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Speaker Layout

The LAYOUT card on the SPATIAL tab holds the speaker rig: where each speaker sits relative to the listener, which output it is, and what role it plays. The rig is saved with the session, one rig per output channel count, so moving an instance between a 5.1 and a 7.1.4 bus brings back the rig last used at each width. Presets never carry the rig.

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Layout Presets

Choose a layout from the LAYOUT menu. Every preset places its speakers 1 m from the listener.
In the 5.1, 7.1, Atmos 7.1.4 and Atmos 9.1.6 layouts, output 4 is the LFE: a Sub placed at Centre. Its Auto role resolves to Sub whether or not the host’s bus format names the channel as LFE, so it receives no panned reverb, and an LFE input channel lands there. On any other rig, an output the bus names as LFE resolves to Sub the same way; when the bus names none, set the subwoofer output’s role to Sub under OUTPUT SPEAKERS.
The first time an instance meets a channel count with no rig of its own, it seeds one: Stereo for two channels, an even ring of speakers for any other count. Choose the matching layout from the menu to replace it.

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Layout Editor

The floor view draws the rig from above, scaled to the speakers’ real distance. The outer ring sits at the farthest speaker’s distance (its caption gives the distance in metres), with inner rings at one and two thirds, spokes every 30° to read azimuth, and FRONT and BACK captions. Each speaker is a numbered circle with a post showing its height and a halo that pulses with its output level. The listener is the orange ring with a dot. Moving speakers. Drag a speaker to move it across the floor, or shift-drag to change its height (Z). Each speaker also has a row with X, Y and Z fields in metres; type a value and press Return. Any move, typed value, addition or deletion switches the menu to Custom. Choosing a layout from the menu keeps the listener where it is. Custom rigs. In Custom, + ADD SPEAKER adds a speaker 1 m in front of the listener (up to 16), and each row’s × deletes that speaker (down to 2). Saving rigs. SAVE writes the current rig (positions, roles, trims and the listener position) to a file, and LOAD reads one back, listener included. Objects on the floor. The four objects are drawn on rings inside the speakers, Dry innermost, each with an arc showing its spread and ticks where its input channels land. At 100 % spread on a rig that surrounds the listener an object becomes a full ring.
  • Drag an object to set its azimuth; shift-drag to set its elevation; use the scroll wheel over it to set its spread.
  • The stage chips DRY, DENS, REFL and SPACE select an object, after which a drag or the scroll wheel on empty floor acts on it.
  • Dragging the listener marker moves the listener.
Moving objects never changes the rig. DEFAULTS resets azimuth, elevation, width and spread of all four objects to the defaults for the current output class (stereo or surround). UNDO appears after an automatic or DEFAULTS reset and restores the values you have not changed since.

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Time Alignment

With Distance compensation on (the default, under ROUTING), ANTIVERB lines up every speaker to the farthest one from the listener:
  • Delay. Each nearer speaker is delayed by the difference in distance divided by the speed of sound (343 m/s), with fractional-sample accuracy, so all speakers arrive together.
  • Gain. Each nearer speaker is turned down in proportion to its distance (the inverse-distance law), so all speakers arrive at the same level. The farthest speaker stays at unity.
Distances are measured from the listener position. Changes glide over 256 samples. The delay needed to line up the nearest and farthest speakers is reported to the host as latency. With every speaker at the same distance (as in every layout preset with the listener at the centre) the delays are zero and the gains unity.

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Coverage View

On a rig of three or more speakers, a ring of short ticks just outside the outer ring shows how accurately the rig can place a sound in each direction. ANTIVERB pans a test source to 36 directions around the listener (one every 10°) and measures how far the energy actually lands from where it was aimed. Each tick grows with that error, up to 45°, and a direction no speaker covers counts as 180°. The largest error is shown in the LAYOUT header as max dir error with its value in degrees, grey below 30°, gold from 30° and red from 60°. The view updates whenever the rig, the output roles or the listener change. Gaps in a rig (a missing rear pair, for example) show up as long ticks and a gold or red reading.

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OUTPUT SPEAKERS

The OUTPUT SPEAKERS card (EXPERT view) lists each output with its ROLE and TRIM (dB), with the XOVER and SUB sliders above.

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Output Roles and Bass Management

The crossover is a 24 dB per octave filter with no latency of its own. When the rig has at least one Small speaker and one Sub, the Sub ceiling holds the Sub outputs at or below -0.92 dBFS, after the trims and SUB level, with a 1.5 ms lookahead and a 30 ms release. It turns down the Sub outputs only; its 1.5 ms delays every output and is reported to the host as latency. Small speakers need at least one Sub to send their bass to; with no Sub in the rig, Small behaves as Full. With more than one Sub, the LFE input is shared between them. Output roles, trims, XOVER, SUB and the listener position describe your room, so loading or morphing a preset leaves them as you set them. Bass management runs only on an output of more than two channels with SPATIAL engaged.