Thread: How to place stereo ADR in surround sound mix

From what I've read,(and I'm not the most experienced surround mixer) Dialogue and any reverb is usually only in the center channel. The exception being off screen dial. The existing DX tracks and the roominess associated with them will only exist in the center channel. So If you are matching ADR to DX the reverb you use should be mono and in the center channel to match. Now it sounds like you have a movie that is done in the old Sergio Leonie(sp?) style where every thing is dubbed. That doesn't change the fact that dial is still mono, but it does give you some leeway with the reverb. You could spread it across the LCR to make the "room" more encompasing, try it and see how it sounds. The main point is that ADR/DX is mono. The idea of paning dial to match the characters position on screen can become confusing as the camera cuts from one angle to another. Hope I answered your question.

I would also recomend Holman's book "Sound for Film and Television." Page 214
"Dial in ongoing conversations is usually either centered or kept close to center because otherwise sound edits that match picture edits cause the sound to noticeably 'jump' around the screen." and "...panning them to surrounds in the auditorium breaks the box of the frameline too much."
Hope this helps. Don't approach this like the center channel is just an addition to the phantom center in a stereo mix.

I definately don't have any experience with surround, but I have been told that dialog should be kept mono so that it has even dispersion through the listening space. Also, most of the time the characters are center screen when they are speaking. Third, when everything is wandering around the surround space it dilutes the impact of the special surround audio effects.