SpatStrument SM24

It's not an effect, it's not a synthesizer, it's not a sampler, it's not a 3D panner, it's not a controller... but it is all of this: it is the SpatStrument SM24;-).

Spatialization of sound with "3D panner" type tools is now a common and easy thing, and the popularization of spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and ambisonic technique makes it almost fashionable.
But considering a loudspeaker space as a concrete dimension of sound which can be modeled in a global way still remains the task of kind of "hackers", most often requiring specialized and somewhat complex environments.

Thanks to the recent expansion of MPE gesture controllers (my first one was the LinnStrument...), this SpatStrument should make it possible to approach audio-spatial sculpting in a playful and creative way, whether it is done inside standardized broadcast formats or in the freedom of original creations.

This plugin may interest firstly people who play electronic and electroacoustic live music, but also those who compose in multichannel studios to create fixed media works for domes, cinema, acousmoniums or whatever they like, with ambisonics or even binaural with the appropriate convertors.

Fortunately, it can also work in stereo with an ordinary keyboard with still enough features to play with sounds in innovative ways;-).

Characteristics:

• Up to 24 output channels with totally free speakers arrangement in 2D or 3D space.
• Periphonic Spatial Mode to simplify the use with surround / immersive common formats (domes, Atmos-like 7.1.4, 9.1.6, 11.1.8, NHK 22.2...).
• Volumetric Spatial Mode for advanced spatial creation and true 3D speakers arrangements.
• 8 MPE polyphony voices with direct 3D spatialization with each finger.
• Shape based spatial synthesis (Rings, Lines, Cube, Chaos) that can be combined and animated with different modulators and synchronized with sampling and synthesis parameters.
• No including ambisonics and binaural processing: just use the converters you prefer (IEM and SPARTA are free and among the bests, special configuration files are provided for them).
• Can also work in stereo;-).
• Input Live processing: play a hardware or software instrument through it to add spatialization and effects, together with additional filter and envelope; spatialize a track content with a MPE controller; use the audio input level to modulate sound and space parameters (Envelope Follower).
• Ring Modulation between the Live Input and the Sampler or the Synthesis.
• Sampler: sample the audio Input or load an audio file; play it through a multimode filter, with its ADSR and LFO; control the Start and Loop points of the 8 polyphony voices independently with the fingers.
• Synthesizer: 3 oscillators subtractive principle with FM, Synchro, multimode Filter and wide range ADSR and LFO modulations (it may not be well suited to play scaled melodies...).
• Global MPE Modulations: use the X, Y, Z fingers positions, their distance and angle from the center to modulate every sampler and synthesizer parameters polyphonically.
• Cross Modulation between the sampling and the synthesis sections.
• Octo FX: 8 channels Delay/Resonator and Hall Reverberation (Freeverb in Mac version).
• Alternative Triggers: ClockTrigger and VeloPad, for granular like effects (experimental...); they can also send MIDI Notes to other devices if the host allows it.
• All parameters in one screen: What You See Is What You Generate.

Requirements:

- Screen size 1080p minimum
- Windows all versions
- MacOS minimum 10.15, Intel or Rosetta.
- A VST3 host that can use multichannel plugins.
The ideal is to have multichannel busses (Reaper, Ardour, Pyramix...) or to allow to connect freely inputs and outputs (Bidule, Element, Max/Msp, Usine Hollyhock, VSTHost...), but some stereo only DAWs can nevertheless distribute a multichannel output on several stereo busses (Live, FLStudio, Studio One, Waveform ...).
Note that it will not currently work with Steinberg's products.
- Optional but highly desirable: a MPE controller with enough physical space, sensitivity and accuracy for up to eight XYZ fingers movements (Sensel Morph is ideal...).

Important:
User Guide, Presets, additional files and video tutorials are available on the site page, and will be regularly updated: http://acousmodules.free.fr/spatstrument.htm

july-27: projects templates for Reaper, Live, Ardour, Logic Pro, Samplitude, Usine Hollyhock...

The SpatStrument is made with the 1.5 beta version of SynthEdit, and uses also the beta version of Elena Design's sampling framework, without whom this plugin could not exist.
Also with the modules from Davidson Audio & Multimedia, RoyTech, Sacha, Rob Herder, Time Domain.

Known issues:
- some graphic elements can flicker with some computers and graphic cards
- although not designed for real-time loop point modulations, the sampling framework performs generally well... however clicks may appear
- Mac: in MPE Mode Notes and Pitch parameters are currently merged; Import/Export of Spatial Configuration Files doesn't work; Area Shape cannot be changed; in some cases the UI can be unresponsive when loading a Preset with a Sample in Reaper; MPE efficiency modes is not available

See the Changelog on the site (to know your version: right click on an empty space of the plugin).

{See video at top of page}