SurCode for Dolby® Pro Logic II
Contents
1. A 13 E 9 ENCODE P 10 iv 12 20 matrix vs discreet 5 F files source 8 ETYM Toi Mc 19 m 10 11 BAGS M 23 H BOSE DUAL TORI 7 iLok dongle 7 licensing 7 NCS 8 Input REI 10 12 the 8 18 WPS Cea PACT n 7 I O channel paths 8 configuring 16 routing inputs 17 selecting outputs 18 L 5 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 29 Hu m 5 8 10 12 employing 12 synthesis 19 Gy 1G CG 1G m 19 Crossover 19 Speaker Size 19 licensing version 2 2 9 10 11 tem 11 loudness Additional Parameters 29 anchoring 24 gating 23 measuring 22 Momentary 24 regulations 22 Short Duration 24 True Peak 23 WIC ASU DE eoe e a SEP RE IESU ERU SENE a 13 m 5 12 pre encoded 16 pie H A 11 printing or bouncing2. section below OPTIONS here are four decoding options one enabling a gain makeup feature and the three remaining provide LFE synthesis Gain Makeup Because of gain staging in the encoder a round trip encode decode produces surround content is 3 dB or 3 dB down from the original input stem The Gain Makeup toggle compensates for that increasing the amplitude 3 dB on decode to provide unity gain across the encode decode process LFE Synthesis The LFE switch enables or disables the LFE synthesis function in SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Not part of the Pro Logic specs LFE synthesis extracts low frequency information from the front left and right channels and routes it to the LFE output CROSSOVER he Crossover menu sets the turnover or resonant frequency for the low pass filter that routes content to the derived LFE SPEAKER SIZE The Speaker Size label is borrowed from bass management and though it is a bit of a misnomer SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 19 in this application was used because of its familiarity Speaker Size determines whether the de rived LFE is 10096 routed to the LFE channel Small or is diverged equally to all channels Large he Small setting redirects frequencies below the selected crossover frequency exclusively to the LFE channel High pass filtered audio above the crossover frequency it directed equally to the other non IFE channels The Large setting directs an equal
3. environment so the desired end result when listening at home can be obtained from a similarly cal ibrated home theater system Stereo music on the other hand is not monitored through a surround system when being mixed so it is not really known at that time how it will sound when played on a surround system For these reasons the Movie mode of Pro Logic II has preset characteristics to ensure consistent results Music mode however can be user adjustable assuming the decoder manufacturer decides to offer any of the following three optional controls These controls are useful in any kind of decoder to allow optimization of the soundfield as desired but are especially effective in automotive applica tions due to seating and speaker positions The goal for music playback is to have the sounds from all the speakers arrive at the listener at the same time which is known as coincident arrival In case the Surround or Center speakers are closer to the listener than the main Left Right front speakers a compensating delay will be applied in the decoder This helps prevent any smearing or combing of the sounds as they combine from the various speakers Lastly the autobalance is turned off in Music mode considering that vocalists are sometimes deliberately placed off center in the mix SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 27 Index A v9 6 5 Additional Parameters l
4. Logic formats By matrix encoding the center surround and LFE or Low Frequency Effects content into the left and right tracks the resulting stereo file is playable on an extremely wide range of consumer electronics Dolby Pro Logic encoded stereo is referred to as an Lt Rt or Left total Right total meaning that the stereo channels contain an encod ed version of all six source channels Being stereo Lt Rt tracks can be played un decoded in stereo and also decoded and played back in derived surround sound SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II can accept up to 6 mastered surround files in either WAV BWF or AIFF format It outputs an Lt Rt stereo file that can be distributed by any analog or digital stereo storage or transmission medium Audio files encoded by SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II are fully compatible with all branded Dolby Surround Pro Logic and Pro Logic II decoders in either soft ware or hardware SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II also contains a decoder which is essential for properly setting your encode parameters The encoder decoder in SurCode can work in real time enabling you to monitor encoder option changes while listening to the result Note Dolby Pro Logic II matrix encoding is a creative process unlike Dolby Digital or oth er discrete digital encoding methods Because the matrix encoder combines or mixes the center LFE and surround elements into the final Lt Rt channels by changing amplitude phase and other parameters th
5. in 21 Loudness Regulations amp Measurements 22 Why Loudness 22 Measuring Loudness 22 LKFS 22 GATING 23 ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS 23 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 3 TRUE PEAK 23 SHORT DURATION LOUDNESS 24 Appendix 1 27 Decoder Defaults 27 Page4 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Overview SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II is a software toolset in plug in and stand alone form that encodes and decodes into the six channel Dolby Pro Logic and Pro Logic II formats as well as decoding into the eight channel Dolby Pro Logic IIx and Pro Logic IIz formats The interface places all controls and information at your fingertips without hidden tabs or layers Being a certified en coder and decoder SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II behaves in exactly the same way as Dolby s own DP570 Multichannel Audio hardware Because you can encode and simultaneously decode in real time it s a simple matter to shape your encoding parameters to optimize your product for delivery in the home or theater With its integrated loudness measurement feature SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II also allows you to create encoded content that easily passes through downstream post production without additional pro cessing or loudness management so your content will be delivered the way you intended SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II converts six channels of discrete surround source files to the broadly supported family of Dolby Pro
6. need to confirm or re assign your program to conform to the following configuration L C R Ls Rs LFE This configuration corresponds to Pro Tools 115 bus assignment This stricture applies only to interleaved files Split mono files are assignable and can be re ordered as needed Inserting the SurCode plug in is simple When you import a 6 channel interleaved sound file into Pro Tools it creates a 6 channel track Before importing the sound file make sure that you have defined 6 channel path in your I O Setup and that it is selected The imported interleaved sound file will make a single 6 channel track on the time line Map the output of this channel to the output you previously specified Split Mono Sound Files If your source files are split mono then we recommend a particular setup in Pro Tools in order to easily bus the 6 mono tracks into a six channel I O path 0 1 Setup Channels Mapping to Output gt Bus 111 112 gt Bus 113 114 gt Bus 115 116 b Bus 117 118 gt Bus 119 120 gt Bus 121 122 Bus 123 124 gt Bus 125 126 Bus 127 128 W 5 1to Stereo Enc Stereo to 5 1 Enc 5 1to Stereo Dec Stereo to 5 1 Dec Bus C R Ls Rs LFE UNDIS R L C R Ls Rs Import Settings Recommended configuration for Pro Tools I O See the illustration above for the recommended configuration A step by step tutorial vid eo sho
7. s decoder defaults Also realize that Dolby Pro Logic and Pro Logic are only one of several matrix decoders available to consumers Other decoders include DTS Neo Lexicon s Logic 7 and DTS SRS Circle Surround Page 20 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Maintenance Disabling or Removing the Plug in We encourage you to download a demo version of our product so you can try it in your own studio However demos do expire and each time you launch Pro Tools you are reminded of that To remove an expired Pro Tools plug in on Mac OS open the Library Application Support Avid Audio Plug Ins directory and either delete the plug in or move it from the Plug Ins directory to the Plug Ins Unused directory On Windows you will find the corresponding directory at C Program Files Common Files Avid Audio Plug Ins The actual SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II plug in is named SurCodeForDolbyProLogicII aaxplugin SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 21 Loudness Regulations amp Measurements Why Loudness To quote the ATSC s A 85 Recommended Practice Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television Consumers do not expect large changes in audio loudness from program to interstitials and from channel to channel Inappropriate use of the available wide dynamic range has led to complaints from consumers and the need to keep their remote controls at hand to adjust the volume for their own listening com
8. tend to pay attention to dialog when it is present in an audio track In the absence of speech our attention reverts to the music and effects in the track The Integrated Dialog choice in the Program Loudness menu uses the industry standard Dialogue Intelligence algorithm to evaluate the amount of dialog present in a file which allows the measurement to pay attention to a threshold amount of dialog just as our brain does None of the standards referenced in the Program Loudness menu mention dialog anchoring The ITU EBU standards are dialog blind So strict interpretation of the standards requires this same approach In SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II you have a choice enabling you to use whichever method produces metrics that make sense to you SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 25 26 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Appendix 1 Decoder Defaults Dolby Pro Logic II decoder defaults Note 1 Autobalance is a feature to the Dolby Pro Logic II decoder that attempts to keep dialog centered by gently gain compensating slight off center panned content to steer it to the center According to Dolby s Dolby Surround Pro Logic II Decoder Principles of Operation there are well known characteristic differences between movie soundtracks and music recordings For exam ple movies and Dolby Surround TV shows are mixed and monitored in a calibrated multichannel
9. the passage of audio So material around the reference level passes through the gate but very quiet material is excluded In the EBU s measurement regime which applies to all loudness management practices world wide there are two cascaded gating processes The first dubbed absolute gating excludes all val ues below 70 LKFS from the measurement This suppresses dead air and low level noise After the 70 gate is applied a second relative gating process is applied As specified in ITU R BS 1770 2 relative gating excludes all measurements that are more than 10 dB below the RMS or mean loud ness If the mean loudness after absolute gating is say 19 LKFS then all values below 29 LKFS are removed from the loudness range evaluation This relative gating is used to remove atypical parts of the signal that are too quiet to draw our attention ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS Once a weighted LKFS value has been measured further temporal or time based integration is applied to derive additional parameters EBU Loudness Parameters Programme Loudness Loudness Range True Peak Level Momentary Loudness Short Term Loudness Programme Loudness The principal loudness parameter is Programme Loudness also known as Integrated Loudness which describes the loudness for an entire program whether it is a 10 second bumper a 15 minute infomercial or a 140 minute feature film Programme Loudness being a measurement derived from
10. 17 R TCCOPOIBBS 16 RC 21 matrik encoding 5 10 12 Matrix 14 11 metadata channel configuration 8 SECON RR Rc 11 meters ballistics 10 Decoder 12 Input 10 loudness 11 Maximum Peak 11 options I9 Peak Amplitude 12 Program Loudness H Short Duration Loudness 11 12 MODE Ten a E E E O AE E E E 13 Modes Page 30 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic enabling 9 Movie 14 Music 14 Pro Logic 13 Momentary 24 PROTO ENG PT S HQ 20 14 14 0 SCL c HOD 18 DV STNG AG MAI 11 OV E 5 P 14 qp E oiee 12 plug in inserting 8 pie ncodeg 16 VOU 17 Prosram 11 Pro CC OCIS 5 Ig odi Brera 15 16 Peo Losie VOC P 13 R regulations loudness 22 es
11. C will behave in the real world The worldwide standard for maximum permissible True Peak Level is 2 dBTP or 2 dB below 0 LKFS when measured with a True Peak meter SHORT DURATION LOUDNESS Page 24 Short Term Loudness 3 second overlapping and sliding measurement window or time interval is integrated to produce a Short Term Loudness value Imagine a 3 second selection that slides along the time line accumulating measurements as it goes Three seconds is a relatively long time period and provides a good indication of the loudness trend of the material As mentioned above Short Term Loudness is weighted Momentary Loudness The Momentary Loudness metric integrates a 400 msec overlapping window that slides along the audio time line short enough to ignore the long term trends that our brain largely pays atten tion to while still able to capture common transient events like percussive attacks and other events that may either grab our attention or greatly annoy us Momentary Loudness is also weighted Maximum Momentary and Maximum Short Term Loudness when evaluated together are ideal for gauging the loudness of short form content such as commercials Anchoring The final aspect of loudness measurement that may need a bit of explanation is the anchor ele ment SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II s Program Loudness window provides two choices implied program or dialog Because our brain is highly tuned to speech recognition we
12. EL Sonn pe nmm vertvvvvvvtert BE poinput 7 20131212 0198 output utput utput utput C Mono utput utput Preparing to print your LtRt to disk 4 Next route the input of the 5 1 Aux Input Step 2a above or 5 1 Audio Track Step 2b above to the same 5 1 path referenced in the previous step ProTools File Edit View Track Clip Event AudioSuite Options Setup Window Marketplace Help a hY2 O X2 4 Tue 26 PM Edit PLIL v3 Beta r a _ EY a gth Nudge 845994 2 vevvivvvvevev inactive 5 1 to Stereo Dec 5 1 path inactive Bus 5 1 LtRt Decode 5 1 Output 5 1 GROUPS Routing your inputs 5 Lastly route the output of this track to the 5 1 output path you created in Step 3 of the above section CONFIGURING YOUR PRO TOOLS 1 0 PAGE 16 Print 2 Output SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Il Page 17 png f amp ProTools File Edit View Track Clip Event AudioSuite Options Setup Window Marketplace Help Q hY2 0 X2 4 126 Length vevvivvvvevev BE output utput Output selection 6 To begin decoding your LtRt insert the plug in onto the st
13. LKFS uses a related unit LUFS or Loudness Units relative to Full Scale It s a matter of se mantics but think of LKFS and LUFS as conceptually interchangeable though the EBU recom mends using LUFS TRUE PEAK The True Peak measurement method was developed to address inconsistent or unreliable mea surements made with standard sample peak meters also known as quasi peak or QPPM as found in all DAWs and digital recorders today The disparity between a QPPM and a True Peak reading is often 2 or 3 dB and can be more than 6 dB Inaccurate measurements sometimes lead to overloads clipping and distortion when a signal passes through an analog to digital converter or ADC in the listener s home The problem is most apparent for highly amplitude compressed audio sampled at the baseband rates of 44 1 or 48 kHz A True Peak meter overcomes the inability for low sample rate audio to accurately account for signal changes between sample snapshots In other words they account for signal excursions in between ticks of the sample clock Since a sampled signal cannot encode information at other than the sampling interval any changes to the signal amplitude during those moments of blindness are not recorded However with a bit of mathematical sleight of hand that information between samples can be SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 23 faithfully estimated and measured This allows True Peak meters to provide an accurate gauge of how an AD
14. Limiter is active when the Limiter is engaged The Overload Indicator will be dark when disabled green when the limiter is engaged but inac tive amber when the Limiter is engaged and actually affecting a gain change and red if the signal is overloading the matrix encoder The four states of the Overload Limiting indicator Note The Limiter will prevent the output from exceeding about 0 5 dBFS If the indicator shows red when the Limiter is enabled you should reduce the overall gain feeding the encoder The Gang Faders mode is recommended for that The Limiter is meant as a short term measure to reduce very short duration peaks For comprehensive dynamics management use of a separate dynam ics processor upstream in the signal path is recommended The Metering Section he three loudness metering windows each provide different loudness metrics simultaneously The top window displays one of four variations of Program Loudness The center window displays one of two short duration loudness measurements while the bottom window displays one of two peak amplitude measurements Clicking on the window or window label will produce a menu con trolling its available loudness metrics As the loudness metering is designed to assist in creating LtRt encoded material measurement stops when the Decoder is engaged For an in depth discussion of modern loudness measurement see LOUDNESS REGULATIONS MEASUREMENTS 22 integrated BU I
15. contribution of extracted LFE to all channels including the LFE Automation The Input Trims and all of the Routing controls with the exception of Gang Faders and Reset Faders can be automated in Pro Tools The Decoder controls cannot be automated Encoding Decoding amp Monitoring The two section headers set the modes for encoding decoding and monitoring Clicking on the ENCODE section header enables the Encoder while clicking on the DECODE section header enables the Decoder When the Encoder or Decoder are active their respective section header is highlighted Without eith er the Encoder or Decoder active the inputs are connected directly to the outputs When the Encoder is enabled the Pro Logic II encoder is turned on and the encoded stereo signal is sent to the L and R channels of your I O s output path The other four outputs are muted When the Encoder and Decoder are both enabled you can preview a round trip path hear ing what the end listener might hear in their home This is especially useful in tuning up the input levels for best encoding Note Modern AVRs or A V Receivers have many controls and features Typical consumers use their playback gear set to the factory defaults or if they do change settings use factory presets Fac tory defaults are not standardized only recommended and some consumers are not listening to what may be correct only what they like See DECODER DEFAULTS PAGE 27 for Dolby
16. e channel Input Trim settings are quite important in assuring proper stereo and surround compatibility When compared to AC 3 encoded sound files matrix encoded sound files are not discrete in their surround decoding capability That said Dolby Pro Logic II is the best way to distribute encoded surround mixes or elements within an existing stereo distribution infrastruc ture whether for broadcast cable gaming or optical disc Matrix encoded sound files take up no additional space and use no extra computer resources SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II 5 System Requirements For AAX e This plug in contains both a 32 bit version for Pro Tools 10 3 5 and a 64 bit version for Pro Tools 11 Page 6 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Installation Current installers are available on request via the Update Your Software link in the Support section of our web site On the Update Your Software page please select the product you wish to update Click Next and complete the form An installer download link will be e mailed to you l Download your installer and unZIP the file 2 Select which platform Windows or Mac OS and which plug in format you would like to install VST RTAS or AA X 3 Runtheinstaller which will install both the plug in and the PACE iLok licensing framework This includes the iLok License Manager application Note For version 2 license holders version 3 of SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Il requires purchase o
17. e overall levels into the matrix encoder For more information on gain staging for the encoder see OVERLOAD LIMITING INDICATOR PAGE 11 RESET FADERS The Reset Faders toggle is a momentary control Clicking on it will reset all Trims to unity gain To reset individual Trims control click on the Trims s handle To quickly drop out an input chan nel option click on a Trim s handle to jump the gain to The Limiter The Limiter in SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II is designed to prevent excessive amplitude excur sions from distorting playback Although it is a brickwall limiter and the threshold is not adjust able The attack sustain and release are all very short and the ratio is internally variable in order to achieve the goal of no overs The Limiter is useful if the Overload Indicator discussed below is only displaying a few over loads for your entire track Instead of reducing the overall gain even further the Limiter can catch the few peaks before they overload the matrix encoder SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Overload Limiting Indicator This indicator shows when the matrix encoder is overloaded which can result in distortion If the red Overload Indicator is flashing more than three times per track or remains lit then the overall gain must be reduced until the indicator no longer indicates overload or until there are only a few flashes The Overload Indicator becomes the Limiter Function Indicator showing that the
18. ereo audio track con taining your LtRt by selecting Inserts A E gt multichannel plug in gt other gt SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II stereo 5 1 ProTools File Edit View Track Clip Event AudioSuite Options Setup Window Marketplace Help Q hY2 X2 4 Tue1 26PM_Q Nudge 212222222244 31212 0198 urCode for Dolby Pro Logic stereo 7 Inserting the plug in 7 Enable the plug ins DECODE section and you are ready to monitor or decode Dolby Pro Logic II encoded content directly from your Pro Tools time line En gageDecode 2 Print png Page 18 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic ProTools File Edit View Track Clip Event AudioSuite Options Setup Window Marketplace Help 12 Ow 146 FP 1051 TRACKS 22 Track CHANNEL CONFIGURATION METERS DECODE GROUPS CROSSOVER SPEAKER SIZE Enabling the decoder Options Meters OPTIONS The OPTIONS section includes a meter ballistics choice plus miscellaneous Decoder settings The METERS menu provides a choice of peak or RMS ballistics The peak setting corresponds to a quasi peak program meter measurement method as discussed the
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20. ether 16 24 or 32 in AES data words being filled with valid data The dBFS measuring method itself is frequency blind so to adapt dBFS to measure and correlate to subjective loudness that needed to change The result is the developed frequency dependent LKFS measurement process LKFS is very different from older PPM VU and proprietary legacy amplitude measuring systems such as Dorrough meters LKFS incorporates the following measurement steps a High frequencies are boosted 4 dB with a shelving filter having a 3 dB point at 2 kHz b Low frequencies are attenuated with a 2nd order high pass filter with a 3 point at 60 Hz c RMS power for each of the five main channels in the file is derived d The two rear channels gain compensated by 1 41 dB to slightly increase their contribu tion The result of the previous power measurements for each channel are summed to derive a final LKFS value Of a standard six channel surround file the five main channels are measured The LFE chan nel is not included in measurements The K weighting or the K in LKFS refers to the high boost and low shelving mentioned above Do not confuse K weighting with the unrelated and proprietary K System metering method K weighting s high shelf mimics the acoustical effects of our head while the low cut mimics our reduced acuity at low frequencies The temporal power averaging spectral shaping that favors higher frequencies and discounts lower freq
21. f a license upgrade Licensing This software product can use 1st or 274 Generation iLok dongle for copy protection This dongle must be plugged into a USB port on your host and visible by the iLok License Manager in order for the software to run When you purchase software that is protected by an iLok USB Smart Key the license is generated electronically and must be programmed into the dongle This requires that you have an account at www ilok com When you purchase the software you will have already supplied us with your iLok account s User ID We will send the license or a coupon code redeemable for your license to your account When you launch iLok License Manager it will indicate that a new license has been added to your account The new license will appear in bold type in your list of licenses In the case of a coupon code you can Redeem Activation Code to receive your license Please see iLok License Manager s built in help for more information SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 7 Setting Up Your DAW Interleaved Sources If your source is an interleaved WAV or AIFF file then you may need to anticipate the lim itations of Pro Tools 11 Specifically if your files header does not contain channel configuration metadata Pro Tools cannot pre determine channel assignments and map them correctly In that case the program configuration or channel assignment for interleaved files is predetermined Without that metadata you will
22. fort To address complaints both the EBU and ATSC have recommended that broadcasters move from a peak normalization to a loudness normalization paradigm where the gain of all content is adjusted prior to playout so as to maintain a constant subjective loudness rather than a simple peak amplitude Loudness is a far more complex issue than simple amplitude Being a psychoacoustic phenomenon it is dependent on power frequency and duration these factors are processed in our brains to create our perception of loudness Measuring Loudness Specific concepts terminology and measurement methods have been defined standardized and adopted worldwide to manage the subjective loudness of broadcast material These standards were based on thorough testing using real people not just mathematical models LKFS Page 22 The EBU and ATSC have adopted well defined standards for objective measurement of ampli tude that correlate well with perceived loudness Along with the new standards a new methodol ogy for measurement was defined by the ITU LKFS or K weighted loudness referenced to digital full scale A well established measurement scale is dBFS on which LKFS is based dBFS measures amplitude in decibels referenced to the 24 bit AES EBU or AES data word in use today by most digital audio workstations 5 Zero dBFS is assigned to the maximum possible digital am plitude that can be captured and is defined as all available bits wh
23. hannel For that you will need to create a 5 0 path in your I O setup It is very important to carefully set the six Input Trims Not only are adjusting the inputs critical for compatible stereo and surround playback they are also important to insure that the encoder matrix does not overload at its input or when it matrixes summing multiple input channels If the input source files have been normalized which is not recommended the encoder will overload as soon as the channels are matrixed Multichannel peak input levels can also overload the matrix encoder Therefore it is necessary to play back while monitoring your input or source files the en coded stereo Lt Rt output and the decoded multichannel output in order to set the Input Trims for the desired result As encoding and decoding settings are subjective a simple guideline is that the best results are those settings that sound best That is when the encoded Lt Rt sounds reasonably like the Left Center and Right without the surrounds drawing attention to themselves and the decoded Lt Rt sounds reasonably like the Source left and right front while maintaining dialog intelligibility If you are new to Pro Logic II encoding we strongly recommend reading both of Dolby s Mixing With Dolby Pro Logic II Technology and Mixing Information for Dolby Pro Logic PDFs available in the White Papers section on the Manuals Literature amp Guides page of our site Even if you are an expe
24. ing system Because consumer decoders now offer Pro Logic II as the default Dolby Surround decoding system this emulation mode is available to reproduce the original Pro Logic decoding if the consumer wishes to hear it Note This option is not available on all consumer decoders that incorporate licensed Pro Logic technology Monitor in this mode with care SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 13 Music Mode This mode is the most versatile feature of Pro Logic II It activates the settings for Panorama Dimension and Center Width These settings help a consumer to make stereo or Lo Ro material into one that takes advantage of their multichannel listening environment Particularly attractive for automotive entertainment systems this can be used anywhere a simple upmix from stereo is required DIMENSION CTR WIDTH Music Mode controls PANORAMA When enabled this control 10096 diverges the stereo signal to the surround speakers as well as the front Left and Right DIMENSION This adjusts the front to back panning or focus of the signal from the front speakers to the rear speakers CENTER WIDTH This diverges the Center output signal from the Center to both the Left and Right outputs At the 0 setting there is no center width and the center stays only in the center channel At the 90 setting there is maximum divergence with a phantom center Movie Mode This mode is the standard setting for programs with video This dec
25. n headers INPUT and OUTPUT serve as mode switches Clicking on the INPUT header enables that section and places the plug in to encode mode Clicking on the OUT PUT header enables that section and puts the plug in into decode mode In the illustration above both the ENCODE and DECODE sections are enabled ENCODE INPUT enabled and OUTPUT disabled SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Il Page 9 When both sections are enabled the plug in serves as a round trip decode after encode cessor so the input can be adjusted to produce an acceptable decoded output When neither section is selected the processor simply monitors input THE ENCODE 5 Page 10 The ENCODE section provides controls for adjusting input gain as well as ganging and resetting the input trim controls The brickwall limiter can also be enabled and its accompanying LIMIT ING indicator is part of the ENCODE section Input Meters There are six channels of input metering plus a separate two channel Lt Rt just to the right of the input metering The meters quasi peak reading meaning they are non oversampling with ge neric peak reading ballistics Each meter also has a floating RMS segment with its characteristically slower fall time The stereo Lt Rt meter is only active when the encoder is enabled Input Trims The linear Input Trims Left Front L Right Front R Center C LFE or Subwoofer LFE Left Surround Ls and Right Surrou
26. nd Rs have a range from 6 dB of gain to infinite loss The input trim controls have input meters as their background The trim knobs are transparent when not in use so as to not obscure the metering Option clicking on an input trim control will reset that trim to unity gain Beneath each input trim is a numeric gain readout That numeric indicator also serves to set the individual trim gain by direct numeric entry Double click on any trim gain field to type in a new trim gain value After entering a desired value hitting the enter or return key will cause that trim control to assume the new gain value while updating the current trim gain readout It is very important to correctly set the Input Trims Not only are the Gain Trim settings critical for compatible stereo and surround playback they are also important in ensuring that the matrix encoder does not overload at the input or when it matrixes the multiple channels See ENCODING PAGE 12 for a detailed discussion Trim Controls Beneath the input trims are two toggles Gang Faders and Reset Faders along with the Limiter GANG FADERS The Gang Faders toggle when enabled groups or gangs the input trims so they maintain their current offset relative to each other This function is useful if your overall levels are too high or low after adjusting the individual Trims This is particularly true if overloads occur during playback prior to encoding Gang Faders allows you to reduce th
27. ntegrated Dialog __ Short Duration Loudness __ _ Short Term Loudness 0 02 Maximum Momentary Loudness Maximum Peak __ MaxmumTme Peak Maximum Sample Peak PROGRAM LOUDNESS In SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Program Loudness metrics are available in four forms Un less you have a particular reason to view one of the other versions Integrated ITU 1770 2 3 is the SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 11 preferred mode being the mandated measurement method Remember that Program Loudness is applicable for the entire program head to tail SHORT DURATION LOUDNESS If you work on short form content you should keep track of your material s short duration met rics When evaluated together Maximum Short Term and Max Momentary are ideal for gauging the loudness of short form content such as commercials PEAK AMPLITUDE The Peak Amplitude meter is another metric where you should probably stay on the True Peak setting as it is a mandated metric and will help you deliver distortion free program to your listen ers Check with your own clients and regulations to determine the permissable True Peak value for your content Encoding When up to six input files have been appropriately routed you are now ready to set your encod ing options In addition to 5 1 surround stems SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II can also work with 5 0 channel inputs a stem without an LFE c
28. o Software Inc SurCode is trademark of Minnetonka Audio Software Incorporated SurCode and SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Il are registered trademarks of Minnetonka Audio Software Incorporated All other trademarks are property of their respective companies 140102
29. ode for Dolby Pro Logic Loudness Measurement The ATSC A 85 recommended practice states that during production the loudness of surround programming should be measured in both its surround mix format PCM audio in and its 2 chan nel dowmix output of the encoder If the encoding mode is turned off SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II will loudness measure the incoming PCM only up to 5 1 If the encoding mode is turned on the plug in will measure the output of the encoder An optional switch is available to disable measurement altogether Measure Reset Meters Enable or Disable Loudness Measurement Decoding Decoder options do not affect the Encoder but do offer the ability to gauge the listener experi ence with both un encoded LtRt and encoded material decoded into surround It also provides an entry level upmix option Mops Dolby Pro Logic I encodes 3 1 or three front channels and a mono surround while Pro Logic II encodes 3 2 or three front channels and stereo surrounds Pro Logic II allows for four different decoding modes Pro Logic Music Matrix The MODE menu Three of these modes are totally predefined and no additional controls are available These modes are 1 Pro Logic emulation mode 2 Movie mode 3 Matrix mode For Music mode only the Center Width control Dimension control and Panorama modes are available as options Pro Logic Mode This is Pro Logic IIs emulation of the original Pro Logic decod
30. oding is based on the origi nal Pro Logic decoding scheme but with the mono Surround channel separated into Left and Right Surround channels Matrix Mode This is primarily for radio reception in cars It is essentially the same as the original passive Dol by Surround decoder without the directional steering provided by Pro Logic CHANNEL CONFIGURATION CHANNEL CONFIGURATION sets the Decoder to the desired playback speaker configuration Page 14 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Il Phantom Center 3 Stereo 7 1 5 1 7 1 2 Channel Configurations he six channel 5 1 configuration is the default Phantom Center is for Left Right stereo only 3 Stereo is for a Left Center Right front only configuration Pro Logic 71 and 6 1 Pro Logic IIx configurations according to Dolby Labs are extension of Dolby Pro Logic II matrixing technology that delivers enveloping 6 1 and 7 1 surround sound from both stereo and 5 1 content and incorporates soundfield tailoring for movies music and games The 6 1 configuration assumes a rear center channel while the 7 1 configuration assumes left and right side channels at 90 to 110 to each side of the listener There are no height channels L m _ 09 22 30 pa 9 E DUJ ser10je10qe q oq E0070 Pro Logic IIx speaker configuration SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Page 15 Pro Logic 17 Unlike Pro Logic IIx Dolby Pro Logic IIz intr
31. oduces a vertical component to the horizontal soundfield of a conventional 5 1 or 7 1 surround sound system with the addition of speakers located above the front left and right speakers Dolby Labs states that because it processes only nondi rectional sounds for the height channels Dolby Pro Logic IIz maintains the integrity of the source mix so the effects are always appropriate to the material This added dimension complements the sound from the rear surround speakers increasing spaciousness while staying true to the original intent of the content creator Lr Rr RECORDINGS You can use SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II to monitor and decode Pro Logic II encoded files in Pro Tools To do this follow the steps below to configure your Pro Tools I O Configuring your Pro Tools l Select Setup I O to launch the Pro Tools I O Setup dialog 2 Under the Output tab select New Path 3 In the New Paths dialog specify 5 1 from the Bus Type drop down menu then select the Add default channel assignments check box 4 Click Create Note Your Interface needs to support six or more output channels in order to create a 5 1 output path in Pro Tools 5 Onthe Bus tab select New Path 6 In the New Paths dialog specify 5 1 from the Bus Type drop down menu then select the Auto create sub paths option 7 Click Create You may want to re name this bus by double clicking on the Bus Name We rec ommend LtRt Decode Each
32. oudness 23 A 5 8 Anchoring loudness 24 20 B E AN 10 Dus S 8 BW E E 5 C udine 9 14 channel AGS 1S 8 Channel C OG 14 CchannebL Secciones auo exu TEE EEEE 8 COMMIS UE VOUT DANN N 8 nU 19 D decoder 3rd Party decoders 20 default settings 27 Dolby Pro Logic II 5 LS COINS 20 CE COG AEP CNC OUI IM assa eti ioo pnr bU en 10 Decoding modes Matrix 14 Movie 14 Music 14 Pro Logic 13 Pro Logic IIx I5 Pro Logic Iz 16 coe ate 19 Gain Makeup 19 Pine iSO HO RN 14 Dolby DP570 gt 28 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Pro Logic 2 Tat 12 Doly Pro rps press E 5 Dolby Pro Logic II decoders 5 SUTON 5 P 5 E Enable or Disable Loudness
33. ourbode for Dolby Pro Logic i User Manual Minnetonka Audio Software Code DOLBY PRO LOGIC Il SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II Copyright 2006 2014 Minnetonka Audio Software Inc SurCode is a trademark of Minnetonka Audio Software Inc All rights reserved Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories Dolby Pro Logic and the double D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Copyright 2014 Dolby Laboratories rights reserved AUDIO SOFTWARE Minnetonka Audio Software Inc 17113 Minnetonka Blvd STE 300 Minnetonka MN 55345 1153 1 952 449 6481 www minnetonkaaudio com The SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II user documentation 2014 Minnetonka Audio Software Inc All right reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview 5 System Requirements For 6 Installation 7 Licensing 7 Setting Up Your DAW 8 Interleaved Sources 8 Split Mono Sound Files 8 Using SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic 9 The Interface 9 The Sections 9 ENABLING MODES 9 THe ENCODE SecTION 10 Encoding 12 EMPLOYING LFE 12 Loudness Measurement 13 ENABLE OR DISABLE LOUDNESS E 13 Measurement 13 Decoding 13 13 CHANNEL CONFIGURATION 14 Lt RT RECORDINGS 16 Options 19 Meters OPTIONS 19 DECODE OPTIONS 19 Automation 20 Encoding Decoding amp Monitoring 20 Maintenance 21 Disabling or Removing the Plug
34. relative sub path will then take on that root or base name Observing this optional step will allow for more complex routing schemes as you get more comfortable with the new SurCode for Dolby Pro logic II feature set and is a necessary step in instantiating a multichannel plug in on a stereo track in Pro Tools 6 Click OK ProTools File Edit View Track Clip Event AudioSuite Options Window Marketplace Help QW2 lt 2 4 11 41 Q Length GROUPS CEN Zac TE u Configuring Pro Tools I O Page 16 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Il Routing SurCode for in a Session l Import an LtRt into your Pro Tools session and instantiate it on a stereo audio track 2 Select Track New to open the New Tracks dialog a monitor an LtRt for quality control purposes create 5 1 Aux Input b To Decode an LtRt to your Pro Tools time line create 5 1 Audio Track 3 Route the output of the stereo audio track containing your LtRt audio to the 5 1 bus you created in step 5 of the section CONFIGURING YOUR PRO TOOLS 1 0 PAGE 16 above ProTools File Edit View Track Clip Event AudioSuite Options Setup Window Marketplace Help a hY2 Q 4 Tue 26 PM Beta m ie ENPA 000 1111000 F
35. rienced PL II mixer a quick read might provide a tip or two that you can use For more generic and more technically presented information the ITU s Broadcast service Recommendation ITU R BS 775 2 may be of interest LFE Page 12 An optional LFE track can be included as a source and will be diverged into the four or five main channels As with all surround content the LFE channel should only be used for as its name implies low frequency effects not music or dialog When including an LFE track as one of your inputs be advised that adding LFE content can cause clipping and unacceptable results in the LtRt and the decoded surround You should set up real time simultaneous encode and decode to moni tor your delivery levels While watching both the LtRt meter and the 6 channel Decoder meters set the input gains accordingly using the Trims The recommended industry best practice calls for the LFE channel to have a gain of 10 dB rela tive to the front channels during recording and 10 dB on playback The industry has generally not adhered to that recommendation and real world values are anywhere between 0 and 10 dB of com pensation In the case of SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic the default 15 4 dB of gain on playback driven by customer requests We recommend that you adjust the input Trim on the LFE channel starting with 4 dB and running through your program while making appropriate changes to the lrim setting SurC
36. uencies and spatial weight ing that boosts rear channel content incorporated into the LKFS standard correlates quite well with what our ear brain combination perceives as loudness As with older ad hoc and published industry standards that establish a nominal signal amplitude defined as a reference level the EU mandates 23 LKFS while 24 LKFS is the reference level for North America 23 or 24 decibels below LK Full Scale This specified reference level is referred to as SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Target Loudness As point of reference an in phase stereo 1 kHz sine wave at 18 dBFS reads at 18 LUFS absolute on an EBU mode loudness meter However since LKFS is frequency dependent this can only be used as a very rough rule of thumb when mixing in the era of constant loudness GATING Our brain is quite good at adjusting to varying sound pressure changes over time We can adapt to a wide range of soundscapes from a low amplitude outdoor background mix of mild wind and insect noises to an orchestral crescendo heard from the second row In order to better measure subjective loudness with only simple calculations the EBU found that really quiet audio needs to be ignored This is accomplished with a gate as in noise gate A gate can be thought of as a garden gate that is open under normal conditions letting everything pass though unimpeded When the audio amplitude falls below a pre defined threshold the gate closes cutting off
37. wing you how to set up and instantiate the plug in is available on our YouTube channel at https www youtube com user Mtka Audio Page 8 SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic Using SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic The Interface SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II provides all user controls in one unified window This means that all the information you need is available when you need it without calling new windows or changing tabs Preset Auto 1 factory default BYPASS SurCodeforDolbyProLgci amp COMPARE 00 CK DECODE PGM LOUDNESS X CHANNEL _ 1770 2 3 CONFIGURATION METERS 9 8 LKFS 5 0 DECODE MAX TP recolentes t 12 DIMENSION CTRWIOTH CROSSOVER SPEAKER SIZE E The SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II main window The Sections SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II displays four sections in the main window INPUT metering OUTPUT and OPTIONS The ENCODE section provides controls for adjusting input gain and enabling the brickwall limiter The metering section provides three windows for standardized loud ness measurements DECODE section provides output amplitude metering along with decoder and monitoring settings Lastly the OPTIONS section includes meter ballistics choices and addi tional decoder options ENABLING 5 The two main sectio
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