ValhallaRoom 1.5.1 Released. New Electric Blue GUI

[valhallasound]

Here is a first quick test with the new Nostromo algorithm.

Ahh, there's my unrealistically giant reverb fix!

It's about TIME I created a reverb that can get unrealistically long decays!



Sean Costello

What does realism mean in this respect anyway?

"Is there a physical space that could get this sound?"

Mind you, there are probably a few physical locations that can get these sounds. I'm reminded of Paul Horn in the Taj Mahal, or the Stuart Dempster / Pauline Oliveros recordings from the Fort Worden Cistern. I haven't been in either of those spaces, so I don't know how long the echo density takes to build.

Most of the ValhallaRoom reverbs have an unnaturally dense build of echo density, as this tends to produce a smoother sound. Nostromo has a much slower build of echo density over time. Narcissus has a faster build, but not instantaneous - it is closer to Dark Room, but a bit slower.

To be frank, realistic physical emulations were not the goal of Nostromo and Narcissus. Those algorithms are the closest algorithms in ValhallaRoom to the older digital reverb designs. In most of the ValhallaRoom algorithms, I used fairly "modern" techniques to guarantee a rapid build of echo density. Nostromo and Narcissus are experiments in removing some of these modern tricks, and embracing the resulting artifacts. I'm going for deep space here.

Sean Costello

[Sampleconstruct]

So VRoom is now a very versatile hybrid Spacemaker, it can emulate realistic, smaller rooms with "natural" reflections but can also produce vast and beautiful/mysterious/"unreal" spaces - this makes it become an "allrounder" even more and it will be rivalling a lot with my Aether Plug-In in the future.

[valhallasound]

Here is a first quick test with the new Nostromo algorithm. I just took some of my soprano sax phrases (mono) inserted VRoom on a Bus, dialed in some settings and. Deep Space...
I love the combo of longer Delays being send into big modulated spaces, now I have that all inside one Plugin in more than pristine quality, VRoom is evolving...

I'm glad that you appreciate the lower echo density. For percussion, Nostromo is chatter city. For legato phrases, the lower initial density seem to add something to the sound. Users can always use a larger Early Size, and set Early Send to 1.0, in order to "fill in the gaps." This is what was done in most of the Lexicon algorithms - initially the Diffusion control filled in the gaps, with later algorithms using Shape and Spread for this purpose as well.

Sean Costello

[valhallasound]

So VRoom is now a very versatile hybrid Spacemaker, it can emulate realistic, smaller rooms with "natural" reflections but can also produce vast and beautiful/mysterious/"unreal" spaces

Crap. I should have called it ValhallaSpace. This would have been a better name. Except that the original release was focused on the room sort of physical spaces. It is mainly the later Dark algorithms that are focused on outer space. Or inner space.

Sean Costello

[Sampleconstruct]

Here is a first quick test with the new Nostromo algorithm. I just took some of my soprano sax phrases (mono) inserted VRoom on a Bus, dialed in some settings and. Deep Space...
I love the combo of longer Delays being send into big modulated spaces, now I have that all inside one Plugin in more than pristine quality, VRoom is evolving...

I'm glad that you appreciate the lower echo density. For percussion, Nostromo is chatter city. For legato phrases, the lower initial density seem to add something to the sound. Users can always use a larger Early Size, and set Early Send to 1.0, in order to "fill in the gaps." This is what was done in most of the Lexicon algorithms - initially the Diffusion control filled in the gaps, with later algorithms using Shape and Spread for this purpose as well.

Sean Costello

I'll try out different early sizes and send amounts later today and apply that to some more percussive material - also experimenting with the early/late cross amounts yields interesting results...

[Sampleconstruct]

So VRoom is now a very versatile hybrid Spacemaker, it can emulate realistic, smaller rooms with "natural" reflections but can also produce vast and beautiful/mysterious/"unreal" spaces

Crap. I should have called it ValhallaSpace. This would have been a better name. Except that the original release was focused on the room sort of physical spaces. It is mainly the later Dark algorithms that are focused on outer space. Or inner space.

Sean Costello

But with your history it was clear from the start that you wouldn't stop at the "realism" stage of VRoom, you're just hooked by those vast spaces - I am too...

The Plug-In formerly named VRoom...

[darsho]

looking forward to 1.08 and the algorithm.
It's really amazing that you continue to add new features to this product for free. Thanks a lot.

[xtrax]

I'm glad that you appreciate the lower echo density. For percussion, Nostromo is chatter city. For legato phrases, the lower initial density seem to add something to the sound. Users can always use a larger Early Size, and set Early Send to 1.0, in order to "fill in the gaps." This is what was done in most of the Lexicon algorithms - initially the Diffusion control filled in the gaps, with later algorithms using Shape and Spread for this purpose as well.

Sean Costello

I really like these two new algo's, I must admit! This is really something that I could hear only from the expensive hardware boxes last 20 years. These kind of reverb sounds very nice in the mix. It don't sends source to the back, but just creates nice "around eff". to the source. Not realistic but esoteric thought. Like you mention from above Lex style.

[valhallasound]

I'm glad that you appreciate the lower echo density. For percussion, Nostromo is chatter city. For legato phrases, the lower initial density seem to add something to the sound. Users can always use a larger Early Size, and set Early Send to 1.0, in order to "fill in the gaps." This is what was done in most of the Lexicon algorithms - initially the Diffusion control filled in the gaps, with later algorithms using Shape and Spread for this purpose as well.

Sean Costello

I really like these two new algo's, I must admit! This is really something that I could hear only from the expensive hardware boxes last 20 years. These kind of reverb sounds very nice in the mix. It don't sends source to the back, but just creates nice "around eff". to the source. Not realistic but esoteric thought. Like you mention from above Lex style.

It is interesting that you describe the effects as "around effects" as opposed to sending the source to the back. The goal of ValhallaRoom is to have totally decorrelated signals in left and right speakers. Often, the term "cross correlation" is used to measure the amount of correlation between channels. For the identical signal in left and right channels, the cross correlation is 1. For totally different signals, or similar sounding signals with totally scrambled phase, the cross correlation is 0. If you have the same signal in both channels, but with inverted polarity on one of them, the cross correlation is -1.

Now, a cross correlation of -1 creates some interesting sounds. This ends up producing sounds that are "behind your head" in some zone that is hard to localize. However, it also wreaks havok when summed to mono. The days of mono transitor radios are largely gone, but this sort of summing happens when summing channels into a subwoofer, or when converting a stereo signal to N.M surround formats.

In ValhallaRoom, I have tried to avoid having the same signal with inverted polarity in the output channels. Whenever possible, I try to have VERY different signals in left and right channels. Lexicon followed the same approach with their reverbs. Quantec took the opposite approach, where half of their output taps are in phase (i.e. the same signal, with no sign inversions) between left and right channels, half are out of phase. The Quantec approach can create a very 3D effect, but one that is not robust to combining the output channels.

Lexicon used a signal processing technique that they called Spatial EQ to create wider spatial images, or "send the signal to the back." This technique was originally described by Blumlein, and is called the "Blumlein shuffler" in some cases. I don't remember exactly how it works right now, but I have implemented it before. One issue I have with Lexicon's method (from my analysis of it in the dusty depths of my memory, and my discussions with Ambisonics smart guy Joseph Anderson) is that it seems to be used to widen the image in the lower frequencies, but this will be more likely to cause cancellations of mono bass signals. This isn't a big deal with classical recordings, which tend to use miking techniques that avoid mono content in the bass frequencies, but not good for pop music, where the bass drum and bass guitar/synth are often mixed dead center.

Anyways, apologies for my late night theoretical ramblings.

Sean Costello

[xtrax]

It is interesting that you describe the effects as "around effects" as opposed to sending the source to the back. The goal of ValhallaRoom is to have totally decorrelated signals in left and right speakers. Often, the term "cross correlation" is used to measure the amount of correlation between channels. For the identical signal in left and right channels, the cross correlation is 1. For totally different signals, or similar sounding signals with totally scrambled phase, the cross correlation is 0. If you have the same signal in both channels, but with inverted polarity on one of them, the cross correlation is -1.

Now, a cross correlation of -1 creates some interesting sounds. This ends up producing sounds that are "behind your head" in some zone that is hard to localize. However, it also wreaks havok when summed to mono. The days of mono transitor radios are largely gone, but this sort of summing happens when summing channels into a subwoofer, or when converting a stereo signal to N.M surround formats.

In ValhallaRoom, I have tried to avoid having the same signal with inverted polarity in the output channels. Whenever possible, I try to have VERY different signals in left and right channels. Lexicon followed the same approach with their reverbs. Quantec took the opposite approach, where half of their output taps are in phase (i.e. the same signal, with no sign inversions) between left and right channels, half are out of phase. The Quantec approach can create a very 3D effect, but one that is not robust to combining the output channels.

Lexicon used a signal processing technique that they called Spatial EQ to create wider spatial images, or "send the signal to the back." This technique was originally described by Blumlein, and is called the "Blumlein shuffler" in some cases. I don't remember exactly how it works right now, but I have implemented it before. One issue I have with Lexicon's method (from my analysis of it in the dusty depths of my memory, and my discussions with Ambisonics smart guy Joseph Anderson) is that it seems to be used to widen the image in the lower frequencies, but this will be more likely to cause cancellations of mono bass signals. This isn't a big deal with classical recordings, which tend to use miking techniques that avoid mono content in the bass frequencies, but not good for pop music, where the bass drum and bass guitar/synth are often mixed dead center.

Anyways, apologies for my late night theoretical ramblings.

Sean Costello

Well, you are the tech expert ! I just using reverbs in the mix or design spaces (creative approach).
You really did a great job! It is clear now.


Thank you.

[loopdon]

I will grab this right now. I can't wait any longer!

[Bronto Scorpio]

I will grab this right now. I can't wait any longer!

Good decision!
I'm sure that I'll love the new modes
I'll post some VRoom audio demos later today. They are "just" demonstrating the "old" modes though.

Cheers
Dennis

[loopdon]

Bought it a minute ago. From what i have read here, Sean seems to be be a very responsive developer. I like that. The quality of his plugins is out of the question, anyway.

[Bronto Scorpio]

Btw: I really have to make some new presets!
I keep sending almost everything through my "Andromeda" preset
Even boring PWM and FM basses sound good through it

http://www.bronto-scorpio-music.com/Music/VRoom_PWM.mp3
http://www.bronto-scorpio-music.com/Music/VRoom_FM.mp3

I love VRoom, especially the dark space mode (which you can hear above)

Here is the preset if anyone is interested

Code: Select all

<ValhallaRoom pluginVersion="1.0.7" presetName="Andromeda" mix="0.300000012" predelay="0.0399999991" decay="0.0590590574" HighCut="0.328859061" earlyLateMix="0.800000012" lateSize="0.850000024" lateCross="1" lateModRate="0.13131313" lateModDepth="0.699999988" RTBassMultiply="0.666666687" RTXover="0.0707070678" RTHighMultiply="0.333333343" RTHighXover="0.266442955" earlySize="0.0790790766" earlyCross="0.200000003" earlyModRate="0.13131313" earlyModDepth="0.349999994" earlySend="0.699999988" diffusion="0.5" type="0.583333313"/>

Cheers
Dennis

[Sampleconstruct]

Testing the new Narcissus mode in this little Room Etude here improvising with some of VRoom's parameters...