AES London 2010
Workshop W17

Tuesday, May 25, 14:00 — 15:30 (Room C1)

W17 - 5.1 into 2 Won't Go—The Perils of Fold-Down in Game Audio

Chair:
Michael Kelly, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Panelists:
Richard Furse, Blue Ripple Sound Limited - UK
Simon Goodwin, Codemasters - UK
Jean-Marc Jot, DTS Inc. - CA, USA
Dave Malham, University of York - York, UK

Abstract:
One mixing solution cannot suit mono, stereo, headphone, and various surround configurations. However games mix and position dozens of sounds on the fly, so they can readily make a custom mix, rather than rely upon downmixing or upmixing that penalizes listeners who do not use the default configuration. This workshop explains practical solutions to problems of stereo speaker, headphone, and mono compatibility (including Dolby ProLogic and 2.1 set-ups) without detriment to surround. It notes differences between the demands of games and cinema for surround and the challenges of reconciling de facto (quad+2) and theoretical (ITU 5.1) standard loudspeaker layouts and playing 5.1 channel content on a 7.1 loudspeaker system.