5.1 Monitoring with Kona 3 or 1814 ??

[tillHavis]

Hi just wondering if anybody can direct me in the right direction.
I am pretty new to audio and was wondering about 5.1 monitoring.
I am looking at getting the Kona 3 for capture and 2K monitoring and was wondering what the best set up for Audio would be.
I am already using an M-Audio 1814 with straight forward stereo monitoring using 1/4" Jacks and a pair of Tannoy Reveal 6D's. I love the sound and they produce and personally I find them great for monitoring.
I was interested in how I would approach 5.1 sound mixing and what set up I should use. My films are not FX driven so I will not be doing any complex audio. If any red Users can point me in the general direction and maybe some links and reading that would help a lot.
I am a newbee when it comes to Audio so I am really starting from basics. I would like to be able to make a simple 5.1 mix however but my main concentration is on providing good stereo at the moment. Just an aside if I am planning in upgrading to a 5.1 set up should I stick with Tannoy's for the remaining 3 monitors.

Regards

[Steve Sherrick]

I suppose you can use the Kona for this purpose, but is this a final mix or just playing around? Surround is not as easy as it may seem. There is a lot to know, especially in terms of acoustics, because if you are not set up to do it properly, you can run into problems with speakers not aligned properly, stereo mixdown issues, etc.

Theoretically though as long as the Kona is seen as an audio device, the apps should be able to route to it and yes, you should be able to use it. But keep in mind that it has AES outputs.

[tillHavis]

Thanks Steve, this will not be a final mix I am just trying to get a start in 5.1. Steve what exactly is the difference between the AES outputs the Kona uses and the balanced XLR inputs that run into the Tannoys; or is their a difference ?

[Steve Sherrick]

the difference is aes is digital often in pairs on one cable. They are not interchangeable. You'll need a way to convert the digital to analogue.

If you are just trying to learn surround then just get the setup as close as you can and have fun with it.