Behringer DANALOG DDX3216 User manual

ENGLISH
Version 1.0 May 2003
SURROUND OPTION
Brief Instructions Set

1. INTRODUCTION…………...………………………………………………………..……1
2. INSTALLATION……………...………………………………………………………...…3
3. NEW FEATURES..…...............................................................................................3
4.SURROUND PARAMETERS................................................................................…4
5. ROUTING, TIPS & TRICKS (FAQ)...................…..…………………....................… 8
6. BRIEF SURROUND SUMMARY....……...............................…..............................11
1. INTRODUCTION
Once upon a time...
... in the year 1978, DOLBY®Laboratories developed a new cinema surround format
that was first featured in George Lucas’ space adventure Star Wars, causing an
uproar among audiences worldwide. After 25 years of continuous improvements,
surround formats DOLBY®Digital (or AC-3 as well) and the technically more
advanced DTS®(Digital Theater System) are nowadays standard-issue content of
cinema and DVD productions. More and more Hi-Fi amplifiers and receivers offer
corresponding decoders, while numerous Hi-Fi surround speaker sets support the
5+1 speaker configuration requirement.
Until now, only well-to-do studios with massive digital consoles could produce
“Professional Surround”. Today, all DDX3216 users can do it too!
The new surround update transforms the DDX3216 automated digital mixing console
into a full-fledged surround mixer with extensive control possibilities.
Surround-specific settings such as divergence, angle and listener-source distance
can be adjusted, you can implement circular movement through the room, and you
can record your sound mix using internal automation.
The only thing you will still need in case you wish to play your surround creations on
standard DVD players is an encoder that can encrypt data in the desired DOLBY®
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Digital or DTS®format, and you’ll also need a DVD burner. Alternatively, you can
connect your DDX3216 directly to your home surround unit or to 6 active
loudspeakers.
When you select surround mode on the DDX3216, busses 11 through 16 are used
for the 6 surround channels, giving you a true 5.1 mix.
You can alternate between the standard stereo and 5.1 surround mix at any time, or
you can use them both at the same time. Therefore, you don’t have to do without any
“old” functions; rather, think of it as if you simply got extra surround functions added
to your system.
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2. INSTALLATION
Uploading the update is very simple:
Either upload the update file the same way you would an operating system update
via the “DDX3216 File Exchange” PC software (WINDOWS®) or load it in using a PC
card.
The update procedure is described in detail in ch. 16.1 in the DDX3216 user’s
manual.
3. NEW FEATURES
The following new features are available upon installing the surround update:
Activating the SURROUND function on the display page SETUP/OSC >
PREFS (On/Off Select).
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Dialing in surround panning on the desired channel via a second PAN display
page labeled SURROUND.
Live “movements” of a selected sound source (channel) through the surround
space.
Saving surround pan/automating via SNAPSHOT and DYNAMIC
AUTOMATION possible (controlled using the PAN parameter).
New MIDI control possibilities using DIRECT PAR SYSEX for expanded
surround parameters on channels 1-32 and FX return channels 1-8. Activate
this function via display page MMC/MIDI > RX/TX > DIRECT PAR SYSEX as
well as > PAN (also see ch. 13.3).
SysEx #: Parameter:
o100 surround mute
o101 surround pre/post
o102 surround volume
o103 surround angle
o104 surround distance
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o105 surround divergence
o106 surround subwoofer pre/post
o107 surround subwoofer volume
If TX/RX is active, the DDX3216 sends the corresponding parameter or
receives it as a MIDI SysEx file.
additional new update features:•
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o100 markers (previously 10) as well as an EMPTY indicator in case
marker storage is empty. You can recall the marker menu via
MMC/MIDI > MACHINE CONTROL > LOCATE (also see ch. 13.2).
oTIME COUNTER RELATIVE (display page MMC/MIDI > SETUP, also
see ch 13.1) can now be activated at the MIDI setup page (on/off).
You’re dealing with an SMPTE timecode offset, i.e. there is no time
delay. If you for example have a continuous time code on an external
multitrack tape over several songs, you can set TIME COUNTER
RELATIVE to ON at the start position of the song (or song segment)
you wish to modify. This way, the actual current locator value is
assigned 00:00:00:00 on the DDX3216 as its new time position. All
locator operations such as forward, return, play etc. still remain in sync
with one another; it is only the time code display that is relative to the
actual tape position.
4. SURROUND PARAMETERS
Only a few (however effective) parameters are needed to control the surround option:
Send signal level in the selected channel (surround source) can be adjusted to
the surround outputs by using LEVEL (-∞to +12 dB).
You can use the PRE or POST switch to send the signal to the surround
outputs independently from the stereo mix (PRE), or you can additionally
control the signal’s volume via the channel fader (POST), together with the
signal portion for the conventional stereo mix.
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Use the SUBW LEV to adjust the level of the signal relayed to the subwoofer
output (bus 16). The PRE switch or the POST fader have the same function as
described above (see also ch. 4.1).
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The functioning (and the switch position) of these parameters is identical to
the ROUTING LEVEL and PRE/POST parameters in channel routing menu
(see ch 4.1).
Additionally, the display has a surround MUTE switch per channel, and is
active in the factory default (i.e. mute = on).
Even when MUTE is deactivated, the signal may still be inaudible. Either the
CHANNEL MUTE key is active or the CHANNEL MUTE AFTER FADER
function (see chapter 12.3.2) under Setup Preferences is not correctly set.
If the latter is active, POST fader signals (sends/busses) and non-PRE fader
signals are muted through the CHANNEL MUTE key.
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The actual positioning of the sound source and its movement throughout the
surround space take place in the circle with the positions of surround
speakers indicated.
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oThe “+” in the middle represents the central point, that is, the optimal
listening position.
oThe “x” indicates the current position of the sound source within the
surround space.
oThe positioning of the sound source is done using both the ANGLE
parameters (Angle, -180° 0° 180°) and DIST for
DISTANCE (distance from middle point, -100 0 100).
oIf you only change the ANGLE parameter, you can let the sound source
circle in the surround space. This is done with the distance from the
middle point that was set using DISTANCE.
oIf you want to move the sound source diagonally through the surround
space, you have to simultaneously modify the ANGLE and DISTANCE
parameters.
oIf the DISTANCE value is smaller than 100 (“100” corresponds to
100% front, that is, completely in front, when ANGLE = 0°), the channel
signal is emanated out of all speakers, corresponding to the selected
share according to the positioning in the surround space.
The DIVERG. parameter stands for “divergence” and controls stereo width on
all 3 front speakers.
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Divergence is dependent on both ANGLE and DISTANCE parameters and
only stands out when ANGLE = 0° and DIST = 100 (“100% in front in the
middle”)! In this case, the 3 DIVERG. corner values have the following
ramifications:
 When DIVERG. = 0, the signal only comes out of the center
speaker.
 When DIVERG. = 100, the signal only comes out of the left and
right speakers.
 When DIVERG. = 50, the signal comes from the front left, front
right and the center speaker simultaneously.
Divergence lets you for example widen the sound of the voice of a singer
whose voice comes from the front middle, thus leading to a much more
pleasant-sounding voice than the sound that is otherwise dominated by the
center-front speaker.
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5. ROUTING, TIPS & TRICKS (FAQ):
ROUTING•
If the SURROUND mode is activated, busses 11 to 16 are allocated as
follows:
oBus 11 = LF = Left Front
oBus 12 = RF = Right Front
oBus 13 = LS = Left Surround
oBus 14 = RS = Right Surround
oBus 15 = CF = Center Front
oBus 16 = SW = Sub Woofer
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PHYSICAL OUTPUTS•
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All physical outputs can be used for the surround option, ideally an 8-channel
or a multi-channel output module, or for example the 4 integrated multi-outputs
together with the control room out L/R.
OPTIMAL SPEAKER ARRANGEMENT
The optimal 5.1 surround speaker arrangement assumes an angle of 30° off
the 0° axis to the left/to the right for the front left and right speakers; for the
back surround speakers, this angle should be 110° to the left/to the right.
The subwoofer does not necessarily have to be in the middle; it can also be
placed halfway left or right in the front listening area, provided that the critical
frequency is not too high. The human ear can not physically locate low
frequencies (under 100 Hz); therefore, the position of the subwoofer is not so
critical.
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