Surround Sound Music Mixes Have Come Full Circle
I love the concept of listening to all of my favorite music in full surround sound, just like I can with my movies and video games — but this simple idea always seems to get marred by massive stumbles in its execution, over and over, like it was cursed by an evil wizard long ago.
Surround sound music requires so many different pieces to come together perfectly in order to work, and it has never been all that consumer friendly. It needs specialized playback hardware. It needs music that’s properly formatted and mixed to actually sound good on more than two speakers. And it needs a public that’s willing to care about it and part with extra cash for the privilege. It has never truly worked in practice— and I’m not sure if it ever will. I’ve had just enough fun with it over the years to still entertain the idea, but I think I’m in the minority.
I’m basically ready to call it quits on surround music. But first, I shall scribble down my thoughts about this grand twice-failed experiment, forever spoiled by marketing and a million other annoyances.
