Stereo sound was actually invented by Alan Blumlein in the 1930s, but his contributions went unrecognized for several decades due to his tragic death in World War II.
From quadraphonic sound to Dolby Atmos, the movie industry has continuously evolved surround sound technology, aiming to create a more immersive experience for audiences.
Deep dives
Alan Blumline's Innovations and Tragic Legacy
Alan Blumline, a brilliant engineer, made groundbreaking inventions, including stereo sound. Despite his talent, many of his inventions, including his revolutionary idea of stereo, were overshadowed due to his tragic death in a plane crash during World War II. Blumline's stereo system allowed for a more immersive audio experience in movies and vinyl records, with sound information recorded on both sides to create depth and clarity. His legacy remained unrecognized until decades later, when his work received posthumous recognition with a Grammy award.
The Evolution of Surround Sound in Movies
The movie industry has continuously evolved surround sound technology. From the early experiments with Quadriphonic sound to the adoption of Dolby Atmos, the aim has always been to create a more immersive experience for audiences. Surround sound systems started with four channels and eventually expanded to 5.1, including a low-frequency effects (LFE) channel for added impact. Now, object-based audio systems like Dolby Atmos allow for a more creative manipulation of audio, placing sounds anywhere in a 3D sphere, making the cinematic experience even more immersive.
The Rise of Spatial Audio in Music
Spatial audio is revolutionizing the music industry, allowing for immersive experiences in a stereo format. With advancements in headphone technology, spatial audio can recreate the effect of having multiple speakers with just two channels. Musicians are now exploring object-based spatial audio, where each object (such as a lead vocal) has location information and can be placed in a 3D sphere. This technology opens up new creative possibilities, with artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Hans Zimmer already embracing spatial audio for their music. Spatial audio is transforming the way we experience music, just like stereo did decades ago.
In the 1960s, stereo sound revolutionized the music industry. But it turns out, a pioneering engineer named Alan Blumlein had actually invented stereo a full three decades earlier. Due to tragic events in World War II, his innovations were forgotten for decades. In this episode, we worked with OnePlus to tell the story of how audio has evolved from mono, to stereo, to quadraphonic, to surround sound and beyond. Today, we even have immersive, three-dimensional systems that can simulate 128 speakers using just two. Featuring Alan Blumlein’s son Simon Blumlein, and sound engineer Robin Reumers from the Abbey Road Institute.