I N T R O D U C T I O N

FAQ

M U L T I C H A N N E L S

CONTROLS

STEREO

CONDITIONS

HOSTS

TUTORIALS

"SURROUND"

OCTOPHONY

16 / 18 2D

17.1 & 22.2

OTHERS

MISCS

O S X
T h e   P L U G I N S  
  les instruments Surround Formats
  les instruments Octophony
  les instruments 16 and 18 channels 2D
  les instruments 17.1 and 22.2

 

 les instruments Other formats
  les instruments Controllers / MIDI
  les instruments Miscellaneous
  les instruments Stereo
   
     
     


In order to allow you to find quickly what is useful for you in this jungle of a hundred plugins (!), they are organized by family :
- the "surround" formats (5.0 to 7.1) correspond to the home-cinema formats, related or not to the video, and including tools for “spatialization”, instruments, multi-effects etc.
- the octophony (8 channels), includes the same categories but on eight true channels (all arrangements of speakers)
- the plugins dedicated to the control of the "spatial masses" (spatial positions and movements, up to 32 channels, including 10.2, 17.1 or 22.2...)
- the plugins for audio processings (16 to 24 channels)
- the instruments plugins, mostly a variation on a sample player sheme (16 to 24 channels)
- the plugins controllers and MIDI processors (VST plugins with MIDI output)
- a series of utilities (players, recorders, connections, P5 Glove...)

Note for the OS X plugins versions : the SonicBirth's Framework is actually the version 1.2.

PLEASE, READ FIRST THE HOSTS COMPATIBILITY LIST and USAGE OF MULTICHANNEL PLUGINS.

 
   

 

 

 T h e    C a t e g o r y    P a g e s
     

 

Caution : taking into account the quantity of plugins, there can be a sometimes little “smear” between the information contained on this page and the descriptions which accompany the plugins on the separate category pages. A priori, these last should be more reliable…

Thank you to indicate the errors which you could discover to me : broken links, bad versions etc. There is now some small help files in pdf format for the surround and octophonic versions (in English), others should follow little by little for the other categories.
= freewares
= sharewares
= partial Linux compatibility with Wine / FTS

 
     

 

Attention, these charts have not been updated since some time...
I have done it, it is better that you go directly to the pages !

 

 
"Surround" Formats (5.0 to 7.1)

 

 

 
i / o
  
version

 
S P A T I A L    M A S S E S
MiniSpat
2 / 6
 minimalistic surround module, automatable
1.1
 
SpatPod 5.1
2 / 6
 standard surround module with stereo input control
1.7
 
SpatSurround 7.1
2 / 8
 7.1 surround module with stereo input control
1.4
SpatSurround 2X
2 / 6
 standard surround module with separated inputs control
1.0
SpatMass 66
7 / 7
  
0.9b
AnimaSpat 5 Plus
2 / 6

spatial movements using two modes : "curves" and "steps"
1.0a
AnimaSpat 2X
2 / 5

spatial movements using "curves"
0.9
  
Surroundizer

2 / 8

(compatible 8.0)

1.0

 

 
SpatMixer 126
12 / 6
  
1.3b
SpatMixer 167
16 / 7
  
1.1
   
MiniLevels
2 / 6
  
1.0
 
P R O C E S S I N G S
SpatDelays 167
1 / 7
  
1.0
SpatChorus 5
1 / 5
  
0.9
 
SpatVerb 55
1-5 / 5
  
1.5
 
T O O L S
SpatTest 5.1
/ 6
 simple signal generator for channels testing purpose
1.0
MiniRoute 66
6 / 6
 channel mapping between ITU / DTS / EBU and other standards
1.0
   

 

O c t o p h o n y
 
i / o
  
version
 
S P A T I A L    M A S S E S
  SpatSurround 28X
2 / 8
      
  SpatGroup 88
8 / 8
  
1.1
 
  SpatFollower 8
2 / 8
  
2.0
  AutoSpectre 8
2 / 8
  
2.0
  SpatCube 88
8 / 8
 spatial positions of eight inputs inside a "cube" using a 3D joystick
1.1
  AnimaCube 88
8 / 8
 spatial movements of eight inputs inside a "cube" using a 3D joystick

1.0
P R O C E S S I N G S
  SpatGrains 8
1 / 8
  
1.1
  SpatDelays 88
8 / 8
  
1.2
  SpatPitch 88
8 / 8
 eight channels pitch shifter mith "morphing"
1.3
  SpatTime 88
(8) / 8
 eight channels realtime timestretcher
1.2
  SimpleConvo 88X
8 / 8
  
0.9
  
I N S T R U M E N T S
  SpatSampler 8M
(2) / 8
 monophonic sample player with spatial modulations

2.0b

  SpatSampler 8S
(2) / 8

 

0.9c

 

 
  SpatSampler 8X
(1) / 8
  

1.0

 
  SpatSampler 88P
(8) / 8
 eight zones multitimbral wave player

0.9
  VaporSampler 8
(1) / 8
 sampler + granular synthesis with animated spatialization
0.9a
  SpatSynth 8
/ 8
 substractive synthesizer with octophonic spatial modulations
  JoySynth
/ 8
  

1.1b
  JoySampler
(2) / 8
  

0.9f
O T H E R S
  OctoScratcher
2 / 8
  

1.0

  OctoStretcher
(1) / 8
  

1.0
   
  OctoLooper
1 / 8
  

1.0
 
   

 

 

 
Control of the spatial masses (10 channels and more)

 
   
i / o
  
version
 
P O S I T I O N S   a n d   S P A T I A L   M A S S E S
SpatSurround 12
2 / 12
  
 
Spat3D 16
2 / 16
  
Spat3D 26
1 / 26
  
 0.9
SpatSurround 516
5 / 16
 Contrôle de sources pentaphoniques sur une surface, contrôles séparés
SpatEdith 612
6 / 12
 Contrôle de sources hexaphoniques sur une surface,
Spat3D 416 M
4 / 16
 Contrôle de sources quadriphoniques dans un volume, contrôle des positions séparé et global
 
SpatMass 616
6 / 16
 Contrôle de sources hexaphoniques sur une surface, contrôle des positions global
SpatMorph 3D
8 / 16
 Contrôle de sources octophoniques dans un volume, contrôle des positions global
SpatArrange 1824
18 / 24
  
1.0
SpatSurround 3D17.1
2 / 18
    
   
SpatSurround H32
2 / 32
 Several variations are available from 16 to 32 outputs, two levels of speakers  
   
SpatLayers 232
2 / 32
 Four levels of eight speakers
0.9
   
SpatArrange 1632
16 / 32
  
0.9a
   
A N I M A T I O N S   and   T R A J E C T O R I E S
AnimaSpat 3D
1 / 24
 Réalisation d'animations de positions selon deux modes combinables : courbes et points pas à pas
2.0f

AnimaSpat 2D

1 / 16

 

 

 

 

 
SpatScratchPad
2 / 16
 Enregistrement à la volée de trajectoires gestuelles, jeu sur les trajectoires
0.9
SpatFollower 3D
2 / 16
 Modulation de la masse en fonction de l'amplitude et de la fréquence du signal
0.9
SpatSeq 32
1 / 32
  
0.9
AnimaMass 416
4 / 16
  
0.9
Direct control of L E V E L S
SpatLevels 216
2 / 16
  
SpatLevels 624
6 / 24
  
SpatLevels 818
8 / 18
  
SpatLevels 832
8 / 32
  
SpatLevels 1632
16 / 32
  
SpatEdith L16
2 / 16
  
   

 

 

 
P r o c e s s i n g s

 

 

  
i / o
  
version

 
SpatDelays 16
1 / 16
  
1.0a
 
SpatFilters 16
1 / 16
  
1.0
 
SpatGrains 16
1 / 16
  
0.9b
 
SpatPitch 16
1 / 16
  
0.9
 
SpatRing 16
1 / 16
  
1.0a
 
ExtensFX 18
18 / 18
    
 
SpatRez 16
1 / 16
  
0.8
 
   

 

 
I n s t r u m e n t s

 

 

  
i / o
  
version

 
S A M P L E R S    S E R I E S
SpatSampler 16
2 / 16
  
0.9b
 
SpatSampler 3D
1 / 16
  
1.8
 
SpatSampler 816
8 / 16
  
0.9
 
StackSampler 24
24 / 24
 Couches d'échantillons, positions fixes
1.0
 
SplitSampler 16
2 / 16
 Répartition d'échantillons sur le clavier, positions fixes
1.0
 
ZoneSampler      
 
SpatSampler H24
1 / 24
  
0.9a
 
O T H E R S
SpatWave 216
2 / 16
  
0.8a
 
Wavolution      
 
JoyMachine
16 / 16
  
0.9b
 
Surroundizer      
   
   

 

 
 M I D I   C o n t r o l l e r s   

 
   
Contrôles
  
version
 
Edith 812
12
  
1.1c
 
MultiJoy 16
 
1.4c
 
MultiStick 4/6
24
  
1.1a
 
A U T O M A T I O N S  / A N I M A T I O N S
SpatOmator
2
  
0.8
 
StepSeq 3D
3
  
1.1a
 
AnimaJoy 16
16
  
1.0a
 
AnimaJoy 3D
24
  
1.0b
 
A U X I L I A R Y   M O D E
DodecaStick
12
  
1.4
 
HexadecaStick 3D
16
  
1.3
 
M I D I    P R O C E S S O R S
MIDIPlug A
 
 
MIDIPlug C
 
 
MIDIPlug CS
 
 
MIDIPlug G
 
 
MIDIPlug N
 
2.0
 
MIDIPlug V
 
2.0
 
   

 

 
O t h e r s

 
   
i / o
  
version
 
P L A Y E R S  /  R E C O R D E R S
OctoMag
/ 16
  
1.2a
 
MultiRec 16
16 /
  
1.3b
MultiRec 24
24 /
  
1.3b
 
U T I L I T I E S
SpatTest 16
/ 16
  
 1.2b
SpatTest 16X
/ 16
  
1.0
Matrix 12 N
12 / 12
  
1.0
Matrix 24 P
24 / 24
  
1.0
818 I/O
8 / 18
    
AccuMatrix 16
16 / 16
  
1.0
P 5   G L O V E
P5 Control
 
P5 Keyboard
 
M A C H I N S   f o r   B I D U L E
Potards
 
Boutons
 
Transport
 
Bâtons de joie
 
Enveloppes
 
Interpol
 
Gros Machin
 
 

 

 C P U   U s a g e

 

 

 

 

The estimation of the necessary CPU resources is an important parameter in multiphony.
For most of the plugins, you can multiply by half the number of channels to have the corresponding value to a stereo processing. For example, a 16 channel effects will take 8 times more CPU resources that if it was stereo...
The worst cases are for the instruments, which multiply also the consumption of CPU resources by the number of notes of polyphony.

° ° °

The small smileys which accompany each description of plugin will help you to figure how it will work.
The average values below result from tests carried out on a 1.3 GHz Centrino laptop (can be compared to a 2.4 GHz P4 or a 2 GHz mono CPU G5, see below).
These values can fluctuate largely according to the use which is made, as for example the speed of the movements carried out (and can thus exceed in peaks the given average values…).
 = 2 to 5 %
= 5 to 10 %
= 10 to 20 %
= 20 to 40 %
= too much !

As a comparison, and under the same conditions, Halion (sampler) on only one MIDI channel and in stereophony takes hardly 3%, the “GrainState” ensemble of Reaktor 4 approximately 12%, CrusherX Live (granular synthesis, on 8 outputs) 25% and the PristineSpace from Voxengo (convolution on 8 channels) 33 % in high quality (average values also).
That thus remains for the majority rather correct…

° ° °

If you have a problem, increase the size of the buffers of your sound card, the control of the spatial masses rarely requires small latencies. 50 ms remains suitable and allows to gain some more channels !

Note : the comparison of the resources consumption between PC / Mac is nor easy.
I have based mine on some tests made in Bidule (internal modules) and Tracktion (identic plugins) on a laptop Centrino / 1.3 GHz / Windows XP and a Mac Mini / G4 1.25 GHz / OS X 10.4.2 (the values are in average twice better on the PC). I have then applied these values with my own plugins to give the indication that accompany the plugins.
Of course, in all cases, an Intel DualCore will be better...