Topic: TotalMix mid/side to stereo decoding

Hi, I was hoping somebody here could help me with the issue I am facing right now. I’m trying to use mid side processing with my UCX interface, but can’t figure out how to decode a signal back correctly.

What I’m doing is I’m sending stereo signal to software playback channel 1/2 with MS Proc enabled, the signal then goes through hardware output 5/6 to the outboard equipment and then back to UCX through the hardware input channel 5/6 with MS Proc enabled, which I’m directly monitoring with the headphones output 7/8.

Encoding goes well and I can hear mono information in the left channel and stereo in the right one. The problem is that I can’t get mid side information correctly decoded back to stereo. Though enabling MS Proc on hardware input channel 5/6 is somehow balancing the incoming signal, it nonetheless remains completely out of phase and overall muffled.

I’m obviously missing something here. Manual states that the side channel when being decoded back is sent to left and right channels but phase inverted to the right channel. I can’t quite comprehend this statement, does it mean that I need to enable any other processing to achieve correct decoding? Would appreciate your help. Thanks!

2

Re: TotalMix mid/side to stereo decoding

M/S Processing is not in the record path. The typical application is to record the M/S microphone technique, but use TM FX with M/S Decoding to listen to this record signal in normal stereo.

What you try to do would require another routing to an output and loopback, so that the M/S Processing of TM FX finally is in the recorded signal.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: TotalMix mid/side to stereo decoding

MC wrote:

M/S Processing is not in the record path. The typical application is to record the M/S microphone technique, but use TM FX with M/S Decoding to listen to this record signal in normal stereo.

What you try to do would require another routing to an output and loopback, so that the M/S Processing of TM FX finally is in the recorded signal.

Hi Matthias, thanks a lot for your help. Indeed loopback gave me the required decoded stereo signal for record.

There’s still something odd though — the drop in volume after decoding mid side to stereo for approximately 6dB. Is this a normal behaviour?

4

Re: TotalMix mid/side to stereo decoding

Depends on the signal content, should reach 0 dBFS with a 2 channel 0 dBFS sine signal.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME