newbie to the board..some general questions

Hi all,

I've been obsessed with digital audio since I started recording CD tracks to my Windows 95 machine way back when. Over the years I've seen the advancement from stereo to AC3 and even dts finally hit computers, which I'm sure all of you have seen, I'll spare that part of my life story..


before I begin with this post, I'd like to say I'm probably in the middle of the spectrum with my DTS/DD expierence. I know how DTS audio CD's work and have even produced Dolby Digital Auidio discs from standard stereo sources (using some dodgy mixing to create pseudo-surround), and yes..my equipment was able to decode this disc properly.

I've always been amazed by surround sound..I've strived to take standard sources sound much better...most of this proceess was acoustical processing thanks to the stuff on the Audigy..but I decided I wanted to do more, so...I took Goldwave 5, a CD track I ripped, and did a "Remove Vocals with Some Stereo" and encoded it to dolby digital. The result was a matrixed (if you could call it that) 4 channel surround file, then today, I found the dts newsgroups and the dts audio discs for download..I was amazed. I almost bought half the stuff that got posted but never had a DTS decoder.

This brings me to the question part of my post. I'm looking for the best way to "create" rear and center channel from a stereo source..this is just for my own amusement. IF anyone has ideas how I can do this, please, let me know.

The second question involves hardware. I'm about to buy a second sound card which is capeable of doing 24bit 96khz audio and was wondering what equipment did I need to maybe "record" some CD-4 QuadraDisc (yes, I'm only 20 and I know what they are..the idea fascinated me for many years) LP's or from what other sources does true surround exist. Im sure a lot of this stuff could benefit from a DVd-Audio transfer (i've done vinyl to CD plenty of times..I'm a perfectionist)

last involves a question about releases. I know some people here from what I can tell do thier own conversions and was wondering if there was a distribution point, like a newsgroup or eDonkey server to get these from..just curious..aucutally, I'm a huge Croce fan and would LOVE a Cd-4 conversion.

Thanks a lot.
-Jay Moore

Welcome Jay,

Wow, sounds like you have a good start. I'll try and answer some of your questions, I'm sure others will fill in the gaps.

First off, you need a real 4+ channel sound card and software that can record these channels simultaneously and in sync. I use a program called Vegas 4.0 for this, although there are others. To do a CD-4 disc, you obviously would need a CD-4 demodulator and CD-4 compatible cartridge/turntable. I am not sure if you can connect the output of the demodulator straight to the PC Sound Card. THe levels may be too low.

THere is no clearing house that I know of for distribution of DTS conversions that I know of. It is mostly word of mouth.

Good luck, and plan on spending time on eBay getting some of this stuff!

:-jon

well....my original plan was to buy a good two channel 2496 (or high if they sell them) and record the front channels and rear channels separetly and then sync them up in software...this sounds impossible..but..it just takes some good editing, a keen ear, and a lot of patience, it can be done, example..I had good audio from a movie that had bad video and vise versa...about 3 hours of editing had the good soundtrack synced up...it's mostly a manner of loading it all in a multitrack editor, and oncee you have your sync...figure out the offset...when dealing with vinyl...once you figure out the first offset...you're good to go for the rest of the disc.

For starters, I don't know if 2496 sound cards come in multiple input that I can afford (read: afford), this is a hobby, I'm willing to drop some money...but I don't want to drop three grand on just a sound card..that's more than I spent on my pc. I'm also guessing the output of the demodulators either requires a pre-amp or amplifier...theoritcally you COULD run the output directly to the sound card....I'd figure it out. I just don't have any CD-4 discs (I think the one I have got damaged by a 4-year old) It's also theoritcally possible if you had 192khz sampling rate to record the disc as stereo and decode it to 4 channels, however, I said this is theorical and I doubt anyone would ever be able to do it since CD4 is similar to FM stereo modulation with carrier tones at 50khz, at least the way it was explained to me.

Jay, there are 4 channel soundcards that sell for around $300, more or less. This is not much more than a SB Audigy, and it will be a WHOLE lot easier than trying to sync up the channels. As you know, that can be a real pain!

The card that I use is no longer sold (Yamaha DSP Factory), but others here will chime in with what they are using. A word of caution on the M-Audio stuff, as I still have not confirmed that their cards will output the DTS encoded files properly. I could never get mine to work (sent it back) and other members here have reported the same problem.

:-jon

Welcome to the board, Jay! Trust me, you want to get a multi-channel soundcard. Trying to synch up files recorded separately is a nightmare. It's just not worth it. Bite the bullet and buy a decent multi-channel soundcard. You will be glad you did!

Hi Jay....

Welcome...

M-Audio cards work great with WinMe or 98 but do not work to output a DTS signal with WinXP. I had to switch back to WinME from XP so I could use my M-Audio Card (even M-Audio's techs acknowledge a bug in their drivers). I also have used a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz card that was cheap(<$100) but can yield decent results for recording 4 simultaneous channels.

Bob

If you have high speed internet access you may want to check out a couple of newsgroups.

alt.binaries.cd.image.other
alt.binaries.sounds.dts

There are usually several DTS conversions available for download if you are interested.

Also, friends here have been known to trade a title or two from time to time

$300 isn't bad..but the point is I don't think I'm going to find a card capeable of RECORDING 96khz 24-bit for that price that is multi channel. syncing up files isn't as big of a nightmare..I have patience, I've done it before (hence my pseudo-surround copy of Rodney Carrington - Nut Sack)

as far as not outputting DTS, not an issue..I have no DTS reciever..the only DTS reciever I do have is my sony reciever which is a good 75 ft away..I burn test files to CD-RW and playback.

I don't want a card that'll do the job..or one that's ok..I want something that's as close to studio level I can get for about 2 or 300 bucks (the audigy's ADC isn't close enough to studio level as I'd like)

Well, figure out how much money your time is worth. Multiply that by how many hours you think you will spend synching up files over the next couple of years. Now, compare that figure against the cost of a multi-channel soundcard that has the features/quality you require. If you still come out ahead by sticking with your stereo soundcard, right on! If not, well... buy the m/c card!

Buy the multi-channel card You'll have it for years and it makes more sence to spend a few extra dollars to have the multi channel and save you a lot of wasted time syncing or trying to sync when it all gets done in one recording session. and off you go . I bought 2 sound card over the years and run both at the same time Gadget Labs Wave 8/24 no longer in biz and not 24/96 then a Creamware Luna ll 24/96 . Both work in the computer with no problems . Save your money and get the MULtI-CHANNEL you won't regret it . And you'll thank your self for getting it! And US!
0] Rob

I understand the desire to have the best reproduction possible, but keep in mind that CD-4 does not always deliver studio quality sound. No doubt it can, but often it doesn't. This is probably due to the amount of care, or lack thereof, provided by the record companies when these discs were made. They were difficult to manufacture to begin with, so their quality varies widely. So it may not be necessary to have the absolute best card to deliver good CD-4 sound. Of course, having it won't hurt anything.

The Quadfather