Anyway to put *artificial* dolby prologic effect to my MP3s?

[LOLyourFace]

I understand that CDs aren't recorded in a 5.1+ settings, it's merely stereo. But I think Dolby Pro-Logic effect is pretty damn sweet.. even on mp3s. Basically what it does is, it artifically separates certain frequencies to rear channel, thus creating the surreal 5.1 surround-like effect.

I currently have Santa Cruz and Boston Acoustics BA4800 4.1 system. I feel that I'm not totally taking advantage of my 4 speakers when I listen to mp3s. I want different sound coming from rear speakers dammit (just like my outdated Pioneer home theater system with Dolby Prologic)

Any progs you know that do this?

 

[NewSc2]

Dolby Prologic in a 5.1 channel setting will make your rear speakers have a tiny slight echo; nothing big. For music, unless you like the Theater/Concert settings, I don't see why you'd like the echoing music in the back, your walls will do just fine for that. If you want to, I think you can change your settings to a 5-channel stereo. I set my TB Control Panel to 4 speakers, and they're doing okay for my 5.1 system.

 

[LOLyourFace]

no it's more than a *slight echo* it boosts certain frequencies, mainly ambience, and mutes main frequencies for the front speakers to handle. This is how it achieves the surreal surround effect.

Our TB does nothing more than just adding various type of reverb.

 

[manly]

I don't know what Dolby Prologic does exactly, but Logitech's Z-560 4.1 speakers have a feature called M3D that sends some of the frequencies in stereo music to the rear channel. Reportedly it works fairly well.

 

[LOLyourFace]

*ugh* how can you stand that? My brother has the same speakers.

 

[manly]

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
*ugh* how can you stand that? My brother has the same speakers.

Lately I actually use so-so headphones more than I use the speakers. It's a good set of speakers though, not sure if I'm buy it again today if I had the chance.

As for M3D, it seems to mirror the music to the rear channel, but not the vocals. Like I said, reviews seem to say it works okay, but I don't know what Prologic is like. M3D is way better than just having the rear channel duplicate the front channel.

 

[Adrian Tung]

My memory on ProLogic is a little bit hazy, but if I'm not mistaken, Dolby ProLogic is a 2-channel encoding system with the front stereo channels recorded normally, the center channel reduced by 3dB and mixed into both channels, and the two rear channels made out-of-phase with each other and mixed into the whole mess.

When played back on a regular stereo system, you won't notice the difference as the encoding is meant to be backward-compatible (the rear channels cancel out each other, and although the center might be more apparent, the -3dB fixes that somewhat). However, when played back through a ProLogic receiver, it will know how to sort out the mix.

So if you have some reasonably good wave editing software (such as Cool Edit Pro or Sound Forge), you could theoretically construct your own ProLogic-encoded music and convert it to MP3.


atwl

 

[NewSc2]

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
no it's more than a *slight echo* it boosts certain frequencies, mainly ambience, and mutes main frequencies for the front speakers to handle. This is how it achieves the surreal surround effect.

Our TB does nothing more than just adding various type of reverb.

hm, well CD's were recorded for primarily stereo use. I don't think Dolby Pro-Logic would make my mp3's sound any better in 5.1, most likely they would sound a lot worse. I listen to my movies in Dolby Pro-Logic II, but for any music whatsoever I usually resort to 2.0 stereo, sometime 5 ch stereo (but in a 4.0 format)

 

[LOLyourFace]

Originally posted by: NewSc2

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
no it's more than a *slight echo* it boosts certain frequencies, mainly ambience, and mutes main frequencies for the front speakers to handle. This is how it achieves the surreal surround effect.

Our TB does nothing more than just adding various type of reverb.

hm, well CD's were recorded for primarily stereo use. I don't think Dolby Pro-Logic would make my mp3's sound any better in 5.1, most likely they would sound a lot worse. I listen to my movies in Dolby Pro-Logic II, but for any music whatsoever I usually resort to 2.0 stereo, sometime 5 ch stereo (but in a 4.0 format)

yes. but it does sound "better" to my personal taste. I've already pointed out what you just said.

 

[Garion]

To expand a bit.. ProLogic is the original "consumer" surround sound system. It came out in the early 90's, as I recall. ProLogic II was released in the last three years). ProLogic has four channels - Left, right, center, and a single channel for the rear speakers. ProLogic II (like DTS and Dolby Digital) has six discreet channels - two fronts, two rears, a center and a subwoofer. ProLogic II is designed to take a two-channel source (like your MP3's) and make it sound like surround sound coming from all your speakers.

IMHO, ProLogic II is cool for VHS movies, but it makes music sound pretty.... Odd. In any case, I don't think there are any PC-based ProLogic II encoders, so unless you have a modern receiver and are sending your sound output to it, you're pretty much SOL.

- G

 

[0roo0roo]

maybe u can find a prologic 2 plugin for winamp. no point bastardizing your mp3 files themselves.

 

[glen]

The point is, with the compression available now, why not have 6 discrete channels?
This is surely the next step. I imagine we will see it widely available in 1 and half years.