Appendix A: Sp3 Surround Sound Modes - Bryston SP3 Manual

APPENDIX A
SP3 SURROUND MODES
Pressing the SURROUND left () and right ()arrow but-
tons button will allow you to sequentially select one of the
many available decoding modes for expand almost any 2
channel music source signals. The custom SP3 Surround
Modes use a set of DSP algorithms to create a set of simu-
lated surround sound signals from the original left and right
2 channel data.
CLUB: This Sound Field Mode is intended to simulate being
fairly close, around 10 feet away, in a small intimate club set-
ting with a moderate amount of reverberation that does not
destroy clarity. The result is a bit colored for speech due to
the small room size, but it is quite suitable for jazz groups,
cabaret, small-venue rock 'n roll, and a small disco venue
where dance music is played. This mode can also be used
for classical chamber music and solo instrumental music of
most kinds.
Natural mode enhances the basic stereo
NATURAL: PL
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reproduction by using the inherent acoustics recorded within
the source material. If the source material was surround
encoded or recorded in an acoustically oriented manner
(such as a lot of classical music and many live recordings)
this mode can provide truly spectacular effects and an
enhanced sense of the space in which the music was being
performed.
PARTY: The Party (Seven-Channel Mono) Mode converts
stereo input to a mono signal which is then distributed to the
7 satellite channels plus sub-woofer.
STEREO7: The Stereo7 (Seven-Channel Stereo) Mode
converts stereo input to surround sound. The stereo signal is
distributed to the 7 satellite channels plus sub-woofer, creat-
ing a giant stereo image in your
listening space.
PRO LOGIC: Dolby Surround/Pro Logic is based on basic
matrix technology. When a Dolby Surround soundtrack is
created, four channels of sound are matrix-encoded into
an ordinary stereo (two channel) sound track. The centre
channel is encoded by placing it equally in the left and right
channels; the rear channel is encoded using phase shift tech-
niques. A Pro Logic decoder/processor "unfolds" the sound
into the original 4.0 surround—left and right, centre, and
SP3 SURROUND SOUND MODES
a single limited frequency-range mono rear channel using
'Steering Logic', which drives amplifiers, to raise or lower
the output volume of each channel based on the current
dominant sound direction. In addition the surround channel
is slightly delayed, so that any front channel sounds that leak
into the surround channel arrive at the listener after the front
channels, providing an illusion of greater separation.
PL MUSIC: This mode can enhance normal stereo music
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recordings, offering a wider soundstage and enhanced spa-
tial effects. This offers user control over:
MOVIE: This is the preferred decoding method for
PL
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watching movies with matrix surround encoding. The centre
width and dimension variables are set and optimized for this
application, and cannot be adjusted. No filters are present on
the surround channels, and auto-balance is operational.
NEO:6 MUSIC: Neo:6 derives a centre channel from
two-channel material. Neo:6 music mode to expands stereo
non-matrix recordings into the five- or six-channel layout, in a
way which does not diminish the subtlety and integrity of the
original stereo recording.
In music mode, the intent in the front channels is less one of
steering and more one of stabilizing the front image by aug-
menting it with a centre channel, while preserving the original
perspective of the stereo mix. Therefore the derived centre is
never fully subtracted from the left and right channels.
NEO:6 CINEMA: In cinema mode, for Left/Right film
soundtracks, sounds steered to the centre are subtracted
from the left and right channels. Neo 6 provides up to six
full-band channels of matrix decoding from stereo matrix
material. Users with 6.1 and 5.1 systems will derive six and
five separate channels respectively, corresponding to the
standard home-theater speaker layouts. (The ".1" subwoofer
channel is generated by bass management in the preamp or
receiver.)
(Please note that the apparent effect of the Surround Modes can
be adjusted by altering the delay parameters and channel volume
of the centre, surrounds and back channel(s), using the appropri-
ate menus).