Steve Thomson has released V.I Stereo to 5.1 Converter Suite, a VST effect plug-in for Windows that converts a stereo input to a 5.1 output by extracting ambience information embedded in the stereo audio and redistributing it among 5.1 channels.

For VST hosts that do not support a 2-input/6-output VST plugin, the V.I Suite also includes three companion 2-in/2-out plugins: fLfR, CLFE, and sLsR. These duplicate V.I's effects in three channel pairs, which can later be combined to form a 6-channel file for encoding.

Features

• Width correction helps compensate for source files that were mixed too narrow or too wide.
• Independent controls for adding ambience to the front or rear sound-stage.
• Movie Mode switch redirects some dialog frequencies from front left and right channels to the center channel to enhance dialog while still maintaining a good stereo sound-stage.
• Pass-through of original left and right signals ensures accurate reproduction of original stereo imaging (when not in Movie Mode).
• On/off control for A-B monitoring of effect.
• Switchable LFE channel.

The V.I Stereo to 5.1 Converter Suite is available for Windows in VST format and it is free.