Mark King Uses TC DB-8 for American Country Music Awards 5.1 Sound

J. Mark King, broadcast mixer for the recent star-studded Annual Academy of Country Music Awards from the MGM Grand on Sunday May 18, depended upon a TC Electronic DB-8 Television Processor to automatically upmix his two-channel stereo music mixes into full 5.1-channel surround sound.

“The results during the ACM Awards were outstanding,” King enthuses. “My surround mix received a lot of ‘attaboys’ from at CBS Network in New York; they couldn’t have been more pleased.” In addition to handling a wide range of live broadcasts - this year marks his 20th year with the Academy of Country Music Awards – King also mixes sound for the daily Jimmy Kimmel Show from Hollywood’s landmark El Capitan Complex.

Last-minute 5.1 decision
Because of a last-minute decision two weeks before the show to broadcast the ACM Awards ceremony in 5.1-channel for SD and HD audiences, King was faced with a dilemma. “Several of the production elements had already been recorded in stereo, together with some pre-recorded tracks. So we decided to prepare a live stereo mix of the live music aboard Westwood One’s mobile track, with mixer Biff Dawes. In the Sweetwater Cobalt Digital Truck, using a Studer Vista 8 console I combined Biff’s mix with pre-recorded tracks and other stereo elements, before routing the result to the TC Electronic DB-8. The 5.1-channel upmix from the DB-8 was returned to the Vista 8, where I added the live production elements, applause, video playback and announcements to produce the final surround-sound broadcast mix. The process worked out very well.” The TC Electronic DB-8 TV Processor also features a multiband dynamics processor and multifunction loudness metering.

Shallow learning curve
King first heard about the DB-8 from his friend Evan Adelman, who mixes Dancing with the Stars. “Evan uses the unit to produce 5.1-channel surround sound from his stereo mix, and had a very high opinion of the box. I had a one-day setup with the processor before flying to Las Vegas. The learning curve is very shallow – I was able to adjust the user-friendly DB-8 and fine-tune the pre-programmed presets within a very short period of time. It’s a very powerful, very intuitive upmixer and multiband processor. It integrated well with our work flow."

Hosted by Reba McEntire and one of the biggest nights in country music, the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards from Dick Clark Productions was broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, and included performances from Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton. The show attracted a viewing audience of 9.2 million.