio Pro at the moment for one bundled app.
DTS: I wrote an email to the guys at DTS directly, and they pointed me to the company Immersive Media Research at http://www.im-research.com/. It turns out that they make a product called the Vortex Surround Encoder (or VSE) for Mac OS X and PC's too. The cost is $150, but you can download a fully-funtional 30 day demo for free at their website. I played with it for a few weeks and ended up buying it.
You also mentioned Minnetonka's DTS-CD for $99- as far as I know that product is NOT made for Mac OS X at the moment.
DVD-Audio: I was able to purchase Minnetonka's discWelder BRONZE for the Mac. They have a promotion for Digital Performer users for $50 and I could not pass it up. While the program works great, my only complaint is that the interface looks more PC-ish than Mac-ish (if that makes sense) but I don't care since discWelder seems bulletproof so far in my burning tests. My DVD player can handle DVD Audio discs so it's no problem for my use, but I have to be careful when making discs for my friends who cannot playback DVD Audio.
(aside) Toast with Jam: Roxio's Jam can do Dolby Digital encoding, but only two channel. I fed it my DP 5.1 mix and only got the L/R channels. I don't know if it's true, but I read somewhere that Dolby basically gives away the two-channel encoder while they still charge enough for the 5.1 encoder to make software cost around $400 and up.
What I do for 5.1 mixes is for DVD Audio, discWelder will burn a disc for me when I feed it a DP 5.1 mix file in SDII format, so it's straight-forward. As for DTS, VSE will also accept a DP 5.1 mix/SDII file, but writes a DTS-encoded file to my hard drive. I can then include it via Toast as a normal audio file on a CD-R or DVD-R. Be warned that I've found that you need to have the optical output from the DVD player to the receiver/preamp connected for proper decoding, or use the same 6 analog cables or whatever (DenonLink?) used for DVD-Audio/SACD. I could NOT get a DTS-CD I made that plays in my setup to work with my dad's Sony "all in one" HTiB setup- even a DVD wouldn't work.
Hope this helps!
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#1003158 - 09/14/05 10:57 AM
Re: Making DTS CD's for surround mix auditions
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AudioMaverick
Platinum Member
Registered: 05/19/01
Posts: 1790
Loc: Outskirts of Big Bear, CA,UNIT...
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Hey, Eric...
15 feet is definitely possible with *Duplex* cable, which uses two optic fibers. I found this place in Ney york that has been good for me -- http://store.a2zcable.com.
As for the encoding... as Neil said, as long as the receiver decoder can handle DTS, you are OK. I feed WAVE files from my file server through a media PC with no issues.
Goalie81... Thatnks for the link! I use PC and Minnetonka. But, I like to know of alternitives for others.
_________________________
"It's all about the... um-m-m, uh-h-h..."
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#1003159 - 09/15/05 04:26 PM
Re: Making DTS CD's for surround mix auditions
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Eric Day
Senior Member
Registered: 08/23/04
Posts: 65
Loc: Austin, TX
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Great info guys!Thanks! Busy busy with work. I'll report back later.
For MAC users, I did just discover (thanks to some posters in the Cubase Sx forum) that VLC player supports outboard audio interfaces, and I can now play AC3 files out of my G5, thru my analog cables in my RME Multiface, and out to my 5.1 monitors. Cool!!
Eric
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