True 5.1 sound for movies has been around since 1993. Sound effects are "real" , at least in the sense of originating from multitrack sources, but what about the music?
Until recently, much of it was fake (stereo with generated reverb or some such in the rears). Some orchestral scores, I believe, are technically true 5.1, but so conservative for our tastes as to not really count. (Example: Titanic, whose end-theme is 95% mixed to the front.) There are good reasons for this: most theaters until recently could not be counted on to have decent rear speakers, because of the expense and the fact that before 5.1 systems the rear channels were not full-range. I've also read that film directors, producers and engineers were afraid that full-surround music would be distracting.
That appears to be changing. Slowly.
I first sensed something on playing an MGM DVD containing an ad showing clips from various MGM releases. The wraparound music was in true discrete 5.1, with dramatic percussion in the rear.
I just found the first movie whose soundtrack contains a song in true 5.1. Slow Burn, starring Ray Liotta, has an end them called Seeing is Believing, that appears as the last song over the end credits. It's a trancy, trip-hop thing by a performer I couldn't find in the IMDB listing or anywhere else.
To listen to the song, either use random access to go straight to 1:30 into the movie, or you can go to the last chapter, 24, and FF. The DVD is an obnoxious Lions Gate release that won't let you go straight to the menu after starting, so be patient.
I'm sure by now there must be others. Has anyone else found one?
Until recently, much of it was fake (stereo with generated reverb or some such in the rears). Some orchestral scores, I believe, are technically true 5.1, but so conservative for our tastes as to not really count. (Example: Titanic, whose end-theme is 95% mixed to the front.) There are good reasons for this: most theaters until recently could not be counted on to have decent rear speakers, because of the expense and the fact that before 5.1 systems the rear channels were not full-range. I've also read that film directors, producers and engineers were afraid that full-surround music would be distracting.
That appears to be changing. Slowly.
I first sensed something on playing an MGM DVD containing an ad showing clips from various MGM releases. The wraparound music was in true discrete 5.1, with dramatic percussion in the rear.
I just found the first movie whose soundtrack contains a song in true 5.1. Slow Burn, starring Ray Liotta, has an end them called Seeing is Believing, that appears as the last song over the end credits. It's a trancy, trip-hop thing by a performer I couldn't find in the IMDB listing or anywhere else.
To listen to the song, either use random access to go straight to 1:30 into the movie, or you can go to the last chapter, 24, and FF. The DVD is an obnoxious Lions Gate release that won't let you go straight to the menu after starting, so be patient.
I'm sure by now there must be others. Has anyone else found one?
