Surround Sound

The other thing that really grabbed me was the arrival of surround sound (or multichannel audio, if you prefer), in both theoretical and hardware terms. It was really exciting to have a whole papers session devoted to surround miking and production techniques, ranging from Jerry Bruck's KFM 360 surround microphone rig to Lexicon's new Logic 7 surround matrix system. And out in the exhibits, manufacturers seemed to be taking surround-sound quite seriously, so that most recording consoles, including the digital consoles mentioned above, now make at least some provision for surround capability. As one of the authors in the multichannel papers session said as he put up a slide showing a 5.1 channel speaker layout, "I think we're going to be seeing this drawing a lot over the next ten years."

So, not only can we all get really good tools for really short money now, but the playing field is moving into new territory. Stereo production is just beginning to give way to surround mixing for music. We're all just beginning to deal with the idea of working in this new, expanded medium.

That means it's gold rush time. If you can figure out how to record, mix, or master in surround, you probably are going to be in considerable demand over the next decade. And remember what I said above about experience. The only competitive edge any of us will have is our knowledge and experience, and right now, only a handful of folks have any production knowledge at all about surround for music. In many respects, it is uncharted territory. If you really understand stereo, it will help a lot, but the surround clichés have yet to be created. And you and I should be the ones to create them!

A brave new world, with a new production format and affordable high-quality tools for all. We can all play, and the sky is the limit. They billed the New York AES show as AES's Golden Anniversary, with all the attendant hoopla and nostalgia. But to me, it looked a lot more like California in 1848, particularly for those of us who've been wantin' to head west. Hitch the wagon up, Carol! There's gold in them thar joysticks! Yeeeeeha!

Happy Surroundings!

Dave Moulton is alive and well in Groton, MA, and busy finishing up his new book on audio, "Total Recording."