Spatial Audio

7  Surround sound recording techniques

7.1  Surround sound microphone technique

This chapter deals with the extension of conventional two-channel recording technique to multiple channels for surround sound applications, concentrating on standard 5(.1)-channel reproduction. Many of the concepts described here have at least some basis in conventional two-channel stereo, although analysis of the psychoacoustics of 5.1 surround has been nothing like as exhaustively investigated to date. Consequently a number of the techniques described below are at a relatively early stage of development and are still being evaluated.

The chapter begins with a review of microphone techniques that have been proposed for the pickup of natural acoustic sources in surround, ...