On 1/2/15 17:52 PM, Dan Dugan [naturerecordists] wrote:
> Steve wrote:
>
>> There is a standardized sequence for channel mapping in
>> cinema/home-theater sound systems, which is simultaneously codified by
>> ANSI, CEA/CEDIA, and the ISO. Though all of those standards documents
>> are behind paywalls, this Wikipedia page is correct:
>> [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound#Channel_identification ]
>>
>> 0:L, 1:R, 2:C, 3:LFE, 4:Ls, 5:Rs, 6:Lrs, 7:Rrs
>
> That is the SMPTE/ITU/Dolby 5.1 track layout plus two.
>
> In a paper on their web site,
>
> http://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/dolby-surround-7-1-for-theater-te=
ch-paper.pdf
>
> Dolby uses this layout for distribution:
>
> L, R, C, Ls, Rs, LFE, Bsl, Bsr (page 5).
A small quibble (since I work with this every day), in the Dolby
compression technologies, and in the internal signal routing of all
consumer products, C & LFE are always a pair (usually the 2nd pair). The
document you link to above, on page 5, reinforces this. Also, according
to the Audio Precision HDMI analyzer I use (APx-585), the eight PCM
audio channels on HDMI are also in the order I stated above.
Where the differences get a little hard to manage is in the various
cinema processors out there. But those seem to be converging toward a
standard.
> DTS 5.1 uses a different layout:
>
> L, R, Ls, Rs, C, LFE
>
> I have been using the DTS layout because the four channels I record come =
first.
>
> According to the Pro Tools 11 Reference Guide, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray
> systems use the following 7.1 layout:
>
> L, C, R, Lss, Rss, Lsr, Rsr, LFE
>
> But this is a distribution format, not necessarily the layout used in pro=
duction.
So called "mezzanine" formats, used during broadcast and cinema
production, seem to exhibit a surprising lack of standardization in this
regard. From Pro Tools, to Final Cut, to Sony's Blu-Ray mastering tools
in Vegas Pro.
> The problem with distributing nature sounds in surround is how are
> people going to play them back.
I keep getting hints that there's a small but lucrative (for a limited
few recordists) market for ambient beds for feature film and serial
drama productions. Sound designers spend more time and money than they'd
like searching out and often recreating this kind of content from
scratch in the studio.
But I agree than there needs to be better distribution options than any
of us has found so far.
> I keep recording in surround because I love to listen to it. Some day
> there will be a distribution channel.
That is all the reason I need as well.
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