ab Decoder HOA (Higher Order Ambisonics)
Also available in Bundle with our ‘ab Decoder Suite’.
Designed for Higher Order Ambisonics Signals.
Natively compatible with all our Ambisonics Sample Libraries
Decodes any Ambisonics signal (1OA through 7OA. B-Format)*.
‘ab Decoder Light’ available FOR FREE.
Designed with a plug-and-play mentality: It simply WORKS!
Includes a 1OA, 2OA, 3OA, 4OA, 5OA, 6OA, 7OA Rotator
Decodes to several speaker-array configurations from Stereo, all the way to Surround 5.1, 7.1 and Atmos beds in 7.1.2 or 7.1.4 and even up to 9.1.6!
An LFE Control feeds your LFE channel when available.
Constant and automatic Troubleshooting algorithm keeps your signal flowing
Compatible with all Hosts that support wider-than-stereo tracks (Nuendo, Cubase Pro, Pro Tools Ultimate, Reaper, Max, etc.)
For Logic users, our ‘ab Decoder Suite' should be enough.
Comes in AAX | AU | VST3
Compatible with MacOS (M1 and Intel) | Windows 10
If you own ‘ab Decoder Suite’, drop us a line and we’ll give you an upgrade discount :)
Audio Brewers ‘ab Decoder Light’ (Free)
ab Decoder Light is the free version of the decoder, which automatically adapts the input signal (1st Order Ambisonics) to Stereo/Headphones Stereo.
A Rotation Control helps the user rotate the signal in the spatial field (true panning)
An Azimuth and Elevation control allow the user to flexibly place the speakers at different positions in the spatial field.
This plugin might be enough to those composers, musicians and sound engineers who work in with Stereo signals.
Meet the Plugin
Designed to decode Ambisonics and Higher Order Ambisonics signals (1OA through 7OA*), ab Decoder HOA is the perfect addition to our existing ‘ab Decoder Suite’.
Following our ‘ab Decoder Suite’ architecture, this plugin was created with four goals in mind:
It should simply WORK.
It shouldn’t have tons of complicated settings or routing requirements.
It should troubleshoot your signal automatically.
It should adapt to the Ambisonics Order it is receiving, without you having to worry about it!
ab Decoder HOA also comes with a ‘smart troubleshooting’ algorithm, which will check your signal chain and let you know if something is wrong with it.
The decoder is not only compatible with Higher Order Ambisonics sound files, but also with all Audio Brewers libraries.
ab Decoder Suite includes a dedicated Higher Order Ambisonics Rotator, to be able to control the Elevation, Azimuth and Pitch our your 1OA, 2OA and 3OA signals
ab Decoder HOA
This simple-yet-powerful decoder will pick your Ambisonics signal, detect if it’s 1OA, 2OA, 3OA, 4OA, 5OA, 6OA, or 7OA* and decode it automatically to a suggested Speaker Array (you can also select it manually).
Additionally, although it will adapt its algorithm automatically depending on your output, you can also select if you want your decoding to happen at 1OA through 7OA* level.
ab Decoder HOA can also send sound to the LFE channel, in case you want to add a low-frequency boost to your acoustic creations!
Finally, a High Pass filter and Volume Control are available per channel groups to control the final loudness of your selected array.
ab Rotator HOA
Welcome to the world of ‘true panning’, with ‘ab Rotator HOA’ you can transform your signal in the three-dimensional field to have a true translation of how the sound REALLY behaves where you move it left/right… and even front/back and above/below. Gone are the days of hard-panning! No filters, nothing is emulated, this is the real thing!
ab Rotator HOA will automatically detect if your signal is 1OA, 2OA, 3OA, 4OA, 5OA, 6OA, or 7OA* and then rotate it!
How to decode Ambisonics signals in different DAWs
‘ab Decoder Suite’ is completely compatible both with B-Format Ambisonics files and Audio Brewers Ambisonics Libraries, below you can see quick tutorials on how to decode Ambisonics signals depending on your DAW.
Avid Pro Tools Ultimate
Apple Logic Pro X
Steinberg Nuendo || Cubase Pro
Cockos Reaper
Presonus Studio One
User Guide
You can read an up-to-date User Guide by followig the button below.
Technical Specifications
Silicon (native) | Intel
10.13+
Intel | AMD
Windows 10+
CPU: i7+
RAM: 2GB+
HDD: 100MB
Current Detailed Compatibility
Pro Tools Studio / Ultimate
As Audio:
Stereo
5.1
7.1
5.1.2
7.1.2
7.1.4
7.1.6
9.1.2
9.1.4
9.1.6
Atmos Bed
Kontakt:
Stereo
5.1
7.1
5.1.2
7.1.2
7.1.4
7.1.6
9.1.2
9.1.4
9.1.6
Atmos Bed
Nuendo | Cubase Pro
As Audio:
Stereo
5.1
7.1 (Music Dolby)
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1.2
7.1.4
9.1.6
Atmos Bed
Kontakt:
Stereo
5.1
7.1 (Music Dolby)
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1.2
7.1.4
9.1.6
Atmos Bed
DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5+
As Audio (use a Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 Track regardless of your output):
Stereo
5.1
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1
7.1.2
7.1.4
9.1.6
Atmos Bed
Logic Pro X (up to 1OA)
As Audio:
Stereo
5.1
7.1
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1.2
Atmos Bed
Kontakt:
Stereo
5.1
Presonus Studio One 6.5+
As Audio:
Stereo
5.1
7.1
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1.2
7.1.4
9.1.6
Kontakt:
Stereo
5.1
7.1
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1.2
7.1.4
9.1.6
Cockos Reaper and MaxMSP
As Audio:
Stereo
5.1
7.1
9.1
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1.2
7.1.4
7.1.6
9.1.2
9.1.4
9.1.6
Kontakt:
Stereo
5.1
7.1
9.1
5.1.2
5.1.4
7.1.2
7.1.4
7.1.6
9.1.2
9.1.4
9.1.6
* AAX works in any Ambisonics Order up to 7OA in Pro Tools Ultimate 2023.6 and above. As of today, the other versions of Pro Tools are still limited to 3OA.
* VST3 is a tricky one! As the VST3.7.8 SDK slowly expands through all DAWs, some DAWs might still not be compatible with tracks above 16 channels, so while our plugins are ready, each developer might adapt their DAW at different timings.
For Reaper (latest version as of today), if you stick to either 16-channel tracks (3OA) or 64-channel tracks (7OA), everything should work perfectly fine!
For Max and Max For Live, up to 16-channel tracks (3OA) are currently supported.
For Resolve, up to 16-channel tracks (3OA) are currently supported (through a Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 track).
For Presonus Studio One, up to 16-channel tracks (3OA) are currently supported (through a 9.1.6 Track).
For Nuendo/Cubase Pro, up to 3OA tracks are supported.
* AU is still limited to 1OA due to Logic’s own limitations, sadly.
