diff --git a/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.c b/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.c
index d648911fda..50ec0edd22 100644
--- a/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.c
+++ b/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.c
@@ -492,18 +492,21 @@ static const guint64 default_masks[] = {
 };
 
 /**
- * gst_audio_channel_get_default_mask:
+ * gst_audio_channel_get_fallback_mask:
  * @channels: the number of channels
  *
- * Get the default channel-mask for the given number of channels.
+ * Get the fallback channel-mask for the given number of channels.
  *
- * Returns: the default channel-mask for @channels or 0 when there is no default
+ * This function returns a reasonable fallback channel-mask and should be
+ * called as a last resort when the specific channel map is unknown.
+ *
+ * Returns: a fallback channel-mask for @channels or 0 when there is no
  * mask.
  *
  * Since: 1.8
  */
 guint64
-gst_audio_channel_get_default_mask (gint channels)
+gst_audio_channel_get_fallback_mask (gint channels)
 {
   g_return_val_if_fail (channels > 0, 0);
 
diff --git a/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.h b/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.h
index 342825bd00..4aa00deccb 100644
--- a/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.h
+++ b/gst-libs/gst/audio/audio-channels.h
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ gboolean       gst_audio_get_channel_reorder_map (gint channels,
                                                   const GstAudioChannelPosition * from,
                                                   const GstAudioChannelPosition * to,
                                                   gint *reorder_map);
-guint64        gst_audio_channel_get_default_mask (gint channels);
+guint64        gst_audio_channel_get_fallback_mask (gint channels);
 
 G_END_DECLS
 
diff --git a/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c b/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c
index 744e00e830..7a4e3f793c 100644
--- a/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c
+++ b/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c
@@ -2005,7 +2005,7 @@ gst_audio_decoder_negotiate_default_caps (GstAudioDecoder * dec)
   /* Need to add a channel-mask if channels > 2 */
   gst_structure_get_int (structure, "channels", &channels);
   if (channels > 2 && !gst_structure_has_field (structure, "channel-mask")) {
-    channel_mask = gst_audio_channel_get_default_mask (channels);
+    channel_mask = gst_audio_channel_get_fallback_mask (channels);
     if (channel_mask != 0) {
       gst_structure_set (structure, "channel-mask",
           GST_TYPE_BITMASK, channel_mask, NULL);
diff --git a/gst/audioconvert/gstaudioconvert.c b/gst/audioconvert/gstaudioconvert.c
index 707a07e7f0..f3fbe93ee1 100644
--- a/gst/audioconvert/gstaudioconvert.c
+++ b/gst/audioconvert/gstaudioconvert.c
@@ -621,7 +621,7 @@ gst_audio_convert_fixate_channels (GstBaseTransform * base, GstStructure * ins,
    * layout based on LFE-presence in input layout, but let's save that for
    * another day) */
   if (out_chans > 0
-      && (out_mask = gst_audio_channel_get_default_mask (out_chans))) {
+      && (out_mask = gst_audio_channel_get_fallback_mask (out_chans))) {
     GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (base, "using default channel layout as fallback");
     gst_structure_set (outs, "channel-mask", GST_TYPE_BITMASK, out_mask, NULL);
   } else {
diff --git a/win32/common/libgstaudio.def b/win32/common/libgstaudio.def
index 3892ce5b15..26be536380 100644
--- a/win32/common/libgstaudio.def
+++ b/win32/common/libgstaudio.def
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ EXPORTS
 	gst_audio_cd_src_add_track
 	gst_audio_cd_src_get_type
 	gst_audio_cd_src_mode_get_type
-	gst_audio_channel_get_default_mask
+	gst_audio_channel_get_fallback_mask
 	gst_audio_channel_position_get_type
 	gst_audio_channel_positions_from_mask
 	gst_audio_channel_positions_to_mask