I am a theatrical and cinematic sound designer. I own a Macbook Pro (Mid 2012). I would like to start working with 5.1 surround audio, but I have no idea what kind of interface would allow me to use 5.1 audio. Can anyone give me a good recommendation?
MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)
These are all interesting solutions but what I am looking to do is to hook up my Logitech 5.1 speakers to my 2013 MacBook Pro either through a USB interface or through the headphone jack (if 5.1 sound is available through it). The outputs I require need to be mini jacks, not RCA and these outputs should be Front, Center/Sub, Surround/rear. These outputs would go directly to the speakers and not through a receiver. I also prefer not to go the digital/optical route as, it seems, the sound quality is not as good.
Any assistance wuld be appreciated.
These are all interesting solutions but what I am looking to do is to hook up my Logitech 5.1 speakers to my 2013 MacBook Pro either through a USB interface or through the headphone jack (if 5.1 sound is available through it). The outputs I require need to be mini jacks, not RCA and these outputs should be Front, Center/Sub, Surround/rear. These outputs would go directly to the speakers and not through a receiver. I also prefer not to go the digital/optical route as, it seems, the sound quality is not as good.
Any assistance wuld be appreciated.
Thank you for the quick reply, but this does not answer my question. I was asking what specific pieces of hardware would work for me.
Answer from Parker612 on 5.1 surround on macbook pro:
OUTPUT SURROUND SOUND FROM YOUR MAC: (simplest way)
(*Check first to see if your Mac is capable of outputting surround sound through the Mini Displayport. Most models before early 2009 are not able to output multi-channel audio)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4241?viewlocale=en_US
- Use a Mini Display Port to HDMI cable and connect the HDMI into the Blu-Ray/DVD HDMI input on the receiver and the Mini Display to the Mini Display Port on your Mac.
- Go to System Preferences on your Mac. Click on the "Sound" icon. Then in the "Output" tab, select SONYAVAMP - HDMI
- Then go into Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup. On the left side of the window select HDMI. On the right side it then should say "Source: SONY AVAMP"
- Click the "Configure Speakers..." button in the bottom right of the window. Click the "Multichannel" tab. Then select "5.1 Surround" from the pull down menu. Click on each speaker to provide a test tone to make sure each is connect properly. Then click on "Apply"
- Last set is to go into the DVD Player to test it. Go to "Preferences" and click on the "Disc Setup" tab. Under Audio at the bottom of the window select "Digital Out - SONY AVAMP" from the drop down menu for "Audio output" *You now have 5.1 Channel Surround Sound from you Mac!
The headphone jack also has 5.1 audio. It uses a special mini-Toslink to SPDIF connector to hook up to 5.1 audio systems.
There is a USB 5.1 Surround Sound adapter
GWC Technology USB 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Speaker Adapter
All MacBook Pro labelled computers have mini-Toslink Headphone ports. Not all have 5.1 audio input via mini-Toslink. This supports both RCA line level audio for stereo, and Logitech 5.1 speakers via mini-Toslink connector to SPDIF or mini-Toslink to Toslink.
5.1 Audio Interface for Macbook Pro
