Surround Sound Question

what is the best surround sound system w/ towers and that will support xbox 360, ps3 and tv all at the same time, and for the best price

Hey themarine472,
Honestly, the answer to your question is really dependent on what you’re looking for in a home theater system. Before anything else, you may want to ask yourself the following things:
1)    How many speakers do I want?
2)    What kind of connections do I need?
3)    Do I need an upconvert DVD player?
4)    Do I have a brand preference?
For starters, you’ll probably find that most common home theater system configurations will consist of two front channel speakers, two surround speakers, one center channel speaker and one subwoofer. Other configurations do exist, but the difference in price between four, six and eight-speaker systems can often prove to be quite significant. On the other hand, you aren’t necessarily limited to buying bundled packages. Most retailers, including Best Buy®, will sell individual components so that you can pick and mix your speakers. Keep in mind though that there is a trade-off for being able to do this: purchasing individual components often proves to be much more expensive than buying pre-packaged bundles.
Next, you’ll need to know what kinds of cables are used to connect your video game consoles to your TV. Most newer video game consoles will make connections for audio signals using digital optical or HDMI cables, but it’s recommended to double-check yours just to be safe. Once you know the cable types, you’ll probably want to look for a home theater system that has the same kind of inputs. For example: if you want to use HDMI cables to connect both your PS3 and Xbox 360 to your TV, the receiver should have at least two HDMI inputs.
Then the question becomes whether you should purchase a system with an upconvert DVD player. A good number of home theater bundles will include one of these players, which is great if you have an HDTV and want to watch older movies in a higher resolution. The downside however, is that whenever the player itself (or one of your speakers) needs repairs, you may find yourself packing your entire home theater back up – speakers, receiver, DVD player and all – just to obtain service.
Last, but not least, having a brand preference may be able to help you guide your purchase. After all, if everything else in your home is one brand, it might make sense to start by looking at the home theater systems offered by that same company. Many manufacturers even offer features that enable several devices of theirs to be operated simultaneously using your TV remote, as long as they are connected using HDMI cables.
While I can’t make any specific brand recommendations myself, one of the other forum users may be able to give you some feedback regarding a model that they purchased.
Thanks,
Agent Aaron
Geek Squad® Community Connector
Go Ahead. Use Us.
Aaron|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
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Similar Messages

Very good surround sound question

Some of my instruments I use are in stereo, of course. But when mixing in surround sound, all those different speakers used are actually just outputting mono sounds, which I guess if sounds are placed properly it woud make the sound in stereo, maybe. My question is i this. Say you have a lead vocal on one track and a track with either background vocals or maybe a stereo piano. While panning in surround sound, you pan the lead vocals to the center. You pan the other track to the center, but behind the lead vocals so that it appears that the lead vocals are in front. Since surround sound mixing seems to be the art of playing sounds in positions to be picked up by different mono speakers, will the backgrounds vocals actually seem to be wider than the lead vocals or not? I can not analyze the stereo spread of the background vocals. While i was panning my background vocals and stereo piano in the stereo field, the only thing I have to analyze the stereo image was the Waves PAZ positioner plug-in and the Logic Multimeter plug-in using the Goniometer window. When I move the sound around in the surround sound paning box, there is no change in graphic representavie in either of those two plug-ins. So my guess is that eventhough my back ground vocals and pianos have a much wider stereo field then by lead vocals, I'm guessing that I'm not going to here the wider representaive. Is there a way to analyze surround sound graphically like we do stereo, or am I going to have to split my stereo sound into two mono sounds and pan them wide in the surround sound field. If you don't the answer, write back and say, "I don't know, that's a good one" If you do know, then write back.

jdubz101 wrote:
"So my guess is that eventhough my back ground vocals and pianos have a much wider stereo field then by lead vocals, I'm guessing that I'm not going to here the wider representaive. Is there a way to analyze surround sound graphically like we do stereo, or am I going to have to split my stereo sound into two mono sounds and pan them wide in the surround sound field."
That's certainly one technique you could use if you wanted to preserve the front stereo field only, or if you wanted to move the stereo field to a different angle. When you assign a stereo track to Surround, panned dead center, it feeds the front pair and rear pair equally. But left is still left and right is still right. Unfortunately, when you pan left or right, it's really more of a balance control. As you pan left, the right channel attenuates until it's completely gone when you pan hard left.
Normally, a stereo instrument wouldn't get panned, other than forward or back. Moving a stereo instrument angle left or right by using 2 mono files does work, but wouldn't translate well when downmixed to stereo. Fine for "surround exclusive" recordings. Watch your center channel feed. Any stereo instrument panned hard front will be mixed to mono on the center channel.
If you create audio objects for your outputs in the environment, you can easily see what's going on. Especially if you use a test stereo file with one channel blank.
Regards, Randall

K7N2G - question about controlling the surround sound.

Hi!
I bought a K7N2G a few weeks ago and yesterday i bought a Creative Inspire 6700 6.1 Surround-system. The only problem is that i don't get surround sound.
I installed the nForce APU where i could choose 5.1-sound but it didn't help, then i took a closer look in the manual only to discover that i'm using the wrong tool, the control panel-application in the manual looks a lot different.
I have been reinstalling drivers for hours, trying to get to that applications but i can't find it anywhere.
Could someone please tell me, if possible, where to find that application. It seems like i have to do some settings to get my surround sound. I know that the card supports 5.1-sound and i managed to get sound in all channels except the rear center - i played a multichannel MP3 that said "left - center - right" and so on.
since i don't know the name of the applications the only clue i can give is what the Applications border says:
"NVIDIA nForce (TM) Control Panel".

Quote
Originally posted by backwoodz
"NVIDIA nForce (TM) Control Panel".
that app is for the nforce one boards and the nforce2 boards that use the mcp2-t that have the apu soundstorm chips.....
If you installed an addon sound card you need to disable the onboard AC97 codec. And install the drivers and software that came with your card.......Or just download the Advanced AC97 codec and software from Realtek for the onboard sound card and use that instead.....
I think you misunderstood, i'm using the onboard sound on my K7N2G - wich is a nForce2-board. And i do get sound, i am just unable to control it and since no game or application will provide me with surround sound even if i enable it within the application - the K7N2G have built in 6-channel sound. I'm using analog output so i have checked "Rear speakers connected to line in" and so on.

Guide : Getting 5.1 surround sound. Audigy 2

Hi all
I thought I would write up a really quick but effecti've and simple guide for owners of the Audigy2 ZS and seeing how its Xmas time, I can assume a few lucky boys and girls may have this awesome card under the tree.
Most of whats covered should work with all creative products.
(Sorry, but I WILL NOT cover any info regarding encoding media or the like that will conflict with copyright laws)
This guide is for setting up your Creative Audigy 2 ZS for surround sound 5. reproduction and information in regards to required Filters/Codecs. I have not included any advanced set up options or the like as the ZS with the set ups I have incluced here will cover it out of the box.
One of the most common issues people may have with 5. not fuctioning correctly while playing a DVD movie ( Mpeg ) or any multi channel media that is 5. encoded, has to do with Codecs/Filters.
Most media players will not decode all AC3filters/Mpeg, thus require extra filters/codecs/plugins to be installed.
Ok , the first thing to do is ensure your sound card and speakers are set up correctly.
Most common speaker sets have 3 plugs that go in the back of your card .
EG, Logitech X-530. Pink = Front Centre.Black = Rear left and right. Green = Front left and right.
Ensure they are in the correct place and are tightly fitted.Ensure your sound card is secure and tightly in place.Make sure your speaker cables are tidy and not a big tangled mess.
Ensure in device audio controls that SPDIF passthrough is NOT ticked as this is for optical output ( the ZS pro with rack fuction )
Update to the latest drivers an media source ap
ps.
A few little things to set up first in Creative Mixer Control Panel to ensure cleaner sound:
Lower Master and Wav volume in Creative mixer to about 90% as to avoid any over dri've disstortion.Lower Master Bass Volume to about 90% to avoid over powering the bass.Ensure that your speaker settings Windows control panel and Creative speaker settings match your speaker set up..
Also run the THX Speaker Callibration test in basic mode.
YOU SHOULD DISSABLE CMSS IN EAX CP IN ORDER TO GET 5. TO FUCTION AS IT SHOULD.
CMSS is to be use only for a MONO or STEREO source/signal. It is for sending the stereo/mono signal ( left and right) to all speakers. This is not 5., mearly it is the same signal sent to all speakers to give you a more rich and vivid sound reproduction of an other wise flat source.
Turn off any EAX FX.
Things you want to do to ensure stable use:
SHUT DOWN CTHELPER:
A background task that is a plug-in manager for Creative drivers. A 3rd party manufacturer can use the CTHELPER plug-in interface to produce drivers, add-on features, and fixes that will integrate with a tighter fit with Creative?s sound drivers and utilities. Gi'ven its purpose CTHELPER would normally be classified as a "leave alone" background task. It also allows Creative speaker setup to be synchronized with Windows Control Panel speaker setting. Without it running that check box in Creative speaker setting is not functional (settings are not in sync). Unfortunately there are often problems with CTHELPER, most notably that it can use 00% of CPU time so it's best left disabled unless you REALLY need it .
Type in run "msconfig" and shut down all Creative Start up entries. Infact its proberly best to shut everything down.
NOTE: Any essentinal Software for the proper fuction of devices ,Eg: Razer mouse utils should be left on.
Simple Bios settings to help improve audio and stablity:
Dissable Pallette Snoop.ANY AND ALL shadows for devices, EG VGA BIOS and system bios should be dissabled. If you have the setting for PCI latency in your bios ( AGP boards only ) set it to 64, if its already at 64 try 32 .
Shut down ( remove, reconmended ) any 3rd party tweak apps that run in the background.
EG, Cache Man and any monitoring software.
Ok, now for Filters/Codecs and Plugins.
A major required Filter is AC3. (ac3filter__0a_rc5)
AC3Filter - it is DirectShow filter for AC3 decoding to play AVI with AC3 audio tracks and MPEG2 (DVD). Required for WMP.
NOTE: If you have DVD software that should play encoded 5. then make sure you have any updates/patches for the player installed and go through the tools/options for the player and ensure its setup correctly to decode AC3filters in the applictions tools menu.
If you use Cyberlink Power DVD you may need to pay an extra fee to get the required AC3filter/MPEG2 decoders to fuction as all 5. sound settings may be greyed out on some dated versions.
InterVideo WIN DVD ( this software suit comes with most "Asus" if not all makes of Mainboards. This suit comes complete with the required codecs/filters so get full surrport for 5. - 6. - 7. out of the box. Note: you must set it up first under audio options as it defualts to 2..
If you use WMP0 you should download and install the AC3filter or get the latest XP codec/filters packs. With out these filters you may not get 5. sound and/or poor reproduction.
Supported file types:
The following table lists the file types (formats) supported by Windows Media Player .(For files type played by Power DVD or WIN DVD please refer to the makers website or read me file for a detailed list).
File type (format) File name extension .
Music CD Playback (CD audio) .cda Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) .aif, .aifc, and .aiff Windows Media audio and video files .asf, .asx, .wax, .wm, .wma, .wmd, .wmp, .wmv, .wmx, .wpl, and .wvx Windows audio and video files .avi and .wav Windows Media Player skins .wmz Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) .mpeg, .mpg, .mv, .mp2, .mpa, .mpe, .mp2v*, and .mpv2 Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) .mid, .midi, and .rmi AU (UNIX) .au and .snd MP3 .mp3 and .m3u DVD video .vob Macromedia Flash .swf Microsoft Recorded TV Show .dvr-ms*
NOTE: WMP defualts to 2.. To enable 5. run WMP0. Click on tools then point to options. Navigate to DVD then open up the advanced window. In here is everything you need to set things up.
NOTE: If you mess things up simply return to defult settings and start over.
Some common errors you may encounter with WMP.
Error messages are identified by numerical IDs, such as C00D0BC2 and 800704CF. You can determine the ID of a specific error message by clicking the More Information or Web Help button on the error message when you encounter it. The resulting page will indicate the error ID.
: Error's C00D6A and C00D9A while playing DVD's or MPEG-2 content.
This is directly related to either your current video card drivers or the MPEG-2/DVD decoder you have installed (EG: PowerDVD, Win DVD etc ). Reinstalling and/or uninstalling the MPEG-2/DVD decoder (PowerDVD, Win DVD ) and/or video drivers should fix the problem for you.
You should now be able to re-install you decoder ( Power DVD etc ) and continue its use.
Erro : C00DAC:
Cannot play the file Windows Media Player cannot play the protected file because there is a problem with your sound device, such as a sound card or sound controller. You might encounter this error message for one of the following reasons.
Your sound device requires an updated driver. ( update driver )
The selected sound device does not support Secure Audio Path (SAP).
If you have multiple sound devices installed on your computer, try using a different one.
To use a different sound device, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Devices tab. Double-click Speakers, audio device to use, click a different device.
Error : "divide error in module IVIAUDIO.AX at".
Only exists in systems that have various Sound Blaster Li've sound cards and WinDVD installed.
This is infact a compatibility problem between these products. The problem is realized when MP3 oriented applications call upon certain sound card services making it look as though the error was raised from within the application in question.
FIX:Uninstall WIN DVD. Reinstall WMP and AC3 filter and then reinstall DVD WIN.
A simple but rare issue.
ModName.Win DVD "msvcrt.dll" and/or Win DVD MFC application error.
FIX:
Uninstall any java filters. Macromedia and Macromedia Acti'veX.
( to remove Acti'veX go to C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files and delete the Acti'veX )
What are codecs Codecs/Filters.
Codec stands for Coder/Decoder. Basically it is a piece of software or a driver that adds a support for certain video/audio format for your operating system. With codec, your system recognizes the format the codec is built for and allows you to play the audio/video file (=decode) or in some cases, to change another audio/video file into that format (=(en)code).
For example, when you install Windows to your home computer, Windows installs automatically most commonly used codecs into the system, so you don't have to download them separately from their vendors. However there are some codecs that are widely used, but not installed by Windows. Most notably DivX , MPEG-2.
Get all the Codecs/Filters/Plugins you could ever need from:
http://www.free-codecs.com/AC3_Filter_download.htm (ac3filter__0a_rc5)
http://www.free-codecs.com/
NOTE: ( XviD-.0.3-2022004 for Divx ) Stand alone codec for playing Divx instead of the Divx full install.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...0/default.aspx
Ok, you now should be all set.
However Codecs/Filters/Plugins are like any other kind of software installed and things can go wrong. If things are not working as they should try the following.
Download and install "Gspot"
http://gspot.headbands.com/download.htmlBuild 0307 - 23 KB Run the programme and simply point to system and select "List Codecs and other Filters"
Its a no brainer really to know whats what here and how to use it to find out the source of the issue, if you have one. If its red, its bad so you then need to trace the Filter/Codec to its source and remove it.
Here is just one very simple excample you may encounter and how it was fixed.
If you have ffdshow file is missing error pop up while running a player application, first go to C:\WINDOWS\system32 and search for ffdshow.en. Its proberly not here though. If it is just leave it be.
NOTE: ffdshow is used for AVI/Xvid enc/dec source.
To fix this "ffdshow Video Codec file is missing " error Simply uninstall your Xvid codec or your entire DivX programme, or any other Filter/Codec you have installed for playback of DivX files and AVI Video Files.
(Some times it seems a few Codecs/Filters dont get along so you must be aware of what you install).
Cheak "Gspot" again and Filter should be removed from the list.
Now you can reinstall the Xvid filter "XviD-.0.3-2022004" or your desired DivX programme.
Now go back toC:\WINDOWS\system32 and search for ffdshow.en. It should be there if it was not before. If the issue is back try a different version of required Filter.
So, thats just excample of a simple fix that got everything working again. Its not to hard to find out what the problem Codec/Filter is and then its just a case of uninstalling it. You can re-install the Codec/Filter but you should double cheak with "Gspot" and ensure the issue has not repeated itself .
If it has you can try and find out if the issue is related to another type filter causing a conflict or use an alternate Filter/Codec that will perform the same task .
Search for an updated version of required the Codec/Filter also.
Ok, thats pretty much the basics in getting correct and stable 5. sound working the way it should with your new Creative Audigy 2 ZS sound card.
I hope this has been of help.
Regards,xmn.
Message Edited by xmn on 2-24-2005 08:02 PM
Message Edited by xmn on 2-24-2005 08:04 PM
Message Edited by xmn on 2-24-2005 08:05 PM
Message Edited by xmn on 2-24-2005 08:05 PM
Message Edited by xmn on 2-24-2005 08:09 PM
Message Edited by xmn on 2-24-2005 09:29 PM
Message Edited by xmn on 2-26-2005 03:07 PM

BUMP, just incase its been missed by a new board member

How do I convert analogue 5.1 surround sound into a digital signal? (Pioneer SE-DIR800C headphon

I understand that my SB Audigy 2 card will only output 5. sound from games through its 3 analogue connectors. How do I convert this analogue signal into a digital one? What hardware do I need to purchase?
I have read the thread on "Digital Connections, SPDIF and Dolby Digital Info", and also I've thoroughly read the "Creative Speaker Connectivity Guide".
The reason I ask is that I have just bought a pair of Pioneer SE-DIR800C Surround Sound headphones. This are supposedly fantastic for recreating surround sound on headphones because there is a clever little decoder box. They accept a DTS / Dolby Digital signal via the digital co-axial and optical inputs, and there is a single analogue input which only accepts stereo sound.
My XBox and PS2 will output true digital 5. sound via an optical cable and I am confident this will work perfectly with these headphones. I'm really looking forward to playing Halo in surround sound! But for gaming on my PC, I'll be limited to just an analogue stereo signal. Well, unless I can find some device that will convert my SoundBlaster's analogue 5. outputs into a digital signal, which I can then plug into the little decoder box for these headphones.
So, back to my question:
What hardware do I need to buy to convert an analogue 5. signal (via 6 x RCA or 3 x 3.5mm stereo ) into a true digital signal (via optical or co-axial SP/DIF)? Is it some type of headphone amplifier I need? If possible, please recommend makes & models of equipment.

Thanks stefan
OK, basically I have found 3 options for getting digital 5. out of a PC:
a) Creative DTS-60 (approx $90). This converts the SB's analogue into digital, but it's not available in the UK and it also introduces a noticeable 50ms sound delay. Also, who wants an extra box hanging out of their PC?
b) Buy a new sound card which has Dolby Digital Li've output. For example, ) BlueGears HDA X Mystique 7., or 2) Turtle Beach Montego DDL, or 3) Terratec Aureon 7. PCI (NOT the Space, FireWire or Uni'verse cards). I couldn't find the first two available in the UK so I have just ordered the Terratec card from Komplett.
c) Buy a new motherboard that has built-in Dolby Digital Li've output, for example the ABIT Fatalty AA8XE. Unfortunately my PC is only just over year old and I'm not quite ready to replace it.
I hope this info is useful for people. Maybe Creative will start making a card with DDL output too.Message Edited by NinjaHeretic on 2-22-2005 08:46 AM

Looking for a surround sound app

hiya
i'm planning to buy an iPhone 4 but i have some questions. i heard there are preset EQ settings on the iPhone but is there an app (or a way) to make the sound of your MP3 files (mine is atleast on 192k) a bit more better or make it like a surround sound? any sugestions? thanks.

As mentioned, a 5 channel surround system is very hard to find in the price range you are looking at and even harder to find with half way decent quality. you might want to consider a 2 channel setup which will greatly improve the quality of the components and provide cleaner sound output at higher volume levels. If 5 channels is a must, then the build quality, sound quality, and frequency response will need to be sacrificed. You will have to ask your self what is more important: Sound quality? Or surround sound? At this price point, even small differences in price/brand can make a large impact on sound quality.
If surround sound is a must, then I would consider looking at the Sony HTSS370. This will be your best option of all possible solutions. It is a discontinued model though, so the chances of finding one at a local best buy will be slim and it may need to be ordered online.

No More Surround Sound on Blu-ray player after Upgrade in MediaSmart

When I used the Blu-ray player in my home theatre I selected the "HDMI pass through" mode to get surround sound. I came across some new movies that would not play and after the update from HP the player would simply freeze up as soon as there was audio present. I had to go into the task manager to shut it down.
MediaSmart works fine on the laptop, but it only freezes up when I use the "HDMI pass through" setting.
I have tried "HDMI pcm" mode and that doesn't work either. The Denon receiver shows there are five channels working but I only get stereo sound out of the front left and right speakers. This would indicate that the Blu-ray player is not outputting in 5.1 surrond sound and that the laptop and the Denon receiver is working fine.
Hp supports' solution was to reinstall the old driver or try a system restore. I know a system restore isn't going to do anything. The problem is in the new software. The new software did not work on my HDX18 when it was in Vista, it didn't work when I upgraded to Windows 7 and it doesn't on my new dv8.
I tried contacting CyberLink to let them know that the upgrade is giving problems, but I think they are ignoring me.
Personally I think that either HP or Cyberlink just forgot to add the drivers for 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound.
If someone were to find a solution to this one I would be surprised. I am quite certain I covered every possibility, but you never know.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
This question was solved.
View Solution.

OK, I found a solution. SORT OF. I use the laptop to watch region "B" Blu-ray movies that I buy out of England. Rather than set Media Smart to region "B" I purchased software from SlySoft.com. When the software is running it removes the region code and all that annoying copy protection. Fox is the worst, followed by Walt Disney. (Pixar Animation and Buena Vista) One specific movie that would not play on the old Media Smart software was "Ice Age 3 Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. When I tried, a red window came up prompting me to go to Cyberlink for an update. Of course after that the movie would play, but I had no surround sound in my home theatre.
So now I use the old Media Smart software and run SlySoft...no more red window...I have surround sound in my theatre through HDMI pass through.
The problem with this solution is that Slysoft costs around 114.00$ U.S. for a life time membership and free updates forever. HMMM.

How do I create surround sound 5.1 audio in Premiere Elements 10?

Okay, that's my question.
I have a Zoom H2n which captures two stereo channels from its 5 microphones and it creates a pair of stereo audio files. I would like to import them into Premiere Elements 10 on my Mac (OS X Lion on a desktop Mac), create a video and export the video and audio to a DVD with surround sound.
Is this possible? I have a 5.1 video camera, and the sound from that is exported correctly to DVD, so I know Premiere Elements handles existing 5.1 sound correctly.

> please report your success
Confident, aren't we? :->
Audacity would import the sound from the .mts files that my Canon saves video and surround sound to, but Audacity couldn't play the sound. It was there in the waveforms, but just a click came out. C'est la vie. I just went directly to my H2n files, and it works fine with them.
I shoot a video using a regular mic, and I also record the sound externally to my Zoom H2n. I use a finger snap or clap as my clapper board. I have the H2n set to 4 Channel, which means it records two stereo audio streams, one with a name ending in MS.WAV, and the other ending XY.WAV. I use the MS stream as my front, and the XY as the surround. I also make sure the H2n is recording at 48000.
I copy the two .WAV files to my Mac. I copy the video to my Mac.
The current version of Audacity is 1.3.14, which I used. Other versions may vary in how to set them up. You'll need current versions of LAME and FFmpeg, and Audacity directs you to the correct locations to download and install them, if you need to. Then you follow the directions to tell Audacity where to find the files; when all is correct, Audacity displays the version numbers instead of asking you where they are.
In the OS X version of Audacity, go to File -> Import -> Audio ... and locate the MS and XY files. Select them both by command clicking them, then select Open. I get two warning dialogue boxes about working on original files, so I work on copies, click OK both times. Audacity then shows its main window with two files, each having 2 tracks of audio. I do no processing in Audacity, but you may choose to if you wish.
I select File -> Export and in the resulting dialogue box I choose as my format AC3 files (FFmpeg). Choose a file name in the Save As box, then click Save.
Now is the hard part. I get a window for Advanced Mixing Options. Because I have four streams of sound, the window defaults to four channels. However, I need six channels, so I slide the slider over to get the six. For my Mac and Audacity versions,
   Channel 1 is left front
   Channel 2 is right front
   Channel 3 is center
   Channel 4 is low frequency effects (LFE)
   Channel 5 is left surround
   Channel 6 is right surround
By clicking the boxes you connect or disconnect MS left to Channel 1, MS right to Channel 2, XY left to Channel 5, and XY right to Channel 6. Then I click to OK button, and Audacity writes the .ac3 file with the name I gave it.
Start up Adobe Premiere Elements; I'm using 10, and I use the timeline. I import the video file and the .ac3 file. I double-click the video and shorten it to the first useable snap. Then I double click the .ac3 file and do the same.
I drag the video to the timeline and play it just o make sure it's where I want it and to watch the waveforms from the audio portion. Then I drag the audio to the narration track and sync its snap to the snap on the video's soundtrack. If I remembered to record at 48000, all is in perfect sync.
Right-click the video and select Unlink video and audio. Then select only the audio track that is with the video and delete it. Then select the video and .ac3 tracks and link them. Export to DVD, and I get a 4-channel surround sound with the video.
I understand from Audacity forums that the assignments of the various channels to left, right, center, and LFE have changed between versions. Be aware the assignments may not be correctly reported here and that they may change with later versions of Audacity.
Audacity is free, and so are LAME and FFmpeg. Audacity lives here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and its wiki is here: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Audacity_Wiki_Home_Page

Can I Connect an iPod Nano to Logitech Z-680 surround sound system?

I want to know if I can connect my iPod Nano 16GB to my Logitech Z-680 Surround Sound System. I already connect my MacBook to the system by plugging into the three plugs in the back of the controller then those three plugs merge into one plug which I then plug into the headphone jack on the side of my MacBook. Since the battery life of my MacBook is 2 hours, at best, Id like to use my iPod to play music. I tried plugging in the plug that I use for connecting my MacBook into the headphone jack of my iPod but I could not get any sound. The single plug seemed a bit small for the iPod. There are, also, two other jacks on the Logitech Z-680 controller, which are located on the front of the controller. One is for headphones and the other I am not sure. It has a musical note symbol above it. I have never used that jack before. Any suggestions/guidance is greatly appreciated.

This video guide should explain it:
Guide
I cannot see the video where I am right now, hopefully this helps. Unfortunately it's quite busy and difficult to answer your questions with the right research.
I am a Bestbuy employee who volunteers on these boards on my own time. I am not paid for posting here, and you should understand that my opinions are exactly that - opinions. I do not represent Bestbuy in any way.
: Open Mailbox

Any services included when you purchase TV, Surround Sound, etc. ?

Hi there,
This past week I purchased a Samsung flat panel TV, 5 surround sound speakers, a Denon multi-zone receiver and a subwoofer from my local Best Buy store. The sales rep who helped me was awesome and he made my wife and I feel very confident that we were getting the right combination of separate components to fulfill all our needs.
I already wall mounted the TV but I am a little concerned that I will run into problems when I try to install the 4 in-ceiling speakers and connecting everything behind the walls / ceilings into the receiver.
Does Best Buy offer any Geek Squad installation services free of charge after you spend above a certain dollar amount on all of your equipment at Best Buy?
Thanks!

We offer several home theater install option. Please click this link.
Adam
Best Buy Community - Retail, Americas
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Critical Surround Sound bug in Logic 8

Unlike many of you I purchased Logic 8 to do surround sound mixing. I liked the fact that it included Sound track Pro. I quickly realized after purchasing it that soundtrack pro had its limitations with regard to doing full audio post for film projects that i am accustomed to doing here in Los Angeles. I turned to Logic as an alternative only to find out that the surround panner is inadequate and somewhat limited when trying to automate it. The issue is that when trying to do a 360 degree pan counter clockwise the node reverses itself clockwise once you cross the 180 degree position in the plane or center of the rear speakers and then continues its counter clockwise 360 degree path. This causes a noticeable stutter in the audio as there is a 1 to 2 millisecond delay that occurs. This also occurs when moving the node from left to right across the rear speakers. I have posted this message to bring attention to this issue in hopes of getting this resolved quickly. I have used many surround sound programs and this is the first time that i have ever encountered this type of problem.

DJWillis wrote:
Since this morphed a little into a Logic vs PT threads as for benefits and drawback, one question always occurs to me when I see any post on surround sound: do you know ANYONE who has a surround sound system in their home who is just a regular consumer, and not a pro audio person testing a mix?
I don't. Surround sound is only for theatrical releases, and it's just small component of seeing a film. No one goes or doesn't go to a movie because it does or doesn't have dolby blah blah surround up the wazoo! Who cares? No one. They just want to see a good movie.
I'm always amazed that this marketing gimmick has had any impact. I mix music in stereo. Period. When I edit movies I edit in stereo. Period. No one has ever asked for surround for delivery. But then again, I won't work for the studios.
Surround sound is like 3-D movies -- pretty silly and extraneous to the entertainment experience. (I just saw "Coraline" last night -- my date and I were underwhelmed. It was nice -- but nothing earth-shattering, and hardly worth the whole 3-D effort.)
Sorry to rant, but it's all just so silly. Going from mono to stereo was awesome I'm sure in its day. Same for going from black & white to color and silent to sound. And from VHS to DVD.
But from stereo to surround? Pass. I'm not stringing up a bunch of speakers around the living room because my life is so boring I need to hear sounds behind me when I'm watching a movie!
Hi DJ,
My next door neighbor has a 7.1 system, and has a few audio-only titles. He wishes there were more.
My uncle, a general contractor, also has a 5.1 system in his home, and mostly watches movies with it. He does have an Eagles concert DVD in surround, and likes it a lot.
When I went to Circuit City, which is going out of business, I asked the pro sound guy what was flying off the shelves, and he stated two things : cameras, and surround theater systems.
As to your statement in red, you should probably become a member of either the NARAS, or the AES, they have both conducted research, with doctors both of physics and medicine, about what is more important, both consciously, and sub-consciously, to a human observer, when viewing a moving picture, both with and without sound.
Both guilds agreed that the sound was more important in judging the realism, and therefore what was believed, than any picture without sound, or an picture with poor sound. The determining factor for when an observer was more involved in the experience always ended up being related to the sound, and it's quality, or lack thereof.
And this research was done a while ago. A nice Canadian fellow has been conducting research on this since 1969 :
http://www.psych.mcgill.ca/labs/auditory/laboratory.html
And his book :
http://www.psych.mcgill.ca/labs/auditory/book.html
Let me know if it's too deep for ya... I'll try to find something a little less technical.
Cheers

Recording a surround sound cd/dvd for home theater

I am trying to burn a 5.1 surround sound cd/dvd with different audio in each channel. I have created the file without any problems and it will play on my computer in surround sound. When I burn the cd/dvd (I have tried both) all of the audio plays in all channels. How do I burn the file onto a disc so that it will play correctly as surround sound in my home theater?

I know this question was asked ages ago, but I'm sure others are probably looking for an answer too (as I was over a year ago, when I started working with Audition 3).
In my experience, there is no way to directly export a functional 5.1 file from Audition. You can surround mix a file using the surround panner, but you can't export in the file format used by most home theater systems (.ac3 - Dolby Surround Sound). My solution was to track down a standalone encoder, although there may be pugins available to allow Audition to do this. After surround mixing, I export to 5 mono wav files and then drop them into this absolutely ancient program called Soft Encode, which creates a single, interleaved .ac3 file out of my source files. Then, I take the .ac3 file, create a blank video the same length, and use my video editor to burn them to a DVD.
From what my research turned up, the reason Audition does not have the capability to export in .ac3 is because of the expense of licensing with Dolby. I would love to see a more sophisticated surround panner in AA4, as well as the ability to natively export .ac3 files, but by the same token, I don't want to see a skyrocketing price, so I'm waiting to see what happens!

Sony Surround Sound Query

Hello People,
I've read a few posts already submitted on here, but cannot fathom out the answer, so I'll reinvent the wheel with my question now...
I have a Sony Surround sound 5.1 system with floor speakers, base tube and under tv speaker (not sure that's totally relevent). At the rear of the surround sound unit there are the audio cables, white, yellow and red. These were plugged into the respective three ports in the Sony DVd Recorder which I also have.
So.... I've unplugged the white and red cables from the dvd recorder and plugged into the back of the BTV Box. I have surround sound, but I cannot get a digital picture.
It all seems a little clunky and cumbersome, kind of wished I'd kept my original set up of the Sony system as it was easy, although I wanted the Vision packages.
Confused??? I am!!!
Ta for your help

Guilobo is correct, the yellow is the video out. You need a scart to composite audio phono cable or adaptor such as these examples:
http://goo.gl/8c6YE
http://goo.gl/RtTNW
I've seen them in pound shops and they come with XBoxes etc.

Surround Sound not working on Mac Pro (Early 2008)!

I'm writing this as my last ditch attempt to solve my problem.
Recently I bought a 5.1 Onkyo AV Receiver, model HT-R558 as for the audio output of my machine.
I have connected the device components, however when connected to my Mac using a TOSLINK cable, all i recieve is stereo sound through the front left, center, and front right speakers. - The rear speakers give no output, and the subwoofer only works in iTunes.
As far as I was aware the process was as follows:
Mac Pro with output set to Digital Out connected to the digital out port --> Optical/Toslink Cable --> connected to receiver (Onkyo HT-R558 through optical in on receiver.
I have followed several Knowledge Base articles with no success.
Is the Mac Pro actually capable of 5.1 sound output, or is it an added non-working feature?
I have tried a system utility called Perian, but no luck, also i have found articles saying this can be fixed with Terminal, no luck either.
If anyone has any advice on correctly connecting surround sound to my Mac I would be extremely grateful! I only hope there is something I have overlooked.
At the moment i am running the system using Pro Logic II, though it feels like a let down.

I found the problem, the digital out on my Mac Pro is only capable of outputting stereo, this appears to be an OS X 10.6.8 issue that would need to be addressed via a supplemental update.
I know DVD Player can output 5.1 when set up correctly, so can iTunes movies; unfortunately this appears to be a problem that only has few solutions.
1. Downgrade OS X to a version prior to 10.6.8 (however doing this causes incompatibility with my iOS devices.)
2. Add a PCI Express compatible sound card, or use an external card (requires additional hardware purchases.)
3. Use only stereo capable units with the machine (as anything with higher speaker configurations requires use of Pro Logic II from the receiver/amplifier; not to mention sounds terrible.)
Until, or if this is ever fixed I will stay with option 2, as it doesn't require use of additional software just to use audio, allows me to use the respective amplifier fully, and also sounds better.
Thank you for your advice, I just have to remember to be a little more careful when choosing audio products for use with Mac it seems.
I am closing this question.
Regards,
Peter.

Does anyone know of a mini sterio with surround sound and optical input in Mac Mini form factor?

Does anyone know of a mini sterio with surround sound and optical input in Mac Mini form factor?
I use a Mini as the family media center and would like to have 5.1 or 7.1 sound for films but don't want a huge piece of eletronic equipment (I have one of those, but it isn't hooked up because it doesn't fit on the bookshelf). Years ago I used a PC and still use the Creative Audigy speaker system (Jimmy rigged to the Mini) that I ran from the PC. The Audigy PCI sound card obviously doesn't work on the Mini, so I just have two chanel plus sub. That has been fine since I switched to the Mini in 2007, but am updating to a new Mini in the summer and would like to upgrade my sound as well.
I also wouldn't be opposed to a USB soundcard that can drive the speakers. In fact, my wife would prefer smaller and less visible, ergo USB card hidden in the back.
Suggestions?

Hello John, I figured it was a signal issue. All the speakers fire and the sound is great. I was running the speakers thru a Dell PC with a Creative X-Fi Elite Pro, THX Certified, 7.1 soundcard using a fiber optic from the Mac Pro to the Z906's, it worked great until the Dell died!!! When I bought the soundcard from Creative I also bought the GigaWorks S750, THX Certified, 700 watt, 7.1 speaker system, used the speakers for 11 years and then the woofer/amp said "I QUIT" Creative quit making the speaker system and the sound card. The satellite speakers from the Creative GigaWorks speaker system still sound great (rated at 78 watt each) and are a little better speaker than the one's that came with the Z906 and the wattage from the 906 is sufficient to drive the satellites without any distortion. Thank you for addressing my issue, you confirmed what I suspected all along, just needed to hear it from someone with the same setup.
One last question, I purchased a Diamond Multimedia USB Soundcard, can't use the fiber optic(not supported by Mac) but the green, tan and black RCA's plug in and produces adequetly. When you plug your 906's into the Mac Pro using the fiber optic how do you set your speaker configuration? When I plug into the mac pro with fiber optic the 'Audio Midi Setup' does not seem to see the 5.1 configuration. Any thoughts there?
Carl

Surround Sound Question

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