Video Tutorial: How To Do Surround Sound Mixing In Pro Tools

Paul Maunder has put together an excellent video tutorial on how to do surround sound mixing in Pro Tools. It’s an introduction to working in 5.1 and 7.1, for those who are already familiar with Pro Tools but may not have worked in surround.

An introduction to surround mixing in Pro Tools

Topics covered (with playing times):

0:50 5.1
1:43 7.1
1:54 SDDS 7.1
2:43 Pro Tools surround panner overview
3:31 Dolby Atmos integration in Pro Tools
5:28 Basic 5.1 mix of live gig recording
13:39 Brief introduction to divergence
17:23 Basic surround panning and divergence for post
22:32 The LFE channel
32:06 Filtering the LFE channel
33:24 Bouncing surround mixes
34:22 Creating a stereo downmix within the session
37:16 Destructive record and destructive punch
40:52 Offline bounce for surround mixes

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A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects CIRCUS Horror Strings Play Track 180 sounds included $0

Strident and Demonic

Expand the timbre of your horror violins and cellos with CIRCUS, a sinister sample pack featuring 180 WAV sounds of screeching or high-pitched string noises, perfect for horror music and dark sound design.

Creative Tension

This collection offers a curated selection of screeches, high-tension tremolo, heavy jeté strokes, dark demonic textures, finger patterns, chaotic string elements, clock loops and bow accents.

Haunting and Experimental

Create haunting atmospheres, perfect for horror, thriller or experimental soundtracks. Every element has been designed to unsettle and disturb, blurring the line between music and noise.

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Destruction & Impact Sounds Wood Impacts Play Track 1671 sounds included $65

Wood Impacts features a large number of organic-sounding wooden crunches, impacts, metal+wood clashes and wood fiber explosions.

The sounds are organized into 10 different categories such as Hits, Movements, Digs, Cracks, Mangles – giving you lots of great and versatile material for your sonic arsenal!

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Funny / Comedy / Cartoon Baby Sounds Play Track 160 sounds included, 85 mins total $39

Baby Sounds library includes 160 HQ (24bit/96kHz) indoor recordings of newborn, infant, toddler laughs, sighs, screams, whimpers, giggles, and cries. All captured in real-life conditions, over a 14-month period.

Apart from the profound pre-speech vocalizations, you’ll also find cute recordings of a suckling pacifier, baby farts, breathing, breastfeeding and sneezing that will help your foleying character become more realistic and lifelike. Overall, the collection caters to projects in need for authentic newborn/ infant/ toddler boy vocal expressions.

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Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:

Train Sound Effects Train Life Bundle Play Track 160 sounds included, 329 mins total $125

The Train Life Bundle includes three Train Libraries, Train Life, Train Life 2, and Train Life 3. In both these collections there’s a number of Exterior Freight Train Recordings with various speeds, perspectives, and locations. Rumbling Trains in the Desert, Industrial, and Urban Areas. Horns Close and Distant, Passenger Trains, Rail Yard and Track Ambiences, and an assortment of other Train related sounds.

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Train Sound Effects Train Life 3 Play Track 28+ sounds included, 37 mins total $30

Train Life 3 is the third library in the ever evolving sonic journey of recording trains. I can’t quite explain it, but trains are just downright fun to record and those old industrial rail yards and tracks seem to always be calling.

This collection includes newer more recent recordings and is a good addition for anyone that has the previous Train libraries I’ve released (Train Life and Train Life 2) or who is just looking for a general collection of Exterior Freight and Passenger Trains. You’ll find long approaches, various bys, rail clacks, a few horns. I was also able to get some close recordings of slow connecting cars with big booms and bangs, groans and rail squeals. A couple of those are long recordings which can provide for some really interesting sound design when pitching down. I’ve provided booms and squeals that are more singular elements with multiple versions as well.

This library is also part of the Train Life Bundle collection.

Freight Trains in Transit (6) – Bys, Approaches, Air Bursts
Passenger Trains (12) – Amtrak and Metrolink Fast Bys with Rail Clacks. Slow Away and a couple with Horns.
Freight Trains Mechanical (10) – Trains Connecting Cars with Booms and Bangs and Rail Squeals.

Metadata
Detailed Metadata and labeling has been provided along with using UCS.

The Gear
Sound Devices MixPre-3

The Mics
MKH 8040 and 30

All of the recordings except for one were decoded to MS.

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Animal Sound Effects Voices of the Farm Play Track 500+ sounds included $79
Voices of the Farm captures the vibrant and authentic soundscape of rural life, recorded over several years in barns, stables, fields, and farmyards across Asia, America, Africa, and Europe. From the deep lowing of cattle and the playful bleats of goats to the piercing calls of roosters at dawn and the gentle ambience of open pastures, this collection reveals the true voices and atmosphere of the countryside.

The library includes over 500 sounds, organized into 122 files:
- 100 focused recordings of individual animals and groups
- 22 natural ambiences captured in real working environments such as barns, stables, meadows, chicken coops, and open fields
All recordings are carefully edited, organized by species, and fully UCS-compliant with detailed metadata, ready for direct use in Soundminer and professional workflows. The clear folder structure makes navigation simple and efficient.

Whether you need the quiet intimacy of a single goat bleat, the energetic life of a barnyard, or the pastoral calm of rural landscapes, Voices of the Farm offers a versatile sonic palette ideal for film, television, games, and interactive projects.

Many of these recordings also serve as a great foundation for creature sound design, thanks to their expressive textures and organic tonal qualities.
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Foley Sound Effects Business Navigator NV-A008 Piaggio Vespa PX150 2023 electric ride-on toy scooter motorcycle Play Track 23 sounds included, 10 mins total $45

All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with RØDE NTG1, Line Audio Omni1 and FEL Clippy XLR EM272 microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II & Zoom F3 recorders. Library contains wav files of driving, foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is only available in UCS.

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Aircraft - Jet/Propeller Plane Sound Effects Planes and Helicopters Play Track 66 sounds included, 41 mins total $34

PLANES & HELICOPTERS contains flybys, takeoffs, and landings of 13 aircraft models and 5 helicopter models, including small and medium-range passenger planes, private jets, tiny planes and firefighting aircraft. Recorded as close as possible to the aircraft, in airports. You’ll find turbojet, turboprop, and propeller-powered aircrafts. You’ll also find military and civilian helicopters sound effects.
The sounds can be used for a realistic purpose but you can design spaceships or futuristic vehicles.

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