Chapter 31: Pro Tools Setup for

Surround (Pro Tools TDM Only)

This chapter explains how to set up and configure Pro Tools sessions for multichannel mixing.

Multichannel mixing is supported on Pro Tools

TDM systems only. In this chapter, all references to Pro Tools refer to Pro Tools TDM systems.

Before you can use Pro Tools in Surround mode:

1 Make sure the Surround Mixer plug-in is installed in your Plug-Ins folder. For instructions on installing the Surround Mixer plug-in, see

“Switching TDM Mixer Plug-Ins” on page 662.

2 Make sure your audio hardware is connected to your monitor system and other equipment correctly.

3 Make sure you have configured the Pro Tools

Playback Engine and Hardware Setup dialog options correctly for your system as described in your Getting Started Guide .

4 Continue reading this chapter to learn how to configure Pro Tools and your sessions for Surround mode.

Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing

While all 5.1 mixing formats provide the same speaker arrangement, there are three primary standards in use for the track layout of the individual channels that comprise the 5.1-format multichannel mix.

In the following table, it is assumed that surround channels are mapped to outputs 1–6 of a

Pro Tools audio interface. Use channels 7–8 to monitor a stereo mix for a stereo version, or for cue mixes and monitoring.

Table 32. Track Layouts for 5.1 Formats

Formats Track Layout

1

L

2

C

3 4 5 6

R Ls Rs LFE Film

(Pro Tools default)

L R C LFE Ls Rs SMPTE/ITU for Dolby

Digital (AC3) and Control|24

DTS with ProControl

L R Ls Rs C LFE

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To connect your audio interfaces for 5.1 format mixing and monitoring:

1 Determine the 5.1 format and track layout you want to use.

2 Connect the output channels of your audio interface to the corresponding input channels of your monitoring system according to the as-

signments listed in Table 32 on page 561.

If you use a Digidesign control surface, see its guide for more information.

Configuring Pro Tools for

Multichannel Sessions

Configuring Pro Tools and sessions for multichannel mixing can be done in any, or all of the ways, as described in this section.

The Surround Mixer must be installed before you can use Pro Tools surround mixing features. Make sure the Surround Mixer plug-in is installed in your Plug-Ins folder.

For instructions on installing the Surround

Mixer plug-in, see “Switching TDM Mixer

Plug-Ins” on page 662.

New Sessions

You can create a new session and choose a surround mix I/O Settings file as the default

I/O Setup. (See “New Sessions and I/O Settings” on page 562.)

Remixing Sessions in Surround

By creating or importing a surround mix I/O Settings file in the I/O Setup dialog, multichannel paths can be made available in any stereo (or other format) session. You can then reassign track routing from the original stereo paths to multichannel paths. Inactive and active paths

simplify reassignment. (See “Importing Multichannel I/O Setups” on page 564.)

Custom Paths

You can customize and redefine existing paths in the I/O Setup dialog. For more information,

see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 564.

Importing Session Data

By using the Import Session Data command

(File > Import Session Data), you can import tracks and media from other sessions plus their associated paths and track assignments. After importing session data, you can use the

I/O Setup dialog to configure main and subpaths for the requirements of the session. For

more information, see Chapter 7, “I/O Setup.”

New Sessions and I/O Settings

When you create a new session, you can specify a surround format that you want to use as your

I/O Setup. Default path configurations are provided as I/O Settings files, for stereo and surround mixing.

Once you create the new session, you can create and import tracks, import audio, and assign signal routing to set up your mix.

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To create a new session for multichannel mixing:

1 Choose File > New Session.

2 Select one of the available 5.1 settings from the I/O Settings menu.

The surround presets preconfigure the I/O Setup dialog with default 5.1 format main and subpaths for outputs and busses.

Configuring a new session for a 5.1 mix

3 If needed, change other parameters in the Session Parameters section.

4 Name the session.

5 Click Save.

Standard 5.1 format (film) output paths

Surround Mix Settings Files

The surround mix I/O Settings files provide output and bus paths for three specific track layout standards. (For information on inputs and insert

paths, see “Default Input and Insert Paths with

5.1 Settings” on page 564.)

Settings Files and Track Layouts

5.1 Settings Track Layout

Film (Pro Tools Standard)

SMPTE/ITU

(Control|24 Monitoring)

DTS (ProControl Monitoring)

L C R Ls Rs LFE

L R C LFE Ls Rs

L R Ls Rs C LFE

All three 5.1 format settings files provide the following default output and bus paths:

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Default 5.1 Output Paths

• One 5.1 main output path, with sub-paths for center, left/right, LCR, and 5.0 (no LFE).

– and –

• One stereo main path with two mono subpaths.

Default 5.1 Bus Paths

• One 5.1 main bus path, with sub-paths for

5.0 (no LFE), left/right (stereo), LCR, and center (mono).

– and –

• One stereo main path with two mono subpaths.

Default Input and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings

The 5.1 Mix settings files provide default stereo main and sub-paths for inputs and inserts. If you need multichannel input paths or inserts, you can create them in the I/O Setup dialog (see

“Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 564).

If the current session has existing path definitions that do not match those in the imported settings file, Pro Tools asks whether you want to delete the existing paths or retain them and add the imported settings to your session.

• Click No to add new paths to your current I/O

Setup configuration.

• Click Yes to replace your current I/O Setup configuration with the imported settings.

Exporting I/O Settings

Exporting I/O Setup settings files lets you build a library of multichannel setups for different projects.

To export an I/O Setup settings file:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Click Export Settings.

3 Name and Save your current I/O Settings.

Importing Multichannel

I/O Setups

The I/O Setup dialog can import and export settings files. Importing I/O Setup settings files is useful when you want to remix a stereo session in surround. You can also use this feature to prepare a session for transfer to a different Pro Tools system, or to simply save and exchange

I/O Settings.

To import a multichannel I/O Setup settings file:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Click Import Settings.

3 Select the settings file to import and click

Open.

Custom Multichannel Paths

The I/O Setup dialog lets you create and customize signal paths for any supported multichannel mixing format.

Multichannel paths and sub-paths are mapped to inputs, outputs or internal busses in the

Channel Grid. When you select a preset 5.1

I/O Settings file, default layout for the corresponding multichannel format paths you create will match the selected format’s track layout.

In addition, the I/O Setup dialog, like the Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog, provides controls for routing the physical inputs and outputs on your audio interface to available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools.

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When creating 5.1 format paths, you can

specify the default track layout. See “Default Path Order for 5.1 Tracks” on page 566.

Remapping Channels

The I/O Setup dialog and its Channel Grid also let you remap channels. This is especially useful to route channels within a multichannel path, without having to repatch your audio interfaces.

You can remap paths to any required configuration, limited only by your systems resources, and the I/O Setup dialog requirements for chan-

nel overlapping and naming (see “Valid Paths and Requirements” on page 77 for more infor-

mation).

See also “Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix” on page 578.

Example LCRS Setup

The following example shows one possible way to configure the I/O Setup dialog to mix in 4channel LCRS format, with a 96 I/O.

3 Select LCRS from the Path Format Selector.

4 Name the path LCRS.

5 In the Channel Grid, click in the box below the first (left-most) audio interface channel for the path. Pro Tools automatically fills up the adjacent units to the right. If you click in the LCRS row under channel 1, the LCRS path will be mapped across channels 1–4.

6 Select the new LCRS path and click New Sub-

Path.

7 Name the new sub-path LCR and select LCR as the Path format. Click in channel 1 in the LCR row to map the path.

8 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and create a stereo sub-path for front Left and front

Right.

9 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and create a mono sub-path for the Center channel.

10 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and create a mono sub-path for the Surround channel.

Example LCRS output main and sub-paths

For additional I/O Setup information, see

“Creating and Editing Paths” on page 73.

To define an LCRS path:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup > Output.

2 Click New Path.

5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping, and

Metering

Path definitions in I/O Setup determine how audio is routed through, and metered on, your audio interfaces.

Pro Tools internal (on-screen) metering of 5.1 format paths always follows the Film track layout:

L C R Ls Rs LFE

Pro Tools track layout of 5.1 format audio tracks in the Edit window also conforms to the Film layout (arranged top to bottom). See the illustra-

tion “5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering” on page 567

.

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In the I/O Setup dialog, you can route these signals out of your audio interfaces according to any track layout (such as DTS or SMPTE/ITU).

To re-map channels in a path:

■

Click and drag a channel to a new valid location in the Grid. Other channel assignments will move (shuffle) to accommodate dragged channels.

New Track Default Output (Pro Tools 6.9) or Default Output (Pro Tools 6.8.x and Lower) Selects the default output path for all new tracks, for each supported track format.

In Pro Tools 6.9, the New Track Default

Output can be set to bus paths, as well as output paths.

AFL/PFL Path (Pro Tools 6.9 Only) Selects where tracks are routed to when they are soloed in AFL or PFL Solo mode.

AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) (Pro Tools 6.9

Only) Selects which output is muted when AFL or PFL Solo mode is enabled, and a track is soloed.

Default I/O Selectors in I/O

Setup

The Output tab of the I/O Setup dialog provides the following default settings for multichannel sessions:

Default Path Order I/O Setup Options

Default Selectors in the I/O Setup dialog (Pro Tools 6.9 shown)

Default Path Order Selects the default track layout (or, path order) for new 5.1 format (sixchannel) paths.

Controller Meter Path (Pro Tools 6.9) or Meter

(Pro Tools 6.8.x and Lower) Selects the path that will be shown in Digidesign control surface out-

put meters. See “5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping, and Metering” on page 565 for more informa-

tion.

Audition Paths (Pro Tools 6.9) or Audition

(Pro Tools 6.8.x and Lower) Selects the monitoring path for previewing audio in the Regions

List, Import Audio dialogs, and DigiBase. Only outputs on your primary interface can be used as your Audition path.

Default Path Order for 5.1 Tracks

You can specify the default track layout for all new 5.1 format paths you create.

To choose a new default Pro Tools 5.1-format path order (track layout):

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Use the Default Path Order menu and submenus to choose the track layout you want.

Default Path Order Selector in I/O Setup

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5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering

5.1 Format

Film

(Pro Tools Standard)

L C R Ls Rs LFE

Tracks Track Meters

L C R Ls Rs LFE

SMPTE/ITU

(Control|24 Monitoring)

L R C LFE Ls Rs same

L C R Ls Rs LFE

(top to bottom) same

L C R Ls Rs LFE

(left to right)

Channel Map in I/O Setup

L C R Ls Rs LFE

L R C LFE Ls Rs

DTS

(ProControl Monitoring)

L R Ls Rs C LFE same

L C R Ls Rs LFE same

L C R Ls Rs LFE

L R Ls Rs C LFE

Figure 34. Track layout of different 5.1 formats

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