I’m really happy to announce another update of the aX Plugins. There are some bigger and smaller updates to all plugins. These updates add new features, make the plugins faster and easier to use and refresh the interface.
You can download the updated versions from your account.
aXPanner – New Feature!
Following user requests, aXPanner now has a new resizable pop-out window that you can use to overlay on 360 videos or images. It also gathers all instances of the plugin in one place so you can get an overview of where all the other tracks in the project have been panned.
Each marker displays the name of the plugin’s track, so you always know what you’re working on. It also takes the colour your set the track in your DAW and uses that for the marker to make things even clearer and more convenient. You can also manually select the marker colour yourself, for extra customisation.
A screenshot of aXPanner with the new pop-out window open. The azimuth and elevation of all four tracks in the project can be controlled from one window.
aXCompressor and aXGate – Better Visualisation
aXCompressor and aXGate now have new gain-reduction meters. As well as just looking a bit nicer, they now show the input and output levels of the signals so you can get a really clear idea of just how much gain reduction you’re applying.
All Plugins – Pro Tools Automation Shortcut
This was another user requested feature and is a quality-of-life improvement for Pro Tools users: All plugins now support the Ctrl+Win+Click (Windows) and Ctrl+Cmd+Click (Mac) shortcut to open the automation lane automatically.
To use it you have to do one of two things:
Enable each parameter individually using the following shortcuts while clicking the parameter you want to automate: Ctrl+Win+Alt+Click (Windows) or Ctrl+Cmd+Alt+Click. This brings up a pop-up that lets you enable the parameter. Now you can bring up the automation lane using Ctrl+Win+Click (Windows) or Ctrl+Cmd+Click (Mac)
(Preferred) Enable “Plug-in Control Default to Auto-Enabled” in Preferences > Mixing in Pro Tools. Any new plugins you insert will have automation controls already enabled.
All Plugins – GUI Refresh
All of the plugins have had a light GUI refresh to make them a little sleeker and more modern looking. It’s subtle but I think makes a big improvement. Can you spot the changes?
What Do You Want To See?
Do you have any features you’d like to see in a future version of the plugins? Some small thing that would make your life easier? A cool feature that would make working with them even more fun? If so, get in touch with me and I’ll do my best to make sure it happens!
It has been six years since I released the first version of the a7, a3 and a1 plugin suites, for (up-to) seventh-, third- and first-order processing respectively. The time has absolutely flown by. I’d like to thank everyone who has used my plugins, shared their amazing creative projects with me, and provided feedback that continues to make the plugins better. There is plenty more to come in the future!
Today, however, I am happy to announce another big update, as the a7 suite evolves to become the aX suite.
aX isn’t just a new name. The new update of aX plugins are able to process up-to tenth-order Ambisonics! Going forward, I aim to have the aX version of the plugins support the highest order in each DAW for maximum spatial resolution.
As a re-introduction bonus, the aX tenth-order version of the plugins is on sale with a 30% discount until 11th February 2024!
Tenth-order is a lot. Why go above seventh-order?
The amount of error in binaural decoders of different orders as a function of frequency. Tenth-order has the lowest error across more of the spectrum.
In many cases seventh-order will be enough. Often, even third-order could be enough. It all depends on your signal flow and maybe the final order you are targeting (though I’d argue it’s always best to work with the highest order possible).
The main benefit of tenth-order processing is for binaural processing or for very large loudspeaker layouts. For some Ambisonics-to-loudspeaker decoders higher orders can also be beneficial when working with smaller irregular layouts. That’s something I hope to come back to in a later post.
However, most people can’t fit a giant loudspeaker layout (or even 7.1.4) in their living room that leaves binaural as a way to experience immersive audio. How we perceive binaural decoding depends mainly on three things: the HRTF we are using, the order of the ambisonic signal, and the method used to create the decoding filters. Let’s focus on the impact of the order to see what going up to tenth-order gets us.
The graph shows the amount of error in the binaurally decoded signal as a function of frequency. For the first-order (1OA) decoder the error starts to rise even below 1000 Hz. Third-order gets us above 1000 Hz and you can usually hear a huge difference by going from 1OA to 3OA. For tenth-order, the error doesn’t rise significantly until nearly 4000 Hz. This means that if you are using a custom .SOFA HRTF in aXMonitorthen you are going to get holophonic scene reproduction over even more of the spectrum.
That’s a great reason to use the maximum order possible when listening binaurally!
How can I work with tenth-order Ambisonics?
The recent Reaper 7 update expanded the number of channels-per-track to a whopping 128. Tenth-order Ambisonics needs 121 channels, as opposed to seventh-order which needs 64. All you need to do is load the plugins on a track and set the number of channels to at least 121. It’s exactly the same process you would have used for seventh-order. Other than that, using the aX plugins hasn’t changed.
I work with Pro Tools/Cubase/Nuendo (any DAW except Reaper). Can I use tenth-order?
No, unfortunately not. Even though the aX plugins support tenth-order internally, the DAW they loaded in has to have enough channels-per-track to support it. Pro Tools Ultimate has seventh-order ambisonic buses so you can continue to use the new aX suite just like you did the a7 suite.
I bought the a7 suite. Do I have to pay for the new aX versions?
No! The a7 plugins have evolved into the aX plugins, they are not a completely new product. It means that once you update your plugins you will have access to tenth-order ambisonic processing when using Reaper 7.
I bought the a1/a3 suite and would like to upgrade to the aX suite. Do I have to pay full price?
No! If you have already bought any of the a1 or a3 plugins or bundles then you can benefit from the upgrade policy. Just get in touch and I will send you a discount code that removes the cost of the product you have already bought from the purchase of the equivalent aX plugin/bundle.
I don’t need tenth-order… Lower orders are enough for me.
Absolutely! There are plenty of cases where lower order processing is more than enough. If you’re recording with an ambisonic microphone, for example, then you are limited to the order of your microphone. Don’t worry, the a1 and a3 suites are still available at a lower price than the aX plugins.
From panning-to-playback for first-order Ambisonics
I’m really happy to release the newest version of all of the aXPlugins. All plugins have been updated. Let’s dive right in to the changes:
A new look for all plugins – All of the plugins have been given a fresh lick of paint. The new design is cleaner and simpler to make them that little bit easier for you to work with. In some cases the new design is just an update of the style. Others have had their layout completely changed (such as aXDeesser). This interface redesign is the first step in making incremental user-experience improvements based on user feedback that will lead to faster, more convenient mixing. I’ll be sure to post when these updates arrive.
Seventh-Order Ambisonics in Pro Tools Ultimate 2023.06! – Pro Tools 2023.06 now supports track widths up to seventh-order Ambisonics. I am very happy to announce that the newest version of the AAX a7Plugin suite is compatible with these new track widths. For years, users of the a7Plugins have had to use other DAWs to get higher than third-order resolutions but now you can use their full potential in Pro Tools Ultimate!
A lot of behind the scenes improvements – All of the plugins have had a lot of improvements made to the code that should make them less CPU intensive and more stable. As always, if you encounter any bugs then please do get in touch so that I can continue to improve the aXPlugins for you.
aXMeter– The free aXMeter plugin has been updated to allow different meter styles. You can display the level as a bar-and-line for RMS-and-peak levels. Or you can display only a bar showing the peak level. In addition, you can pick between two colour schemes: the original solid colour or a 3-colour gradient (green-yellow-red) to indicate when the level is reaching the danger zone!
If you’ve already purchased any a1 or a3 plugins but would like to upgrade to the a7 version (to make the most of Pro Tools Ultimate), please get in touch before purchasing and I will give you a voucher for the price you’ve already paid.
Pro Tools 2023.3 provides native support for Apple Silicon which looks like it provides some seriously impressive performance improvements. I am also happy to announce that all of the aXPlugins now also run natively on Apple Silicon. If you are an existing customer you can download the updates from the Downloads section of your account.
The plugins have been compiled as Universal Binary 2. That means that you can now run aXPlugins on your M1 or M2 Mac. Or if you use an Intel Mac you’ll still be able to use the most up-to-date version. So whether you’re using Intel or Silicon, Reaper or Pro Tools, for your spatial audio you can get the best performance for your machine.
As an additional update, I have been working on some major updates to the whole set of plugins. Those updates are taking a while but will be worth the wait. However, I am planning some smaller updates to the plugins in the near future. Keep an eye out for them in the weeks and months to come!
This month the Incursions Sauvages (Wild Incursions) exhibition opened at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Museum of Hunting and Nature) in Paris. This exhibition, which runs from 11th April to 12th September 2022, includes the work of seven street artists whose visual works blur the line between nature and city, bringing animals right into the museum. These are worth seeing on their own but Incursions Sauvages has the added bonus of incorporating an immersive audio artwork!
I had the great opportunity to work with acoustician and sound artist Sébastien Jouan on the Ambisonic sound installation. Urbanozoo!, by Sébastien, was composed the piece to echo the images in two of the visual artworks (by war! and Jussie TwoSeven) with which it shares a space. Urbanozoo! uses urban and wild sounds to create a unique narrative in which the urban sonic environment is drowned under the sound of a stampede and the cries of animals.
My part in the project was to spatialise Sébastien’s composition, as well as to take care of the technical playback side. For the spatialisation, Sébastien and I worked together to place and balance the sounds so that they told the story of his composition and matched the visuals of the street art. The audio was mixed in first-order Ambisonics for playback over a square of loudspeaker. In addition to the artistic work, we had the technical challenge of ensuring that audio was wireless, since we could not run cables along the floor.
The final result stands on its own but the experience is heightened when listening in the museum, surrounded by the works of war! and JussieTwoSeven. If you are in Paris, I highly recommend that you visit the museum to hear Urbanozoo! for yourself.
You can read more about it on the museum’s website (in English and French).
Today I am happy to announce a new plugin: aXDeesser. As the name suggests, it is a de-esser made specifically to be used on Ambisonic signals. It is available in VST3 format (Windows and Mac), AAX (Windows and Mac) for Pro Tools | Ultimate, and AudioUnit (Mac).
As with the other plugins in the aX range, the aXDeesser is available in first-order, third-order and seventh-order variations. You can pick the one that fits your needs. The introductory price is 50% of the standard price. It costs 10€ for first-order, 20€ for third-order and 40€ for seventh-order (excluding VAT/sales tax).
You can also get the aXDeesser in the aXBundles. If you have bought any of the bundles in the past then you can head over to the downloads section of your account to get it for free! Just download the latest bundle and you will find the aXDeesser with your other plugins.
Why an Ambisonic De-esser?
Processing Ambisonic signals has to be done carefully to avoid changing or destroying the spatial properties of the sound field, so you need a de-esser that is designed with this in mind.
The aXDeesser also takes advantage of the spatial information provided by Ambisonics to allow you to focus on specific regions of your sound field in order to trigger the de-esser processing, giving you even more control over your processing. Effectively, you use the virtual microphone as a side-chain signal to activate the de-essing processing on the full signal.
Who needs an Ambisonic de-esser?
You can use the aXDeesser on any Ambisonics stream, but it is most useful if you are processing signals recorded with Ambisonic microphones. Anyone working on complete mixes where access to mono-encoded sources are no longer available will also find it useful.
If you have a recording made with a first-order microphone, such as the TetraMic or Sennheiser AMBEO VR mic, then the a1Deesser will fit your needs. The a3Deesser will allow you to de-ess recordings from the OctoMic or Zylia microphone. The a7Deesser is overkill for recordings made with an Ambisonic microphone, but can be used on full mixed scenes or if used creatively.
So, if you have a recording made with an Ambisonic microphone then the aXDeesser is the perfect tool for de-essing. You can tame excessive sibilance, at the same time preserving spatial fidelity.
How does it work?
The plugin has two modules – a virtual microphone and the main de-esser module. The virtual microphone captures a signal that is used to feed the de-esser’s detection algorithm. When the microphone signals activates the de-esser, the processing is applied to the whole sound field.
You can control the direction of the virtual microphone, along with the focus. The focus essentially controls how directive the microphone is, with the maximum directivity depending on the Ambisonic order of the signal received by the plugin. The incoming signal order is shown in the bottom left of the plugin GUI. A focus of 0% gives an omnidirectional microphone response. Focus of 100% gives a cardioid response for a first-order signal and the beam narrows as the input order gets higher. The meter on the left of the GUI shows the level of the virtual microphone signal.
The de-esser has all of the usual controls you would expect to find. You can set the frequency, the bandwidth, level, compression ratio and attack and release times. The meter on the right of the GUI shows the gain reduction being applied to the sibilance band.
Interested?
Does all of that sound like something that could be useful to you? If so, head over to the shop by clicking below. By buying from this website you will be helping support independent development of spatial audio tools. Thanks for your support!
aXDeesser – Ambisonic De-Essing Plugin
The aXDeesser is a de-essing plugin that can be used on any AmbiX-format (SN3D/ACN) Ambisonic signal. It allows the signal within a particular band to be compressed and can be driven by the signal from a virtual microphone with user-defined direction.
Ambisonics is a wonderful format for 3D sound/spatial audio for many reasons: it is flexible, interactive, future-proof, and realistic. Despite being around since the 1970s, it is still very new to a lot of people and, like every technique, it has a bit of a learning curve. Here are 5 things every beginner should know about Ambisonics before getting started.
1 – You can’t listen directly to Ambisonic signals
If you work with traditional surround formats (5.1, 7.1 etc.) then you’re used to sending the sound where you want it. Dialogue to come from the screen? Centre channel. Sound effects and ambiences? Rear channels. You get the drift.
Ambisonics is totally different. You take your mono or stereo sound and pass it through an encoder, such as the aXPanner, and you get B-format signals out the other side. Unlike traditional surround, you cannot pass these signals directly to your speakers and listen to them. If you do, you’ll not get anything that sounds particularly spatialised.
Instead, you’ll need a decoder that takes into account your loudspeaker positions and converts your B-format signals to loudspeaker signals. Or you can convert it binaural 3D audio for headphone listening. The aXMonitor plugin will do this for you.
2 – Ambisonics gets better with order
As soon as you start reading about Ambisonics you will quickly come across phrases like first-order, third-order, higher order. But what exactly does this mean? Without going into the deep maths of it, the order is a measure of how much spatial detail is in your sound scene.
Zeroth-order is the same as an omni-directional recording – all of the sound is capture but none of the directional qualities. First-order adds in x, y and z directions so we can now move the sound around. Higher orders use more complex mathematical functions. This increases the spatial resolution so it’s easier to discriminate the directions of multiple source when you are listening. If you would like to read in this about more detail you can check out one of my earlier posts.
Essentially, the higher the order you are able to use, the better the spatial quality of your work will be. The trade-off is that higher order require more audio channels to carry the spatial information. This needs more CPU. At first-order we need 4 channels, third-order it’s 16 channels and seventh-order it’s 64 channels!
Personally, I will always work in seventh-order to keep my work future-proof so I can archive in the highest possible quality. It’s trivial to convert from seventh- to first-order by dropping some channels. However, going the other way requires you to change settings or plugins throughout your projects(s). Better to do it right the first time!
3 – The channel sequencing matters!
Your Ambisonic panner will output the signals in a specific sequence. The decoder that you use will expect them to arrive in a particular sequence. If these don’t match, the final rendering will not have the intended spatial qualities. It should be easy to work without this becoming a problem, yes?
Unfortunately, no. There are quite a few Ambisonics conventions floating around and if you are using tools from different manufacturers you need to be sure they are all working with the same sequencing format. Channel sequencing can cause headaches even for the most experienced Ambisonics users.
These different conventions have tended to arise from mathematical formulations or practical considerations during Ambisonics’ time in the wilderness. The two best known these days are FuMa (short for Furse-Malham) an AmbiX (short for Ambisonic eXchange). For first-order signals FuMa uses the channel sequence W-X-Y-Z, while AmbiX uses W-Y-Z-X. This really isn’t something you can neglect.
Thankfully, the industry seems to have largely settled on the AmbiX convention for most purposes. This means you’re less likely to run into any confusion, but it can still happen – some tools, like Sennheiser’s AMBEO microphone A-to-B plugin, give the choice of FuMa and AmbiX. Just make sure you set it to the format expect by your decoder. The aX Ambisonic plugins all use AmbiX format specifically to avoid the confusion of different formats.
4 – The level relationship matters, too
This one is related to the last point. Different conventions set the levels differently between different Ambisonic channels groups. For example, the omni W channel is 3 dB weaker in FuMa than AmbiX format, while their first-order (x, y, and z) channels match in level (but, remember, not in sequencing!).
Generally, if you get your channel order correct, the level relationships will follow. You just have to careful that you do not change the level of one channel without doing exactly the same to all of the others. Doing so will mess with the spatial qualities of your sound scene. This also applies for frequency-dependent level changes, like EQ.
5 – Ambisonics is very sensitive to phase changes
If you’re processing your B-format Ambisonics then you had better be careful you’re using the right tools. Anything you do to one channel has to be repeated exactly on all the others because even a small phase change in only one channel can ruin the spatialisation of your work.
I’ve prepared a short audio demonstration of this with a sample of pink noise. The noise is panned to the left using first-order Ambisonics and rendered binaurally using the aXMonitor. Every two seconds it switches between a correct rendering and one in which one of the B-format channels is delayed by only 0.1 ms (4.41 samples). Hardly a massive delay! With stereo it would barely be audible. With Ambisonics, it completely ruins the spatial impression – listen as the noise goes from fully to the left to splitting into two spatial distinct sounds.
Listen with headphones!
The practical point to be made here is that plugins that change phase (or level) have to have been designed carefully. Using multi-mono plugins will apply processing individually to each B-format channel and almost certainly ruin the spatial quality of your audio. The SSA Plugins aXCompressor, aXGate and aXEqualiser give you dynamic range processing and EQ that you can apply to B-format signals and preserve the spatial integrity of your audio.
So here are 5 things you need to know about Ambisonics before you get started. If you have more questions about setting up an Ambisonic project, leave a comment or get in touch. I’m always happy to answer questions to help you down the road to spatial audio and 3D sound.
The aXMeter is an Ambisonic meter plugin (VST, AAX, AU) that shows the RMS and peak levels for each of the Ambisonic channels up to seventh-order. It’s GUI size varies dynamically depending on the order of the signal it receives. For first- to third-order it shows all of the channels up to third-order. If the input is a higher order it expands to show the new channels.
Just like previous updates, this plugin exists because it was requested by users who thought it would improve their workflow. So, if there is some feature you’d like to see added or a plugin you think would be worth having, get in touch! The more requests a particular feature gets, the faster it gets made.
And the Summer Sale is continuing. There are discounts of 20% to 50% on all of the plugins in the shop. If you purchase something then you’ll be helping to support independent development of spatial audio tools.
If you want to download the free aXMeter head over here.
There is plenty to get through in this post. There is some big news, so let’s get right to it!
AAX Release – aX Plugins in ProTools
A lot of people have asked for the aX Ambisonics Plugins to be available in AAX format so I’m very happy to release them. At this point they are as a public beta (you can download the demo versions to test on your system) but they have been stable for private beta testers.
Please note that the plugins run on the Ambisonic buses available in Pro Tools Ultimate (formerly HD). Unfortunately, you cannot use them with the standard version of Pro Tools at this point.
Also note that the seventh order a7 Plugins will run in Pro Tools but are limited to third order processing by Pro Tools bus structure. If you work exclusively with Pro Tools, and don’t need VST versions, then youcan save money by picking up the a3 Plugins – you won’t benefit from the a7 versions.
Bundle Discounts
You can now buy the full set of 7 plugins in one click as a bundle for a discounted price of 30% less when compared to buying them all individually. You can get them from the online shop here.
Sale Pricing
Until 31st July 2018 there will be at least a 20% discount on all plugin prices. The aXPanner and aXMonitor will continue with the 50% discount. Check out the shop for more details.
Academic Discount
If you plan on using the plugins for academic or educational purposes then the you can get in touch for a discount code for substantial extra discounts.
New Activation System
In order to provide offline activation, and perhaps a subscription payment option, the plugin activation system has been changed. If you are an existing customer you will need to enter the new activation number to the plugins after installing the new updates. This should be available in your account. I will also email out all of the updated serial numbers to ensure everyone gets them. If they are not listed in your account or you need the update before I have a chance to email you, please get in touch
Bug fixes
All formats of the aX Plugins have had a number of improvements to stability and performance under the hood. This won’t change how you use them but should improve the overall experience.
Aside from these performance enhancements, a bug was fixed in the macOS version of the aXMonitor that stopped custom HRTFs loading after they had been processed.
Coming Soon…
I am working on a few new plugins that will be out in the next few months. Some will be simple (and free), while another is shaping up to be something really interesting. Check back here to keep up to date!
In the meantime, if you want to support further development you can purchase the existing plugins at the web shop. Thank you for your support.
The aXMonitor plugins are today updated to version 1.3.2. If you have already bought one of the aXMonitor plugins, you can download the update from your account. You should remove any old versions of the plugin from your system to avoid any conflicts.
Today’s update is all about getting more flexibility and personalisation for binaural rendering of Ambisoinics. This is probably the most requested feature update for any of my plugins, so I am very happy to be able to announce the new feature:
Load an HRTF stored in a .SOFA file for custom binaural rendering.
This allows you to produce binaural rendering for up to seventh order Ambisonics with whatever HRTF you want, providing you with the flexibility you need to produce the highest quality spatial audio content possible.
If you aren’t sure why so many people want personal HRTF support, keep reading.
Advantages of Personalised Binaural
Binaural 3D audio can be vastly improved by listening with a personalised HRTF (head related transfer function). It’s the auditory equivalent of wearing someone else’s glasses vs wearing your own. Sure, you can see most of what is going on with someone else’s glass, but you lose detail and precision. Wear your own and everything comes into focus!
With that in mind, the aXMonitor plugins have been updated to allow you to load a custom HRTF that is stored in a .SOFA file. Now you can use your own individual HRTF (if you have it) or one that you know works well for you. Once an HRTF has been loaded it will be available across to all instances of the plugin in other projects.
What is a .SOFA file?
A .SOFA file contains a lot of information about a measured HRTF (though it can be used for other things as well). You can read more about them here.
Where to get custom HRTFs
You can find a curated list of .SOFA databases here. The best thing to do is to try a few of them until you find one that gives you an accurate perception of the sound source directions. Pay particular attention to the elevation and front-back confusions, since these are what personalised HRTFs help most with.
If you want an HRTF that fits your head/ears exactly then your options are bit more limited. Either you can find somewhere, usually an academic research institute, that has an anechoic chamber and the appropriate equipment. Then you put some microphones in your ears and sit still for 20-120 minutes (depending on their system). Once it’s done, you have your HRTF!
But if you don’t fancy going to all of that trouble, there are some options for getting a personalised HRTF more easily. A method by 3D Sound Labs requires only a small number of photographs and they claim good results. Finnish company IDA also offers a similar service.
Get the aXMonitor
So if you like the sound of customised binaural rendering then you can purchase the aXMonitor from my online shop. Doing so will help support independent development of tools for spatial audio.
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