When we mix in 5.1, we have 6 speakers as opposed to 2. We can use this to our advantage in how we build our 3D sculpture and how we place the sources around us. This becomes even greater the more speakers we add to our surround sound set up. For example cinemas are now being installed with full Dolby Atmos speaker systems which allow up to 64 speakers to be used. Read more about that here

When mixing audio for surround sound we can create a 3D sculpture that has much more space and air in it by putting sounds in various places in the surround field. For instance, a pad we have in the front speakers we can place in the surrounds with a slightly different sound which will create a feeling of expanse and space. We can also use clever reverb and delay effects to create the feeling of the audio being around you…but more on that later on in the series!