5.1 and 22.2 Multichannel Sound Productions Using an Integrated Surround Sound Panning System

5.1 surround sound productions and broadcasts have become popular in Japan, and NHK has developed a 22.2 multichannel sound system for ultra-high definition video. While two-dimensional or threedimensional sound reproduction is possible with these multichannel sound systems, the production of contents is more complicated and time-consuming than in two channel stereo production. In productions using a conventional surround sound mixing tool, in particular, much time is needed for creating two-dimensional sound effects. Therefore, an integrated surround panning system was developed to enable various surround sound effects to be created easily. This paper introduces the newly developed integrated surround sound panning system, which has innovative functions such as a distance control and an integrated sound source movement control, and discusses various issues concerning multichannel sound production.