17
Monitor Formats
Introduction
When working with sources and monitor systems of differing widths, opportunities arise for mis-
matches. This could lead to one or more channels of audio “disappearing,” if for example a 5.1 source
is selected while monitoring on stereo nearfields.
MultiMAX EX is programmed to assist your engineering need to switch between a variety of monitor
systems and sources without interrupting your workflow. Rather than disallowing “illegal” selections…
“Why won’t it let me push this button?” MultiMAX EX automatically switches to the last selected
wide monitor system to match your wider source selection. Likewise, MultiMAX EX automatically
switches to a related stereo or mono monitor source to match your narrower monitor system selection.
In order for MultiMAX EX to “know” what to do, the correct speaker format must be selected for
your Main Monitor System as well as the width format of your Wide Inputs and Wide Return monitor
sources. In addition, the correct surround level, whether for theater or home, must be selected. From
this information, MultiMAX EX can determine which channels route to front speakers and which to
surrounds, and also which speakers to reduce 3dB for film mixing. In addition, the correct routing and
coefficients are applied to applicable downmixes.
The following pages contain diagrams of all possible Monitor Formats and Monitor Source combina-
tions, and how they appear on the Main, Alt, Nearfield, and Small Mono Monitors. Below you will
find a brief description of the Main Monitor Formats programmed into MultiMAX EX, along with the
potential use for each one.
L R C Lfe Ls Rs Lc Rc
Five speakers in front, two speakers for surround (plus subwoofer)
Primary:
SDDS (7.1) • IMAX (8)
Secondary:
DOLBY Surround (5.1) • DTS (5.1) • DOLBY Surround (LCRS)
HDTV (5.1) • DTV (5.1) • DVD-V (5.1) • DVD-A (5.1) • DSD (5.1)
L R C Lfe Ls Rs
Three speakers in front, two speakers for surround (plus subwoofer)
Primary:
DOLBY Surround (5.1) • DTS (5.1) • DOLBY Surround (LCRS)
HDTV (5.1) • DTV (5.1) • DVD-V (5.1) • DVD-A (5.1) • DSD (5.1)
Secondary:
SDDS (7.1)
L R C Lfe Ls Rs Cs
Three speakers in front, three speakers for surround (plus subwoofer)
Primary:
DOLBY Surround EX (6.1) • DTS ES (6.1)
Secondary:
DOLBY Surround (5.1) • DTS (5.1) • DOLBY Surround (LCRS)
HDTV (5.1) • DTV (5.1) • DVD-V (5.1) • DVD-A (5.1) • DSD (5.1)
L R C Lfe Ls Rs Cs Os
Three speakers in front, four speakers for surround (plus subwoofer)
Primary:
DOLBY Surround EX+ (7.1) • DTS ES+ (7.1)
Secondary:
DOLBY Surround EX (6.1) • DTS ES (6.1)
DOLBY Surround (5.1) • DTS (5.1) • DOLBY Surround (LCRS)
HDTV (5.1) • DTV (5.1) • DVD-V (5.1) • DVD-A (5.1) • DSD (5.1)
L R C Lfe Ls Rs Lcs Rcs
Three speakers in front, four speakers for surround (plus subwoofer)
Primary:
DOLBY Surround EX+ (7.1) • DTS ES+ (7.1) • Lexicon ??? (7.1)
DOLBY Surround EX (6.1) • DTS ES (6.1)
DOLBY Surround (5.1) • DTS (5.1) • DOLBY Surround (LCRS)
HDTV (5.1) • DTV (5.1) • DVD-V (5.1) • DVD-A (5.1) • DSD (5.1)
Note: F3/SX is a special Main Monitor mode that utilizes all surround speakers for every Monitor Source
Format. If a wide source has less than four channels of surround, MultiMAX EX automatically
reroutes the apropriate surround channel(s) to the unused surround speaker(s) and compensates for
the increased acoustic power by adjusting the level of common signal speakers.
F5/S2:
F3/S2:
F3/S3:
F3/S4:
F3/SX:
