Trying to encode a simple 3ch mono ac3 but failing.

[Butcher Wing]

I hope somebody can help me achieve this somewhat seriously basic ac3 track.

I'm wanting to make a 3 channel ac3 track that is just basic mono. I just want the mono to come from the 3 front speakers, instead of having the mono just come from the centre speaker, which is more common. But I can't seem to do it! :(

I tried a program called "wavtoac3 encoder" but there's no user guide for it, that I can find. I thought it would be pretty self explanatory to make such a basic encode, so I stuck with the default settings and imported my 3 identical mono WAVs into the front 3 channels. But after encoding the final result plays back at about 2% speed. It's super super slow, and sounds like a demonic voice. So I went back and tried 4 more times, changing the settings each time, but every time the result is the same.

Can anyone tell me the settings I should be choosing and the boxes i should be ticking please? Or is there a better program I should be using?

Thanks..... A desperate man.

How the program looks. - https://code.google.com/p/wavtoac3encoder/

[SeeMoreDigital]

You should be able to do what you require using: -

Wavewizard v0.54b (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=95265). Which you can use to create a 3Ch PCM in .wav file.

And: -

LoRd_MuldeR's LameXP (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=157726) audio encoding application. Which you can use to create a 3Ch Dolby Digital .ac3 file.

[Butcher Wing]

Thanks, SMD! I'll probably be back if I can't work out the settings, but I think I should be able to work it out myself. :)

[tebasuna51]

Open Wavtoac3 encoder.

1) Click on Mux Wizard.
2) In the new window select Channel config 3/0 without LFE
3) 4) 5) Load the same file for the 3 channels.
6) OK
7) Accept message.
8) Encode.

[Butcher Wing]

Thanks tebasuna, I did that yeah, but the outcome was audio that played extra extra slow-motion, like 2% speed. I have no idea why. Do you?

I just tried it again today and same thing happens. It's bizarre.

[Butcher Wing]

Oh, I downloaded an older version and now that problem doesn't happen. Woohoo!

[SeeMoreDigital]

I must admit... I've never heard of Wavtoac3 encoder :scared:

[Butcher Wing]

Although I got WavtoAC3 encoder to work and the program itself looks great! Full of all kinds of settings you'd want to see in a program like this,... the output ac3 file it produced sounded horrible.

The sound had become all jittery/swishy. Like a poor quality audio track as if had come from a deteriorated cd or something. :( So now I'm back to wanting to use "wavewizard" lol. I just wish I knew how to use it. There's no instructions and the thread is no help for what I want to do.

Maybe you can tell me?

In the channel mapping screen, there are 3 boxes for the 3 audio channels I want to create, and in each drop down box is a "0" or a "1" . I don't know what to choose for each box or even if 0s and 1s are supposed to be there. I tried choosing 1s for all 3 boxes but when I went to encode the output wav it gave me to ac3, the program said "this is a 1ch mono Wav. It didn't do what i wanted. :/

Do I choose the number "1" for each drop down box? I wish I understood what these numbers meant.

thanks for your help....

[Butcher Wing]

Also do i set preferences to "Stitch files", or "merge files"?

[Butcher Wing]

Ok i think i may have worked it out by a bunch of trial and error. No worries. :)

[SeeMoreDigital]

Yes, after launching WaveWizard, select 'Edit' -> 'Preferences'. Then select 'Stream Manipulation' and then 'Merge Files'.

Out of interest, do your 'mono' PCM.wav files have a sample rate of 48.0KHz? If not, you can change this in WaveWizard too.

Dolby Digital 'hardware' decoders prefer a sample rate of 48.0KHz ;)