How does one go about generating an LFE channel for a 5.1 mix?
For example, I’d like to isolate the sub-80 Hz signal from my mono (phantom center, so technically stereo) kick drum audio track into the LFE channel. To this end, I’ve duplicated the kick drum audio track and, in the MultiPannner, turned up the “LFE Level” to 0.0 db. Works great - my kick drum (full frequency) is now summed to the LFE channel. However, the original L/R kick remains with no apparent way to mute it. Selecting any of the speaker icons succeeds in soloing that speaker, but there’s no such thing for the LFE. There’s a “box” icon at the bottom that looks like maybe its supposed to be a subwoofer, but clicking on it doesn’t solo the LFE channel.
Any ideas?
Once I get the LFE channel 100% isolated, I can put a LPF on it and enhance it with processing.
Since I’ve never worked with 5.1 mixing I can’t follow your question 100%, but I understand you wanna split/combine different channels in your mix, right? I used a function once for stereo tracks and I think it could help you as well because it also works for 5.1 - go to: project>convert tracks. Here you can split/merge multichannel audio in different ways. Does this help?
Thank you for the suggestion. That’d work if the audio tracks were 5.1 surround stems, but alas, my source tracks are typically mono or stereo. So, the conversion to 6 channels happens at the audio track’s MultiPanner.
If inserts could be post-panner, as opposed to just post-fader, I could fix this with any plugin that offers per-channel solo/mute, like Waves’ M360 Manager 5.1. Or, maybe there’s a way to do this in Cubase natively?
In fact, that’s what I’m doing now to work around the problem, but it requires an extra step - routing the track to a group. There, I can insert the aforementioned plugin and solo the LFE channel. It’s not beautiful, but it works.
OK - you said you use the MultiPanner. Is it possible the MixConvert V6 or Mix6to2 offers a solution for your problem? Or maybe a subbus in your 5.1 bus. If you have a 5.1 bus in your audio configuration (f4) you can create subbusses by right clicking and send your track to a certain channel. And you can send all your tracks to certain 5.1 channels by using routing/direct routing, for example in the routing rack in the mixer.
Sry I’m just randomly pointing out stuff - still trying to help
Really the way to do that is to make sure you have child buses in your main mix bus (or other bus that sums your mix) and create a mono group for your LFE and route that only to the LFE child bus in your main mix bus (5.1). That way you’re only dealing with one group for LFE where you low pass all signals.
Incidentally though I’m not really sure what the ‘standard’ is for music, but at least in post the LFE literally is mostly for effects and things that are not in the main channels. My worry would be if a listener for some reason doesn’t have the LFE connected, or have it really low, as opposed to the main channels. If watching a movie or TV show it’s often fine to not have the LFE in because the content has been created with the understanding that all main channels should be full range, so if the viewer has more or less full range playback on the mains and attenuates the LFE it’s fine for that - but maybe not if you cut out all bass under 80Hz from the mains.
PS: I do post though, so certainly look to full time music mixers for advice.
