Softencode settings and othe 5.1 questions

[aicjofs]

While I am thinking about softencode...let's talk about the stero to 5.1 guide.

It seems apparent that the "masters" do not feel the free AC3enc.dll is quite up to snuff(i.e only for testing). I like the sound all right, but I admit softencode sounds better to me. So let's say I am using softencode 1.0 GUI. What parameters do I check and what ones do I not? It seems like I would not want preprocessing after my Bidule "Ambi" output. What about the 90 phase shift for surround? Hasn't this already been accounted for or is this part of the DD encoding process? I'm sure this info is out there somewhere but I didn't find it through a quick search.

Also I like the sound much better when I run 32bit into Bidule. I have been leaving it 32bit in the recorder too(I know there is a 16 bit option). What is the best soultion to return it to 16bit? Is it Bidule or something else? That post is so long(spanning years) that I can't figure what the latest method is. If I put 32bit into BeSweet or Softencode and output to AC3 will it be converted to 16bit? I thought I read somewhere the DVD spec is 16bit. If so, my guess is that I will ended up with a 32bit AC3 that will play on a PC but not multiplexed into a DVD.

Thanks in advance. I know if I searched harder I might find some of these answers but hopefully anyone who has read that 18 page post know how it can hurt the head. :) and I have read it twice.

[ursamtl]

Hi aicjofs,

Probably the best place to get info on DD settings is the www.dolby.com site itself. They have a lot of discussion papers in their Information section (currently the top left link in the bar across the top of their page. If you check in the Technical Information and Dolby Digital submenus, you'll find a lot of informative PDFs.

As for the 32-bit issue, most professionals recommend a process called dithering to reduce 32-bit files to 16-bit ones. Some encoders accept 32-bit files but it's unclear whether they dither them internally or simply drop half the bits, which of course is not good! You can download a free plugin for dithering called mda dither from http://mda.smartelectronix.com/effects.htm. Help for this plugin is available at http://mda.smartelectronix.com/vst/help/dither.htm. To see how it can easily be implemented in a bidule, check my http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79862. Just open the V.I group by CTRL+clicking it, then open the Outputs group by CTRL+clicking it. You'll see that I have three instance of the mda dither plugin for channels 1-2, 2-4, & 5-6. The 32-bit outputs switch in V.I's control panel dialog box switches these dithers on and off using the Bidule program's parameter linking.

Anyway, give this a try and see what you come up with. I know there is some talk that AC3enc.dll is inferior but then I've read other comments that say it is fine with the right settings. However, if you have softencode, it's definitely easier.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or PM me.

Regards,
Steve.