The ICST Ambisonics Plugins

Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology / ICST Zurich University of the Arts


Overview of the ICST Ambisonics Plugins v3 in the Reaper DAW.

Figure: A: ICST Mono-AmbiEncoder / B: ICST Multi-AmbiEncoder/ C: ICST AmbiDecoder

The "ICST Ambisonics Plugins" are universally usable audio plugins for creating ambisonics content. Up to 64 audio sources can be spatialized simultaneously and played back on up to 64 speakers. The plugins feature an interactive graphical radar view. Positioning information can be recorded via the user interface as well as via OSC. The ability to group sound sources facilitates scenographic choreography. With the latest version, the 'ICST Ambisonics Plugins provide manipulation capabilities of up to eight groups. OSC data can also be scaled user-defined or pre-processed using JavaScript snippets. With the optional distance encoding and Doppler effect, spatial perception can be optimized and adapted to the acoustic conditions. The plugins are available as VST3 / AU 64bit plugins for Windows, Mac (incl. arm64), and Linux (experimental). Interaction with the 'ICST MaxMsp externals' is provided via OSC. DAW, ardour.org, or reaper.fm is recommended, as they can handle audio strips with up to 128 channels.

Detailed specifications can be found here:


New version v3.1 (available soon)


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