Surround Sound (Io|26 Only) - Alesis iO14 Reference Manual

Surround Sound (IO|26 only)

The IO|26's 8 analog outputs make it perfect
for multichannel surround-sound applications
(such as sound for film, TV, or DVD). If
your software supports surround mixing,
simply hook up your speakers to the IO|26
and refer to the software's documentation on
how to set up a surround mixing
environment.
Note that there are several common surround
formats including 4-channel (a.k.a. "quad"), 6-
channel ("5.1"), and 8-channel ("7.1"). There
are also many non-standard and "custom"
mixing scenarios and every situation has its
own rules and requirements on speaker type,
placement, and other factors. It would be
beyond the scope of this manual to cover
each type of surround configuration, but the
following "5.1" mixing scenario is commonly
used and will work for most applications. The
diagram below illustrates the setup:
The "Mix" circle represents the "sweet spot"
where the engineer sits. The left and right
speakers are positioned 30° off center. The
rear two channels are positioned 135° off of
the center speaker.
The distance from the mixing engineer to each speaker should be
identical (or as close to it as possible).
Note that subwoofer placement depends on the size and shape of
the mixing room. The sub should be placed in a location that
provides the most linear frequency response. This generally
requires some trial-and-error before the optimal subwoofer
position is located.
Again, if you're working on a commercial project, make sure to
speak to the supervisor and iron out the details before jumping in!
This may save you from time-consuming conversion or remixing
in the future.
Getting In Deeper: Recording
More on Surround Mixing
The Grammy organization
has excellent (and free)
resources available on the
web for people interested in
surround mixing. Please see
http://www.grammy.org/pe_w
ing/guidelines/for more about
this.
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