SoundField launches new upmix and downmix options
Published: PRODUCTS
UK manufacturer SoundField has launched a software version of its UPM-1 stereo-to-5.1 upmix processor at this years’ IBC.
The new plug-in version is designed for post-production workflows. It is available in VST (PC and Mac), RTAS (PC and Mac) and Mac-only AU formats and is aimed, like the hardware original, at high-definition broadcasters.
The UPM-1 plug-in uses an algorithm which analyses the stereo input material and separates ambient sounds from the direct sounds. As with the original hardware unit, the plug-in allows detailed adjustment of the relative levels of direct sound and front and rear ambient sound in the final 5.1 mix, with continuous software rotary controls for Width and Centre channel Divergence. Level, Mute and Solo controls are also provided for each channel.
The manufacturer has also created the UPM-2 and DWM-2 to aid broadcasters currently making the transition from stereo to discrete-channel surround workflows. The manufacturer reports that with a DWM-2 placed on the 5.1 input to the edit suite and a UPM-2 on the output, the 5.1 surround may be converted to stereo, edited and then re-converted to 5.1 for broadcast using its upmix/downmix algorithms.
The UPM-2 uses the same algorithm as the UPM-1, and has the same complement of inputs and outputs (stereo input and 75 ohm AES3 surround outputs on BNC sockets, with word clock I/O) but has no front-panel controls or displays save status LEDs and metering bar-graphs. Other, more detailed functions can be accessed via PC-based control software.
The DWM-2 is the mirror image of the UPM-2, and downmixes 5.1 audio to stereo. It has the same cut-down hardware user interface as the UPM-2, and also offers full control of downmix parameters via USB and the control software.
The UPM-2 and DWM-2 each have three operational modes: Lo/Ro mode, Lt/Rt mode, and Lsf/Rsf mode. The first of these is designed to accept or output audio in simple two-channel stereo, while the second is designed for use with matrix-compatible stereo, as decodable by some A/V receivers.
The third mode, Lsf/Rsf mode, is designed for 5.1 audio passing through both units in succession, from 5.1 to stereo and back to 5.1 again. This mode is designed so that 5.1 audio may be downmixed, edited or processed in stereo, and then re-converted to 5.1 for broadcast.
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