An audio encoding method based on an overall encoding procedure operating on signal representations of a set of audio input channels of a multi-channel audio signal having at least two channels, wherein said audio encoding method comprises the steps of: - performing a first encoding process for encoding a first signal representation, including a down-mix signal, of said set of audio input channels; - performing local synthesis in connection with said first encoding process to generate a locally decoded down-mix signal including a representation of the encoding error of the first encoding process; - performing a second encoding process for encoding a second representation of said set of audio input channels, using at least said locally decoded down-mix signal as input; - estimating input channel energies of said audio input channels; - generating at least one energy representation of said audio input channels based on the estimated input channel energies of said audio input channels; - encoding said at least one energy representation; and - generating residual error signals from at least one of said encoding processes, including at least said second encoding process; - performing residual encoding of said residual error signals in a third encoding process, wherein said first encoding process is a down-mix encoding process, said second encoding process is based on channel prediction for generating at least one predicted channel, and said step of generating residual error signals includes the step of generating residual prediction error signals, and wherein said step of generating at least one energy representation includes the steps of: - determining channel energy level differences; - determining channel energy level sums; and - determining delta energy measures based on said channel energy level sums and energy of said locally decoded down-mix signal from said local synthesis in connection with said first encoding process, and wherein said step of encoding said at least one energy representation includes the steps of: - quantizing said channel energy level differences; and - quantizing said delta energy measures. - performing a first encoding process for encoding a first signal representation, including a down-mix signal, of said set of audio input channels; - performing local synthesis in connection with said first encoding process to generate a locally decoded down-mix signal including a representation of the encoding error of the first encoding process; - performing a second encoding process for encoding a second representation of said set of audio input channels, using at least said locally decoded down-mix signal as input; - estimating input channel energies of said audio input channels; - generating at least one energy representation of said audio input channels based on the estimated input channel energies of said audio input channels; - encoding said at least one energy representation; and - generating residual error signals from at least one of said encoding processes, including at least said second encoding process; - performing residual encoding of said residual error signals in a third encoding process, - determining channel energy level differences; - determining channel energy level sums; and - determining delta energy measures based on said channel energy level sums and energy of said locally decoded down-mix signal from said local synthesis in connection with said first encoding process, and - quantizing said channel energy level differences; and - quantizing said delta energy measures.