O7A Core
The O7A Core plugin library provides a set of basic tools for higher order ambisonic mixing.
The O7A plugins are similar to the O3A plugins, except for the ambisonic "order" in use. The O3A plugins use third order and 16 audio channels to capture a scene, which already gives high spatial precision. The O7A plugins use seventh order and 64 audio channels, which gives much higher spatial precision but is generally only recommended for research applications, or in studios with high-end modern hardware.
The plugins included are:
- O7A Panners (Standard, Classic, Hemisphere, Large, Two Channel and Eight Channel)
- O7A Decoders (Mono, Stereo and 5.1 Basic)
- O7A Converters to/from FuMa or classic ambisonics, and between orders
- O7A Beamer
- O7A Virtual Microphone
- O7A Gain
- O7A Look and O7A Rotation
- O7A Spatial Delay
- O7A Metering (Standard and Signal)
- O7A Visualisers (Standard, Hemisphere, Colourizer and Flare)
These are VST2 or AAX plugins for macOS (10.14 to 13.5) or Windows (10 or 11, 64bit Intel). They can be hosted in some Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) that can handle tracks with sufficiently high channel counts. Because of the very high channel counts needed for these plugins, this typically means Reaper, Pro Tools Ultimate, or Max/MSP. These plugins use the SN3D higher order ambisonic (HOA) convention, at seventh order, which needs 64 channels. The exact channel counts needed for individual plugins are listed below in the Plugins section.
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Making 3D Audio
Like the O3A Core library, this library contains a number of panners, including O7A Panner - Eight Channel.
Mixing and Mastering 3D Audio
O7A streams can be mixed together and modified in 3D. This library includes a rotation plugin; for more interesting manipulations you might like to look at the O7A Manipulators library.
Seeing What's Going On
The O7A Core library includes a number of visualisation and metering plugins, such as O7A Flare or O7A Visualiser, which provide a real-time view of sound directions in the O7A mix.
... And Hearing
The O7A Core pack includes decoders to produce mono, plain stereo and basic 5.1. If you are interested in other multichannel formats or binaural stereo, you might consider the O7A Decoding library.
Panners
O7A Panner
I/O: 1 in, 64 out
This O7A panner places a sound in a particular direction in a 3D O7A mix.
O7A Panner - Classic
I/O: 1 in, 64 out
This O7A panner places a sound in a particular direction in a 3D O7A mix. It has a simplified display.
O7A Panner - Hemisphere
I/O: 1 in, 64 out
This O7A panner places a sound in a particular direction in a 3D O7A mix. It has an alternative 'hemisphere' display.
O7A Panner - Large
I/O: 1 in, 64 out
This O7A panner places a sound in a particular direction in a 3D O7A mix.
O7A Panner - Two Channel
I/O: 2 in, 64 out
This O7A panner places two sounds in particular directions in a 3D O7A mix.
O7A Panner - Eight Channel
I/O: 8 in, 64 out
This O7A panner places eight sounds in particular directions in a 3D O7A mix.
Visualisers
O7A Visualiser
I/O: 64 in, 64 out
This plugin shows a real-time view of an O7A mix, so you can see what you're doing.
O7A Visualiser - Hemisphere
I/O: 64 in, 64 out
This plugin shows a real-time view of an O7A mix, so you can see what you're doing.
O7A Colourizer
I/O: 64 in, 64 out
This plugin shows a real-time view of an O7A mix, so you can see what you're doing. Colours depend on frequency content.
O7A Flare
I/O: 64 in, 64 out
This plugin shows a real-time view of an O7A mix using an active analysis. It can be used with the View/ViewVR applications.
Rotation
O7A Look
I/O: 64 in, 64 out
This plugin rotates the 3D O3A sound scene as if the listener's head had turned to look in a particular direction.
Decoders and Converters
O7A Decoder - Stereo
I/O: 64 in, 2 out
This plugin renders robust, high quality stereo from 3D O7A mixes.
Please note that this is not a binaural decoder.
O7A Decoder - FuMa
I/O: 64 in, 16 out
This plugin converts O7A ambisonic audio to FuMa ambisonic audio. FuMa is compatible with "classic" B-Format.
O7A Decoder - 5.1 Basic
I/O: 64 in, 6 out
This plugin renders robust, high quality 5.1 surround from 3D O7A mixes.
O7A Injector - FuMa
I/O: 16 in, 64 out
This plugin converts FuMa ambisonic audio to O7A ambisonic audio. FuMa is compatible with "classic" B-Format.
O7A Decoder - O1A
I/O: 64 in, 4 out
This plugin extracts first order O1A ambisonics from a seventh order O7A stream.
O7A Decoder - O2A
I/O: 64 in, 9 out
This plugin extracts second order O2A ambisonics from a seventh order O7A stream.
O7A Decoder - O3A
I/O: 64 in, 16 out
This plugin extracts third order O3A ambisonics from a seventh order O7A stream.
O7A Injector - O1A
I/O: 4 in, 64 out
This plugin injects first order O1A ambisonics into a seventh order O7A stream.
O7A Injector - O2A
I/O: 9 in, 64 out
This plugin injects second order O2A ambisonics into a seventh order O7A stream.
O7A Injector - O3A
I/O: 16 in, 64 out
This plugin injects third order O1A ambisonics into a seventh order O7A stream.
Virtual Microphones
O7A Virtual Microphone
I/O: 64 in, 2 out
This plugin simulates a conventional stereo microphone placed within a 3D O7A sound scene.
Metering
Soundfield Modification
O7A Spatial Delay
I/O: 64 in, 64 out
This plugin applies a delay effect to an entire O7A scene. The delay includes a feedback loop with scene reflection, rotation and filtering.
Technical Requirements
Please check everything is okay here before purchasing software.Operating System
Supported versions of Microsoft Windows are 10 or 11, 64bit Intel.
Supported versions of Apple macOS are 10.14 to 13.5, 64bit Intel or Apple Silicon.
VST Host
The VST plugins require a VST 2 host with shell plugin support.
These plugins do not work with all VST 2 hosts. One reason for this is that the O7A plugins need large numbers of channels on their input or output busses. Check the individual plugins for the channel counts they need, but all of the O7A plugins need at least 64 channels on each track. Also, at the time of writing VST 2 shell plugins are not supported in Nuendo or Cubase.
AAX Host
The AAX plugins require Pro Tools Ultimate version 2023.6 or later.
PC Hardware
Please check your PC meets the following requirements:
- Intel Core i7 CPU or better, or Apple Silicon.
- 400MB of free disk space.
Permissions
You'll need administrator permissions while installing on Windows. The software probably won't install properly using a "restricted" account.
Internet Connection Required
This software requires an Internet Connection for license activation and verification.
Successful license verification isn't required every time you use the software, but it is needed during installation and needs to succeed once every couple of weeks to keep the license fresh.
The license can be "revoked" to remove it from one machine so it can be moved on to another. You should also do this if you're updating your system in case the machine appears to have changed identity.