ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the most commonly encountered multichannel (i.e. more than two channels) stereo reproduction configurations, most of which are often referred to as surround sound. Standards or conventions that specify basic channel or loudspeaker configurations are distinguished from proprietary systems such as Dolby Digital and DTS whose primary function is the coding and delivery of multichannel audio signals. The latter are discussed in the second part of the chapter, in which is also contained an explanation of the Ambisonic system for stereo signal representation. Surround sound standards often specify little more than the channel configuration and the way the loudspeakers should be arranged. This leaves the business of how to create or represent a spatial sound field entirely up to the user.
