Rock icon Peter Gabriel has declared that if he has his way, he will record in only 5.1 surround sound from now on. He made the comments yesterday (Oct. 14) in London while promoting the Nov. 3 international release of the best-of set “HIT” and the “Growing Up Live” DVD. As previously reported, both items arrive the following day in North America.
Gabriel said the conventional stereo format has simply become dissatisfying. “I will consider using 5.1 only in the future,” he revealed. “Working in 5.1, including on film scores, is a new discovery [for me]. It influences how you can use that capacity to shift sound; you can get bolder moving sounds around the place.” He added: “I tend to use a lot of elements in my arrangements and often there isn’t enough space on stereo.”
Recalling the days when he was a pioneer of multimedia CD-ROM recordings, such as “Xplora 1” and “EVE,” Gabriel said the creative potential is greater on the DVD platform. He also predicted high-definition television (HDTV) will become a viable medium for composers.
“You’re not in a live environment; you’re in people’s homes,” he said. “So if you want people to listen to something more than once, my view is that you make it sound as good as you can.”
Gabriel recently licensed his song “Burn You Up, Burn You Down” for “Uru: Ages Beyond Myst,” the upcoming installment in the popular “Myst” video game series.
