Specifications

5.1-Channel Production Guidelines
4-1
Chapter 4
Equipment
Much of the equipment used for stereo and Dolby Surround production can also be
used for 5.1-channel production. There are, however, some needs specific to 5.1-
channel production.
4.1 Consoles
When deciding on a console, it is wise to consider both current project demands and
future 5.1-channel production needs. The requirements of 5.1-channel mixing
consoles differ significantly from those of two-channel stereo. Fortunately, with the
increasing flexibility of analog and digital consoles there are now many options for
surround mixing. Film-style four-bus (Left, Right, Center, and Surround) consoles
have been in production for many years. The fundamental requirement, however, of a
5.1-channel mixing console is a minimum of six discrete output buses (Left, Center,
Right, Left Surround, Right Surround, and LFE) per input/output channel. As with
four-channel production, the six-bus console must also provide a means of panning
audio. A console with film-style panning between the five main channels (Left,