Convolution reverb for real spaces

[ChamomileShark]

shameless self-promotion

https://www.siraudiotools.com/SIR3.php

hi Christian, I used to have SIR back nearly 20 years ago, nice to see it's still being developed. I'll take a look.

[bermudagold]

shameless self-promotion

https://www.siraudiotools.com/SIR3.php

hi Christian, I used to have SIR back nearly 20 years ago, nice to see it's still being developed. I'll take a look.

I meant to come back and edit my original answer that I thought SIR was always a pioneer and has become probably the best overall value...or subconsciously we all want our favorites to stay underground and be secret weapons lol

[ralfrobert]

SIR is a good one. Not a huge selection of rooms, but useful ones, some true stereo.

[ChamomileShark]

It's looking increasingly like SIR3 will meet my needs, planning to demo it in the next few days.

[DaveClark]

Some have mentioned “True Stereo,” about which I think one should be careful so feel obligated to post some concerns.

“True Stereo” actually misrepresents many common recording configurations because it emulates a recording of two sound sources at two separate locations using two microphones. Therefore, it often isn’t actually more “realistic,” in the sense of physical realism. Instead it produces what some listeners regard as a “very realistic impression of the corresponding room” (emphasis added), according to people selling “True Stereo” technology (*).

One way to look at it is that “True Stereo” emulates the stereo recording of a stereo playback system in a room, a recording that is to be played back on yet another stereo playback system in another room. When played back, these recordings are a kind of double stereo or stereo squared.

For cases that are initially single-source sounds at one location, “True Stereo” could be regarded as a physically based but fixed voice-doubling effect, which could explain its appeal. “True Stereo” can provide a more accurate representation of instruments that are large compared to the size of a room, a kind of source extender, which could also explain its appeal – sources usually sound larger than they actually are. For this reason, it should be an effective and efficient choice for reverb on the master bus compared to using individual stereo IRs for each instrument or voice at its particular location, but probably not such a good choice for individual tracks that are intended to be focused.

One can emulate a “True Stereo” convolver with four monophonic IRs or two stereo IRs, assuming that these properly represent the locations of sources and microphones.

(*) https://steinberg.help/cubase_nuendo_pl ... reo_r.html Note the word “impression.”

[XComposer]

I have used a few convolution reverbs and Inspirata is the best for me. The other one would be Liquidsonics Reverberate, using what they call their Fusion-IR impulses. I have not tried Fog Convolver but that does seem pretty good from what I have seen and heard.

I perfectly agree about these, especially the first two ones. I have others, but I always prefer Liquidsonics Reverberate 3 (also with external IRs) and, moreover, Inspirata.
Other very good ones I have and like are EW Spaces II (new for me, just bought) and Acustica Audio Silver (slow, but excellent).

So, these four (in my favorite order: Inspirata, Silver, Spaces II and Reverberate 3, plus many additional IRs for Reverberate) and I'm settled, speaking only of convolution reverbs (and not algorithmic ones).
Using Logic, Space Designer is a very nice addition, too.

These are those I suggest.
Never tried SIR, nor Altiverb, though.

[bermudagold]

I have used a few convolution reverbs and Inspirata is the best for me. The other one would be Liquidsonics Reverberate, using what they call their Fusion-IR impulses. I have not tried Fog Convolver but that does seem pretty good from what I have seen and heard.

I perfectly agree about these, especially the first two ones. I have others, but I always prefer Liquidsonics Reverberate 3 (also with external IRs) and, moreover, Inspirata.
Other very good ones I have and like are EW Spaces II (new for me, just bought) and Acustica Audio Silver (slow, but excellent).

So, these four (in my favorite order: Inspirata, Silver, Spaces II and Reverberate 3, plus many additional IRs for Reverberate) and I'm settled, speaking only of convolution reverbs (and not algorithmic ones).
Using Logic, Space Designer is a very nice addition, too.

These are those I suggest.
Never tried SIR, nor Altiverb, though.

since you rate it first, I have to ask whether you got the lite, personal, or professional?

[XComposer]

The lite edition is too limited for most situations, I don't suggest it.

I have the personal edition which is what I use most and is enough if you work only in stereo and with just a few tracks (but the best results for sound sources positioning in the room are achieved by using a different instance of the plug-in as an insert in each stereo track; if your CPU and RAM don't have problems by doing it, that is what gives the best positioning results, in stereo). It works very well and with an excellent sound.
The only negative side is that downloading the "room files" may take a lot of time (up to a couple of days, for some users - not for me, depending on your web connection), but you do it only once.
Any "room file" contains the IRs recorded in high fidelity in many, many points in that room (say, every few centimeters apart), so, by positioning the sound source in the room, you get the real room IR from that precise point of that room.

If you really need to mix a lot of tracks in surround, then you need the professional edition. I have it, too, because I managed to buy it heavily discounted, but I don't plan to use it frequently (and routing the surround channels through it is not so simple, sometimes).

Oh, and Inspirata requires either an iLok Cloud authorization (and so you must be connected to the Internet while using it), or a physical iLok USB dongle.

[neverbefore]

I have used a few convolution reverbs and Inspirata is the best for me. The other one would be Liquidsonics Reverberate, using what they call their Fusion-IR impulses. I have not tried Fog Convolver but that does seem pretty good from what I have seen and heard.

I perfectly agree about these, especially the first two ones. I have others, but I always prefer Liquidsonics Reverberate 3 (also with external IRs) and, moreover, Inspirata.
Other very good ones I have and like are EW Spaces II (new for me, just bought) and Acustica Audio Silver (slow, but excellent).

So, these four (in my favorite order: Inspirata, Silver, Spaces II and Reverberate 3, plus many additional IRs for Reverberate) and I'm settled, speaking only of convolution reverbs (and not algorithmic ones).
Using Logic, Space Designer is a very nice addition, too.

These are those I suggest.
Never tried SIR, nor Altiverb, though.

since you rate it first, I have to ask whether you got the lite, personal, or professional?

I have the Inspirata Pro version as well - and I dont feel a great need to get more room packs but if money is tight I agree the Personal edition is plenty good enough

[bermudagold]

Some have mentioned “True Stereo,” about which I think one should be careful so feel obligated to post some concerns.

“True Stereo” actually misrepresents many common recording configurations because it emulates a recording of two sound sources at two separate locations using two microphones. Therefore, it often isn’t actually more “realistic,” in the sense of physical realism. Instead it produces what some listeners regard as a “very realistic impression of the corresponding room” (emphasis added), according to people selling “True Stereo” technology (*).

One way to look at it is that “True Stereo” emulates the stereo recording of a stereo playback system in a room, a recording that is to be played back on yet another stereo playback system in another room. When played back, these recordings are a kind of double stereo or stereo squared.

For cases that are initially single-source sounds at one location, “True Stereo” could be regarded as a physically based but fixed voice-doubling effect, which could explain its appeal. “True Stereo” can provide a more accurate representation of instruments that are large compared to the size of a room, a kind of source extender, which could also explain its appeal – sources usually sound larger than they actually are. For this reason, it should be an effective and efficient choice for reverb on the master bus compared to using individual stereo IRs for each instrument or voice at its particular location, but probably not such a good choice for individual tracks that are intended to be focused.

One can emulate a “True Stereo” convolver with four monophonic IRs or two stereo IRs, assuming that these properly represent the locations of sources and microphones.

(*) https://steinberg.help/cubase_nuendo_pl ... reo_r.html Note the word “impression.”

interesting insight...i'm totally open to the idea that the result is not physics realistic, and I had a feeling their may be some psychoacoustics going on,...but I trust my ears, and over time they have just sounded "better" to me

[DCrown]

I like Waves IR-1 a lot

[DCrown]

I have used a few convolution reverbs and Inspirata is the best for me. The other one would be Liquidsonics Reverberate, using what they call their Fusion-IR impulses. I have not tried Fog Convolver but that does seem pretty good from what I have seen and heard.

I perfectly agree about these, especially the first two ones. I have others, but I always prefer Liquidsonics Reverberate 3 (also with external IRs) and, moreover, Inspirata.
Other very good ones I have and like are EW Spaces II (new for me, just bought) and Acustica Audio Silver (slow, but excellent).

So, these four (in my favorite order: Inspirata, Silver, Spaces II and Reverberate 3, plus many additional IRs for Reverberate) and I'm settled, speaking only of convolution reverbs (and not algorithmic ones).
Using Logic, Space Designer is a very nice addition, too.

These are those I suggest.
Never tried SIR, nor Altiverb, though.

since you rate it first, I have to ask whether you got the lite, personal, or professional?

I have the Inspirata Pro version as well - and I dont feel a great need to get more room packs but if money is tight I agree the Personal edition is plenty good enough

What's the size?

[neverbefore]

I have the Inspirata Pro version as well - and I dont feel a great need to get more room packs but if money is tight I agree the Personal edition is plenty good enough

What's the size?

I don tknow what you are asking - size of what?

[Fleer]

I find EastWest Spaces II to be the best convolution verb, especially for orchestral. It even has instrument specific presets.

[sonidomolino]

wrt "True Stereo"

Reverberate can simulate true stereo reverbs using stereo captures. This is an especially powerful technique when used with reverbs that were never designed with true stereo in mind, dramatically improving their spatialisation capabilities.

Now in Reverberate 3 you can modulate the simulated crossfeed channels bringing them to life in way you may have never thought possible without impacting the essential structure and onset characteristics of the sampled reverb.

The modulation technique used for true stereo simulation adds a dynamic sense of space and airiness to the reverb, but because the direct channels are not modulated it will not impair the true character of the original.

works for me...