Topics covered in this article:
- Speaker setup
- Output routing
- Additional monitoring layouts
Speaker Setup
Open the Room Setup window from the main window menu bar or by pressing Command+M (Mac) or Ctrl+M (Windows).
The Speaker setup tab allows for configuration of the software to match the physical speaker layout of the mix room. This page provides a visual representation of a room with 22 available speakers.
Within the Room Setup window, lit speakers represent speakers used in the current configuration. In a post production workflow, screen speakers are teal, non-screen floor speakers are green, and overhead speakers are blue. In a music workflow, teal and green speakers represent the floor speakers, and overhead speakers are blue.
The default setting is a 7.1.4 room.
If the mix room has additional speakers, click on the additional unlit speaker icons illustrated to add them to the physical configuration. If the mix room has less than a 7.1.4 layout, click on the unused lit speaker icons that are not applicable to deselect them.
Array Mode
The Dolby Atmos Renderer running as the Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite reveals the option to use speaker arrays. Array mode allows for the use of up to three speakers each for Ls, Lrs, Rs, Rrs, and up to five speakers for the Lts and Rts overheads comprised of front height, top front, top middle, top rear, and rear height.
Array mode is used in larger mix rooms and allows the Bed channels to address the entire array while Object Audio can still address each individual array speaker.
Spatial Coding Emulation is disabled when Array mode is enabled.
Routing
The Routing tab in the Room Setup window specifies which outputs on the ASIO or Core Audio device are assigned to each speaker. This page is disabled when the audio driver is set to Send/Return plug-ins.
The layout follows the Speaker setup. For the default 7.1.4 speaker layout the routing for outputs 1 to 12 is the following:
L=1, R=2, C=3, LFE=4, Ls=5, Rs=6, Lrs=7, Rrs=8, Ltf=9, Rtf=10, Ltr=11, Rtr=12
This can be changed if needed by highlighting the routed output and typing in a new value, or by clicking the up/down arrows. Outputs must be unique. If an output is selected that is already assigned, the speaker output with the conflict will display a red outline.
The Routing tab is also where the outputs for headphones and the output range available for live Re-render channels are defined. Outputs must be unique. If an output is selected that is already assigned, the conflicting speaker or headphones output will display a red outline.
The headphone outputs are used when the headphone output is enabled in Preferences or Settings. This routing is independent of the Headphone Only mode routing in the Preferences or Setting Driver tab.
Adding additional speakers will start at output 13. Adding additional speakers for use in Array mode will require adjusting the default Re-render output channels to avoid a conflict.
Note: if a monitor controller is used in conjunction with the Dolby Atmos Renderer, the monitor controller likely has the ability to route inputs. It is up to the user to decide if the mapping to speakers should be done with the Renderer or the monitor control system.
Monitoring
The Monitoring tab is where additional monitoring speaker layouts are defined, if needed. Additional monitoring layouts are a subset of the physical layout. For example, it is useful to create a layout of 5.1.4 if the physical layout is 7.1.4, or to create 5.1.4 and 5.1.2 subsets if the physical layout includes 6 overhead speakers.
Additional Monitor layouts will appear in the Monitoring drop-down menu in the main Renderer window, along with physical (default), 7.1.4, 7.1, 5.1, and 2.0. Note that switching between monitoring layouts can also be performed using the number keys above the QWERTY keyboard layout, starting with 1.
Navigation
Next: Module 4.4 – Speaker Calibration
Previous: Module 4.2 – Preferences and Settings