Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Sound Editing for Visual Media Ep 13: Intro to Surround Sound, Cognition & Psychoacoustics
Hey folks! This episode is an intro into the world of 5.1 Sound. We won't do a lot of in-DAW work, but rather take some time to talk about how it works and how it came to be the standard for film audio some 4 decades ago. Along the way, we will also dip our toes in the vast waters of Sound Cognition and Psychoacoustics, two important and under-studies interdisciplinary sciences related to the field of audio.
Snippets of my reel piece 'New World Order' are seen throughout the episode. Check out the full video here: vimeo.com/341695880
Donations ➡️ buymeacoffee.com/iddqdsound
Blog post for this episode, including links to additional study material and more info cut out of the video: iddqdsound.com/post/sound-editing-design-for-visual-media-ep13-tutorial-notes
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:50 1.1 from Stereo to 5.1
2:29 2.1 The Space between your ears
2:56 2.2 Evolution of Sound Reproduction
3:52 2.3 Sound Cognition Experiment
6:27 3.1 The Grand Sonic Illusion
7:10 3.2 The Phantom Centre
7:57 3.3 Limitations of Stereo
8:19 3.4 HRTF & Z-Axis Cognition
9:02 3.5 Enter Surround Sound
10:18 3.6 General approach to 5.1 Mixing
11:22 4.1 Anatomy of a Surround Soundscape
12:24 4.2 What goes to the Surrounds?
12:51 4.3 What goes to the Centre?
13:39 4.4 What goes to the LFE?
14:14 4.5 Which speakers in 5.1 work together?
15:07 4.6 Limitations of 5.1
15:47 5.1 Delivering a 5.1 Mix
16:14 5.2 Film Order vs. SMPTE Order
17:14 5.3 Deliverables in 5.1
19:11 Summary & Next Episode
Sound Editing for Visual Media Ep 13: Intro to Surround Sound, Cognition & Psychoacoustics
Hey folks! This episode is an intro into the world of 5.1 Sound. We won't do a lot of in-DAW work, but rather take some time to talk about how it works and how it came to be the standard for film audio some 4 decades ago. Along the way, we will also dip our toes in the vast waters of Sound Cognition and Psychoacoustics, two important and under-studies interdisciplinary sciences related to the field of audio.
Snippets of my reel piece 'New World Order' are seen throughout the episode. Check out the full video here: vimeo.com/341695880
Donations ➡️ buymeacoffee.com/iddqdsound
Blog post for this episode, including links to additional study material and more info cut out of the video: iddqdsound.com/post/sound-editing-design-for-visual-media-ep13-tutorial-notes
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:50 1.1 from Stereo to 5.1
2:29 2.1 The Space between your ears
2:56 2.2 Evolution of Sound Reproduction
3:52 2.3 Sound Cognition Experiment
6:27 3.1 The Grand Sonic Illusion
7:10 3.2 The Phantom Centre
7:57 3.3 Limitations of Stereo
8:19 3.4 HRTF & Z-Axis Cognition
9:02 3.5 Enter Surround Sound
10:18 3.6 General approach to 5.1 Mixing
11:22 4.1 Anatomy of a Surround Soundscape
12:24 4.2 What goes to the Surrounds?
12:51 4.3 What goes to the Centre?
13:39 4.4 What goes to the LFE?
14:14 4.5 Which speakers in 5.1 work together?
15:07 4.6 Limitations of 5.1
15:47 5.1 Delivering a 5.1 Mix
16:14 5.2 Film Order vs. SMPTE Order
17:14 5.3 Deliverables in 5.1
19:11 Summary & Next Episode
