Local news in surround sound?

[w9wi]

We've got a manager who wants to do the local newscasts in 5.1 surround.

It's not rocket science to wire the board/embedder for 5.1.

What I'm having trouble finding is good strategies for mixing the channels. Announcers center, music L/R front? Something else?

Anyone else done this? (Google isn't pointing at anything, and all my contacts are letting their Linear Acoustics processors fake surround)

[Kelly]

In Seattle it was tough enough to get our news audio folks to mix stereo, let alone surround!

When NBC was messing around with 5.1, I believe they did something like:

One shot/center only
Two shot/20%LF left anchor, 20%RF right anchor, balance center.
Package Nat Sound/ 30% center, delay split LR/RR, reporter 100% center.
Bumpers/LF-RF standard stereo mix

I don't think they're doing anything like this now. Seems like a pain in the rear for very little impact.

[w4cl]

Beyond mono in the center channel and stereo front L/R, why? Because the Wheatstone console you bought has a "5.1" display on it? Most audio operators have a hard enough time keeping packages in mono with 2 channel.

[NECRAT]

Just get an Aeromax or a Neural and "fake" the newscast 5.1 surround. I guarentee you, the ND won't be able to tell you're not real true surround. I heard a major television network prime-time programming using 2.0 audio upmixed through a Neural upmix, and to be honest, the surround mix actually sounded BETTER than the real 5.1 mix they offered, when you listened side by side.

[w9wi]

Just get an Aeromax or a Neural and "fake" the newscast 5.1 surround. I guarentee you, the ND won't be able to tell you're not real true surround. I heard a major television network prime-time programming using 2.0 audio upmixed through a Neural upmix, and to be honest, the surround mix actually sounded BETTER than the real 5.1 mix they offered, when you listened side by side.

That's what we were already doing.

The subject has (thankfully) been dropped...