ABSTRACT
Surround sound can deliver a stunning experience to the listener, in ways that are very different from stereo recordings—ways that have the potential to be significantly richer. Yet, music recordings in surround have not been a commercial success to date. Consumers have not adopted the format for music listening. Surround recordings have not made their way into the daily lives of consumers as many of us had hoped, and as has happened with surround sound for motion pictures. Many artists, recordists, and labels have stopped making and releasing surround versions of recordings. The reasons for all of this are both many and speculative. Still, artists and audiophiles and recordists alike often closely embrace surround's unique qualities and its ability to greatly enhance music and sound. Surround has qualities that are completely unique from stereo and that can communicate in ways that are vastly different from stereo. Perhaps surround will become commercially viable in the future. This potential exists, and might well be realized as Internet bandwidth continues to increase and thus might soon allow for uncompromised online delivery of surround. It is from this position of hope, and an acknowledgment of all that the format has to offer our art, that this chapter is offered.
