Recently Nathan Blair released Halo 3D Pan, which is a free plugin designed to create immersive audio experiences tailored for headphone users.
Halo 3D Pan is a 64-bit-only release available on macOS and Windows for VST3 and AU.
The plugin is a binaural panning tool that uses binaural impulse responses to simulate the sensation of a sound source moving in a physical space around the listener’s head.
Blair built the plugin specifically to create immersive audio for headphone listeners and suggested it’d be right at home for music production, sound design, and soundtrack work.
This ain’t a plain old panner though, as Halo 3D Pan can simulate a 3D spatial listening experience through its azimuth and elevation controls.
It can also alter the width between stereo inputs and dynamically mix between spatial and traditional panning.
Blair has made Halo 3D Pan available via his Gumroad, which I’m always down for since Gumroad is pretty simple to use.
If you’d like to download Halo 3D Pan, just ‘name a fair price’ on the Gumroad page (it can be $0) and smash ‘I want this!’
You’ll then be forwarded to a cart, where you’ll need to provide an email address.
After that, you’ll be forwarded to a download page, where you can access the macOS and Windows downloads, which are zips that come in 95.2 MB and 24.6 MB, respectively. A link to the manual is also provided.
Halo 3D Pan offers four main parameters: azimuth, elevation, width, and focus. Elevation and width are self-explanatory, while azimuth controls the angle of the sound source around the listener’s head via the rotating central platter. Focus fades between spatial and traditional panning.
Several user demos already exist on YouTube. They’ll give you a good idea of what Halo 3D Pan offers. Note that you’ll need to use headphones to hear the full sound of the effect.
So Halo 3D Pan notably expands on the traditional right / left pan by simulating the movement of the sound in a physical space, with the option of switching between spatial and traditional panning.
When I listen to the plugin in action with headphones, I can definitely hear that it gives a bit more excitement and dynamics than a traditional panning tool.
And with the plugin being such an easy-to-download freebie, it’s a great little find.
Download: Halo 3D Pan (FREE / Name-your-price)
More:
Source link
