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[EOM]

The Isone Pro Surround VST plugin: http://www.jeroenbreebaart.com/audio_vst_isone_pro.htm takes a 5.1 signal and processes it for 2 channel headphone listening.  Media Center works with this plugin just fine with my motherboard's 5.1 channel output--All the channels are processed by the plugin and the output of the L+R channels are the headphone mix. The C+LFE, SL+SR are passed on through.

I'm running Windows 7 64-bit, using my motherboard's High Definition Audio Device.

The problem is that I want to send the processed output of that plugin out my SPDIF output to an external DAC and Headphone amp. If I set the output to SPDIF, it's only 2 channels so multichannel playback fails. If I set the "Output Format" to 2 channels with no mixin, then only the L+R channels are sent through the plugin. If I set mixing to JRSS then the 5.1 signal is downmixed, thus wrecking the signal for the Isone plugin.

Is there any way to get my processed L+R signal output through my SPDIF output?

[Matt]

Sorry, but I can't think of a way to get what you want.

The audio engine is not able to push 5.1 data through DSP plugins yet talk to the soundcard in 2.0 format.

The format of audio going through the chain is the same (except for bitdepth or AC3 encoding) as the format delivered to the soundcard.

JRSS 5.1 to 2.0 downmixing is high quality, so perhaps you could use that?

[EOM]

JRSS doesn't sound as good to me. I've tried all sorts of headphone crossfeed and/or HRTF processors and Isone is the only one that actually fooled me once into thinking I was listening to the speakers. (maybe that says something about my listening skills...) I really love listening through it, it makes headphone listening fantastic.

Media Center is so far the only player I've found that can handle the Isone surround plugin properly, but unfortunately Media Center won't get me the last bit of the way there... 2 channel SPDIF output from the processed 5.1 source.

How do we get feature requests into the hands of the developers?

[JimH]

You're talking to one.  I think he's said that it can't be done.

[audunth]

Just an idea...maybe there's a way to use the VST plugin to do an offline conversion, making a new audio track that can be muxed into the video and then played with MC like a normal stereo file? I know there are some DVDs that have a premixed Dolby Headphone soundtrack that will play through any stereo player.

[EOM]

maybe there's a way to use the VST plugin to do an offline conversion,

Yes, I have done that, but it's quite a process. Media Center is soooo cloooose to getting this right, and it would certainly be much more convenient to simply listen to existing media instead of doing an offline process.

So to Matt: Foobar2000's channel mixing and routing features are very flexible, but it can't do multichannel VSTs. Media Center can do multichannel VSTs, but its routing is inflexible.  All Media Center needs is more flexible routing. If I could just specify which channels could go to which output (including none) and/or if Media Center could still process multichannel audio while still ultimately outputting to a different format (including throwing away channels) then it would be my ultimate media player. 

So maybe in the DSP Studio "Output Format" page, if 2 channels are set on the output, then make it so that multichannel audio could be passed all the way through the engine (including multichannel VST plugins) until the final 2 channel output where there would be an option to just throw away the unneeded channels.  Please consider implementing this.

[mojave]

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but you can install one of the free multichannel plugins from Voxengo (such as Span or Sound Delay) and use it just for routing. You have to click on Routing in the plugin and can route channels however you want. You can also stack two of the plugins for even more routing options. You could try this and see if it works for you.

[Matt]

So maybe in the DSP Studio "Output Format" page, if 2 channels are set on the output, then make it so that multichannel audio could be passed all the way through the engine (including multichannel VST plugins) until the final 2 channel output where there would be an option to just throw away the unneeded channels.  Please consider implementing this.

Some day we may allow something like this, but it won't be in version 15.  It would require two format conversion stages instead of one stage, and adds to the complexity of both the audio engine and user interface.

For now, you might consider high quality analog outputs.  You can talk to many soundcards using 5.1 or 7.1 but then only send the L and R to your headphones with your wiring.