Zephyr: Ambisonics Binaural/Surround Reverb

[dreamvoid]

No, the issue is with the different standards. I used 5.0 ITU which follows FL/FR/C/SL/SR and doesn't have LFE. Are you setting Cubase to 5.1 instead of 5.0?

EDIT: To avert possible workflow issues like this, I will explicitly add 5.1 (both film and music ordering) with silent LFE output options into the next version.

Thank you, especially for the edit. This time the error was on my side and an oversight. The workflow indeed is to use 5.1, even with a dead silent Lfe channel, whenever possible. The workflow, especially when delivering to clients (half of my paid and artistical work is in surround 4.0 to 5.1 - the rest stereo) is to use ITU 5.1 channels all the time. ITU 5.0 and Quad etc. to mix in a 5.1 workflow can be otherwise confusing. Therefore I always use formats like this in 5.1 channel layouts. Nuendo and Cubase handle this brilliant. Beside Quad (4.0) I mostly deliver 5.1 with a muted .1 channel. I did an awarded Blu-ray audio classic production in surround and delivering format for the auhoring was ITU 5.1, with Lfe muted - ITU 5.1 (L, R, C, Lfe, Ls, Rs) works as a sort of container.

[nonnaci]

Thank you, especially for the edit. This time the error was on my side and an oversight. The workflow indeed is to use 5.1, even with a dead silent Lfe channel, whenever possible. The workflow, especially when delivering to clients (half of my paid and artistical work is in surround 4.0 to 5.1 - the rest stereo) is to use ITU 5.1 channels all the time. ITU 5.0 and Quad etc. to mix in a 5.1 workflow can be otherwise confusing. Therefore I always use formats like this in 5.1 channel layouts. Nuendo and Cubase handle this brilliant. Beside Quad (4.0) I mostly deliver 5.1 with a muted .1 channel. I did an awarded Blu-ray audio classic production in surround and delivering format for the auhoring was ITU 5.1, with Lfe muted - ITU 5.1 (L, R, C, Lfe, Ls, Rs) works as a sort of container.

The SMPTE 5.1 channel order in version 1.1.0 should match the container format that you use. Good to know that muted Lfe is also a standard used in the industry.

[dreamvoid]

The SMPTE 5.1 channel order in version 1.1.0 should match the container format that you use. Good to know that muted Lfe is also a standard used in the industry.

Yes, this works fine now! Now I started to control all the parameters. The graphics are counterintuitive for me. It is hard for me to place a channel/sound. When it is placed it sounds very good -> the positioning. The reverb could be much better IMO, more dense, way less metallic. I placed a Exponential Audio Phoenix Surround reverb after it and it sounds all much better ... - I know, this is not a fair comparison. Will experiment further soon ...

[nonnaci]

Yes, this works fine now! Now I started to control all the parameters. The graphics are counterintuitive for me. It is hard for me to place a channel/sound. When it is placed it sounds very good -> the positioning. The reverb could be much better IMO, more dense, way less metallic. I placed a Exponential Audio Phoenix Surround reverb after it and it sounds all much better ... - I know, this is not a fair comparison. Will experiment further soon ...

For source-placement, imagine a typical world-map where left ear is the Americas, right ear is Asia, and the top/bottom collapse to north and south poles.

As for reverb, increase modulation rate / depth, raise scatter/attack, and enable the pre-chorus processor (stage > 0) attached to each sound-source to break up resonances. It'll sound much less metallic that way.

[dreamvoid]

For source-placement, imagine a typical world-map where left ear is the Americas, right ear is Asia, and the top/bottom collapse to north and south poles.

I got this in a way, but I would like to see something like the Waves Brauer Motion Panner - probably it is to late for that.
Concerning the reverb: I tried several modulations etc. but I'm used to high end devices like Quantec etc., therefore I may expect to much. Although the idea to have Ambisonics/Binaural/Surround placement combined with room simulations is very appealing. But good room simulations are very complex tasks.

[nonnaci]

I got this in a way, but I would like to see something like the Waves Brauer Motion Panner - probably it is to late for that.
Concerning the reverb: I tried several modulations etc. but I'm used to high end devices like Quantec etc., therefore I may expect to much. Although the idea to have Ambisonics/Binaural/Surround placement combined with room simulations is very appealing. But good room simulations are very complex tasks.

Indeed, room modeling is complex. See my freebie plugin Riviera and math tutorial on how it's done in sig In any case, Zephyr wasn't designed for physically accurate room modeling but rather, producing interesting sounding reverb fields which puts it closer to a creative plugin.

Brauer motion panner follows a similar design that I used on Muze and Aeko which is closer to what traditional 2D panners look like but is less familiar to the VR/360-audio crowd that uses the map projection.

[Harry_HH]

I got this in a way, but I would like to see something like the Waves Brauer Motion Panner - probably it is to late for that.
Concerning the reverb: I tried several modulations etc. but I'm used to high end devices like Quantec etc., therefore I may expect to much. Although the idea to have Ambisonics/Binaural/Surround placement combined with room simulations is very appealing. But good room simulations are very complex tasks.

Indeed, room modeling is complex. See my freebie plugin Riviera and math tutorial on how it's done in sig In any case, Zephyr wasn't designed for physically accurate room modeling but rather, producing interesting sounding reverb fields which puts it closer to a creative plugin.

Brauer motion panner follows a similar design that I used on Muze and Aeko which is closer to what traditional 2D panners look like but is less familiar to the VR/360-audio crowd that uses the map projection.

I´ve got Brauer, and according to my experience, its more effective, as the name says, for creating motion and modulation than 3D illusion, which is the strenght of Muze and Aeko.

[dreamvoid]

The Brauer Motion was just meant as an example for graphics. Even the simple graphics of Wavearts Panorama are more intuitive:
http://wavearts.com/products/plugins/panorama/

I would rather switch between different views and angles, but in Zephyr it is a drag to drag around the channel dots. (pun intended)

[damstraversaz]

I finally bought Zephyr, after some very deep tests with Muze. It does not have muze's versatility about reverb, but is more polyvalent. The possibility to use it as a binaural or a multi out speakers config is really a nice feature. The sound is more "natural" at least for my ears. About the sound, I tried too a lot of others Ambisonics vst and zephyr is clearly one of the best, with a nice placed and natural sound. (tested in binaural and in auditorium with a quadraphonics setup)

congratulations, that's an impressive work !
damien

[Harry_HH]

I finally bought Zephyr, after some very deep tests with Muze. It does not have muze's versatility about reverb, but is more polyvalent. The possibility to use it as a binaural or a multi out speakers config is really a nice feature. The sound is more "natural" at least for my ears. About the sound, I tried too a lot of others Ambisonics vst and zephyr is clearly one of the best, with a nice placed and natural sound. (tested in binaural and in auditorium with a quadraphonics setup)

congratulations, that's an impressive work !
damien

Do you work in the surround environment, or mainly in stereo?

[damstraversaz]

I will use Zephyr in a quadriphonics configuration (interactive digital art) and with a binaural configuration for a specific project. I did not test it in stereo for now, but it could be interesting in my opionion, as there is a lot of possibles combinations to explore directly in the plugin. For exemple, the multichannel input is really interesting expecially if you use the Yaw control.

[dreamvoid]

I finally bought Zephyr, after some very deep tests with Muze. It does not have muze's versatility about reverb, but is more polyvalent. The possibility to use it as a binaural or a multi out speakers config is really a nice feature. The sound is more "natural" at least for my ears. About the sound, I tried too a lot of others Ambisonics vst and zephyr is clearly one of the best, with a nice placed and natural sound. (tested in binaural and in auditorium with a quadraphonics setup)

congratulations, that's an impressive work !
damien

This was also my observation: the sound quality of the placement is really good. The GUI and overall handling is a bit awkward for me.

[nonnaci]

Updated to version 1.2.0 with selectable higher quality versions of the reverb along with minor fixes.

• Added higher quality versions of the reverb to selection (lite = original, high, ultra)
• Added discrete reflection evolution patterns to selection (bifurcation and clover)
• Corrected scaling reverb size when changing sampling rates
• Corrected damp parameter not setting to correct internal value on sampling rate / latency changes

Existing customers can download the latest version from the link in their receipt or alternatively from the Fastspring dashboard.