User Manual

MIXING IN SURROUND
852
master fader is completely n-channels to n-
channels so only effects that support n-n
processing are available.
Multichannel master faders display a single meter
to indicate output activity. The meter represents an
average of all channels. For individual meter
activity, open the faders mode panner window for
the master fader or use a Trim or MasterWorks
Limiter on the master fader insert.
Calibration
After you have set up a master fader, it is a good
idea to calibrate your mixing environment with the
calibration plug-in and save the result as a preset.
You should always monitor your mix through the
Calibration plug-in, but remember to bypass or
disable the plug-in when you write your final mix.
N-Channel effects
Most stereo to stereo effects in Digital Performer
also function as n to n-channel effects. Usually n-
to-n effects are used on master faders or surround
tracks where the entire signal path of the fader is
multichannel. Mono or stereo to n-channel can
also use n-channel effects under the following
circumstances:
■ when preceded by a mono or stereo to n-channel
effect such as the delay to n-channel plug-in
■ when inserted below the pre/post fader line on a
channel that is assigned to a surround bundle
FOLD DOWN
Fold down enables you to take a multichannel mix
and fold it down to mono or stereo. This is useful if
you want to want to generate a stereo mix of your
surround project, if you simply wish to edit a
surround project and do not have access to a full
surround monitoring system, or if you would like
to preview what your mix will sound like in a
theater with only two speakers.
For stereo folddown, left channels are mixed to the
left channel of the stereo mix, right channels are
mixed to the right channel of the stereo mix and
LFE and center channels are sent equally to the left
and right channels.
For mono folddown, all channels are summed to
both the left and right channels.
With Folddown enabled, the main left/right
outputs of the multichannel bundle assumes the
role of folddown output.
If you want to monitor a folded down mix on a
system with only stereo output such as the
computer’s built-in audio, do the following:
1 Make sure you have an output bundle for your
stereo output.
2 Create a surround bus and a stereo bus with the
Bundles window. Make sure the stereo bus shares
the same output bus assignment as the left/right
channels of the surround bundle.