Apple Soundtrack Pro 3 - Manual (Page 335)

Soundtrack Pro gives you the tools to create sophisticated surround mixes for your projects.
Surround sound uses more than two speakers to expand the spatial experience of audio
playback to three dimensions. Surround systems can be found in movie theaters, home
entertainment systems, video games, and a growing number of other applications.
Soundtrack Pro offers an easy-to-use approach to surround panning, mixing, and
automation, including a high degree of flexibility with surround sources and the ability
to easily switch between stereo and surround mixes. Soundtrack Pro also includes
numerous surround sound effects and surround music beds, as well as a collection of
professional surround-specific effect plug-ins for shaping your surround mix.
This chapter covers the following:
• What Is 5.1 Surround? (p. 335)
• Creating a Surround Project (p. 336)
• Setting Up Soundtrack Pro for Surround (p. 336)
• Using Surround Panners to Create a Surround Mix (p. 341)
• Surround Mixing Strategies (p. 347)
• Exporting and Delivering 5.1 Surround Projects (p. 353)
What Is 5.1 Surround?
The most common surround format is a six-channel system called 5.1 surround. This format
is the standard surround configuration in major motion pictures, music, and digital
television. The format consists of three speakers across the front and two speakers in the
rear. The .1 is a sixth channel for low-frequency effects (LFE). A typical 5.1 surround layout
features left and right speakers (from a traditional stereo system) plus a center speaker,
a left surround (rear) speaker, a right surround (rear) speaker, and an LFE speaker, more
commonly known as the subwoofer.
There are other surround standards that range from three channels to seven channels
and nonstandard surround formats that use as many as ten channels.
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Mixing Surround Sound 13