Surround Sound mp3's!!!

[ara]

on tom's frontpage, i tried it, the thing works like real 5.1, haven't heard any songs yet, but the channel tester is good enough

the only thing i'm worried about is most songs simply being an upmix of standard stereo, with the supplied converter, this is likely.
edit again: the downloadable converter is in fact for 5.1 .wav file conversion to the mp3surround format

if this catches on and discrete 5.1 music is made! i'll be a happy man, i wanted this ever since i bought my system ~3 years ago!

Ara

edit: listening to a song just now, sounds wierd at first but you get used to it, it's almost like prologic in this song's case: the voices are only at the front but the instruments are all speakers, i'm sure this has some amazing uses though

 

[astrallite]

You might get some occasional works by indie bands but...surround music never really caught on. DVD-A and SACD are pretty much dying formats due to lack of interest.

A long time ago, there was a format war between stereo and living stereo (3-channel sound--you can still get ancient LPs set up for 3 channel music). Out of setup concerns, simplicity, and recording costs, things usually end up pandering to the lowest common denominator.

 

[ara]

while that is true, i'm never sure whether its 'natural' to listen to music in 5.1, there would be so many ways to do things whereas stereo has only 2 speakers, either way, this concept is cool and i hope it encourages creativity in an industry generally producing cr@p (in my opinion)

Ara

 

[astrallite]

What do you mean by "the industry?" Are you referring to file formats or mp3s or SACD or DVD-A? That's mainly determined by sales (and directly related to marketing costs and consumer accessibility).

So it's kind of the customer getting what he (thinks) he wants (even if it's not the best product). It's no more the fault of the industry than that of the customer.

 

[Natecannon]

Ugh, I've got to admit. Surround sound for anything other then movie night is over rated.

Not a fan at all.

 

[harty23690]

Everything of mine is in surrond sound.

Upmix everything to 5.1 through my Auzentech Digital xPlosion to Dolby Digital streams!

Love it and would never go back!

 

[astrallite]

I didn't know DDL cards could upmix sound as well, is that pro logic 2 upmixing?

Not quite surround sound (discrete), but it would be matrixed surround sound (emulated).

And like Nate Cannon said, upmixing is not for everyone, since its not discrete recorded music, its just some emulation algorithms.

 

[ara]

What do you mean by "the industry?"

sorry didn't reply earlier, i meant the music industry (although this is a personal opinion, i know many who agree)

Ara

 

[jt001]

I'd like to experience SACD or DVD-A but so far all I've heard is music in heavily compressed formats like Dolby Digital and I can't say I'm impressed, and I can't stand the standard MP3 format, so a surround MP3 doesn't sound too promising. I want higher quality sound before unnecessary gimmicks like surround sound. 5.1 channels of compressed garbage isn't any better than 2 channels of compression.

 

[mesarectifier]

while that is true, i'm never sure whether its 'natural' to listen to music in 5.1, there would be so many ways to do things whereas stereo has only 2 speakers, either way, this concept is cool and i hope it encourages creativity in an industry generally producing cr@p (in my opinion)

I see where you're coming from there about creativity, however most people buy Christina Aguilera (et al) to listen to on their iPod - which is limited by the number of ears you have, sadly, to stereo. Therefore this is destined not to really make much of a splash in the music industry.

While this won't 'die' (like quadraphonic did) because loads of people have compatible audio hardware already - rather than having to buy another pair of speakers and a compatible amplifier and deck - I just don't see it going that far.

 

[JMecc]

sorry didn't reply earlier, i meant the music industry (although this is a personal opinion, i know many who agree)

I'll second that!!!! It's been about a decade now that new music has been in a rut with just so much junk flooding the airwaves. I think it's because artists that get out there seem to have to prove they are *so extreme* to get noticed. They can't just be who they are, they have to have even bigger dreadlocked beards than the other guys, even more thug-looking, even more slutty looking, and the list goes on. Producers manufacturing bands and the idol franchise aren't helping.

The comment about this being the fault of the consumer is also right though; if the high school culture didn't promote lemmings there is a lot of "artists" who would not get concert attendance. Even if a music exec knows singing a clone of what is popular now, they know their job is about making money money and past experience tells us the consumer goes for the trend.

Jo

 

[mbmcavoy]

(...) i'm never sure whether its 'natural' to listen to music in 5.1 (...)

I'm a big fan of SACD, with DVD-Audio a faint step behind. Obviously the clarity and frequency response of these format will solidly trounce an MP3. However, the 5.1 aspect is just as much, if not more of a benefit.

The artists (whether the actual musician, producers, recording engineers, etc.) have complete freedom to use surround as they please.

Some will go wild with sounds coming from all around you - Bjork is a good example of this. I wouldn't call it "natural", but very effective.

Some use it in a psychedelic way. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon has been remixed, and it is trippy even when sober. (this is one of my faves)

Heh, I even have experimental stuff by Mark Knowdell(sp?), some where the acoustics are synthetic, and part of the "instuments". Not only are the different sounds in different spaces, but the spaces change dynamically! the effects could not be produced live, and would be simply lost on stereo.

Most, however, are pretty subtle. A common way is just to use the front three to enhance the soundstage, and the back for subtle accoustic reflections. This use is incredibly natural, and if you close your eyes you can literally hear the concert hall as part of the performance space. Again, the surround is a major enhancement over stereo.

That said, I am a bit skeptical over "MP3" surround as a media of choice. An effective surround system needs proper setup, which pretty much means stationary and not cheap. So the portability of MP3s isn't much of a help. And I would much rather make use of a quality audio system with quality media.

On the flip side I do believe that electronic distribution is the future. If there were an electronically distributable/streamable format that is truly comperable to SACD for audio, and HD-DVD or Blu-Ray for video, I would be there. Apple is the only company that I think could pull it off, and I'm hoping that the Apple TV is a stepping stone. (That they ditched support for legacy TV is a good sign!)

 

[mbmcavoy]

still, when i go to local music shops their meaning of music dvd's are videos of concerts and the like and i have searched in vain for proper dvd-audio.

I have found that most mall mustic stores don't have a clue, although I have occasionally found an SACD mixed in with regular CD's. A good store will typically have a separate "Audiophile" section.

The discs aren't that hard to find, though:

Best Buy - small selection
Fry's - very good selection, not many stores
Silver Platters - good selection, local chain in Seattle area

towerrecords.com and www.amazon.com have excellent selections

 

[ara]

you see, the main reason to applaud this effort was not that it is a superior format to anything else - i know it's not, but that DVD-A and SACD are very hard to come by in Saudi Arabia (well, the last time i bothered to check a CD store anyway - music collections here are almost exclusively 'the latest and greatest songs') so this would allow me to be able to download songs (i know many of you dissaprove of illegal downloads and such - but in my case i rarely have a choice in order to get decent music (i do own my most favourite albums though)).

Main reason for downloading songs in an mp3 format: i have a modem connection (I have been trying for 8 months to get a DSL line, because of a certain company (see criticism section (allthough supposedly biased))

Hopefully this will allow me to get access to some of my more liked music (although rarely any is published in this(5.1) format )

forgot to mention (can't find who said it now... :? ) i've noticed what you said too, music on dvds are usually recorded concerts or performances, so it makes it even more difficult to get dvd-a

Ara