Specifications

5.1-Channel Production Guidelines Equipment
4-2
Center, Right, Left Surround, and Right Surround) and routing to an LFE channel will
offer the greatest flexibility of sound placement in the surround field. While most
manufacturers provide channel bus and pan features within the console, third-party
developers have created add-on outboard devices with mixing controls to properly
route multichannel audio for 5.1-channel mixes. In addition, whether onboard or
third-party, console parameter automation is an asset when completing complex
multichannel mixes.
Analog mixing consoles with six bus outputs and automation can offer a capable
solution for multichannel mixing. However, since 5.1-channel audio is delivered in
the digital domain, using an analog mixing console requires an additional analog-to-
digital conversion stage.
In contrast, digital mixing consoles offer a direct path to today’s multichannel
delivery systems. Many digital consoles provide format conversion and internal
signal processing. This all-in-one design delivers greater efficiency and flexibility
during production. Be aware though, that unwanted signal delays created by linking
and chaining digital effects in digital audio consoles can cause timing errors between
output channels. For instance, Left and Right audio channels may be configured to
pass with relatively little processing along their signal paths. If the Center channel
signal were to undergo processing using digital EQ, dynamic compression, etc., a
measurable output signal delay would occur between the Center and Left/Right
channels. Acknowledging this, digital console designers and manufacturers have
created a variety of solutions to these timing problems.