Center channel audio

M

Masejoer

Gawd
Joined
Mar 11, 2001
Messages
698
I just picked up a center channel speaker to add to my 2 main towers. I've seen this at my girlfriend's also with a Sony home-theater-in-a-box, but HOW do you get music to play evenly out of the fronts AND center channel? Its gotta be some industry wide term that I don't know...because I don't see why it wouldn't be an option. Just kinda annoying to have this huge center speaker, but only being able to use it during movies.

I've tried all the effects and while some move the music to the center channel, its either non existent or very quiet coming from the mains...unless the center is off - then the mains play at normal volume.

Not that it'll matter much as I doubt anyone is using the same receiver, but I'm using a Yamaha RX-795. Manual in front of me but I don't know what to look for.
 
A lot of receivers have a 5-channel stereo option. The rears will play the same as thier front counter part, and the center will get a combined signal.
 
Like the other poster said, generally the only mode that will evenly play music from the center channel as well as the mains is a 5/7ch Stereo mode (some may have a FRONT or 3-ch stereo option). That reciever looks to be a fairly old model so i don't really expect it to have alot of options though.
 
The only way you'll get it is by some surround upmixing such as Creative's CMSS, Dolby Pro Logic II, or DTS Neo:6.

In my experience, it sounds unnatural and doesn't sound good. Unless the music was originally mixed for surround, I personally prefer just for the 2/2.1 channel playback.

The main purpose of a center speaker was for movies, and then later games somewhat. Even a lot of the surround music (DVD-A/SACD) don't sound good as they weren't properly mixed for surround.

Thats not to say its necessarily bad though. If you like the sound of it, then great, use it. :)
 
i take it you dont have pro logic II or neo6 then? pro logic I is focused on emulating movies so it has a lot of center channel as does dolby 3, but PL2 or neo6 have music options which are more evenly dispersed
 
Yeah, thanks for the replies. I figured out what I can and can't do a week after posting this. There are plugins for MPC that give everything prologic2 type decoding though. The last Nvidia Soundstorm drivers no longer have the options that apparently earlier versions did - with the option for adding l + r for center. Using S/PDIF now as my receiver does a bit more using the digital inputs.
 
I have my computer run to the Movie/DVD input on my receiver. I set it to ProLogic and it decodes like a dream, even if it's just getting a stereo signal. Basically what it is doing is assuming that my audio is from a movie even when it is music or a game, and goes to work accordingly. I end up with background vocals, reverb and such through the surroundds, most of the instrumentation through the left and right, and lead vocals through the center.

When I first bought the thing, I tried using the CD/Music input and found that it just was not capable of doing such a thing since the manufacturer probably assumed I would just be playing a stereo signal through it. Maybe you'll have better luck with the movie input.
 
Yeah, that computer has been going through dvd all this time - with this one going through the vcr inputs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top