Award Winning Stereo-to-5.1 Surround Up-mix Plugin

Transcription

1 Award Winning Stereo-to-5.1 Surround Up-mix Plugin Sonic Artifact-Free Up-Mix Improved Digital Signal Processing 100% ITU Fold-back to Original Stereo 32/64-bit support for VST and AU formats More intuitive GUI and Improved Usage Controls User Guide April Pro Tools Expert 2014 Editors Choice Award

2 Table of Contents What s New in Penteo 5 Composer 3 Reference Materials 3 Important Notes 4 Introduction and Technical Requirements 5 Controls Overview 6 Main Operation 7 Active Modes 9 LF Controls 11 Input Controls 12 Output Controls & Changing Channel Output Order 13 Options 14 Troubleshooting CPU Issues 15 FAQs 16 2

3 What s New in Penteo 5 Composer? Penteo 5 Composer is the best sounding, fastest & easiest way to up-mix stereo-to-5.1 surround for any VST/AU sound design project: 1. New DSP we have optimized our algorithm for all music types for even more channel separation across each of Penteo 5 Composer s six Active Mode presets. 2. Expanded fader ranges With +/-50% more range, you now have complete control over the Center and Rear surround faders /64 bit support for VST and AU formats allowing for full 64 bit processing. As a result, Penteo running in 64 bit mode can run over a third more Penteo instances compared to 32 bit. 4. More intuitive interface - Penteo 5 Composer has a new graphic design with a cleaner, more intuitive look that makes navigation easier. 5. VST3 implementation for improved sample-accurate automation. 6. Improved usage controls Penteo 5 Composer now has a choice of circular or vertical knob drag control options so that a sound designer can select the most natural feeling knob movement. Penteo 5 Composer is also fully enabled for multi-touch screen control, as an alternative to mouse controls. Reference Materials Website: Editor s Choice Award Video by Pro Tools Expert: Surround Master Class: interviews with award winning surround sound designers and composers: Live Master Class hosted by Hackenbacker Studios at Mark Knopfler's British Grove Studios in London: Audio Media Magazine's Technology review on Penteo - see page 42: Audio blogger Tom Davenport's take on Penteo: 3

4 Important Notes 1. Uses: Penteo is now widely used by sound designers and composers in 22 countries for broadcast television, motion pictures, internet streaming, music composition, TV/movie/music restoration, DJ/clubs and gaming uses. 2. No Artificial Means: Penteo will up-mix any stereo track free of sonic artifacts to surround, and as our algorithm uses no phasing/matrixing or any artificial means, any Penteo upmix can therefore be folded 100% ITU back to its original stereo. The result is a rich immersive sound, with precise discrete channel placement and wide, clear separation. 3. Multi-Touch vs Mouse Control Penteo will automatically detect if you have a touch device connected to your host system and if a touch system is detected, then Penteo will default to touch gesture controls. If no touch device is detected, then Penteo will default to standard mouse/keyboard controls. Penteo is multi-touch enabled, allowing a sound designer to control multiple controls and faders all at the same time. 4..wav and.aiff files are recommended for a sonic-free experience. It is not recommended to use Penteo on compressed files. 5. Penteo s process creates some latency, so you must set the delay in your host system before you begin mixing. For more information, please see the FAQ later in this User Guide. 6. Penteo treats every source track uniquely so if you are experiencing too little/too much energy in the surrounds, please use the Surround fader to tip this to the desired level or select a different Penteo Active Mode (such as Penteo Music, Hard Center or LCR). 4

5 Introduction & Technical Requirements Thank you for choosing Penteo 5 Composer from Audiotech Digital (ADL). Penteo 5 Composer is one of the most valuable tools available to audio professionals who need to produce surround mixes. Use the following checklist to ensure that you re set to create great 5.1 audio from stereo recordings. 1. Security: PACE Anti-Piracy ilok2 USB Hardware Key. ilok1 keys will not activate Penteo. 2. Licence: ilok authorization for ADL Penteo 5 Composer 3. Formats: VST 32/64 bit, AU 32/64 bit 4. Hosts: Logic Pro, Cubase and most VST and AU-compatible hosts with surround stem support 5. Operating System: OS X 10.6 and above, Windows 7 and above. Native surround upmixers can be more more performance intensive compared with simpler audio effects like EQs and compressors. Penteo is a native plugin so it uses your computer s CPU to process audio. Modern processors are fast enough to run several advanced effects like Penteo at once, but users may need to tune up their system to make it work reliably. If you see messages like CPU overload error or You are running out of CPU power, then read Troubleshooting CPU Issues at the end of this guide to find out how to manage the situation. 5

6 Controls Overview The following diagram shows the location of the controls in the Penteo 5 Composer edit window. 1 Left Input Gain 9 Ls-Rs Fader 2 Right Input Gain 10 C Fader 3 Active Mode Selector 11 Plugin version number 4 LFE Level Control 12 Peak Meters 5 LF Effect Selector 13 Solo Buttons 6 LF Frequency Selector 14 Mute Buttons 7 LF Diverge Selector 15 Channel Display 8 Options Button 6

7 Main Operation The components of a stereo audio signal can be divided into three categories: i) Monaural components signals that are the same in both channels. These make up the phantom center ii) Differential components signals that are totally dissimilar between channels, including hard-panned signals iii) Intermediate components signals that are partially similar between channels The Penteo process works by separating out these components from the stereo signal and reproducing them in discrete surround channels. The Center channel contains only the mono components. Differential components are usually reproduced from the rear surround speakers. Intermediate components are mainly sent to the front Left and Right speakers. The overall effect is to wrap the stereo panorama around the listener in the shape of a horseshoe, creating a fully immersive sound field that remains faithful to the original mix. No reverb, delay, filter or steering effects are used. Penteo gives artistic freedom over the actual sound distribution using three simple controls: the Mode Selector and two balance adjustment faders. No matter what settings are chosen, the 5- channel output downmixes to the original signal 1. In addition, there is a Low Frequency (LF) section which provides extensive bass management options (see LF Controls) downmix performed according to ITU specification. Processed signal may contain imperceptible numerical differences. 7

8 Depending on the active mode, the C Fader, Ls-Rs Fader and/or LF Diverge controls may be unavailable (see Active Mode Summary Table for details). C Fader The left-hand fader on the main control panel changes the level of the synthesized discrete center channel. The level of monaural components is kept constant by varying the amount of phantom center in L and R to complement the discrete C channel. Ls-Rs Fader The right-hand fader on the main control panel varies the level of the rear surround channels, altering the balance of energy between front and rear. 8

9 Active Modes Your Penteo upmix plugin has six operating modes, described below. These are selected using the control at the top of the main control panel. Penteo Music A good general purpose 5.0/5.1 upmix. The discrete center partly replaces the phantom center provided at the input. Especially designed for application to music sources but also finds a variety of other uses. Hard Center A 5.0/5.1-channel mode that makes a totally discrete center channel available. Ideal when the level or position of the mono content may need later adjustment. Phantom center is completely eliminated with the faders at zero. If the C Fader is pushed beyond 0dB, slight anti-phase phantom center is added for a narrowing effect (use with caution). Backing off to a negative setting puts back some of the original phantom center. Quadraphonic A 4.0/4.1 mode that feeds center content entirely to the front L and R channels (silent center). The C Fader is not available in this mode. Quadraphonic is an excellent mode for building a 4.0 bed for higher channel formats such as Dolby Atmos. Triangle A fully discrete center with the remaining power in the rear (silent L and R). Both faders are unavailable in this mode. The LF Diverge control is also disabled. 9

10 LCR A 3.0/3.1 mode that produces no rear surround content (silent Ls, Rs). Both faders are unavailable in this mode. Stereo Plus A more subtle 5.0/5.1 upmix where front L and R outputs differ from the input in level only 2. Particularly suitable for set and forget use or when surround channels might be lost further down the processing chain. In this mode, the faders are cross-linked so the Ls-Rs Fader controls both subject to LF control settings Active Mode Summary Table A C T I V E C H A N N E L S A C T I V E C O N T R O L S Mode Name L R C LFE* Ls Rs C Fader Ls-Rs Fader Diverge Hard Center Penteo Music Stereo Plus Quadraphonic LCR Triangle *Optional. 10

11 LF Controls The four controls in the side panel to the right control how low frequency (LF) energy is delivered. An LFE channel can optionally be generated from the existing LF content of the signal. Effect In order to use the LF controls, this must be set to SPLIT or BOOST. In the OFF position all LF controls have no effect. The BOOST setting adds LFE content without removing LF energy from the main channels. The SPLIT setting keeps the total low frequency content the same as the input, allowing the LFE channel to share the workload of the main channels. Frequency The LF controls act on sounds below a certain frequency. The crossover point can be selected from five ISO frequencies 1/3 octave apart. LFE The LFE channel is generated from the mono sum using a low pass filter. The LFE knob allows the filter output to be attenuated down to nothing. Under the SPLIT setting, the LF energy in the full-range channels automatically balances with the LFE level. For example, with LFE set to full (0dB), the other channels take on a high-pass characteristic. As LFE is reduced this turns into a low-shelf response that eventually rises to a flat response at the minimum LFE setting. In the BOOST position, the response in the full-range channels is always flat. 11

12 Diverge After any attenuation due to SPLIT, the remaining LF content of the center channel can be redirected to the front Left and Right outputs by switching Diverge to LR. Low frequency signals are usually mono because they cannot confer directional information. This causes them to appear in the center channel only, which can result in signal overload (clipping). Using Diverge can avoid overloading the center channel and allow for center speakers in consumer equipment that have poor low frequency extension. Note: Diverge has no effect under the SPLIT setting if LFE is also at maximum because all LF energy is already taken by the LFE channel. Input Controls The panel in the top left contains the Left and Right Input Gain controls. Using these knobs, the level of the stereo audio signal can be adjusted over a 30dB range (-20dB to +10dB). The main purpose of the Input Gain controls is to make fine adjustments to the channel balance. It is important to set the balance accurately or the center signal is not correctly extracted. In addition, the Input Gain controls can be used to attenuate full scale, heavily compressed input signals which might lead to clipping at one of the outputs. 12

13 Output Controls and Changing Channel Output Order The panel in the bottom left contains Mute and Solo buttons for each channel, as well as a fast-responding peak meter. The Solo buttons take precedence over the Mute buttons. That is, if any Solo buttons are pressed, the Mute buttons do not have any effect. In Penteo 5 Composer, the output channel order can be changed by dragging the channels around in the Channel Display at the top of the Output control panel as noted by the arrow in the image to the immediate left. This will allow you to set Penteo s output channels to whatever order is needed by your VST/AU host. 13

14 Options Pressing the Options button to the left of the Mode Selector opens the Options window and presents the user with four options: A B G C F E D A. User Guide click this button to open the Penteo 5 Composer User Guide, B. Contact Support clicking this button will open up an to send any technical queries to adlsupport@perfectsurround.com C. Low Latency - allows the Low Latency feature to be enabled. A modest delay is introduced in the signal path where Penteo is inserted. This latency is unavoidable because the process needs a short preview of the upcoming signal in order to separate the discrete surround components. Low Latency reduces the amount of look ahead but is disabled by default to maximize audio quality. Toggle this on or off. 14

15 D. Save click this button to save your new settings and exit the Options window. E. Show Tooltips A tooltip is additional information about a control that is displayed when the mouse hovers over a control. Toggle this on or off. F. Cancel click this button when you want to exit the Options window without saving changes. G. Vertical Drag With choice of circular or vertical knob drag usage options, a sound designer can select the most natural feeling knob movement for mouse or multi-touch. By selecting Vertical Drag, the user will control Penteo using traditional up/down motions. By unselecting Vertical Drag, the user will control Penteo by natural motion circular for a knob, or by just pointing directly at the object on the screen. Toggle vertical drag on or off. Troubleshooting CPU Issues If you get a CPU Overload Error then try the following: Reduce Number of host processors to one less than the maximum available. For example, if the list contains up to 8 processors, set this option to 7 Increase the CPU Usage Limit to 95% If errors continue to appear, some of the following measures might be necessary. Increase the hardware buffer size (minimum of 256 samples recommended). Reduce the number of plugins used in the project. 15

16 FAQs 1. Q: I am having problems downloading/installing the plug-in, who do I contact? A: Please us at ADLsupport@perfectsurround.com 2. Q: I know Penteo works with all Stereo sources, but can Penteo up-mix mono? A: No, Penteo cannot up-mix mono. But Penteo can fold Surround back to a mono-compatible track 3. Q: Penteo works with music and dialogue/vocals, does it work with sound effects? A: Yes as long as the source is stereo, Penteo can up-mix it perfectly to surround and also 100% ITU fold it back to stereo 4. Q: Which operating systems does Penteo 5 Composer support? A: Mac OS X 10.6 or later, and Windows 7 or later 5. Q: Which formats does Penteo 5 Composer support? A: VST 32/64 and AU 32/64 bit formats. 6. Q: Which hosts does Penteo 5 Composer support? A: Logic Pro, Cubase and most VST/AU compatible hosts. 7. Q: I am noticing that Penteo can put a lot of energy into the surrounds how do I control this? A: Not a problem: Penteo provides a fader control that allows a mixer to tip more or less energy to the surrounds. In Penteo 5 composer we have expanded the fader ranges by +/- 50% so you now have a tremendous range of control over your faders. However in some rare instances with a very wide spread mix (stereo mix all hard left and right) that may put too much sound imagery to the surrounds. In this case, the mixer should change to Penteo s LCR mode and then place the discrete sound they want into the surround. 8. Q: Does Penteo sound the same for every song? A: No each song or mix will behave differently due to the original stereo mixer s settings. This is why there are comprehensive controls to allow the up-mixer to have complete control over any situation 16

17 9. Q: What is Penteo s latency/delay? A: Every plug-in has a modest delay - Penteo needs to preview the upcoming signal in order to separate the discrete surround components. Latency really isn t an issue as the mixer can use HDX delay compensation to account for the latency. But to help further, under the OPTIONS button, there is a low latency setting as well. The metrics between the two latency settings is as follows: At a sample rate of 48 khz: Latency Milliseconds Frames Frames Frames Samples @30fps Normal 10, Low 3, Q: I am hearing sonic artifacts from Penteo. A: If you are using a source track that has any phasing already in it, Penteo will repeat those phase issues. But when up-mixing a stereo track, Penteo does not create any sonic artifacts. If you believe you have a situation that requires testing, then please the stereo stem files in question to ADLsupport@perfectsurround.com and we can test further. 11. Q: Can Penteo use Dolby Lt Rt encoding/decoding? A: YES! Penteo is unique as we are the only upmix plugin that does not use any phasing or any artificial means to generate our surround field. Since we do not alter the stereo mix, our algorithm introduces nothing foreign to the upmix - so no unwanted sonic artifacts there - and therefore downcompiles back perfectly, 100% ITU back to the original stereo. So this natural approach extends to Lt Rt as well - since we don't introduce any phasing in our process, this will logically extend that there is no phasing in our Lt Rt mix. Penteo therefore works perfectly well with Lt Rt and L0 R0 formats. 17