Flux:: Ircam Tools!

[Felix (Flux)]

Orleans, France July 22, 2010

Flux:: Sound & Picture development announce the release of IRCAM Tools.

French software company, Flux:: Sound & Picture Development, specialized in innovative software tools for the post-production and audio mastering industry, today announce the release of the software plug-in suite IRCAM Tools.

In March 2010 Flux:: announced a partnership with IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics and Music) in Paris, France. IRCAM is one of the world’s leading public research institutes within the fields of musical expression, musical research, sound, and acoustics.

The first result of this partnership collaboration is the software audio plug-in suite, IRCAM Tools.


IRCAM Tools

IRCAM SPAT - The complete Room Acoustics Simulation and Localisation Solution
With more than a decade of research performed by the Acoustic and Cognitive Spaces Team at IRCAM, being at the forefront of scientific and technological innovations, the SPAT is the most advanced and sophisticated tool for room acoustics simulation and localisation ever designed, managing both spatialisation (source localisation) and room acoustic simulation in a truly consistent and visually logical way.

Designed for surround and multichannel use, SPAT presents the option to setup the output arrangements providing a variety of stereo and surround configurations, including subwoofer configuration as well. With eight input and output channels available in SPAT, configurations up to 7.1 and 8.0 are feasible.

SPAT introduce state of the art techniques for room acoustics simulation utilizing advanced perceptive models, concealing the complexity behind the actual algorithms, allowing for intuitive and accommodating user interaction capabilities.

IRCAM Tools, Spat


IRCAM Verb - Room Acoustics and Reverberation
VERB is an algorithmic room acoustics and reverberation processor. It has a modular construction, employing a recursive filtering reverb engine, reproducing and synthesizing the specific acoustical characteristics of any spatial sound environment.

Following a decade of intense research by the Acoustic and Cognitive Spaces Team at IRCAM, the IRCAM VERB introduce state of the art techniques for room acoustics simulation utilising advanced perceptive models, concealing the complexity behind the actual reverb algorithms and allowing for a flexible and intuitive experience for the user.

The IRCAM VERB provides eight input and output channels, presenting the option for reverberation processing in multi-channel and surround formats. A built in Input/Output (I/O) routing matrix provides instant flexibility when setting up the I/O in relation to the physical audio monitoring in the control room.

IRCAM Tools, Verb



TRAX - The Next Generation Voice and Sonic Processing Tools
A suite of three ingenious processors using advanced technology, developed during many years, by the sound analysis/synthesis team at IRCAM. These precision tools provide truly innovative signal transformation algorithms allowing the user to alter sound characteristics such as; pitch, timbre and duration, using a highly intuitive user interface.


Transformer - Real-time Voice and Sonic Modelling Processor
TRAX Transformer is based on an augmented phase vocoder technology and a cutting edge transformation algorithm, allowing for manipulating characteristic properties of a voice such as gender, age and breath, and on any other sound; expression, formant and pitch.

Cross Synthesis - Spectral Envelope Morphing Processor
TRAX Cross Synthesis utilizes a phase vocoder (the amplitude and the frequency/phase spectra), to morph the spectral characteristics of two sounds. The amplitude and frequency/phase spectra can be blended continuously and since the features that are used here are strongly nonlinear, the sound morphing is nonlinear as well, offering a way to create a wide range of new exciting and unusual sound effects.

Source Filter - Enhanced Sound Filtering
TRAX Source Filter is based on a signal model decomposing the signal into a time envelope describing the energy/loudness contour of the sound, and a spectral envelope describing the spectral colour of the sound timbre. The energy contour and the spectral colour of the source sound, can be continuously blended with the spectral colour and energy contour of an arbitrary filtrating sound, allowing transformation that extend well beyond the more common source filter morphing effect.

IRCAM Tools, TRAX




Enjoy!

Cheers,
/felix

[elambo]

Thanks Felix!

It's a very impressive suite -- and if the demos are any indication, they're of the highest quality.

I've said it a lot this year: it's a good time to be using a computer to make music.

[Suda Badri]

Cant wait to try it out...

[diogo_c]

There goes my kidney.

[AshleySmith06]

Congrat's on the release Felix, I'll be sure to check these out.

thumbsup

[Mevlan Osmani]

Another quality plug-ins from FLUX

Congratulation .

[Felix (Flux)]

Thanks for the head ups!!



Cheers,
/felix

[diogo_c]

Any info on pricing?

[tribeofenki]

I bet about 1299 USD

Official site states 1599.00 EUR

[Felix (Flux)]

https://www.fluxhome.com/store



Cheers,
/felix

[Shaggy2039]

I've been dying to try Verb. This is gonna be incredible.

[Felix (Flux)]

There's been quite a few OMFG! during the beta testing...

Enjoy!

Cheers,
/felix

[man in the house]

FUN FUN FUN, incredible tool, congrats!

[T_R_S]

TDM?? I emailed for a TDM demo.

[Felix (Flux)]

The RTAS works just fine...

There's no TDM, and no plans for it, loads of the math on these babies would be quite a time consuming challenge to re-write for fixed point...




Cheers,
/Felix

[charles maynes]

cool - cool - cool......


Looks like a total winner!

[digidandy]

Been playing around with Trax since yesterday, not sure what to make of it.

Also, are there severe demo limitations?

It is impossible to turn on the spectral envelope, for instance, and I cannot change any of the parameters under "Options" (down to the left: Window size, overlapp (sic), oversampling, mode and the transient button).

Are these bugs, perhaps?

Tested in both Peak and Live.

[Felix (Flux)]

Originally Posted by digidandy

Been playing around with Trax since yesterday, not sure what to make of it.

Also, are there severe demo limitations?

It is impossible to turn on the spectral envelope, for instance, and I cannot change any of the parameters under "Options" (down to the left: Window size, overlapp (sic), oversampling, mode and the transient button).

Are these bugs, perhaps?

Tested in both Peak and Live.

Trial Limitations:
2 channels maximum processing (mono or stereo).
1 FS (32, 44.1, 48 Khz).
No properties (parameters) published to the Host software. So your settings will not be saved in the host software project (composition).
No Automations (so No Control surface supported).
No Side-chain (for plugins that support side-chain).
No presets Save/Recall, Import/Export (only factory preset can be loaded).

This version is not time bombed but after half an hour of audio processing or UI utilization all the user interface controls will be disabled. The sound will still be processed, allowing you to continue working normally on your project but you will not be able to modify the settings until you restart the plug-in.



If you still consider it a bug, please report here:
https://www.fluxhome.com/bugreport/


Thanks!


Cheers,
/felix

[Coyoteous]

Hmm... I installed the demo after I read these limitations, but there are a lot of controls that can't be changed in addition. Verb, for example: in the Decay Time column, only the top control functions. Only the clust./tail switch works in second column, etc. Calling up presets will make parameters change that the demo user can't, but this is very limiting for trial. From what I can tell, it does sound good, though.

[tilman]

Originally Posted by Coyoteous

Hmm... I installed the demo after I read these limitations, but there are a lot of controls that can't be changed in addition. Verb, for example: in the Decay Time column, only the top control functions. Only the clust./tail switch works in second column, etc. Calling up presets will make parameters change that the demo user can't, but this is very limiting for trial. From what I can tell, it does sound good, though.

I experience the same + Rtas does not show up in protools
but I could test it in ableton.



spat is great !! ! ! !

[Felix (Flux)]

When you find stuff like that, please report here:
https://www.fluxhome.com/bugreport/


Thanks!


Cheers,
/fellix

[digidandy]

I will report the bugs, but I wonder what kind of beta process these plugs have been through if such major bugs haven't been spotted?

Also, the routing process for the morph version of Trax is surprisingly primitive for a plug that originates from Ircam. You can only use a DAW, you have to use Trax on an aux, and you have to route the two sounds you want to morph to the aux - then pan them left and right respectively.

Shouldn't have to be like that in 2010.

[Felix (Flux)]

Originally Posted by digidandy

I will report the bugs, but I wonder what kind of beta process these plugs have been through if such major bugs haven't been spotted?

Also, the routing process for the morph version of Trax is surprisingly primitive for a plug that originates from Ircam. You can only use a DAW, you have to use Trax on an aux, and you have to route the two sounds you want to morph to the aux - then pan them left and right respectively.

Shouldn't have to be like that in 2010.

It's been quite intense, over 50 people involved in the testing, beta test five plugins is a massive job, and there's surprisingly few reports of problems accordingly to the amount of downloads of the installers since we released them, so I'd say the testing has been going really great actually!



Regarding the routing in CS/SF, how would you prefer it to be? Sidechains will most probabaly be added at a later stage, but for now, create an aux, and from your source channels, send a mono stream (post fader) each, not really a biggy is it? How do you use reverbs and other FX that you dont put on the insert?


Cheers,
/Felix

[digidandy]

Hmm, it just seems strange that already several people on Gearslutz have experienced several severe bugs, while no one of the beta testers did.

Regarding cross synthesis: When using the plug-in a sample editor, like Bias Peak Pro, using the left/right approach (or dual mono approach) becomes a real drag. I would like to be able to just play sample A from the sample editor, and then load the other sample - sample B - in the plug-in itself.

[digidandy]

Just posted this bug report. Anyone else finding that an enormous amount of parameters simply can't be adjusted? I also checked the file access rights in OS X - seems a default install has "system" set to "read/write", while "admin" is just set to "read". This doesn't match my other plug-ins, where "admin" is also set to "read/write", in addition to "system". Tried changing the Ircam plugs to "admin = read/write" in the hope it would change the parameter problems ... but it didn't, unfortunately.


Bug report:

Have downloaded the Ircam tools demo, but have found several bugs. Here are the ones for Trax Transformer

* not possible to activate the Spectral Envelope (clicking on the "power" light results in no action)
* not possible to adjust any of the parameters below the "Options" heading (down to the left on the plug-in): Window size, Overlapp (spelled wrong - should read "overlap"), Oversampling, Mode and the Transient button
* not possible to adjust any of the parameters under Mode / Source (Min, Mean, Max, Tune(A))
* "Fundamental frequency" (top left) is spelled wrong; it says "Fondamental"


Here are the bugs for Spat:

* when the Source tab is selected: Can't adjust many parameters under "Options", including Target Reverb, Drop Mode, Drop, Pan_rev, Early Width. Radius works fine, though, as does Doppler and Air Absorption
* I can't adjust any of the filter paramters on the top right side of the plug-in (when Source tab is selected)
* when the Reverb tab is selected: Can't adjust Heaviness and Liveness parameters under Perceptual Factors, can't adjust any of the two Crossover parameters (Freq.Low and Freq.High), can't adjust ANY of the Options parameters, including Modal Density, can't adjust Room size, can't adjust ANY of the Room Response parameters


Here are the bugs for Verb:

* can't adjust the High, Mid or Low parameters under Decay Time
* can't adjust the Crossover Freq.High or Cross Freq.Low parameters
* can't adjust ANY of the Time Structure parameters
* can't adjust any of the Options parameters (including Air Absorption, Width and Diffuseness)
* can't adjust any of the filter parameters to the top right, no matter which tab is selected (Room, Early, Cluster, Reverb)
* can't adjust Reverb Start or Reverb Distr.


Have tried re-installing the plugs, but this did not change anything.

Have tried the plugs in both Ableton Live (latest version) and Bias Peak Pro 6 (latest version), but behaviour is consistent between the two apps.

Have tried both VST and AU versions of the plugs, but no difference was spotted.

[SEB]

TRAX: The delay compensation in N5 win7 doesn`t work either, not on my machine.

[Silver Sonya]

In 2010, nobody really expects new software to work right out of the box.

- c

[Coyoteous]

I do, but I'm often disappointed! stike

Oh, and what box?

[Felix (Flux)]

Again, everything you find, please report here, and all things will be investigated and most probably fixed in future buiids.
https://www.fluxhome.com/bugreport/



This can also be specific to the non dongle demo versions, so to try with the real versions, send an email to support with your full name, ilok account id and country of origin, and ask for a full time limited demo..

Cheers,
/Felix

[SEB]

hmm +1...
Maybe a beta team for the demo-version would be an idea?