Matrix functionality (Voicemeeter replacement? No Dolby Atmos for Home Theater)

[Drew Neilson]

Is Matrix supposed to replace Voicemeeter? I can see how it is different from Voicemeeter in that it has more granular control: the control is per channel as opposed to per input. It's as if Vincent decided to reorganize Voicemeeter around the concept of the 8x8 matrix. Instead of having the matrix be an add-on, as it kind of is in Voicemeeter, we're designing the program around it, and putting every channel of every input and every output through it. That's pretty powerful. Still, I'd like to know whether Matrix is supposed to replace Voicemeeter.
With all of that said, unfortunately, I still will not be gaming with Matrix, because it doesn't support bitstream passthrough of Dolby Atmos to an AVR. I renamed Matrix' input #3 to "7.1 speakers (VBMatrix In 3)" (or something like that) and in Matrix, I mapped that input to my AVR, which is connected via HDMI. In Windows, with my AVR being the primary audio output device, I enabled Dolby Atmos for Home Theater. Then I switched the audio output device to Matrix's VAIO 3 input. The message that the Dolby Access app gave me when I tried to configure Dolby Atmos for Home Theater on the VAIO 3 input is shown in the attached screenshot.

Dolby_Atmos_Home_Theater_Matrix_incompatible.png (407.22 KiB) Viewed 36712 times

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[Vincent Burel]

Matrix (audio router) is not made to replace Voicemeeter (Audio Mixer). these are 2x different kind of applications.

Matrix VAIO input 3 is a Line Out device... you may try the Input 2 (4,6 or 8) instead, because it is a speaker device that you can configure in 7.1

[Drew Neilson]

What, then, are the different use cases for Matrix and for Voicemeeter? What should Voicemeeter be used for that Matrix should not be used for, and vice versa? Are they meant to be used together?

As for Dolby Atmos, what I meant to say was that Matrix doesn't appear to support bitstream passthrough: accepting the Dolby MAT bitstream (in my case, at VAIO input #3) and handing it off directly to my AVR via HDMI, without any additional processing. If it *does* support bitstream passthrough, then the Dolby Access application probably uses the HDMI hardware handshake between the selected audio output device and the AVR, to verify that the selected audio output device is connected directly to a device that has a Dolby Atmos processor. If my default audio output device is VAIO input #3, then there's no handshake between my primary output device and my AVR, and so VAIO input #3 fails that test. At least, that's my guess for why Dolby Atmos for Home Theater cannot be configured on VAIO input #3 (nor probably any other Matrix or Voicemeeter input).

The name "7.1 speakers" is a misnomer. I should've named it "home theater speakers" since my AVR has Dolby Atmos processing.

[Vincent Burel]

Yes, Voicemeeter can be connected to Matrix of course, like any other audio application.

I Don't understand your question about Dolby Atmos. Audio applications are managing PCM audio only.
Any Codec or Protocol are taken in charge by audio device directly (usually not by audio applications).

VAIO #3 being a "Line Out" device, you have to set it's default format to 8channel to let it support 7.1 audio stream (PCM only).
VAIO #2 being a "Speakers", you have to use the configure button to activate the 7.1 audio stream (PCM only).

ConfigureMatrixVAIOLineOut_InMultiChannel.png (70.53 KiB) Viewed 36692 times

ConfigureMatrixVAIOSpeaker_InMultiChannel.png (69.86 KiB) Viewed 36692 times

[pswiatki]

Dear Vincent! Thank you so much for your wonderful audio applications. I have used your mixer and cables for several years and find them very useful. Just a couple of days ago I found this Matrix (as a standalone application) and tried it to see how it works. While I am a complete amateur when it comes to audio gear, I am very curious about this type of gear (also about all kinds of electronics / computery things - I am an electrical engineer by trade and have worked as an embedded programmer for my entire professional life). So, while I very much understand what the mixers are for and have seen those in action many times at live events in the past, I am wondering:

Matrix (audio router) is not made to replace Voicemeeter (Audio Mixer). these are 2x different kinds of applications.

What is a real-life equivalent of the Matrix for audio? Would you be so kind and attach a picture of such a thing and add just a few words on where one might see such gear being used? I checked the translator (in my language: audio krosownica), but it is not the same device.
Thank you so much!

[ragnar.jensen]

A real life equivalent could be a patch panel.

patchpanel.jpg (341.41 KiB) Viewed 27718 times

[pswiatki]

OK, great. But it seems the patch panel lacks what the Matrix offers here, i.e. setting up levels per matrix element, or any group of elements. There is no real-life equivalent to this, right? Well, a mixer is (to some extent), but the Matrix isn't exactly like a mixer.

[Vincent Burel]

there is such audio matrix in some broadcast audio infra structure, and mainly in Audio Po Mixing Console usually offering an audio matrix to manage different channels, network, interfaces, internal or external BUS, FX, etc...

Generally speaking, a mixing console is basically built on a Matrix architecture.