ambix plug-ins
The ambix plug-ins are cross-platform Ambisonic VST and LV2 plug-ins with variable order, built for use in DAWs like Reaper or Ardour, or as standalone Jack applications. Developed by Matthias Kronlachner and released as open source, the suite covers the full Ambisonic workflow, from ambix_encoder and ambix_decoder through to a binaural renderer, a rotator, and more specialised tools such as warping and frequency-dependent widening for source spreading or diffuse early reflections. It even includes a real-time 3D source position visualiser, available as a macOS desktop app or an iOS/iPadOS app. All plug-ins now ship as VST3 in a single binary that adjusts automatically to the track's Ambisonic order, with VST2 kept on for backward compatibility, making the suite equally suited to producing 3D Ambisonic content from scratch or handling post-production work on recordings from Soundfield or Eigenmike microphones.
tech specs
history
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The ambix plug-ins grew out of Matthias Kronlachner's master's thesis at the Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics in Graz, with the first version released in 2013. The project has been maintained continuously since, with contributions acknowledged from figures including Franz Zotter, Winfried Ritsch and Daniel Rudrich, alongside institutions such as IEM Graz and the Music Innovation Studies Centre of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Over the years the suite has expanded well beyond its original encoder and decoder tools, adding plug-ins such as ambix_maxre and a dedicated source position visualiser, and more recently moving to VST3 as its recommended format. The code remains open source under the GPL and is actively developed to this day.
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