Instruction Manual

664 Surround Mixing
Configuring SONAR for Surround Mixing
anywhere around the listener. Surround sound comes in many formats. The
differences between the formats are in three areas:
• The number of speakers—this varies from 3.2 all the way to 8.1.
• The angles of the speakers.
• The intended final coding format—this depends on the media the audio
will be "stored" on: film, broadcast video or DVD, for example.
The most common format is 5.1, which consists of five full-range channels
and a low-frequency effects (LFE) channel (the “.1” in 5.1 is the LFE or sub
channel). The five full-range channels are reproduced by left, right, and
center speakers positioned in front of the listener (L, R, and C for short),
and left and right surround speakers positioned behind the listener (Ls and
Rs for short). The LFE channel can be routed to the main speakers or to a
subwoofer that can be positioned almost anywhere.
The center channel is typically used to lock dialog or sounds to a video
screen. The LFE channel is generally routed to a subwoofer to enhance low
audio frequencies for effects such as explosions or crashes. Audio in this
channel is limited to a range of approximately 25 Hz to 120 Hz.
See:
Configuring SONAR for Surround Mixing
Configuring SONAR for Surround Mixing
This section covers setting up SONAR for surround sound.
Using Surround Format Templates
Choosing a Surround Format
Surround Buses
Routing in Surround
Downmixing
Using Surround Format Templates
A Surround Format template specifies the number of speakers and the
order in which the speakers are arranged.
There are several different surround formats, including LCRS, 5.1, 6.1, and
7.1, with 5.1 being most common. The number after the decimal point
refers to the number of Low Frequency Effect (LFE) speakers. However,