We also do authoring for (UHD) Blu-rays. That’s why I usually only think about this department. There, it’s mainly about the end customer. But you’re right: every broadcaster and every streaming provider has different specifications.
When we create our own mix for a client, we always create an object-based mix. Always.
Then we decide together with the customer in which format it should be released (Atmos, 5.1, Stereo). If the client pays for it, we also create a separate 5.1 mix (for Atmos) or stereo mix (for 7.1 or 5.1). Although we strongly recommend it, most clients do not want a separate downmix. The automatic downmix of the encoder is enough for them. Unfortunately, we cannot force them to listen to our recommendation.
But there are good reasons for a separate downmix: With a Dolby Atmos mezzanine, the stereo downmix is based on a downmix of a downmix of a downmix. (7.1 is based on Atmos, 5.1 is based on 7.1 and stereo is based on 5.1.)
The music composer attacks again…
Situation: Stereo track routed to a 5.1 Group, I want to cut and eq low frequencies in that track but only for main speakers and leave the LFE intact with this EQ , is there any chance to do this, or instead using the LFE knob volumen in VST Multipanner should I send the LFE signal through a Send perhaps?
I still recommend the workflow we mentioned rather than bass managing the mix itself. I know it’s not a direct answer to your recent question, sorry about that (I don’t know the answer btw)…
What you’re doing appears to be bass management (perhaps with “”) within the mix process - not outside of it in the monitoring part of the signal chain. And this is what we were recommending that you don’t do.
In other words, if you want to process your music tracks within a 5.1 group then if you’ve done what we said then you’d have your LFE signal separate anyway, not within that group. So you could EQ any way you like in that 5.1 group and not worry about it also changing the LFE channel because that channel would be empty in the 5.1 group.
Hi, several people have already indicated this, but I feel it can bear repeating:
LFE = Low Frequency EFFECTS.
Not bass management at all.
Usually, in 5.1 surround playback systems, the low frequencies are AUTOMATICALLY routed to any sub in the system, by their own playback system. It automatically routes what need to go to the sub.
All you need to do is make it sound great, and not sorry about creating a superfluous signal chain for the sub management. It is taken care of on the playback side of things, not in the mixing of things.
@Pablo_Borghi You mainly do orchestral recordings, if I remember correctly. Personally, I would recommend that you do your entire mix without the LFE channel (5.0/7.0). And only at the very end I would decide if there is a passage that needs LFE support. If so, then I would create the LFE separately as a mono track and provide it with “content” accordingly.
But this is only a suggestion. I don’t know your personal workflow, nor do I know how you record the orchestra on location.
I assume everything labeled “LFE” at the beginning is supposed to go exclusively to the LFE? Without content, the instruments and some of the plug-ins, the whole project is a bit hard to keep track of, but if I see it correctly, your LFE signals go to the Center.
For me, channels like “LFE Bass” and “LFE Perc - Pulses” have Anymix Pro selected as the channel panner instead of MultiPanner. Is it supposed to be like this?
P.S.: I like “PACIFICO - TOGETHER” a lot. It’s exactly my cup of tea. (Unfortunately the audio quality from YT is pretty lousy as usual.)
Thanks very much Lukas!
I made more changes after reading your recommendations, I’ve decided to do it easier and use only 2 FX (reverb) instances and only one LFE routed directly to the LFE channel of my 5.1 mx out, before of that I had created so many fx tracks and LFE channels to be able to export STEMS in one pass with all the effects and LFE, but I’ll use the queue export in Nuendo from now.
I find it much better solved this way. The LFE is routed exclusively to the LFE in the 5.1 mix.
I don’t want to go into it again, but if you route 48 instrument channels to the LFE throughout, then of course that’s still not LFE in the true sense of the word. Not that you’re not in good company: every surround upmix tool (e.g. Neural Surround UpMix, Halo Upmix etc.) basically works in a similar way. And when creating surround upmixes for old movies, such plug-ins are used in heaps.
But in your case it’s a problem, because in your stereo mix the signal part of the LFE is also included.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any Waves plug-ins installed on my laptop. (We have computers with Waves plug-ins only in the studios.) Otherwise I could have taken a look at your plug-in settings. But on the subject of filters, the most important things have already been written above. (Even if I repeat myself: This is extremely important. Because with e.g. Dolby TrueHD or FLAC the LFE is reproduced 1:1. If present, even with signals above 80/100/120 Hz. Because with these formats there is no LFE lowpass filter, which is applied by default in the e.g. encoder, as with Dolby Digital.)
