multichannel output

[azizah]

I decoded MPEG file with multichannel output. However Audacity combines the channels into 2 output. How do I get audacity to output the 6 channels separately?

[steve]

I'm not quite sure of the question here.
When you have your file in Audacity, how many channels does it show?

[azizah]

The decoded file should give 6 channel output, but Audacity is showing only two channels.

[steve]

I think that Audacity 1.2.x may not support importing multi-channel audio files. Have a go with Audacity 1.3.7 - it supports multi-channel WAV files but I don't know if multi-channel Mpeg files are supported or not - you'll have to try it.

[kozikowski]

This may be a similar problem that an earlier poster had, Movie DVDs support both stereo PCM and Dolby AC3 Surround. Dolby AC3 is not Left-Front, etc. It's a stream package with coding as to where the sound is supposed to go. It's not "real" audio until it's decoded.

It's a similar problem of getting "Blue" out of a television picture. There's clearly blue in the picture, but the first time it actually appears by itself is inside the monitor or panel.

Another problem is the flavors of Dolby. One of the Dolby variations we use all the time is Full-On Dolby Surround AC3 with only the first two channels filled -- effectively a compressed stereo. Dolby has a flag for that along with the other variations; 2, 3.1, 5.1 4, etc.

Koz