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[bracurrie]

Just trying to use JRiver MC on trial basis today for the first time.
Can't quite get the hang of how to configure a multi-channel active crossover setup for my bi-amped 2 speaker system.
Also don't understand the downmixing terms/concept. I am trying to route two channels for bass using a 200Hz 3rd order filter and two channels for high end using 400Hz 1st order filter. (It's an odd setup but it works for my Open baffle two-way speakers.
My audio interface is an Apogee Quartet.
Thanks ahead for any help.
Brad

[mwillems]

We may need a little more info about your setup, but I also run bi-amped speakers with JRiver so I can help from firsthand experience.

A few thoughts to get started:  the key to the downmixing settings is that you'll need to use one of the "x channel in a y channel container" settings.  In those settings the "x" is the mixing target, the "y" is the total number of channels available for mixing and routing.  So, for example if you had a pair of 4-way quad-amped mains, you'd want "2 channel in a 7.1 channel container"; a stereo mixing target, but 8 channels available for mixing and routing.  The only "catch" to be aware of is that the 2.1 setting is actually "2.1 in a 5.1 channel container" for compatibility reasons, but isn't labeled that way.

In your case you probably want to use 2 channel in a 5.1 channel container (just to have enough channels to do any routing work).  Then you'd want to go to the first PEQ module, select the "mix channels" filter and use the "copy" function to copy Left to Surround Left.  Then do the same to copy Right to Surround Right.  I use Left and Right for my High Frequency and SL and SR for my low frequency, but it doesn't really matter as long as you know which are which.  Then apply your crossover filters (high pass and low pass are appropriately labelled in the PEQ module) to the appropriate channels; you can select the order, the setpoint and which channels the filter applies to once you've selected the filter. Then you can add any necessary delay or other EQ.  In this example your Center and Sub channels will be blank, or, if you have a sub, you can use them for sub mixing.

Does that make sense?  If you need more info, please do ask; getting a bi-amped setup going can be challenging, but JRiver has everything you need from the software side and it's well worth the effort!

[zombie-wmd]

getting a bi-amped setup going can be challenging

OK, my mind is officially blown.  i am thinking of buying a pair of Emotiva bi-amp self powered studio monitors.  are you saying i will have to do something over and above the normal music streamer/pre-amp setup? why would that be?

thanks for response

[mwillems]

OK, my mind is officially blown.  i am thinking of buying a pair of Emotiva bi-amp self powered studio monitors.  are you saying i will have to do something over and above the normal music streamer/pre-amp setup? why would that be?

thanks for response

Maybe?  I don't know how the speakers you're describing works, or even which model you mean.  My experience has been that most commercial speakers that describe themselves as "bi-amped" are in actuality bi-wired or not really bi-amped at all.

Read: http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm

In order to obtain real benefits from bi-amping, you need an active crossover in front of the amps.  I have seen some commercial speakers designed that way, but I've also seen many that just offer two inputs that just connect to two different parts of the same passive crossover (bi-wiring).  If you have a speaker that only offers one input, but implements an active crossover before sending the signal to separate amps for each stage, then you have an actually bi-amped speaker that would require no advanced configuration on your end.  But it also would limit your ability to do certain kinds of filtering in DSP too.

You can get the most benefit from bi-amping by doing your own crossover filtering first and then feeding it to the different elements separately.  It's a rare commercial speaker that allows you to entirely defeat it's internal crossover, though.  But even in that ideal case, you need to set up your own filters, which is work.

[blgentry]

All of the Emotiva powered monitors I looked (in a very quick look at their site) had only one input per speaker.  So they are internally biamped and require nothing special from JRiver's configuration at all.

Now if you add a separate external powered subwoofer things change.  But just to use those powered monitors, nothing special is required.

Brian.

[zombie-wmd]

All of the Emotiva powered monitors I looked (in a very quick look at their site) had only one input per speaker.  So they are internally biamped and require nothing special from JRiver's configuration at all.

Now if you add a separate external powered subwoofer things change.  But just to use those powered monitors, nothing special is required.

Brian.

brian -

great advice.  thanks for going to the trouble of checking out the website.

have fun.