Reference Guide

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Configuring SONAR for Surround Mixing
Surround Mixing
The Surround Format templates are hard-coded, and cannot be deleted. However, you can freely
assign any enabled audio output port to any surround channel, and save the configuration as a
preset.
Surround settings are per project. Surround speaker assignments default to unique audio output
channels when you choose a new template.
You configure your surround settings in the Project Options dialog on the Surround tab (use the
Options > Project command and click the Surround tab).
See:
Choosing a Surround Format
Choosing a Surround Format
Using the Options > Project command and clicking the Surround tab displays several fields of
surround options. Choosing a surround format sets the number of speakers your project is using,
and lets you choose a specific sound card output for each speaker. Here you can also choose
parameters for bass management, and for downmixing, which means converting a surround mix into
a stereo mix.
The group of sound card outputs that you choose on the Surround tab of the Project Options
dialog make up the “Surround Main.” The Surround Main becomes a choice on the Outputs menus
of tracks and buses as soon as you insert a surround bus into your project. You won’t see a
“Surround Main” output module in the output modules section of the Console view, because it’s just
a term for the group of sound card outputs you choose for surround mixing. The pan control on any
track or bus that outputs to the “Surround Main” controls which hardware outputs receive the signal
that the track or bus sends to the “Surround Main.”
SONAR saves the surround settings you choose on the Surround tab of the Project Options dialog
with your project, including your downmixing parameters. If you have some particular settings you
might use again, you can save a group of settings as a preset (except for downmixing parameters—
you can change these, but they aren’t saved in presets). To save a group of settings as a preset,
type a name in the Presets field and then click the Disk icon that’s to the right of the field. When you
want to use this preset in a project, just choose it from the Presets drop-down menu.
To Choose a Surround Format and Set Sound Card Outputs
1. Use the Options > Project command.
The Project Options dialog appears.
2. Click the Surround tab.
3. Select a format from the Surround Format drop-down.
The diagram to the right of the Surround Format menu changes to illustrate the speaker
placement of the format that you chose.