Binaural
Spatial audio encoder (or decoder) is a technique used to compress and transmit audio signals while preserving spatial information and allowing surround audio playback.
The spatial audio encoder uses advanced algorithms and signal processing techniques to analyze audio signals and extract spatial characteristics such as sound direction, distance, and room reverberation. By encoding this spatial information along with the audio content, it enables the recreation of a three-dimensional sound field during playback.
Specifically the binaural spatial audio encoder plugin is used to encode audio signals of different formats (stereo, quad, 5.1, 7.1, ambisonic…) to a binaural format. In this sense, the spatial audio encoder translates a spatial audio format into the binaural format.
The plugin works by using Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs), which allows the plugin to recreate the sense of audio spatiality relative to the listener’s head.
Ambi Head HD
VST, AU, AAX
Windows, macOS
Ambi Head HD is a professional plugin for converting ambisonic signals (ambiX up to order 3) into 3D binaural audio. It allows manipulations of 3D scenes (rotations and control of spatial width) and contains HRTF filters specifically designed for immersive listening and accurate reproduction.
Binauralizer STUDIO
VST, AU, AAX
Windows, macOS
Binauralizer Studio is a spatial audio plugin (VST, AU, AAX) to convert surround tracks (up to 22.2) to binaural 3D audio. It conserves all spatial information contained in the original multichannel track, and translates it into binaural for listening over headphones.
Ircam HEar
VST, AU, AAX
Windows, macOS
HEar allows faithful reproduction of a stereo or surround mix with a pair of conventional stereo headphones. It relies on proven technology to model the various phenomena that occur when playing back audio material through a loudspeaker system.
Binaural Surround Plugins
VST2, AAX
Windows, macOS
The Binaural Surround Plugins convert channel-based mixes into binaural stereo for headphones.
The E4L Master Bus is also responsible for decoding these 16-channels of Ambisonics audio into a selected output format. These outputs may be routed to dedicated soundcard outputs, or monitored via Ableton’s main stereo bus.
A binaural panner is a tool or plugin used in immersive audio to position audio sources within a three-dimensional space and create a binaural audio experience. It simulates the way human ears perceive sound by applying HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function) filters to audio signals, resulting in a spatialized sound perception when listened to through headphones.
The binaural panner takes audio input and allows the user to control the placement and movement of sound sources within a virtual soundstage. It applies spatialization techniques to modify the audio signals, taking into account parameters such as azimuth (horizontal angle), elevation (vertical angle), and distance from the listener’s perspective.
Unlike a binaural panner, which focuses on the precise placement and movement of audio sources within a stereo field, a binaural spatialization engine offers a more comprehensive set of tools and functionality. It includes features such as HRTF-based spatial rendering, taking into account factors such as interaural time differences (ITD) and interaural level differences (ILD), as well as room simulation, distance modeling, and reverberation.
Binauralizer
VST, AU, AAX
Windows, macOS
Binauralizer is a spatial audio plugin (VST, AU, AAX) for binaural panning and downmix of multichannel audio. It uses Head Related Transfert Functions (HRTFs) specifically designed to simulate sound location/width with great accuracy and naturalness.
Full 360º panning with left/right and front/back effects, Intuitive 2D pad for simultaneous control of source width and position, Multiple input formats (mono/stereo/surround), One output format (binaural stereo)
Envelop for Live (E4L)
Source Panner | Mono Panner | Stereo Panner
Max for Live
Ableton Live
Envelop for Live (E4L) is an open-source audio production framework for spatial audio composition and performance. Envelop for Live operates within the music production environment of Ableton Live 10+ and Max for Live. Envelop for Live is designed to be a highly modular, flexible platform for artists to compose and perform spatial audio, and for developers to create new kinds of audio effects for the Ambisonics domain.
The E4L Mono Panner is a basic spatialization utility. It takes a mono input signal (stereo signals are automatically collapsed to mono) from a regular Ableton audio bus and spatializes the sound into a 16-channel Ambisonics signal that will be routed to the E4L Master Bus.
The Heads-Up Display indicates the positioning of the sound sources. The mouse may be used to click and drag the position of the sound source.
Envelop for Live is a binaural panning plugin and an ambisonic suite of tools.
dearVR MICRO
VST3, AU, AAX
Windows, macOS
dearVR MICRO was designed to easily integrate with any standard DAW and mixing workflows.
To begin with, one can think of the plugin as a replacement for the built-in stereo pan knob. In your digital audio workstation, select a mono or stereo audio track and set its integrated pan to zero, or “center.” Then create a new instance of dearVR MICRO as the last plugin insert for the track.
The plug-in can be approached in the same way as a normal panner, only now with full three-dimensional space there are limitless creative possibilities that extend well beyond the scope of a simple stereo panner.
dearVR MICRO is the replacement for SENNHEISER’S AMBEO ORBIT once the Sennheiser brand partnered with dearVR.
Natasha: Binaural Ambience Modeling
VST, VST3, AAX
Windows, macOS
Natasha is a binaural environment modeling plug-in. Inspired by a binaural microphone built in our studio and also in one of our rooms.
SoundObject creates a binaural sound with the senses of three-dimensional sound localization from a monaural acoustic source and its positional information. It supports headphones-based as well as stereo speakers-based 3D spatial sound. Furthermore, it could also support headphones monitoring of stereo speakers sound.
Conventional three-dimensional binaural sound processors implement sound localization with the convolution of an acoustic source and head-related impulse response (HRIR) that represents scattering by the head. Since the convolution consumes a large amount of computational resource, SoundObject assumes that scattering by a head consists of scattering by a rigid sphere and pinnae (earlobes), then enables sound localization with simplified sphere and pinna scattering effect filters.
3DX Lite is a virtual effect audio plugin for macOS and Windows that delivers immersive 3D sound.It is a limited function version of NovoNotes’ popular 3DX Standard plugin, which integrates all the functions necessary for 3D audio production into one. The Lite edition is focused only on binaural production, eliminating features that require a surround sound production environment such as multiple speakers and a DAW that supports multiple channels.This pared-down plugin can be used with almost any DAW, including Ableton Live and ProTools.
3DX realizes the highest sound quality and enables sound field expression beyond the real world. By integrating the functions necessary for 3D sound production such as 3D panning, binaural and ambisonic into a single plug-in, it provides a sophisticated production workflow.
3DX is equipped with the award-winning HPL binaural processor.
The resultant sound quality is so highly rated, it’s featured in the production of high-quality high-resolution sound sources and the mix of numerous award-winning works.
++binaural is a filter which places a sound at a specific position around the listener’s head. It does this by using filters which simulate the filtering effect of the head and outer ear for sounds at all angles. The filters in ++binaural are optimized for headphones and are only for 0 degree elevation at a 44100 sample rate. Future versions of ++binaural will contain multiple elevations and sample rates.
The filters in ++binaural are optimized for headphones and are only for 0 degree elevation at a 44100 sample rate. Future versions of ++binaural will contain multiple elevations and sample rates.
The aXPanner gives you control of the azimuth and elevation of the sound source, as well as the width between the stereo input channels. The choice of two interfaces (equirectangular and top-down) lets you easily place your sound in space to create your immersive audio world.
a1Panner works for binaural
Binaural Location goes beyond the simple pan control; it allows you to place your audio at a specific location anywhere in a virtual space around the listener. The location of the L and R control points on the screen controls the location of two virtual speakers. Based on the angle and distance from the speakers to the listener’s ears, the app creates a realistic impression that the sound is actually coming from the specific location of the L and R points.
This is an audio unit plugin that runs in host apps such as GarageBand. It does not run as a stand-alone effect.
Anaglyph
VST, VST3, AU, Unity Package
Windows, macOS
Anaglyph is part of an ongoing research effort into the perceptual and technical capabilities of binaural rendering. This audio plugin was designed both to support ongoing research efforts as well as to make accessible the fruits of this research to audio engineers working in DAW environments. Amongst its features, Anaglyph includes a personalizable morphological ITD model, near-field ILD corrections and HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function) parallax selection, a localisation enhancer, an externalisation booster, and multiple HRTF support via the SOFA file format.
Eigen Space Simulator
VST3, AAX
Windows, macOS
Play, Render, and Analyze. These three modes are able to perform a selection of different “space-aware” processes; Play does accurate early reflection processing in real-time, Render computes high-quality reverb impulse responses for you to use in convolution reverbs (or in Eigen itself, if you want), and Analyse checks your virtual space to see how sound resonates against it.
Eigen’s main mode allows for real-time (and accurate) early reflection processing. The depth of your reflections are determined via a knob on the bottom, and you can control the sound source & listener positions with our super cool 3D object positioner. You can even change the angle that you are looking at the controls from.
Spatial Audio Processor
A spatial audio processor is a broader term that encompasses various techniques and tools used to manipulate and enhance the spatial characteristics of audio. It involves encoding, decoding, and processing audio signals to create a sense of space and immersion. Spatial audio processors may include techniques such as Ambisonics, object-based audio, or room simulation algorithms. Its goal is to recreate a realistic audio environment by simulating sound reflections, room acoustics, positioning of sound sources, and other spatial properties.
Unlike Binaural Panner and the Binaural Spatialization Engine which focus on binaural audio output, spatial audio processors include binaural processing and other spatialization methods.
dearVR MICRO
VST, VST3, AU, AAX
Windows, macOS
The dearVR MUSIC Plugin is a 3D audio processor, enabling you to virtualize many different kinds of three-dimensional acoustic settings within your mix with a great amount of realism.
The virtualisation of an acoustic environment with object-based sound sources refers to combining 3D spatial location cues with distance, motion, and ambience. All these parts are needed to achieve a realistic simulation of an acoustic scene – far beyond simple 3D positioning.
dearVR PRO is the all-in-one spatializing solution for professional audio productions offering state-of-the-art binaural, Ambisonics, and 26 multi-channel loudspeaker output formats up to 9.1.6.
The dearVR VHSP technology combines the ultra-realistic room and distance simulation with the groundbreaking virtual height speaker perception for 5.1 and 7.1 setups.
Oculus Spatializer
Unity, VST
Windows, macOS
The Oculus Spatializer Plugin is designed to create a realistic 3D audio experience for the listener. It uses binaural audio technology to simulate the way sound waves interact with the human ear, creating a sense of space and directionality.
The Oculus Native Spatializer Plugin (ONSP) is an plugin for Unity that allows monophonic sound sources to be spatialized in 3D relative to the user’s head location. In addition, you can use the plugin for audio propagation, which provides real-time reverb and occlusion simulation based on game geometry.
Harpex is a signal processing algorithm designed to extract the maximum amount of spatial information from sound field recordings. With the Harpex plug-ins, content creators use this technology to transform sound field recordings in A-format, B-format or AmbiX into the standard surround and 3D surround formats used in film and television, coincident, non-coincident and binaural stereo, or higher-order AmbiX for VR and AR applications.