5.1 speaker users: Do you clone your stereo music to the rears?

[brigden]

Curious. I find the music is far too bassy when the two front channels are cloned.

 

[scorp00]

Yes. My setup has software and hardware bass control too.

 

[Gurck]

Of course not, you lose the soundstage.

 

[bradruth]

Yup.

 

[Tremulant]

I turn on hardware acceleration in winamp, which clones the sound to the rears. Thing is, I have my rear speakers under the desk (by my feet), so it's just more noise in front of me.

It does make it very bassy (and much louder) though and I'm thinking of turning it off.

 

[SaltBoy]

Nope. Cloning makes the music sound unnatural, IMO. However, using Pro-Logic or Pro-Logic II makes sense.

 

[brigden]

Not sure why I had it on in the first place, but these posts confirm it should be off.

 

[Amused]

5 channel stereo works for large rooms, especially for parties where no one is in the sweet spot, but for small it's better to use PL/PLII

 

[bradruth]

Originally posted by: brigden
Not sure why I had it on in the first place, but these posts confirm it should be off.

What? Are you calling me a douche!?


I use CMSS2 for my Audigy 2, specifically. Perhaps that's not the same as cloning. 😕

 

[brigden]

I've also noticed that when watching movies I need to increase the volume of the center channel otherwise the voices are too quiet.

I'm new to 5.1 and I'm trying to find the correct settings and levels for music and DVD.

 

[apac]

Wait so it's actually better to use PL rather than 5-ch stereo? I find that anything stereo sounds sort of unbalanced when produced in a PL mode, especially TV.

 

[thomsbrain]

i wouldn't do that unless you like the idea of phase nodes, loss of soundstage, and other nasty stuff.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
i wouldn't do that unless you like the idea of phase nodes, loss of soundstage, and other nasty stuff.

Phase nodes?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: brigden
I've also noticed that when watching movies I need to increase the volume of the center channel otherwise the voices are too quiet.

I'm new to 5.1 and I'm trying to find the correct settings and levels for music and DVD.

Actually, you're supposed to turn up the sound and have equal level across the speakers.

The movie folks want the lows to be low, and the highs to be deafening. So there is a LOT of range in movie sound. It adds drama.

If it bothers you too much, it would be better to add compression to even out the lows and highs than to increase the center channel.

 

[ArmenK]

Only for parties and other similar situations. Otherwise I listen to the music as it was recorded: in stereo.

 

[brigden]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brigden
I've also noticed that when watching movies I need to increase the volume of the center channel otherwise the voices are too quiet.

I'm new to 5.1 and I'm trying to find the correct settings and levels for music and DVD.

Actually, you're supposed to turn up the sound and have equal level across the speakers.

The movie folks want the lows to be low, and the highs to be deafening. So there is a LOT of range in movie sound. It adds drama.

If it bothers you too much, it would be better to add compression to even out the lows and highs than to increase the center channel.

I have the speakers individual volume settings set to about 3/4. Anything above that and the VU Meters are hitting the red. I want to keep them in the green/yellow, correct?

 

[Tremulant]

Originally posted by: brigden

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brigden
I've also noticed that when watching movies I need to increase the volume of the center channel otherwise the voices are too quiet.

I'm new to 5.1 and I'm trying to find the correct settings and levels for music and DVD.

Actually, you're supposed to turn up the sound and have equal level across the speakers.

The movie folks want the lows to be low, and the highs to be deafening. So there is a LOT of range in movie sound. It adds drama.

If it bothers you too much, it would be better to add compression to even out the lows and highs than to increase the center channel.

I have the speakers individual volume settings set to about 3/4. Anything above that and the VU Meters are hitting the red. I want to keep them in the green/yellow, correct?

I haven't checked software or peripherals, but is there a program that tells the dB output or some kind of meter when I'm listening to music?

*Puts on armor and ventures outside of OT*

 

[brigden]

Originally posted by: Tremulant

Originally posted by: brigden

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brigden
I've also noticed that when watching movies I need to increase the volume of the center channel otherwise the voices are too quiet.

I'm new to 5.1 and I'm trying to find the correct settings and levels for music and DVD.

Actually, you're supposed to turn up the sound and have equal level across the speakers.

The movie folks want the lows to be low, and the highs to be deafening. So there is a LOT of range in movie sound. It adds drama.

If it bothers you too much, it would be better to add compression to even out the lows and highs than to increase the center channel.

I have the speakers individual volume settings set to about 3/4. Anything above that and the VU Meters are hitting the red. I want to keep them in the green/yellow, correct?

I haven't checked software or peripherals, but is there a program that tells the dB output or some kind of meter when I'm listening to music?

*Puts on armor and ventures outside of OT*

I'm using NVMixer by Nvidia.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Tremulant

Originally posted by: brigden

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brigden
I've also noticed that when watching movies I need to increase the volume of the center channel otherwise the voices are too quiet.

I'm new to 5.1 and I'm trying to find the correct settings and levels for music and DVD.

Actually, you're supposed to turn up the sound and have equal level across the speakers.

The movie folks want the lows to be low, and the highs to be deafening. So there is a LOT of range in movie sound. It adds drama.

If it bothers you too much, it would be better to add compression to even out the lows and highs than to increase the center channel.

I have the speakers individual volume settings set to about 3/4. Anything above that and the VU Meters are hitting the red. I want to keep them in the green/yellow, correct?

I haven't checked software or peripherals, but is there a program that tells the dB output or some kind of meter when I'm listening to music?

*Puts on armor and ventures outside of OT*

Relative output, yes, but not dB. The sound card doesn't know what sensitivity the speakers are.

 

[brigden]

What setting do you guys typically leave your sub-woofer at?

 

[bootymac]

😕

 

[timosyy]

Audigy's "CMSS 3D" = same thing, no?

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: SaltBoy
Nope. Cloning makes the music sound unnatural, IMO. However, using Pro-Logic or Pro-Logic II makes sense.

I think Prologic sounds much worse. It's not designed for music.

 

[Anubis]

i can run 7 channel stereo, i do sometimes cause its uber loud, most times i run 2 channel

 

[Tremulant]

Originally posted by: brigden

Originally posted by: Tremulant

Originally posted by: brigden

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brigden
I've also noticed that when watching movies I need to increase the volume of the center channel otherwise the voices are too quiet.

I'm new to 5.1 and I'm trying to find the correct settings and levels for music and DVD.

Actually, you're supposed to turn up the sound and have equal level across the speakers.

The movie folks want the lows to be low, and the highs to be deafening. So there is a LOT of range in movie sound. It adds drama.

If it bothers you too much, it would be better to add compression to even out the lows and highs than to increase the center channel.

I have the speakers individual volume settings set to about 3/4. Anything above that and the VU Meters are hitting the red. I want to keep them in the green/yellow, correct?

I haven't checked software or peripherals, but is there a program that tells the dB output or some kind of meter when I'm listening to music?

*Puts on armor and ventures outside of OT*

I'm using NVMixer by Nvidia.

I can't use NVMixer 🙁 I have to use MSI Sound Manager (which sucks), so I just use Windows' sound cp.

This mobo, MSI K8N Neo Platinum, has 7.1 audio, but it uses the Realtek AC97 audio codec instead of Nvidia's Soundstorm. I've been thinking of getting an Audigy (dunno the exact model, whichever is the good one), but I don't really have a need for it.

Howard: kinda figured that I'd need something external to measure dB. Meh, not gonna spend money that I don't need to spend.