Mixing 5.1 surround sound in Video by Zaweba
Switch Project > Sound layout to 5.1 surround in Video by Zaweba for a five-speaker panner with LFE on every track and six-channel exports.
Most videos are heard in stereo, through two speakers or a pair of earphones. Some are made for home cinemas or event venues with speakers all round the room, and those benefit from a 5.1 surround mix. Video by Zaweba can work in 5.1 from start to finish, from placing sounds around the listener to exporting files that carry all six channels.
Switching the project to 5.1
Go to Project > Sound layout and choose 5.1 surround. That changes the whole project's sound. Every sound track gains a surround panner, which lets you place it among five speakers (front left, centre, front right, and left and right surrounds) and choose how much of it goes to the LFE, the low-frequency channel that feeds a subwoofer.
The ".1" in 5.1 is that LFE channel. It's for deep bass effects such as explosions and rumbles, not for the main bass of music, which the main speakers should still carry.
Placing sound around the room
A common starting layout puts dialogue in the centre speaker, where it stays anchored to the screen whatever seat someone is in. Music spreads across the front left and right, perhaps with a little in the surrounds for width. Ambience, such as crowd noise, rain or birdsong, goes into the surrounds to wrap the audience in the scene. Effects can move as the action does.
Keep it purposeful. Sound jumping round the room for no reason is distracting, and speech coming from behind people is rarely a good idea.
Surround source files
If you import a file that already has a 5.1 mix, 5.1 tracks keep its six channels apart rather than folding them down, so the original placement survives into your project.
What you hear while editing
The preview plays the standard stereo downmix, a stereo version of the surround mix made the usual way. That means you can edit on a laptop or with headphones and still hear everything. To judge the actual placement you'll need to listen to an export on a proper surround system, so plan a test playback in the room it's meant for.
Exporting six channels
MP4, MOV, AV1, WebM, WAV, FLAC, AIFF and AAC exports can carry all six channels. For a cinema-style screening or a home media player, an MP4 or MOV with 5.1 sound is usually what's wanted. For handing the sound to someone else to finish, a six-channel WAV or FLAC keeps it at full quality.
Should you mix in 5.1 at all
Only if someone will hear it that way. Most online platforms and phones play stereo, and a surround mix played on them is folded down anyway. If your film is going to a screening room, an event with a surround setup, or a home cinema, 5.1 is worth the effort. Otherwise a careful stereo mix is the better use of your time.
If you do go for it, mix at a sensible loudness, check the stereo downmix as well as the surround, and make sure the dialogue is crystal clear in the centre. Video by Zaweba gives you the tools; the room you play it in will tell you whether the mix works.
