Surround sound is an audio technology that aims to enhance the width, depth, fidelity and spatialisation of sound reproduction. It achieves this by utilising multiple audio channels from speakers that have been strategically positioned around the person listening, With this these additional outputs can create the illusion of sound coming from multiple directions creating a realistic audio. environment.
The most common setup for the use of surround is the 5:1 configuration, which makes use of 6 speakers – a speaker in the middle, left/right speakers in front, left and right surround speakers positioned to the sides or behind the person listening and finally a subwoofer for the low frequency audio.
The idea of surround sound can be dated back to the early 20th century. One of the first documented uses of surround sound experimentation was in 1940 when the Walt Disney produced film “Fantasia” introduced the concept of multichannel audio through the use of what was called the ‘Fantasound’ system (Wierzbicki, 2014). Developed with the help of Bell Labs, Fantasound made use of numerous speakers strategically placed around the theatre to greatly enhance the viewer’s experience in a rich wide sound that would greatly increase the immersion of the film.
With the success of surround sound within films in the era, the usage of the technology gained headway, leading to newer systems aimed at further enhancing the cinematic experience. In 1977 the original Star Wars came out into theatres, captivating cinemagoers with its use of ‘Dolby Stereo’ a fairly new system that made use of quadrophonic surround sound. (Bordwell, Staiger, & Thompson, 1985). This innovation with sound set a new standard for audio in cinemas.
Wierzbicki, J. (2014). Fantasound. In J. Richardson & C. Gorbman (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics (pp. 345-362). Oxford University Press.
Bordwell, D., Staiger, J., & Thompson, K. (1985). The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production to 1960. Columbia University Press.