And Still No Surround Sound

[TapperMike]

I circulate with some very techically advanced producers.  It's funny they always are talking about this that and the other thing when it comes to techno/dubstep et all music and they all fall flat when I bring up the subject of surround sound mixing.

 

In this age where almost anyone with a car has a surround sound in it. Where surround sound systems are commonplace in the home and even laptops have surround sound emulators for headphones almost no one mixes to surround sound.  Part of that has to do with outlet. There are no specific surround sound audio files.  You have to move up into the world of mp4 video to attain it. 

 

I love mixing/mastering in surround sound.  And I think if the audience got used to hearing song mixes in surround sound. They too would gain a greater appeciation for the medium.

[TapperMike]

A small fan.  My Dad had the whole quadraphonic setup but it was more to impress his friends then for my personal listening. 

 

What really got me into it was ...anime (non-adult).  I was watching a dvd with my niece once and it had this really wide stereo for the background music which filled up the center into a true surround sound (I forget the name of the show now) But I was amazed by the separation of instruments and their clarity that got me hooked.  I have samplitude which allows for surround sound placement and I started remixing some of my older stuff as well as projects sent to me in surround sound.

[Prometheus]

I circulate with some very techically advanced producers.  It's funny they always are talking about this that and the other thing when it comes to techno/dubstep et all music and they all fall flat when I bring up the subject of surround sound mixing.

 

To give the counter point (no musical puns intended) of view, and I hope I'm not being too controversial here, I'm absolutely not trying to pick a fight with fans of surround sound.

They've probably never gotten into it because while it has wonderful uses in cinema, in music it's nothing more than a gimmicky parlour trick. Even Pete Townsend, who planned to be at the vanguard of Quadrophonic production with Quadrophenia ended up mixing it in stereo because it sounded so ludicrous in Quadrophonic reproduction. -- source (QUADROPHENIA 1973 ALBUM - BBC Documentary - CAN YOU SEE THE REAL ME?)  

In the context of current expereince it's hard to understand why Townsend thought Quadrophonic sound was such a big deal, but when you look at the time with suspended disbelief and remember the sensation that Sgt. Pepper caused being released in stereo, it's easy to see why back then he believed there was about to be another paradigm shift.

 

The truth is though, you go to see a band, you expect them to be standing in front of you, not spread all around you.  That's why surround mixes like the surround remix of Dark Side of The Moon were just stereo fields with a few doo-wangs sent out to the other speakers.  It's counter to what psychology tells you should be going on when you listen to music.  Great for film to create a 3D feel.  For music, useless, because music was never meant to be 3D.