How to Mix and Master 5.1 Professional Surround Sound

Learn How to Mix and Master 5.1 Surround Sound in Cubase. Here’s a look at some of the most important rules to follow, and the problems to avoid, before exporting a FLAC audio file.

This is an overview on Surround Sound Bed and Object Tracks, Calibrated Output Digital Busses via Dante, 5.1 Speaker Setup, VST MultiPanner, and Multichannel Processors. As well as Good Methods & Practices for a Surround Sound Music Mix.

A step-by-step on Mixing and Mastering 5.1 Surround Sound is illustrated in eMasterSound the video.

Most Important Rules & Problems to Avoid

Here’s a look at some of the most important rules to follow, and the problems to avoid.

• Mix in 5.1, Know Where to Pan Tracks and Sounds
• How to Bus Tracks and Sounds for Maximum Impact
• Learn How to Master Automation for 5.1
• Understand the Process of Exporting 5.1 Deliverables

Get Rid of:

• Confusion and Fear about Where Sounds Go in Surround Mixing
• Creating Embarrassing Mixing Because of Lack of Understanding of the Audio Cube
• The Wasting of Money and Time While Wresting with Automation
• put dialog, foley, ambiences, sound effects, music and the final output and deliverables

Mixing in surround is different than stereo mixing. This is how to mix 5.1 surround sound, create realistic spatial effects, and avoid phasing issues and other pitfalls. 2-D audio (processing) is the spatial domain convolution of sound waves using Head-related transfer functions. Our Methods and Practices avoid spatial effects, and avoid phasing trickery of the brain using the ears and auditory nerves, pretending to place different sounds in different 3-D locations upon hearing the sounds, even though the sounds may just be produced from just 2 speakers (dissimilar to surround sound).

Guidelines For Creating a Correct 5.1 Mix

Think ahead: Don’t Master on stereo, it may not be possible Master Surround Sound at a later date because the original material was deleted or lost. It’s is simple DAW function to Down Mix to Stereo from 5.1 to 5.1.4. See this link for How to Mix 5.1 Professional Surround Sound

Determine where to place Bed and Object Tracks, and then create a Track List:

• Dialogues: 100% Center Monitor (sometimes 20% L/R)
• Foley: 100% Front L/R (but usually panned to phantom center)
• Impact and strong Effects: 100% Front L/R + 50% LFE
• Backgrounds and Ambience: 50% Front L/R, 50% Sides/Rear
• Music Stereo: 75% Front L/R, 25% Sides/Rear
• Music by Stems: 50% Front L/R, 25% Sides, 25% Rear

eMasterSound Surround Sound is Calibrated

Our 5.1 has six output digital busses via Dante feeding five full-range JBL 708P speakers. The “5”, signifies how many Full range channels are being used. The bass frequencies are managed with two JBL 310S subwoofers, band-limited crossover at 80Hz. The number after the dot, in this case “.1”, signifies how many subwoofer channels are being used.

5.1 Surround Sound Speaker Setup

eMasterSound monitoring speakers are positioned, angled and calibrated correctly! This is an important step, otherwise your surround mix will not translate well in other environments.

5.1 Surround Sound on Headphones

eMasterSound, is full surround mix facility with a Nuage Console to accurately carry out surround mixing tasks.

Surround Studio recordings are a completely different challenge; when mixing for Music, film or gaming, you need to be conscious of the proper positioning of the various elements, “Objects & Bed” within the surround sound field. An object Channel is a discrete audio element that can be placed anywhere in the three-dimensional sound field. A Bed Channel is the channel-based main output bus with Instruments, and FX Sounds including Low Frequencies below 80Hz

Weather audio film or music the truism that dialog/vocal is king, so you need to have all the elements focus on it and not overpower it.

Front LR vocals can add a natural chorus effect. Additionally, years of stereo mixing have taught us that the way to get a signal to appear directly in front of us is to route it at equal strength to the left and right channels, thus creating a phantom center image.

We observe caution with front center vocal levels to avoid a harsh mix; “the low-end home theater center speaker is different than surround speaker” creating a phenomenon that can tend to make vocals somewhat harsh. Another inherent problem with a phantom center in that it only works for listeners in or near the sweet spot, that’s close to the center of where all speaker axis meets.

The sweet spot is actually smaller when monitoring with two speakers. A wide-ranging of sonic opportunities are presented in the surround sound.  We get up and walk around the studio to hear each zone, and adjust for the correct balance, and levels.

Divergence Controls in VST MultiPanner

Front Divergence, Front/Rear Divergence, and Rear Divergence determine the attenuation curves used when positioning sound sources for x-axis front, y-axis front/rear, and x-axis rear. For 3D channel configurations, Height Divergence allows you to determine the attenuation curve when positioning on the z-axis.

If all divergence controls are set to 0 %, positioning a sound source on a speaker sets all other speakers to level zero. With higher values, the other speakers receive a percentage of the sound source.

If all divergence controls are set to 0 %, positioning a sound source on a speaker sets all other speakers to level zero. With higher values, the other speakers receive a percentage of the sound source.

VST MultiPanner Plug-in Panel provides Divergence, an elegant way to accomplish this, allows you to “bleed” selective amounts of signal from one channel into adjacent channels.

We observe caution; it’s possible to create a phantom center in the rear channels.

With a signal sent at equal level to the two rear speakers, but with much less image stability, and much less than what you hear from a front phantom center. Simply because don’t hear things off to the sides or behind us as well as sounds originating from in front, due to the physical shape of the human head and the placement of our ears.

H-Reverb 5.1 Multichannel Processor

The Waves H-Reverb Surround Convolution Reverb delivers the sampled sound of world-famous venues, and can even capture, import and create your own reverb spaces, with extensive control over early reflection and decay time, all while preserving natural envelope and frequency content.

We Are Creativity

The eMasterSound Team will create an immersive experience that can be appreciated as a result of decades of hands on audio engineeing experience with great surround sound pug-ins.

Tools like the iZoptope Exponential, Steinberg VST MultiPanner, Waves H-Reverb Surround Imager and Panner plugins enable the precise manipulation of imaging, distance panning, and spatial enhancement for surround sound. They can also be used to generate early reflections and employ shuffling controls to increase low frequency width and perceived depth.

Good Methods & Practices for a Surround Sound Music Mix

• Vocals are King; Add depth to a lead vocal by routing it in mono to the center channel, then add a little bit of it in stereo (perhaps with the use of a stereo reverb) to the rear speakers. This tends to bring the vocal out in front of the listener’s face and also spreads it out a bit without the danger of comb filtering.
• Duplicate Vocals Front panned left and right to add a natural chorus effect.
• Bass Instruments; Route bass in the woofer, and side/rear channels of the song. Automate in the front for essential bass riffs and events, bridge, and then roll back to previous channels for most of the song.
• Drums & Percussion; Route bass/kick in the woofer, and in the side/rear channels for the kick pop high end. Snare up front, and in the side/rear. Cymbals, snare, toms high end to Atmos (overhead speakers). Overhead, and room mics route to the sides, and Atmos.

In a similar vein, route stereo drums to the front speakers and room mics to the rear speakers. Having dry signal come from two speakers and ambience coming from speakers in different locations can create a strong enveloping effect.

• Center Channel: Vocals first, and then back ground instruments to bring them forward.
• Instruments Surround Solution: Pan instruments in stereo to the rear speaker channels, and then add a little to the center channel at a much lower level to bring them forward a bit.
• Instrument stereo tracks; Pan them hard left and right to the front, side speaker channels, then insert the signal to a stereo reverb, and route the group buss to the rear speakers.
• In 7.1 & 7.1.4 System: Treat the “surround” speaker channels, the Left & Right side as if they were an oversized pair of headphones. This is the perfect place for music for all-important “ear candy” in every mix. Route high end effects for the same channels to Atmos.

Once you hear a surround mix, you’ll love the Immersive Surround Sound Mix, and have a difficult time returning to uninspiring stereo.

Money is part of the game, but let’s take this music as musicians to the next level, becoming a leader, and take a risk by trying something different.

To learn more; See the video for a step-by-step guide on 5.1 Mixing & Mastering in Cubase linked at the top of this blog…