Forum Post

Nick Cipriano (Bang Audio Post) asked a question.

January 11, 2024 at 7:29 PM
Is it possible in the Pro Tools built in atmos renderer (Pro Tools v 2023.12) to output 7.1.2 as a monitoring setup?
I'm trying to setup a small pre-dub room and 4 height speakers are problematic, and 2 are preferred. I remember this was possible in the standalone atmos renderer by creating a custom room layout. If not, is it kosher to downmix (post renderer) in my monitor controller the front and rear height channels from a 7.1.4 renderer output to generate a 7.1.2 monitor feed? Looking at how a 5.1.2 output seems to affect front / rear panning, it seems like it's simple sum Ltm = Ltf + Ltr - 2.3 dB, and same for the Rtm. Is it that simple to just do the same to a 7.1.4 render, or is it a more complex downmix that only the renderer can properly create?
  • 4 answers

  • BennettS (Dolby Labs)

    Hi Nick,

    As you mentioned, the internal Renderer in Pro Tools currently only supports 9.1.6, 7.1.4, 5.1.4, 5.1.2, 7.1, 5.1 and 2.0 layouts. If you are looking to only use 2 overheads i would recommend using a 5.1.2 layout with the internal renderer as opposed to adding post-processing in your monitor controller.

    The 5.1.2 layout in the Renderer is affected by the 5.1.2 trim controls (which can be set for an individual master file) and the, so any summing you perform in a monitor controller will not reflect those changes if different master files with different trim controls are set.

    In either scenario, only using 2 overheads will limit your ability to monitor front-back object movement in the overheads.

    -B
    Expand Post

  • Nick Cipriano (Bang Audio Post)

    Thanks! The idea is I'm looking to setup my small room to pre-dub things into a basic mix and then take the mix into a larger room with a minimum 7.1.4 monitoring to fine tune all the spacialization. It's easy for me to add side speakers for a 7.1.2 setup in my little room, just not as easy to add additional height speakers for a x.x.4 setup. Given that 7.1.2 is the default max width of beds, it seems a bit silly to not actually be able to listen to them in that actual format. But, I'll just give 5.1.2 a go and see how it works out. Thanks again for your response.

    • BennettS (Dolby Labs)

      I'll forward your feedback to the team. This is still early days for the Pro Tools integration, so as it matures they may be able to adopt more monitoring formats. As you mentioned, the alternative is to use the Renderer application until Pro Tools adopts 7.1.2 monitoring.

      -B

  • User16616700200342080688 (Customer)

    Hey guys, I'm in a similar situation to Nick as I have a small room and 4 height speakers is a bit of a stretch to fit in and as Nick points out if a default bed is 7.1.2 it would make sense to have that as a option.
    Im sure we aren't the only two that would be happy to see it added.. keep up the good work and thanks for your time J

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