Surround Sound
Surround sound in mastering is a special application usually reserved for enhancing the audio of live performances, movie DVDs, and video games mostly. I would venture to say that it takes special encoding to include such a spectacular effect in the final audio of these areas of media & entertainment.
Music however does not benefit from surround mastering unless the audio was recorded in a large space where sounds were far apart using numerous microphones.
If you were broadcasting from 5 to 6 more locations and you wanted it to be heard all at the same time while preserving the perception of where it is in the stereo field, you will need some type of surround sound application to ensure it is captured. When you are out an about you are surrounded by sounds 360 degrees. The goal is to duplicate this natural perception of sound.
In the case of surround sound we are dealing with sounds that are left & right, front and back, also the four front and back corners to the left & right. Without the right encode with decoding to activate these extra audio outputs, plus a good 6 to 8 speakers placed where they need to be, there will not be any way to really enjoy the thrill of surround sound.