Voxengo Soniformer 3.4 spectral mastering processor plugin released

[Aleksey Vaneev]

October 30, 2013: Voxengo Soniformer version 3.4 update is now available for download. Soniformer is a spectral mastering dynamics processor plug-in for professional music production applications, available in AudioUnit, VST and VST3 plug-in formats (including native 64-bit support), for Mac OS X (v10.5 and later), and Windows computers.

This update includes the following changes:

• VST3 support added.
• CPU load decreased by 10%.

Every parameter in Soniformer is defined by means of a graphic envelope which is freely-modifiable and which may contain unlimited number of control points. Beside usual threshold, attack, release and compression/expander ratio parameters Soniformer offers you control over "stereo width" and "panning" parameters making Soniformer an effective tool for stereo field adjustments.

Soniformer features:

• 32-band dynamics processor
• Envelope-driven parameters
• 32-band "analog" spectrum analyzer
• Stereo balance and correlation meters
• Multi-band panning
• Narrow-band sweeping
• Stereo and multi-channel processing
• Internal channel routing
• Channel grouping
• Mid/side processing
• Up to 8x oversampling
• 64-bit floating point processing
• Preset manager
• Undo/redo history
• A/B comparisons
• Contextual hint messages
• All sample rates support
• 11 ms compensated processing latency

Soniformer is available for purchase on-line for USD 89.95. Demo version of Voxengo Soniformer and other pro audio plug-ins can be downloaded at the Voxengo web site: http://www.voxengo.com/product/soniformer/

[V0RT3X]

Anyone enjoy using this? I'm curious about this one and not a lot of people seem to talk about it.

[chroma]

it can do some unique things... if you've used a dynamic EQ, it's similar but different.

eq in general has the problem that it's static, but the sound source isn't - i.e. in your bassline, you might have a massive resonance at 200Hz on some notes, but when you cut it, other notes now sound flat. with a normal EQ, you have to choose eq settings that balance between them (or change the source, or automate it, which is also an option as long as you're not live). with this, you just set all the bands to appropriate levels (probably equal). when the resonance isn't there, no change to your sound. when the resonance IS there, just that one band gets capped so it doesn't get too loud. you can also do similar things with dynamic EQ, but the 'shape' of the EQ will be a lot different, and how you interact with it is different... i tend to reach for dynamic EQ for this use instead nowadays, but soniformer does OK here (used to use it with my variax acoustic, which sounds pretty good when you get it right, but is very inconsistent across notes).

for mastering, you can sort of set what kind of overall sound spectrum you want (within reason), set the threshold low enough such that the sound is pushing into it a little bit, and it will pull your track towards that spectrum. i kind of wish there was an option for more bands for that use. standard multiband compressors give you 3-4 bands to let you balance e.g. bass vs. treble; this goes a lot farther.

soniformer also gives you the option to do panning and stereo width per band... this allows you to e.g. keep your bass close to mono, while letting higher frequencies open up, etc.

(i have a version 2 for sale cheap in the marketplace, if someone wants to try it out without spending a lot... 32-bit but works fine bridged, also can be upgraded to the latest version for half-price, so you save money that way too...)

[kbaccki]

I have it and use it from time to time. It's a very specialized tool, to be used with care, of course. Like He Man's Power Sword. I found it particularly useful when reviving some old crappy tape recordings... spectral enhancements to boost/normalize the noisy bands, then apply filter cuts on the boosted noise. Other than that, useful for surgical dynamic EQ/multiband compression on steroids... apply to a whole mix, in a "mastering" chain, etc. Personally, unless you really really need the power of such a heavy duty processor, I'd say first try to solve your tonal balance issues with basic or dynamic EQ, possibly combined with some harmonic coloration/saturation... e.g., try the latest API/Neve/whatever EQs from IK, or similar... on the other hand, if you know your problem can best be addressed with surgical spectral compression, then soniformer is definitely a tool to consider.

[V0RT3X]

Thanks for the comments! It seems pretty interesting. I have read that Ozone 6 is getting a Dynamic EQ module so i might just have to wait it out and see if that is worth it. I was more curious in using Soniformer as a creative plugin for sound design vs mastering or mixing processes.

I am a fan of spectral based plugins so I figured this might be useful on heavily distorted drum loops. I might have to demo it and see how well it works on some stuff.

[bbaggins]

Soniformer might be an oldie-goodie, but its functionality goes beyond Ozone 6's new dynamic EQ feature.

Soniformer's most useful application is taming resonances, such as a vocal recorded in a poor acoustical environment. But it can also be used as a mastering tool, the same way you'd use a multiband compressor.

It's quite powerful once you get the hang of it (which doesn't take long). Of course, such power means you can also easily do harm if you're not careful.