Three years after the launch of the new multichannel music delivery formats, many artists, engineers, and producers are still looking for fundamental information on how to best mix and manage music in the multichannel environment.
To assist the professional music production community with the transition to surround, Dolby Laboratories has authored a primer detailing best practices for this rapidly-developing market.
Dolby 5.1-Channel Music Production Guidelines is available immediately as a free PDF download from the Dolby Laboratories Web site. Dolby says its guide is the first such document to clearly present a technical blueprint for creating music in 5.1 channels.
The free publication covers a range of topics such as:
- proper equipment and speaker placement
- calibration for proper monitoring
- metadata planning and implementation
- program interchange guidelines
- explanation of new terminology associated with 5.1-channel production
Of particular interest to mix engineers approaching surround mixdown for the first time, the Dolby publication also provides accurate information that dispels myths concerning both center-channel and LFE-channel usage.
Mix and mastering data sheet templates for 5.1-channel projects are also included.
“This document gives a well-rounded technical overview for those producing music for 5.1-channel delivery to consumers,” comments John Kellogg, General Manager for Multichannel Music, Dolby Laboratories.
“Dolby will update it regularly as new and better techniques for creating surround music mixes evolve.”
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