Using Additional Audio Channels

When encoding with a Resi hardware encoder, you may need to use more than two audio channels. For example, if you’ve scheduled a Sunday service and you want to broadcast a translation in another language, your encoder can capture audio from more than two audio channels you can then use over the same video. 

All you'll need to do is create an event with the first two audio channels and a separate event with the second two audio channels. With any Live Streaming Subscription plan, you’ll have access to capture and use up to 8 audio channels. If you need more than 8 audio channels, we have a license that allows up to 16 audio channels.

If you’re looking to broadcast the two events at the same time, you’ll need an additional web event license. To add more audio channels or an additional web event, contact your Customer Success Manager or our Customer Success team.  

To capture and use additional audio channels, you’ll first need to create or edit an existing encoder preset configured for more than two audio channels. You’ll then be able to schedule or manually start events that use the additional audio.

Create an Encoder Preset with Additional Audio Channels

An encoder preset contains a set of input and output settings your hardware encoder will use to capture, store, and send content to the cloud. By default, Resi will create an encoder preset with 2 channels of audio for you. You can create a new one from the Encoder Presets page in Studio. 

1. Navigate to Settings > Encoder Presets.
2. Click Add Preset.
3. Configure the preset and choose how many audio channels you want along with bitrate per audio channel.
4. Click Add.
5. The new encoder preset is ready to use.

For a step-by-step guide to creating encoder presets, see Create a New Encoder Preset.

Create an Additional Web Preset

Web presets are instructions that tell Studio which two audio channels to pull from when broadcasting videos to your viewers. By default, Studio has a Default web preset that’s not listed in the web preset page. It will pull from audio channels 1 and 2.  To use more audio channels, you’ll need to create an additional web preset.

1. Navigate to Settings > Web Presets.
2. Click Add Web Preset. 
3. Configure the web preset and select the left and right audio channels you want this web preset to use. For example, if this is a Spanish translation and you capture the audio on channels 3 and 4, choose channels 3 and 4.
4. Click Add. The web preset is now available to use when scheduling or manually starting events. 

For more on web presets, see Create or Edit a Web Preset.

How To Encode More Than 2 Audio Channels

To properly encode more than two audio channels to broadcast to the web, you need to embed any audio channels digitally after channels 1 and 2. We’ve seen organizations have success doing this with some video switchers or an external SDI audio embedder.  

First, use an encoder preset that is configured to capture the amount of audio channels you need. Your presets can be found on the Encoder Presets page. Here’s an example of a preset configured with more than 2 audio channels.

Encoder presets encode audio in ascending order from channel 1. For example, an encoder preset configured to capture 4 channels of audio will capture the audio in the order channel 1, channel 2, channel 3, channel 4. 

When creating or editing an encoder preset, make sure you select the amount of audio channels you need. If you chose to create a web preset that captures audio channels 5, 6, 7, or 8, you’ll need an 8-audio channel encoder preset. A 4-audio channel encoder preset can only capture from audio channels 1-4.

For example, if you chose audio channels 7 and 8 when creating a web preset and are looking to capture audio channels 1,2,7, and 8, you’ll need to use an 8-audio channel encoder preset. But if you’re looking to capture audio channels 1,2,3,4, you can use a 4-audio channel encoder preset. 

Second, when scheduling or manually starting an event, select the web preset that has the two audio channels you want to broadcast to viewers. 

Encoder videos with more than 2 audio channels may not play properly when you watch because most browsers can’t play more than 2 channels of audio. Start a web video to make sure the audio plays back the way you want it. 

Scheduling

To broadcast an event using different audio channels (for example in another language), you'll have to create two unique events in your schedule because one event can only broadcast two audio channels. 

1. Navigate to  Schedule.
2. Click Add Event.
3. Configure the event.
4. Click Add Destination under Content Destinations.
5. Click Web.
6. Configure the web event and video the web preset with the audio you want.
7. Click Add.
8. The web destination will broadcast with the audio from the channels you selected in the web preset. 

Manually starting a web video

1. Navigate to Library > Encoder Videos.
2. Hover over the video you want to broadcast and click the options icon and select Start a Web Video.
3. Configure the web video and choose the web preset with the audio you want.
4. Click Start.
5. The new video will now broadcast with the audio from the channels you selected in the web preset. 

Case Study: Using Multiple Audio Channels

This is an example of using multiple audio channels and one way we’ve seen organizations have success doing so. 

The goal of our example is to include a second web video that has a Spanish translation running at the same time as our live Sunday service. To do so, we’ll first need to make sure the organization has a licensed additional web event so they can broadcast 2 videos at the same time. 

The organization is running a stereo mix through an SDI cable to an ATEM switcher with audio currently embedded on channels 1 and 2, directly into a RAY Encoder. 

To use an additional 2 audio channels, the organization:

1. Adds an SDI audio embedder between the switcher and the RAY Encoder.
2. Routes the second two channels of audio to the SDI embedder so they’re captured on channels 3 and 4.
3. Edits or creates an encoder preset to encode 4 channels of audio.
4. Creates a web preset and chooses to use audio channels 3 and 4.
5. Creates a second web channel to house the second video with audio channels 3 and 4, so that the two events can run at the same time.

Web channels store your web videos and provide their embed options until the videos expire. You can create as many web channels as you want, however only one video can be broadcast from a web channel at a time. For more on web channels, see Create a New Web Channel.

6. Either schedules or manually creates the events and selects the web channels and web presets they would like to broadcast.
7. Uses both web channels’ embed options in their hosting platforms to broadcast both events with different audio channels. 

Always test your configuration to make sure it’s running correctly and the audio you want is associated with the video you want before broadcasting to viewers.