Reference Guide

905
Configuring SONAR for surround mixing
Surround Mixing (Producer and Studio only)
• 8.0 (Octagon)
• 8.0 (Film/Alternative)
• 8.0 (Music/Alternative)
• 8.1 (Film/Alternative)
• 8.1 (Music/Alternative)
• 8.1 (SMPTE/ITU)
5.1 (SMPTE/ITU) is the default template.
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.
To configure surround settings, go to Edit > Preferences > Project - Surround.
See:
“Choosing a surround format” on page 905
Choosing a surround format
Go to Edit > Preferences > Project - Surround to select a surround format. 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 in Edit > Preferences > Project - Surround
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 in Edit > Preferences > Project - Surround 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.