Immersive sound becomes more realistic thanks to the new released Spacelab’s artificial reverb!
Immersive sound is becoming increasingly popular in all areas of the audio industry. From music to movie soundtracks to gaming audio: Today’s users want to be fully immersed in sound. An important part of compelling 3D sound is artificial reverb. Fiedler Audio just released Spacelab, an object-based 3D audio plug-in for reverb, panning, and spatialization based on algorithms developed by Fraunhofer IIS. The tool, which is suitable for any DAW and all formats from stereo to multichannel, enables an intuitive workflow for producers all over the world.
What makes Spacelab so exceptional?
Spacelab enables true 3D reverb that is not based on impulse responses, but calculated in all spatial dimensions. The program lets users freely position audio objects in 3D spaces. For this, they can either create their own rooms or choose preconfigured virtual rooms from a range of presets. These include natural rooms like a bathroom, living room, jazz club, and church but also non-realistic, experimental rooms for special sound designs.
With the integrated panner, audio objects can be positioned easily and with visual guidance in the virtual room. The reverb is arranged in the same step of the process. It is always calculated in relation to the current position of listener and object. Producers can easily switch between the classic room-centered and the new listener-centered mode of operation. This enables the creation of VR scenes in which the user moves through the virtual space and, through this, the intuitive creation of complex 3D worlds.
The Fraunhofer team is particularly happy with another option Spacelab provides: The export of MPEG-H metadata for flexible rendering on end devices. Once reverb parameters, object positions, and movements have been created, audio and metadata are processed using an MPEG-H Exporter that can be downloaded separately. The exported files can be used for object-based immersive music streaming applications.
A collaboration for optimal user benefit
Spacelab has been developed in cooperation with Fraunhofer IIS, which draws from its outstanding expertise in the field of 3D audio that relies on the development of the MPEG-H standard and similar fields of experience.
“We are pleased that our experience both in 3D audio research and with 3D audio productions could be incorporated into Spacelab, which will now support many producers in the simple and creative production of immersive sound,” says Ulli Scuda, sound engineer and head of the Soundlab group at Fraunhofer IIS.
The new Spacelab tool brings together years of research and the current needs of the audio industry. It is now available in two versions from Fiedler Audio. Further information can be found on the manufacturer’s website.
About Fiedler Audio
Fiedler Audio stands for the highest quality in sound and design. Founded in 2013 in Munich, Germany, Fiedler Audio is dedicated to the creation of professional music and audio software for Mac, PC, and mobile devices. The company’s mission is to provide extraordinary audio production tools for musicians, DJs, audio engineers, and producers. Be it in the studio, at an event or gig, at home on the sofa, or in the park – Fiedler Audio software opens up new creative horizons.
Fiedler Audio is also the one that provides the reverb engine for the acclaimed Brainworx bx_rooMS plug-In and the unique „stage“ plug-In that gives mixes that final shine and depth, heard on countless records, drawing out any hidden details and character. By leveraging subtle delays, internal phase augmentation, and modulation techniques, „stage“ emphasizes the natural depth and space of any natural recording or synthesized element. The result is an increase in overall definition and perceived size – all elusive qualities that in the end contribute to a type of sonic „gravitas“ that will quickly become indispensable to any audio toolkit. Also, Fiedler Audio was the first to bring hi-class, professional studio „hardware-grade“ reverb software to iOS and Rack Extension platforms in the form of the AD 480 Reverb. www.fiedler-audio.com
Header image: © integrative concepts – Thomas Wendt