Dolby Digital 5.1 Games & Audio
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| Posted by | Steve Burdick |
| Posted on | 27/07/01 17:36 |
| Number of views | 2714 |
Okay; call me crazy. I am sitting in my studio which, in addition to the typical digital recording gear, contains 7 record players, 5 Cd players & a Pc with none other than a couple of Plextors. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: that new thing called the DVD.
It started as the Digital Versatile Disk but no one calls it that. Everyone thinks it's a Digital Video Disk; how very limiting. Then there is AC3 - oops; sorry, I mean Dolby Digital. That too started as AC3 & was changed somewhere along the way. I got to tell you, I have records scattered all around the room. I just bought 3 new 78 r.p.m. 12" records. They are European pressings of Opera. Supposedly the European pressings are the ones with the real fidelity. Why am I writing this on a Cd based web environment? Because there is something that has to be reckoned with: 6 channel music.
I just played the first 3 cuts from the newly released 'Brain Salad Surgery" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It is a classic record. I got the DVD-A which is DVD audio. This is a separate thing from the dvd players that everyone has in their living rooms. This is audio at its' best. 24 bits & 96khz sampling rate. Some people say, 'Who needs that kind of fidelity"? Hey - the people that say are people that would prefer to ride horses everywhere & never purchase a car. They probably have an outhouse instead of a bathroom, too. So anyways….on this disk comes 3 different mix's. A stereo 24/96, a 6 channel 24/96 & a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix can be played on a regular video DVD player, which means my Pc will play it.
So off I went hooking up all 6 speakers. I used 'Toy Story" to test the sound & tweak it. Then I put the E,L&P disk on. I got to tell you: it is way better than record; way better than Cd, way better than stereo & way way way better than stereo mp3. These anti-Naptser numbskulls are foolish. If everyone heard 6 channel mixes of their favorite songs I don't think people would bother so much with scrambling for the Stereo mp3 any longer. It would be like you, right now, asking me for the 78 r.p.m. record of your favorite song. What the record industry needs to do is wake up to this new technology. I have read in several magazines how people think that 6 speakers is too much & that people want to hear music in stereo only. This is absolutely ludicrous. I have been listening to records for 37 years: 6 channel music absolutely rocks. Everything should be recorded in 6 channel sound. The biggest burden will be on the musician who needs to stop pissin' & moanin' about Napster & mp3's & start writing & thinking in 6 channel production sound. Along with the future of 3d LCD Plasma TV, this is the future; now!
I write this here for us Cd Freaks because this Napster thing has gone on & on & on too long. I read one guy mentioned the other day that he likes the whole FTP scene better than all the commercial trade progs anyways. I also read at some website: complete instructions on how to rip the AC3 or Dolby Digital soundtrack from a DVD & burn the ac3 files to a cdr for full 6 channel playback from a Cdr. I really cannot remember where I read that, but this is Cd Freaks material. If any of you have really had a chance to fully experience the 6 channel remix sound of music then you know why ripping the tracks & putting them on cdr is a great idea. Now hold on a sec; I don't just mean 6 channel Dolby Digital audio like from a concert where the band is in front & the audience is behind you. I mean like wall-to-wall guitars & backup chic singers behind you & classic analog synths whirling all around you. It reminded me of tripping (but that's a bit off topic).
So to say the least: I am extremely impressed. If I were king of the forest, I'd buy everyone this E,L&P DVD & a complete 6 channel sound setup so they could hear what I heard. For those of you already digging 6 channel music or 6 channel games: you know exactly what I'm talking about. Are they even using this Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for games yet? …& if not, why not? {{*Please see this exciting article on Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for games!}} I'd have to think they are. In closing I'd like to say that The Anti-Napster movement really needs to give us something that is far better than what we get on Napster & then we'll see why Napster is free (or was). A good solid Video & a complete in-your-face whirling 5.1 audio mix on Dvd of my favorite band & wouldn't be so hard up for the old standard stereo mix of audio only. We need to stop looking so much at what 'they" are trying to stop us from doing & begin to start doing things they haven't thought of. Does anyone burn cdr's of a good Dvd rip to DivX;-) using the full 5.1 audio track? & if not, why not? Let's expand our use of the Cdr. You just know that they are not going to spoon feed us DVD recorders the way they gave us Cdr burners.
It started as the Digital Versatile Disk but no one calls it that. Everyone thinks it's a Digital Video Disk; how very limiting. Then there is AC3 - oops; sorry, I mean Dolby Digital. That too started as AC3 & was changed somewhere along the way. I got to tell you, I have records scattered all around the room. I just bought 3 new 78 r.p.m. 12" records. They are European pressings of Opera. Supposedly the European pressings are the ones with the real fidelity. Why am I writing this on a Cd based web environment? Because there is something that has to be reckoned with: 6 channel music.
I just played the first 3 cuts from the newly released 'Brain Salad Surgery" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It is a classic record. I got the DVD-A which is DVD audio. This is a separate thing from the dvd players that everyone has in their living rooms. This is audio at its' best. 24 bits & 96khz sampling rate. Some people say, 'Who needs that kind of fidelity"? Hey - the people that say are people that would prefer to ride horses everywhere & never purchase a car. They probably have an outhouse instead of a bathroom, too. So anyways….on this disk comes 3 different mix's. A stereo 24/96, a 6 channel 24/96 & a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix can be played on a regular video DVD player, which means my Pc will play it.
So off I went hooking up all 6 speakers. I used 'Toy Story" to test the sound & tweak it. Then I put the E,L&P disk on. I got to tell you: it is way better than record; way better than Cd, way better than stereo & way way way better than stereo mp3. These anti-Naptser numbskulls are foolish. If everyone heard 6 channel mixes of their favorite songs I don't think people would bother so much with scrambling for the Stereo mp3 any longer. It would be like you, right now, asking me for the 78 r.p.m. record of your favorite song. What the record industry needs to do is wake up to this new technology. I have read in several magazines how people think that 6 speakers is too much & that people want to hear music in stereo only. This is absolutely ludicrous. I have been listening to records for 37 years: 6 channel music absolutely rocks. Everything should be recorded in 6 channel sound. The biggest burden will be on the musician who needs to stop pissin' & moanin' about Napster & mp3's & start writing & thinking in 6 channel production sound. Along with the future of 3d LCD Plasma TV, this is the future; now!
I write this here for us Cd Freaks because this Napster thing has gone on & on & on too long. I read one guy mentioned the other day that he likes the whole FTP scene better than all the commercial trade progs anyways. I also read at some website: complete instructions on how to rip the AC3 or Dolby Digital soundtrack from a DVD & burn the ac3 files to a cdr for full 6 channel playback from a Cdr. I really cannot remember where I read that, but this is Cd Freaks material. If any of you have really had a chance to fully experience the 6 channel remix sound of music then you know why ripping the tracks & putting them on cdr is a great idea. Now hold on a sec; I don't just mean 6 channel Dolby Digital audio like from a concert where the band is in front & the audience is behind you. I mean like wall-to-wall guitars & backup chic singers behind you & classic analog synths whirling all around you. It reminded me of tripping (but that's a bit off topic).
So to say the least: I am extremely impressed. If I were king of the forest, I'd buy everyone this E,L&P DVD & a complete 6 channel sound setup so they could hear what I heard. For those of you already digging 6 channel music or 6 channel games: you know exactly what I'm talking about. Are they even using this Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for games yet? …& if not, why not? {{*Please see this exciting article on Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for games!}} I'd have to think they are. In closing I'd like to say that The Anti-Napster movement really needs to give us something that is far better than what we get on Napster & then we'll see why Napster is free (or was). A good solid Video & a complete in-your-face whirling 5.1 audio mix on Dvd of my favorite band & wouldn't be so hard up for the old standard stereo mix of audio only. We need to stop looking so much at what 'they" are trying to stop us from doing & begin to start doing things they haven't thought of. Does anyone burn cdr's of a good Dvd rip to DivX;-) using the full 5.1 audio track? & if not, why not? Let's expand our use of the Cdr. You just know that they are not going to spoon feed us DVD recorders the way they gave us Cdr burners.
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Yes I am ripping DVD's to CDR with the original 5.1 sound. It's not that hard, and using a SB5.1 to output it to my Home Theatre, it sounds awesome.
Usually I rip to 2 CD's though as the quality for audio needs to be 384kps, which takes up a fair chunk of the disc.
Usually I rip to 2 CD's though as the quality for audio needs to be 384kps, which takes up a fair chunk of the disc.
I'll agree, record companies seem to be focusing only on what they will lose in money. There is a lot of stuff that they refuse to re release because according to them there is no demand for it. So tons of stuff remains out of print. If they would focus on giving us something that we can't get on the net and we enjoyed it than obviously they could retake the market instead of pouring millions of dollars into copyright protection schemes, that for the most part will be overcome. There are hackers everywhere and eventually it will get cracked than what?
I agree...partly. IF you like ELP, the 5.1 mix is incredible. And just thinking about a 5.1 mix of Hendrix' "All Along The Watchtower" gives me shivers. But lemme tell ya, listening to the Corrs "Leave Me Breathless" in 5.1 doesn't add much to the experience. It's novel for about 5 seconds. Most music simply can't be so flamingly 5.1 as ELP and get away with it...so the difference vs. stereo may not be a big deal for a lot of tunes. Thoughts anyone?
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