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russtafarian

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  1. I've been using Apple Mainstage for a week and it does everything I need it to do. I like the simple channel strip mixer I/O interface. I like having being able to blend/mix certain channels between the input and output. For example, I don't use a center channel speaker, so I send input channel 3 (center) to output channels 1 (left) and 2 (right). During playback I adjust the level of input 3 to send the right amount of center signal in the left and right speakers. I also blend some of the surround channels. Due to the configuration of my room, I only have space for one surround back speaker centered behind the listening position. So I send input channels 7 (back left) and 8 (back right) to output channel 7. This sums the back left & right signals to mono for the single back speaker. For $29.95 Apple Mainstage is a bargain-priced tool for adding transparent speaker calibration to Mac Atmos playback. I have time delay compensation on each surround speaker using the Sample Delay plugin. The next step is to model EQ curves for each speaker with REW, then input the settings into the Linear Phase EQ plugin. Thank you asibbald for the recommendation. Russ
  2. Thank you. I will check out Mainstage since my 90 day trial period with Logic pro is about done. Russ
  3. Here is my playback screen for Apple Music and Logic Pro. I’m still experimenting, but with this screen layout I can easily control both Apple Music and Logic Pro for Atmos music playback. IMG_8970.mov The Master fader on the left controls volume. The Stereo Out fader next to it controls left and right channels only. Muting it allows me to hear the “immersion” mix. The Multichannel Gain box at the bottom shows playback level for all twelve channels and allows gain and mute control for all channels. In the middle is the speaker EQ plugin and on the bottom right is the speaker delay plugin.
  4. The Logic Pro Multichannel Gain plugin is really helpful. I can change any of the 7.1.4 channel levels on the fly as I listen to Apple Music Atmos mixes. This has helped me fine tune mix levels and even tweak the mix to my liking if I choose.
  5. Thank you for the plugin info. I will put it to use. I do get miffed when, like this plugin, the term phase is used to describe a polarity switch. In my mind phase adjustment should be a knob, not a button. I think there's a White Stripes song about that. My eq approach is similar to yours; broad filters to smooth speaker response. I also do a bit of EQ tuning by ear to get natural tonal decay from front to back. The side and back surround speakers don't need much help. But the height speakers, pinned directly to the ceiling, sound really wonky. I have to cut at 300 and 2k to make them listenable. Granted, they weren't designed for this use. At some point I will look into sourcing better height speakers than what I found at "Junk Bin Audio", aka the garage.
  6. My Atmos setup is a strap-on to a traditional, some might say retro, stereo system. This WBF thread gives you an idea of what I’ve got going on. Multicell Horn Speakers | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com) Back to Atmos. My 8 channel DACs are a Topping DM7 and an ESI Gigaport eX. Got the DM7 exactly one year ago. I’ve been waiting for a DAC with these features at this price for over 10 years. I use Roon to play 5.1/7.1 DSD and FLAC files through the DM7. About the same time last year, I had to replace my Roon server and decided to go with a M2 Mac Mini. Moving from PC to Mac gave me the capability to stream Apple Music Atmos content through my 7.1 setup. Seeing the Aggregate Device and 7.1.4 Speaker capability in AudioMIDI got me thinking about adding height speakers. Remember these? About 20 years ago, Mirage produced a 5.1 gaming system based on their Omni Sat speakers. I still have four working speakers from that system and found I could easily mount them upside-down to the ceiling with a single screw. For four height DAC channels I found the ESI Gigaport eX, an 8 channel 24/192 DAC for under $200. Combining the DM7 and Gigaport DACs as a 7.1.4 Aggregate Device works really well. Setting up BlackHole and Logic Pro to handle speaker calibration is the latest piece of the puzzle. That’s my Atmos journey in a nutshell. Russ
  7. I took a closer look at your Pro Logic screen shot. Genelec and K+H monitors. Nice setup.
  8. I've successfully setup 7.1.4 channel-specific speaker EQ and delay in Logic Pro. Apple Music Atmos mixes sound more integrated and (dare I say) immersive compared to the outboard processors I was using. I'm still playing with the configuration, but so far, this solution is a win.
  9. What sets Logic Pro apart from the other two programs I tried is that it works with Aggregate Device USB DAC input. I set up an Aggregate Device in Audio MIDI to merge two 8 channel DACs together for 7.1.4 output. Logic Pro is $199 after a 90 day trial. I still have to do speaker calibration, but EQ and delay plugins are turned on and set up for individual channel calibration. Stay tuned.
  10. Thank you for this idea! I installed the trial version of Logic Pro last night. I was able to set up the 7.1.4 signal path from Apple Music through Blackhole to Logic Pro to Aggregate Driver. It works!
  11. Thanks Bill. Yes, I did look at GroundControl Sphere. It's designed to do precisely what I want. The $399 price caused me to pause and look for other solutions. One GroundControl Sphere option that interests me is the eight configurable inputs. I can set up a 7.1.4 input, a 7.1 input, a 5.1, input, a quad input, and a stereo input. Each input can be configured uniquely to the output channels. For example, I can set up my 5.1 input to mix rear channel signals into rear speakers and rear height speakers to open up the surround presentation. I think I read somewhere that Chris was looking for a way to do this. The GC S $299 holiday sale price puts it at the same price as HQPlayer. Two very different programs that can potentially provide the solution I'm looking for. Add Hang Loose Convolver and there are three options to consider. So now I get to try out three different programs and decide: which one can best be configured to do what I need, which one is easiest to use on a day-to-day basis which one uses the least system resources to keep the music flowing glitch-free. I will add that I don't have to do any of this to get my Atmos system working. The outboard digital EQs I use work fine and sound good. I had the EQs in storage from my pro sound days, so it was no big deal to put them back into service. But it makes sense to do speaker calibration in the Mac Mini, so I want to give this a try. I would have thought there would be a built-in Mac OS Atmos speaker calibration function. Since there isn't, here we go.
  12. Thanks Chris. So you think I can route the 7.1.4 output of Apple Music to HQPlayer via Black Hole, apply EQ and delay to eight surround/height channels, and assign all the channels to the Aggregate Device DAC input. If that will work, I’m willing to give it a try. This is my first Mac so I’m still in the stage of screaming at the machine when 30 years of Windows functional memory fail to execute simple tasks. I’m convinced the Mini senses my fear and is purposely messing with me. All that to say I’ll probably need some software configuration guidance.
  13. I have a Mac Mini M2 based Atmos system using two eight channel USB DACs feeding a 7.1.4 system. I use Apple Music for Atmos streams and Roon for multi-channel DSD and FLAC files sourced from SACDs, DVD-As, Blu-rays, etc. By using a Mac Mini to decode Atmos, I give up the speaker calibration features of a home theater processor. I currently use four outboard digital EQs for eight channels of surround speaker EQ and delay. I’d like to find a way to handle speaker calibration “in the box” before signal hits the DAC. There are monitoring programs for Atmos production studios that do speaker calibration, but they're pricey. I see that Chris and Bob are using Black Hole and Hang Loose Convolver, but I’d like to find a simpler solution that doesn’t involve measuring and generating filter files. Is there a Mac program that provides 7.1.4 channel routing/summing, parametric EQ and distance delay? Can Rock Band be leveraged to do this? Is there another way to approach this that I’m not aware of? Thanks for your help. Russ
  14. I've just implemented a 5.1.2 Atmos playback system with a Mac Mini M2, Apple Music and Topping DM-7 8 channel USB DAC. I'm adding 10ms of delay to four Rear and Height speakers using two stereo Behringer DSP units between the DAC and amp. This is a clunky solution (A/D > digital delay > D/A) and I'd prefer to add delay in the digital domain before the DAC. I'm looking for a (hopefully) simple way of steering the output of Apple Music and/or Roon through a delay program before it goes to the DAC. I know Roon already has speaker time delay DSP, but until I'm able to steer Apple Music Atmos streams through Roon, that doesn't help me. A musician friend told me about MAC plug-in hosts that performers use to process instruments/vocals in real time when rehearsing and playing live. That approach sounds promising but I don't know if Apple Music can be routed through a plug-in host on a MAC. Has anyone tried this for music streaming playback? Is there another way to add delay between Apple Music and DAC? Thanks. Russ
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