User Guide

154
WORKING WITH 5.1 SURROUND CHP. 10
Your system must also have an appropriate sound card setup such as:
• 5.1-compatible sound card
• Sound card with three stereo outputs
• Three stereo sound cards
There are several ways to set up your system, depending on the sound card and speaker setup you are using.
Setting up surround projects
You can configure a Vegas project to use 5.1 surround in the Project Properties dialog. You can also choose to
apply a low-pass filter for the LFE channel. Applying a low-pass filter approximates the bass-management
system in a 5.1 decoder and ensures that you’re sending only low-frequency audio to the LFE channel.
1. From the File menu, choose Properties.
2. Click the Audio tab.
3. From the Master bus mode drop-down list, choose 5.1 surround.
4. To limit the audio sent to the LFE channel, do the following:
• Select the
Enable low-pass filter on LFE check box and enter a value in the Cutoff frequency for low-pass filter
box. The low-pass filter isolates the audio sent to the LFE channel by limiting it to frequencies lower
than the value entered in the
Cutoff frequency for low-pass filter box.
• Choose a setting from the
Low-pass filter quality drop-down list to determine the sharpness of the filter’s
rolloff curve.
Best produces the sharpest curve.
Note: Before rendering your surround project, check your
surround authoring application’s documentation to determine
its required audio format. Some encoders require a specific
cutoff frequency and rolloff, while other encoders require that
no filter be applied before encoding.
5. Click OK.
The track list and Mixer window switch to 5.1 surround mode. The Master bus becomes the Surround
Master bus, which contains faders for each of the six surround channels. Surround panners appear on
tracks and mixer controls. Tracks routed to mixer controls (busses or assignable effects) do not have
surround panners; panning for these tracks takes place on the mixer control.
Six powered speakers Six passive speakers with a six-channel amplifier
5.1-compatible
sound card
Connect powered speakers to your sound card’s
outputs as indicated by your sound card’s
documentation.
Connect your sound card’s front, rear, and center/subwoofer
outputs to the appropriate inputs on a six-channel amplifier/
home theater receiver. Connect front, rear, center, and LFE
speakers to the amplifier.
Sound card with
three stereo
outputs
Connect powered speakers to your sound card’s
outputs where you have routed each of the pairs of
channels. The left channel of the Center/LFE pair is the
center channel; the right channel is the LFE channel.
Connect your sound card’s outputs to the appropriate inputs on
a six-channel amplifier/home theater receiver. Connect front,
rear, center, and LFE speakers to the amplifier.
Three stereo
sound cards
Connect powered speakers to your sound cards’
outputs where you have routed each of the pairs of
channels. The left channel of the Center/LFE pair is the
center channel; the right channel is the LFE channel.
Connect your sound card’s outputs to the appropriate inputs on
a six-channel amplifier/home theater receiver. Connect front,
rear, center, and LFE speakers to the amplifier.