The UPM-1 is a hardware stereo-to-5.1 upmix processor, designed for HD broadcasters who use a lot of archive stereo material and wish to generate acceptable 5.1 broadcast mixes from stereo soundtracks.

Software and hardware upmixing tools have existed for some years, but most of them create material for the extra three channels in a 5.1 mix by using processing, for example adding reverb or applying phase-shifts to the stereo material to create information for the rear surround channels. Instead, the UPM-1 generates the material for the extra channels by closely analysing the source stereo signal over time. Using a unique algorithm developed for the purpose, the UPM-1 can detect reverberant content in the stereo signal, differentiate it from the direct sounds in the mix, and separate it out.

As with SoundField’s surround microphone systems, users can adjust the details of the processing directly from the UPM-1’s front panel, with control offered over a variety of different parameters including the level of the direct and ambient components in the front and rear channels, and the divergence of the Centre channel in the generated 5.1 mix, with options from a discrete Centre channel at one extreme to a phantom Centre at the other. Output level controls are also offered for each of the channels in the final 5.1 mix.