5.1 Mixing & Monitoring

With the glaring exception of Pro Tools LE/M-Powered nearly all current DAWs support 5.1 recording & mixing. Apple's updated Logic Studio even has Dolby encoding. However, until recently decent 5.1 monitoring has been an expensive proposition. At around $1,200 Blue Sky's Media Desk 5.1 finally brings surround monitoring to the budget conscious studio. There are also packaged system alternatives from JBL & Genelec, albeit at higher prices.

There is a lot of confusion & misinformation about setting up 5.1 monitoring. A great free guide from the Recording Academy, Producers & Engineers Forum (warning PDF download) has very practical & simple set up instructions conforming to their professional standards.