In this article, the author considers three compositional approaches for multi-channel spatialisation. Each strategy is oriented towards embodying the individual loudspeakers as musical presences, rather than dematerialising them in a simulated ambience - each loudspeaker is associated with its own monaural material. The author illustrates his approach through his own compositions Strain (1999), Questions and Fissures (1999), and Hero and Leander (2003).