Hi
From: Chris Cody <[email protected]>
Subject: [Sursound] B format recording
Does anybody know weather it is possible to record and mix B format
in Pro
Tools 9? I have been looking around for a plugin, with not much
luck. It
appears SoundField have one, but I can;t find out if it is
compatible with
PT9 (only PT8HD or VST) I have just started teching at a venue with
a pro
tools rig, and while I despise it, I think I'm stuck with it for
the time
being.
ProTools 9, like ProTools LE, has a fairly limiting stereo
architecture for ambisonic work. I have made some RTAS plug-ins that
can work around it, using Max 4, so they're Pluggo plug-ins.
They use a hidden 4-channel bus, so are not entirely straight-forward
to use. The panners for example (mono and stereo in) have a 4-channel
B-format output that bypasses the channel fader. You then have to use
two stereo aux input channels to pick up this B-format and pass it to
the outputs, or use a decoder that is made up of stereo aux channels
with a series of plug-ins to decode to pairs of speakers. Luckily, as
PT 9 can use any interface, including Soundflower on the same
computer, you can forget the decoder plug-ins, just output B-format
and use an external software decoder. Mine is now built in Max 5, and
can do up to 16 loudspeakers.
B-format signals have to be split into four mono files by ProTools (I
think it will import these, though its easy to do in Audacity). If
using an external decoder, these can be routed to the B-format
output. You can drag two mono files onto a stereo track if it makes
things easier. Just ensure that all files are all positioned to start
at exactly the same time before doing any editing (click on one, then
ctrl click on the one you want to align to it). You shouldn't have
this problem as all tracks, including the mono/stereo ones comprising
B-format will all be recorded together and start at the same time.
Then group all tracks together in the Edit window. Otherwise I
managed to make a plug in of two halves to manipulate B-format, along
the lines of the panners.
One big problem is that Max 4 never got to dealing with multiple
cores, so you are restricted to one RTAS processor, otherwise it
starts glitching and crackling as the load on that processor gets heavy.
While I don't have the gear to do surround at the moment, I would
like to have the B format stuff sussed in stereo first so that I
can upgrade
later in the year.
You can just use a two speaker decoder.
Basically what I need is:
A way to mix any additional spot mics or solo mics into the B format
universe
A way to mix the B format from the soundfield and spot mics into
mono/stereo
(upgradeable to surround)
All using pro tools 9. :(
It can be done, but something else like Reaper would probably be
easier. Even though my plug-ins work until the processor load gets
high, I find other programs better for ambisonics. Even Logic which
is pretty crippled except for really basic mixing of B-format and
mono and stereo into B-format
If Pro Tools isn't an option, what do you recommend that will work
with a
digi 002? (until I can upgrade and remove digidesign rubbish from
my life
all together)
Though I too have reservations about the quality of the audio from
the Digi 002, I have used ProTools for many years, and it is still my
DAW of choice. All the others have come round to trying to emulate
it, with varying degees of success. It was made to do audio, whereas
most of the others grew from Midi workstations. It is powerful with
good file handling, a minimum of screen clutter, and is fairly easy
to learn and to use. However it is not a particularly good host for
ambisonic work. The full toolkit might make it better, but it costs
an arm and a leg.
Ciao,
Dave Hunt
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