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I have long wondered just how well is software able to downmix 5.1 audio to stereo on the fly during playback, as opposed to an alternative rendered stereo track.
After conducting an experiment, I am sad to report that the two sound extremely different. The one rendered in stereo sounds much closer to the way I intended it to sound. This makes a compelling argument to always do a stereo track in addition to whatever else.
NOTE: It is also extremely important to set your project properties according to the kind of setup you are using while editing. In other words, if you are editing with headphones, make sure to set the project properties to stereo, even if your ultimate finished product will 5.1!!! Just make sure it gets switched back before doing any 5.1 rendering.
After conducting an experiment, I am sad to report that the two sound extremely different. The one rendered in stereo sounds much closer to the way I intended it to sound. This makes a compelling argument to always do a stereo track in addition to whatever else.
NOTE: It is also extremely important to set your project properties according to the kind of setup you are using while editing. In other words, if you are editing with headphones, make sure to set the project properties to stereo, even if your ultimate finished product will 5.1!!! Just make sure it gets switched back before doing any 5.1 rendering.