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System Requirements

SoundCode For Dolby E runs in the following environments:

  • Standalone application — macOS 10.12 and higher, and Windows 10 and higher.
  • Pro Tools plug-in — on a Digidesign-qualified Pro Tools system running Pro Tools 10 and higher.

Important Pro Tools mixer information

SoundCode For Dolby E allows you to place a Dolby E data stream in the Pro Tools timeline and route it to an AES/SPDIF output. However, this requires the non-dithered mixer plug-in.

The Dolby E data stream cannot be altered. The dithered mixer sums a dither signal with the data stream, altering it and making the stream unusable.

Rule of thumb

If you are using the dithered mixer, you cannot mix a Dolby E data stream to any bus. Any gain, pan, or other modification to the signal will render the data stream unusable.

Important sample rate information

SoundCode For Dolby E operates on files at all Pro Tools sample rates. However, files being prepared for Dolby E encoding need to be at 48 kHz — most Dolby Digital encoding is also done at 48 kHz.

SoundCode For Dolby E does not perform sample-rate conversion. For example, if a multichannel BWF file is being prepared to send to the Dolby DP600 for Dolby E encoding, conversion to 48 kHz must happen on the individual inputs before exporting the BWF file.

Important Dolby E latency information

The Dolby E encoder and decoder each have one video frame of latency. This is analogous to Dolby E hardware encoders and decoders.

The Dolby E Encoder tool has an Input Offset control to advance the input audio and compensate for these latencies — equivalent to sliding the audio earlier in time. SoundCode emulates Dolby real time hardware because many broadcast delivery specifications assume a hardware-based encoding system. When encoding Dolby E streams, be certain you understand the delivery requirements so you can set the Input Offset correctly.

AAX Native Dolby E decoder latency (Input Source = Track Stream)

The AAX Native Dolby E decoder allows live Dolby E stream confidence monitoring with one frame of latency. If you use a Pro Tools system to emulate a standalone hardware decoder, you must:

  • Set the hw mode control to ON, and
  • Set the AAX Native buffer size to 256 in the Playback Engine dialog.

This way you can monitor the audio from a live Dolby E stream input and compare it to other audio sources — for example, playing back a video tape with a Dolby E stream on it, decoding it on the Pro Tools system, and testing that it is phase aligned with other tracks. See Dolby E Hardware Mode.