BCOM SPATIAL AUDIO TOOLBOX

Pyramix 12 and Ovation 8 includes a complete hybrid Channel Based/Ambisonic workflow, allowing for encoding, mixing, rotating and decoding Ambisonic signal directly in the mixing console. Ambisonic Decoders supported up to 7th order in Pyramix v12 and Ovation v8 with the b<>com integration within the Pyramix mixer.
See Pyramix User Manual - Ambisonic chapter for further details.

The B<>COM concept

The desire and strong interest of the public for immersive experiences is probably the most obvious trend of the entertainment industry in recent years.

In this context, audio has a major role to play and new techniques like ambisonics, object-based, head-tracking and binauralization bring a significant contribution to its immersiveness potential.

Applications

b<>com introduces a set of audio plugins enabling the creation of truly immersive contents and experiences. Relying on the Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) technology, the *Spatial Audio Toolbox* plugins provide a complete workflow, from capture to rendering on headphones or multi-loudspeaker setups.

HOA makes it easy to play back complex sound scenes binaurally with head-tracking and it has now become the audio technology of choice for the growing areas of Virtual and Augmented Reality.

Key features Benefits

• Binaural virtual loudspeakers • Listen to your 3D mix over standard headphone

• Standard VST • Choose the filters that best fit your ears

• Database of HRTFs • Choose your virtual environment

• Anechoic and reverberated HRTFs • Work with all major 2D and 3D audio formats

• Up to 32-channel input • Easily monitor each speaker channel

• Click to Solo • Start creating immediately

• User-friendly and intuitive GUI

B<>COM Plugins

The [Render plugins] pack is composed of three different plugins

Render Spk2Bin

The [Render Spk2Bin] plugin renders channel-based 3d audio over headphones,
using a virtual loudspeaker approach. It includes a database of Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) for converting major 2D and 3D audio formats (22.2…) to binaural audio.
Each channel can be selected individually for fast monitoring of complex setups.
In addition, the plugin includes reverberated HRTFs, which add a realistic room effect and improve externalization.

Render HOA2Spk

HOA Pan

The [Render Hoa2Spk] plugin can be inserted in a DAW as a spatial effect with 4, 9, 16, or 25 inputs and 32 output channels.
The input is a Higher Order Ambisonics signal up to order 4, using the ACN/SN3D (ambiX) convention.
The output is a multichannel signal adapted to the selected loudspeaker layout.
Several output loudspeaker layouts are supported, ranging from stereo to 30.2.

The [Render Hoa2Bin] plugin can be inserted in Pyramix/Ovation as a spatial effect with 4, 9, 16, or 25 inputs and 2 output channels.
The input is a Higher Order Ambisonics signal up to order 4, using the ACN/SN3D (ambiX) convention.
The output is a binaural signal for headphones. Several HRTF sets can be selected, with or without reverberation.

For some more detailed information, you may look at the BCOM Website

Binaural plugins

HOA Pan plugins

Merging provides B<>com plugins in 2 packages:

PSP-BC-RENDER includes the Binauraliser (Spk2Bin), the HOA renderer (HOA2Spk) and the HOA (ambisonic) to Binauraliser (HOA2Bin). Those are 3 separate VST plugins
PSP-BC-HOAPAN is the higher order ambisonic HOA panner. This is 1 VST plugin

The licence is NOT part of the Merging Sentinel dongle and has a separate authorization mechanism (please see details below)

Installing B<>COM plugins

The Bcom plugins are pristine high end quality immersive audio tools. Whether you like to try them out or if you purchased them, please follow the instructions below.
Be aware, to be able to benefit of a full potential of those plugins, your Pyramix/Ovation project should have at least a 5.1 bus structure, for elevation 9.1

Binauralizer (Setup_b-com_SpatialAudioToolbox_RenderSpk2Bin.exe)
HOA Pan (Setup_b-com_SpatialAudioToolbox_HoaPan.exe)
HOA to Binaural (Setup_b-com_SpatialAudioToolbox_RenderHoa2Bin.exe)
HOA render (Setup_b-com_SpatialAudioToolbox_RenderHoa2Spk.exe)

Please download the following zip file containing the individual plugins installers and the license manager
https://download.merging.com/3rd_Party/BCom/SpatialAudioToolbox.zip
Run the plugins installer on the PC (Win 7 or Win 10 - 64 bit only), and run the license manager
Click on GENERATE, open a text document (or directly on an e-mail in the body part) and copy the clipboard
(it should be a series of letters and numbers such as this 50bd965fe61f090011hh4028df5a768e000000000000761a690086d535e32477a40094feffef)
Send the e-mail to bcom-keys@merging.com (do no longer use licenses@b-com.com as stated in the License Manager UI)
Please add
1. the Merging dongle serial number of your Pyramix/Ovation system (5000xxxx)
2. your name
3. the plugins you wish to activate
4. in case of a demo key (test) mention the requested validity (usually we provide 14 days)
Within 2 or 3 days you will receive an e-mail with a new series of numbers and letters that you need to copy entirely by clicking ADD and copy the code.
By clicking VIEW you may check that the license is active
Please be aware that this very license is enabled for the very system and will not move with the Sentinel dongle.
To finalize the installation, make sure that the following path C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins\bcom is added to the VST general settings in Pyramix/Ovation

Once your render plugin inserted e.g. on a 22.2 bus, be aware that output L and R will for instance be your binauralized audio stream.

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