i need to turn 2 digital channels into 4 for playback

[vasyachkin]

here is what i need. i need to take 2 channels in S/PDIF or AES/EBU and turn it into 4 channels in S/PDFIF or AES/EBU

OR

since my soundcard has 8 channels and APPEARS to have two stereo digital outputs maybe you can recommend some software that would let me output 4 channels of S/PDIF in the first place ( from stereo MP3 or FLAC )

basically i need to build a system that is ALL DIGITAL and using stereo digital gear ( such as Behringer Ultracurve ) to play stereo MP3 and FLAC material on 4 channels ( simulated surround )

basically i am trying to build a very high quality 4 channel surround system in which signal is kept digital all the way through ( including digital crossovers ). i want to add some space to my current stereo system without compromising quality. using commercial surround processors ( 5.1, 7.1 ) to me is an unacceptable sound quality compromise because none of them output digital PCM for individual channels. besides i want to use exactly 4 channels ( due to placement considerations ) .

any ideas ?

 

[Bonzodog]

This will do that -

http://www.srslabs.com/uploadedFile...o_Audio/CS Digital Decoder Manual CSD_07D.pdf

and if you have even more $ $ $, this will as well -

http://www.dolby.com/uploadedFiles/...sh_PDFs/Professional/139_DP564_UserManual.pdf

 

[vasyachkin]

This will do that -

http://www.srslabs.com/uploadedFile...o_Audio/CS Digital Decoder Manual CSD_07D.pdf

and if you have even more $ $ $, this will as well -

http://www.dolby.com/uploadedFiles/...sh_PDFs/Professional/139_DP564_UserManual.pdf

thanks for replying.

the first piece ( SRS ) is 48 khz so i wouldn't get it. half of my gear ( the behringer stuff i have ) is 96 khz and the other half is 192 khz. i am running my system at 88 khz. I use upsampling in Foobar and the rest of the system is sort of locked to that.

its not that i think 48 khz is "not enough" its just that 96 khz is already STANDARD today so why would i go for less.

now the second piece ( dolby ) i have looked at before but i know there HAS TO BE a cheaper solution. i don't think the dolby unit is overpriced. i just think there has to be another way.

for example my behringer ultracurve units have stereo image width adjustment. what if i use one in the front and one in the back and adjust stereo width differently on them ? would that work something like a surround ?

or as i said my soundcard ( Motu 828Mk3 ) has more than one digital output maybe i can use some kind of Foobar plugin to get 4 digital channels out ?

if i pay $4,000 for something i could have gotten for FREE i will have to kill myself when i find out. we don't want that do we ?

 

[Bonzodog]

In fact, if you send the same stereo signal to both front and back, then set the front stereo width a bit narrow, and the rear stereo width a bit wide, you will approximate a regular matrix circuit with no logic.

As you know, the Behringer units are cheap Chinese knock-offs of other manufacturers equipment. (As can be told by their losing patent suits to Aphex, Mackie and others.)

All in all though, Behringer equipment is an excellent value for the money. (After all, they don’t have to pay much for R & D ! ! )

 

[vasyachkin]

i know that about Behringer

i own some gear from *good* companies such as QSC Audio, Mackie, MOTU, Benchmark Media, JBL

but i also own a lot of behringer stuff and i'm not going to apologize about it.

i am a believer in free market. it will sort itself out. any company that goes under as a result of berri's activities is a company that we ( the humanity ) do not need.

companies that berri knocks off are probably going to be the LAST ones to go under because they're the ones who have the best engineers.

Lexus clones Mercedes and BMW the same way berri clones Mackie and QSC. and ? is BMW or Merc going out of business due to this cloning ? no. instead companies that NEVER get cloned like GM are the ones going down.

 

[vasyachkin]

In fact, if you send the same stereo signal to both front and back, then set the front stereo width a bit narrow, and the rear stereo width a bit wide, you will approximate a regular matrix circuit with no logic.

NICE.

because i would be using those Ultracurve units anyway ( for EQ ) plus i already have two of them. and i can always upgrade to something better later on within the same digital framework.

for me the important thing was not to compromise my signal chain. i am rather happy with just quality stereo but if there is a painless way to make sound more spacious i like the idea.

when it's time for me to re-build my system from the ground up i will probably go along these lines.

thanks.

 

[proufo]

Check:

http://www.ambiophonics.org/Ambiofiles.htm

and

http://audio.muddle.de/

http://www.ambiophonics.org/papers/LLRG-TactManual.pdf

 

[Bonzodog]

Please don't get me wrong.

I own Behringer stuff myself. As I said, great value for the money. Just know what it is.

Let us see what has gone on before us, and build upon it.

That's progress.

 

[Key]

Real time decoding is a bit of a pick your poison affair atm imho.

There are some free options out there but I have not heard many that sound great to my ears.I take it you want to do this in realtime via foobar using a VST or a foobar component.

I haven't tried a lot of these methods in a while so they may have improved a bit but the ones I had my hands on - pretty much all of them - were either really buggy or just didn't sound very good. But a change gonna come, oh yes it will.