[FreeSurround](https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php?topic=52235.0) is a surround decoding component for [foobar2000](https://www.foobar2000.org/) that sounds fantastic and even better than most Dolby decoders out there like the one with ffdshow, as ranked by this [binaural experiments chart](https://airtable.com/shrOnHuD2tILBB7uK/tblZ8QmkQmfZuoquV). foobar2000 can do up to 16.1 decoding, which is even more channels than the most common Dolby Atmos setup of 11.1, but I am only upmixing to 7.1 as there is probably no way to encode homebrew Dolby Atmos mixes yet.
I will put them up as FLAC 7.1 tracks as I do not have any knowledge on encoding with DTS-HD MA but feel free to make your own DTS-HD MA or Dolby TrueHD versions. I will not upmix the audio to 16.1 unless some people really want them for whatever reason because I am working with limited disk space, a 16.1 mix would take up over twice the size as a 7.1 mix, and I am working with limited disk space.
The films included with FreeSurround 7.1 upmixes are:
- Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
- Only Yesterday (1991)
- Porco Rosso (1992)
- Pom Poko (1994)
As you can see, these films were originally in Dolby Stereo and the Blu-ray has these original mixes. I did not do 7.1 upmixes of Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Ocean Waves because they are not Dolby Stereo (the first two are mono and the latter is stereo, and Cagliostro already has a 7.1 mix on the 4K UHD).
I did not do 7.1 upmixes of the later films either because the current surround mixes are already good enough, and their 2.0 mixes on Blu-ray are not the original Dolby Stereo SR mixes they were shown with but rather stereo downmixes made from the 5.0/5.1/6.1 discrete surround mixes.
These remixes are all the original theatrical Japanese audio.
@herkz
The films were mixed in Dolby Stereo, which is meant to be decoded by the AV receiver or the cinema's audio processor to at least 4.0 surround.
I have taken advantage of FreeSurround's fantastic Dolby Stereo/Pro Logic decoding to remix the films to 7.1 surround.
This is interesting but aren't Dolby Stereo mixes an original 6 channel and not 8+ channels? Unless it's just making approximations with Pro Logic or something for extra channel layouts over 5.1 if I'm understanding it correctly.
@HARVEST "the later films ... 2.0 mixes on Blu-ray are not the original Dolby Stereo SR mixes they were shown with but rather stereo downmixes made from the 5.0/5.1/6.1 discrete surround mixes" - Useful tidbit. Do you (or anyone else) know if the original Dolby mixes for the later films are available anywhere on here?
@DamianV8501 The original Dolby Stereo channels are 4.0. The matrix algorithm first decodes the 2.0 to 4.0 and spreads the 4.0 audio to 7.1.
@Rrobynne The original mixes for the later films are Dolby Digital, DTS and DTS-ES except for The Wind Rises, which was originally mono in 2013.
Whisper of the Heart, On Your Mark and Princess Mononoke were originally in Dolby Digital 5.1 and all Blu-ray releases (even ones in DTS-HD MA) are the original theatrical mixes.
My Neighbors the Yamadas, The Cat Returns, Ghiblies episode 2, Arrietty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Earwig and the Witch are all originally in DTS 5.1.
Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea and Ponyo are originally in DTS-ES 6.1. All Blu-rays have the original theatrical mix.
From Up on Poppy Hill and When Marnie Was There are originally in DTS 5.0. All Blu-rays have the original theatrical mix.
Their original Dolby Stereo SR mixes are only available on 35mm prints and even then, they are just downmixes of the 5.0/5.1/6.1 tracks.
Earwig and the Witch was originally mixed in DTS 5.1 but it did get a Dolby Atmos remix for its Japanese theatrical release.
Unfortunately, this Dolby Atmos remix is unavailable anywhere, even in the Japanese Blu-ray, though it is likely they are saving it for the eventual 4K UHD release if it ever happens.
Most of the films before Earwig and the Witch (maybe including Earwig and the Witch if it was shown with 35mm prints which is possible however unlikely) except The Wind Rises had Dolby Stereo SR mixes as analogue backup audio tracks in case the Dolby Digital and DTS audio tracks malfunctioned.
These Dolby Stereo SR mixes are mostly different mixes from the main Dolby Digital/DTS mixes, but they have turned into mere downmixes of the DTS tracks starting with The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, albeit different downmixes than the ones on the Blu-rays.
Comments - 8
herkz
HARVEST (uploader)
DarkSwordsman
Phantom132
DamianV8501
Rrobynne
HARVEST (uploader)
HARVEST (uploader)