ab Imager
(Re-intro price through 25 January 2024)
Designed with a plug-and-play mentality: It simply WORKS!
Natively compatible with Mono, Stereo and Ambisonics (1OA-7OA) Signals.
Upscale any Ambisonics signal to up to 7OA! (not available in the ‘Express’ version)
Control the Dominance of each dimensional plane.
Control the width, height and length of the sonic sphere.
Buoyancy control helps dimensional planes expand to create fuller images.
Spatial control for horizontal and vertical transformations.
Input compatible with Mono, Stereo and Ambisonics signals
Innovative Cross-OS, Cross-DAW Presets system! Move, Copy and even Share your presets!
Output compatible with Stereo, Surround, Binaural, Atmos beds, or any speaker-array configuration through Ambisonics decoding.
Constant and automatic Troubleshooting algorithm keeps your signal flowing
Compatible with all major DAWs*
Comes in AAX | AU | VST3
Compatible with MacOS (M1 and Intel) | Windows 10+
An advanced way to reshape, resize and enhance your Ambisonics signals!
We’re so happy to share our newest plugin with you: ab Imager
'ab Imager', is the ultimate solution for elevating your ambisonics experience to new heights.
With ab Imager, you are in complete control. Tailor the Dominance of your signal with precision, allowing you to fine-tune the balance between immersive realism and artistic expression. Whether you desire a subtle enhancement or a bold transformation, ab Imager empowers you to shape the auditory landscape according to your creative vision.
But that's not all. Harness the power of the spatial imager in ways never imagined before. Expand your soundstage and give your ambisonics recordings a wider, taller, and longer presence, effortlessly extending the boundaries of your sonic canvas. Alternatively, if subtlety is your preference, you can shrink the spatial imager, creating a narrower, lower, and more intimate soundstage that envelops the listener in a cocoon of sonic bliss.
With ab Imager, we are also introducing a groundbreaking new Upscaler* that will enhance any Ambisonics to up to 7OA! The Upscaler was designed to work fast so as to be compatible with the Dolby Atmos requirements (Buffer Size of 512 Samples), and to be completely automatic - meaning it will always be in standby mode, and as soon as an upscalable Ambisonics signal goes through, it’ll kick in to enhance them and increase their quality. Unlock the true potential of your ambisonics recordings with enhanced spatial resolution and an unparalleled sense of depth.
ab Imager is the perfect tool for musicians, sound designers, and audio enthusiasts alike, who seek to transcend the boundaries of ambisonics and explore new dimensions of sonic possibility. Elevate your productions, breathe life into your soundscapes, and immerse your audience in a world where audio knows no limits.
Experience the future of ambisonics with ab Imager and discover a new realm of sonic excellence. Get ready to expand, shape, and captivate with unparalleled control and creativity.
ab Imager is compatible with Mono, Stereo, and Ambisonics sources (1OA through 7OA) and will output Stereo and Ambisonics signals that can later be decoded to ANY speaker array possible. From Binaural, to Surround and even 7.1.2 that can be later routed to your Dolby Atmos bed.
This means that even if you have a Monophonic recording, you can create a fully three-dimensional space that can embrace you in your Dolby Atmos mix, everything in a matter of seconds! Pretty cool.
ab Imager’s internals work natively in 7th Order Ambisonics, meaning you can apply spatial transformations whilst keeping the best quality possible.
ab Imager comes with a practical Preset system where you create your presets ONCE, and they are Cross-DAW and Cross-OS compatible! Meaning you can move your presets from Mac to Windows (or vice versa) and even share them with other users!
ab Imager also comes with a ‘smart troubleshooting’ algorithm, which will check your signal chain and let you know if something is wrong with it.
With ‘ab Imager’ you can:
Work completely in Stereo whilst taking advantage of the psycho-acoustic characteristics sound takes when it’s being manipulated three-dimensionally.
Blow-up a Mono/Stereo sound source to Ambisonics, and subsequently to any Surround, Atmos or Immersive format out there.
Work natively with any Ambisonics signal (1OA through 7OA).
Control the dominance of any signal to push its energy to any given angle
Control the size of a sound not only at width level, but also height and length
Automatically Upscale ANY Ambisonics signal to +3 Orders above, up to 7OA.*
Automatic Input selection
Automatic Output Selection
No matter if your input audio is in Mono, Stereo or Ambisonics, ab Imager will automatically try to detect it. Regardless, you can also select manually.
ab Imager will adapat the output signal to the width of your track automatically. Regardless, you can also select manually.
If your output is set to Ambisonics, you’ll be able to decode the signal to any speaker array configuration, from Stereo to Binaural, Surround formats (such as 5.1) and even Atmos (such as 7.1.2, 7.1.4, etc.)
Automatically Upscale* any Ambisonics signal +3 Orders Above, up to 7OA, for increased spatial awareness, clarity and definition!
Reshape
Keep a visual track of your sonic sphere as you change its dominance and size.
Control
Control the Dominance and Size of each Dimensional Plane
Buoy
Our ‘buoyancy’ algorithm was implemented so that you can increase the size of any signal (Mono, Stereo or Ambisonics), great for artificially expanding spaces.
‘ab Imager’ videos and Walkthroughs
Upscaling and Reshaping Immersive Audio. ab Imager Walkthrough
Shaping The Spatial Image of a Stereo File
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
Compatibility Notes
*Upscaler is not available in the ‘express’ version (ab Imager Express)
‘ab Imager’ is compatible with any major DAW in mono/stereo mode, for Ambisonics signals, a compatible decoder and DAW should be used. We recommend you check our ‘ab Decoder Suite’!
For working in Stereo, this product is compatible with all major DAWs.
For working in Spatial/Immersive/Ambisonics Audio, this product is compatible with the DAWs below:
Pro Tools Studio | Pro Tools Ultimate
Cubase Pro 12+ | Nuendo 12+
Logic Pro X
Studio One 6.5+
Reaper 6+
MaxMSP
DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5+
* 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.
For Nuendo/Cubase Pro, up to 3OA tracks are supported.
We’re in contact with the DAW developers to try and have them include the latest VST3 SDK so that you can enjoy full 1OA, 2OA, 3OA, 4OA, 5OA, 6OA, 7OA support!
* AU is still limited to 1OA due to Logic’s own limitations, sadly.
