SURROUND/5.1 - LFE Made Kind of Easy

[anamorphic]

I'm so awed this works I wanted to write it down for others to share. I'm paraphrasing other posters as well, so here goes;

5.1 MIXING; HOW TO SEND SIGNAL TO AN LFE CHANNEL

1. Make sure your 5.1 Master Fader is set to play LFE; click the circle in the upper left of its fader. You'll notice all the other channels are UP all the way --except the LFE. Remedy that. Then SOLO the LFE channel.

2. In Audio Bundles, create a 5.1 Bus and call it "LFE"

3. Create an AUX track called "BOOM". Assign its OUTPUT to the 5.1 Master Fader. Assign its INPUT to "LFE" bus. Set the fader at 0.00. Click the circle in the upper left of its fader, then turn up the LFE channel.

3. Choose "LFE" on an available SEND on the track you wish to send to LFE (kick drum, bass, etc). Set the SEND rotary to around 50% Open the SEND panner and set it hard L&R.

4. Insert BASS MANAGER Plug-In on "BOOM". Hit PLAY. Using the plug-in's "extend" rotary and green selection buttons, choose the channels you want sent to the LFE (I usually start w/L & R only). Then adjust your drum, bass tracks sends, etc accordingly.

Make your stomach hurt? That's called Low Frequencies, my friends.

Un-SOLO the 5.1 Master Fader. Then blend liberally.

If I've missed something, let me know; I'll correct. But hey, what tips have y'all got about this surround stuff? Any mixing epiphanies? Other than it sounds cool?

[emulatorloo]

Thanks for writing this out. . .I will try it out. . .

[anamorphic]

I just revised #3. See if that makes a diff.

[BKK-OZ]

Good tip. I do something similiar, but I have also learned that you need to play a bit with the cross-over frequency - there is no point in sending lots of upper harmonics to the LFE. I also like to throw a hard MW compressor on most LFE stuff - there is usually little point in having long delay times on the LFE (just sounds like mud).

Good point to use the Bass Manager - when doing surround, always throw this fella in, if you want avoid phase problems when encoding.

In terms of suround tips, I have started to use Altiverb, CronoX 3 and Absynth 3 a lot. The latter two allow one to do some pretty amazing stuff with LFO's etc. to move sound around the surround-matrix. I find I can get the most amazing swirling, pulsing rhythmic stuff going on with these two toys.

I really wish someone would come out with a super version of the 5.1 delay plug that ships with DP - that thing is serious fun to play with, but it could do so much more.

If you are really getting into all this stuff, do some reading on binaural acoustics - there is a lot of theory/practice out there in terms of sound spatialisation.

[bduryea]

The LFE channel is not meant simply for any low frequency instrument. Generally, it should not be used at all in music production. The consumer's playback system is responsible for properly managing bass upon playback (i.e. using any subwoofers effectively). This is necessary since every system is different; the consumer's own system is usually in the best position to determine how to use its own speakers properly. LFE is designed specifically for special effects that need to literally shake the room, as with an explosion in a movie, but not for bass that should correlate accurately with music on the other channels. In other words, LFE does not equal subwoofer; the subs will still get used in whatever manner is appropriate based on the individual systems your music is being played back on. In other words, your music can and will still thump if you mix it that way. LFE is just a separate (and lower-fidelity) method of forcing material to play through the subwoofer, but it is totally unnecessary and usually yields unexpected results when applied to music mixing.

Best regards,
Brad

[BKK-OZ]

Well, I guess we have to disagree there - I know that the 'E' stands for effect, and so many people think that's where it should stop, but I have found the LFE channel to be a great way to enhance my music. Mind you, my stuff always accompanies videos that I make, so maybe its still 'filmic' in your terms, but none-the-less, I use the LFE all the time as a deliberate means to enhance my music.

I luv to surprise the audience with a thorax-shaking thump that works in sync with my bass lines (not all the time, but when I want to make a point).

I don't think you are 100% right in saying that the consumer's unit will automatically make use of the LFE channel -it depens.

And while I agree that LFE doesn't equal sub-woofer, if you have a 5.1 system set up so that the cross-over sends any thing that is say @ 80/60Hz or lower to the sub, well, that's where the LFE lives, so in that sense they are the same thing. If you don't have/use/set-up a cross-over like that, you will be sending lots of things to the sub, but that's not the way most systems are usually set up.

The LFE can be used to great 'Effect' in music production. Its not just for explosions anymore!

[bduryea]

BK,

My point was that it is up to the consumer's bass management (a standard function of consumer multi-channel playback systems) to automatically filter low frequencies to the subwoofers, if they exist. In other words, a well-mixed stereo track (with no use of center, surround or LFE channels) will still utilize the subwoofer(s) automatically and appropriately. It is for this reason that adding to the LFE channel is unnecessary, since the subs will get utilized automatically simply by having low frequency content in your mix. I believe you will get more properly-balanced and predictable playback across various systems by relying on bass management rather than forcing content via the LFE channel. That is, after all, the whole point of bass management.

Best regards,
Brad

[BKK-OZ]

Brad,

I guess to an extent I don't disagree with what you are saying - except that if one is mixing to surround (5.1 for the sake of discussion) you are in fact mixing for an LFE channel and I think you should use it -whether you are doing music or something else. Its there, so it can be used.

The idea that the LFE isn't 'musical' reminds me of the kinds of things that engineers said about stereo when it was first introduced - you know the sorts of things I mean, the 'rules' of using stereo. Some of which were sensible soncically, but most of which were just an artifact of mono-based thinking. I don't like those sorts of rules and I like to experiment with sound placement. (And I love making BIG thumps!)

I intend my stuff to be heard in surround (5.1), so I do a lot with the LFE channel, on purpose. If someone wants to listen to my stuff (ha! - a rare occurence!) they need to have a 5.1 system, which by default includes the LFE/subwoofer stuff. If they want a stereo mix, well, I just usually don't do that -tho I did do a stereo mix-down of one track recently for posting on OSXRecording.com, but that exception aside, I work in 5.1, which means a) I use the Bass Manager to avoid phasing and other issues, and b) I deliberately create and place some sounds in the LFE channel - I guess in the same way that I use the surround-back speakers - as a deliberate attempt at using what 5.1 gives.

Anyway matey, its all good -remember, there are only two kinds of music!