Immersive audio specialist Areal unveils its Upmix Engine stereo upmixing hardware at ISE 2026 (booth #CS646).

Powered by the RISE (Realtime Immersive Stereo Expansion) algorithm, the Upmix Engine converts stereo content into immersive audio by intelligently redistributing spectral elements across multiple channels. With low latency from input to output, the engine permits real time upmixing of stereo performances and recordings in live sound, corporate AV and broadcast scenarios.

The Upmix Engine is the first release from Areal, a Belgium-based developer and manufacturer of immersive audio technologies. The launch follows over five years of development, during which time the Upmix Engine was deployed to transform DJ mixes into multidimensional audio at several editions of the iconic Tomorrowland EDM festival, ultimately serving across nine stages in 2025.

 “We developed the Upmix Engine to create dynamic, enveloping live experiences from stereo performances,” explains Areal co-founder Pieter Doms. “Housing dual upmixing cores in a dedicated hardware platform gives us the power to overcome the unwanted effects and latency issues encountered with software-based upmixing solutions. By bridging the gap between stereo and spatial audio we want to maximize the potential of existing immersive loudspeaker systems.”

 The Upmix Engine is compatible with all loudspeaker brands and supports 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4 and custom arrays without needing multitrack stems or object-based audio. Areal’s FocusField technology allows the spatial image to be defined and steered to fit the application, while LF Warp functionality enhances low-frequency depth and impact. The engine’s I/O includes Dante™, AES3, AVB, MADI, and balanced analog connectivity for ease of integration with multiple workflows.

The company is finalizing international distribution partnerships in preparation for initial shipments of the Upmix Engine from March 2026.  Visitors to the Areal booth will also be invited to preview a new category of portable immersive monitoring headphone for post-production, education and broadcast.