What are the differences between 5.1 Surround Sound Effects and stereo tracks?
Basically, there are two kinds of sound effects: sound effects that reproduce a single sound (e.g. a car horn, a door slamming shut, the neighing of a horse) and so-called ambient tracks that reproduce the atmosphere of a particular location (e.g. a crowded square, natural environments like woods, mountains, steppes, deserts, coasts, beaches, etc.). The difference between the two is obvious: a single sound effect occurs in a specific, clearly defined location. For example, a car horn will sound from the hood of a car (i.e. a specific location). Hence, it is a single sound and can therefore be accurately reproduced in mono or stereo. Ambient tracks, on the other hand, are atmospheric. Imagine being in the woods: you hear the wind in the trees, the chirping of birds, the sounds envelop you from all sides. This is what we call an ambient atmosphere. And it is best reproduced in 5.1 Surround Sound.
