In this video I check out D1vert, a free immersive audio plugin from Max1mus Audio that tackles one of the more annoying problems in higher channel formats like 9.1.6: channels that simply won't line up in the right order. I set up a real-world example in Reaper to see how well this small, simple tool handles a headache that usually calls for far more complicated solutions.

In Part 2 of my series with Gert Keunen, author of Stereo Was a Nice Try, we take on the controversial question of whether you should upmix at all — then break down the immersive upmixing plugins that matter, from the pro-grade industry standard to free research tools and affordable creator options. We dig into sound quality, latency, format support, and price, and we each name a pick by the end.

I take a hands-on look at Spanner 5, The Cargo Cult's immersive channel panning plugin, now available in VST3 and Audio Unit alongside its long-standing Pro Tools version. I show how it handles panning, up-mixing, and down-mixing across Reaper, solve a Reaper specific channel routing issue, and share my honest verdict.

I sit down with Gert Keunen, author of Stereo Was a Nice Try, to break down the immersive audio panning plugins that matter right now — from cinema-grade channel tools to creative, movement-driven effects — and what actually makes one worth putting in your workflow. It's Part 1 of a two-part series (upmixers are coming next), and we each reveal a personal favorite at the end.

Orbit Pro 1.5 brings a dramatically cleaner interface and a surprising new capability that pushes the software into fresh territory. I break down what's improved, what still needs work, and whether this tiny developer is quietly outpacing the giants behind Eclipsa Audio.

I dive into Vert1go, the new immersive 3D auto-panner from Max1mus Audio, and explore everything from its pattern library and draw mode to a clever feature for object-oriented workflows like Dolby Atmos. I also compare it head-to-head with Sound Particles' Beat Panner so you can decide which one belongs in your immersive audio toolkit.

Sound Particles just released Beat Panner, a new plugin that works like an auto-panner in three-dimensional space for immersive and spatial audio. In this video I explore what it does, who it's for, and give my honest verdict, limitation and all.

I review DeepStereo Monitor by Leson, a new binaural renderer built on IRCAM research, and put it through its paces in Reaper with a full walkthrough of its features including head tracking. I also compare it head-to-head with APL Virtuoso to help you decide which renderer fits your immersive audio workflow.

Audio Brewers just released abEQ, a first-of-its-kind ambisonics EQ that lets you independently EQ each dimensional pole of the ambisonics field — and I'm walking you through everything it can do. I've also got a surprise reveal: Virtuoso's new HeadTrek feature, which turns your webcam into a head tracker for binaural monitoring.

In this follow-up to my SnappySnap review, I demonstrate the plugin's MCP integration, which lets you use Claude as a natural language interface to position immersive audio objects, create snapshots, and automate your mix — all inside your DAW. I walk through the full setup from scratch and show what this kind of AI-plugin collaboration actually looks like in practice.

In this video, I explore InShaper, Sound Particles' new LFO-driven waveshaper plugin, and put its impressive multi-channel capabilities — supporting formats all the way up to NHK 22.2 — to the test in a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos session in Reaper. While the plugin has some limitations for immersive audio work, such as the inability to bypass individual channels internally, it's a convenient and powerful tool for spatial audio producers looking to add creative waveshaping to their multi-channel workflow.

I test Amorph, a free plugin that lets you create your own audio effects and instruments using generative AI — no coding required. Watch me build a binaural panner with interaural time difference from scratch and see how it performs in practice.

SnappySnap by Electric Smudge lets you automate entire parameter snapshots instead of individual parameters, making immersive audio workflows in Atmos, Sony 360 RA, and other formats dramatically easier. In this video, I demo the plugin with the Sony WalkMix Creator and take a look at its standout features, including snapshot interpolation, elasticity smoothing, instance linking, and built-in MCP integration for large language models.

I revisit the Neumann RIME plugin and Supperware Head Tracker combination, now with full 3D head tracking support, and compare it to the newly updated WalkMix Creator for immersive audio production. If you've wanted to work with spatial audio but lack the space or budget for a 7.1.4 studio, this setup is an outstanding and surprisingly affordable solution.

In this video, I explore the Waves Immersive Wrapper's new ability to wrap any VST3 plugin for immersive audio formats up to 9.1.6, making it one of the most powerful tools in immersive audio today. While the plugin itself is outstanding, I also address the elephant in the room—Waves' controversial 2023 attempt to eliminate perpetual licenses—and explain why this affects my recommendation.

In this video, I take a first look at the Illusonic plugin suite—a set of four immersive audio plugins currently available for free during beta testing, including an impressive upmixing plugin that supports rare formats like Sony 360RA's 13.1 layout. While the documentation is sparse, these plugins offer unique features you won't find elsewhere, and I'm particularly excited about the potential for head-tracking integration with the binaural renderer.

In this video, I explore MELD from Metric Halo, a $400 channel strip plugin that brings a master bus workflow to Dolby Atmos by allowing you to group and control multiple instances simultaneously with powerful sidechaining capabilities. However, be warned: it currently has a critical bug in Reaper (and potentially other DAWs) where it doesn't save group assignments, so test thoroughly before buying.

In this video, I'm testing the latest update to zplane's Elastique Pitch plugin, which now includes multi-channel support for immersive audio workflows including Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics. I demonstrate how well it works across 16 channels by pitch-shifting in the Ambisonics domain, and while it performs flawlessly, I discuss one small UI improvement that would make the multi-channel mode more obvious to users.

In this video, I explore Blue Cat Audio's Patchwork plugin update that now supports 16-channel processing for immersive audio formats like 9.1.6 and third-order ambisonics, demonstrating how to integrate multi-channel beds into Dolby Atmos Composer sessions within stereo DAWs. While the feature works perfectly in the instrument version, I discovered a significant bug in the effects plugin that currently limits it to 8 channels, something I hope Blue Cat Audio will fix soon.

In this video, I'm reviewing the APL Duopan plugin, a new panning tool that combines traditional amplitude-based panning with time-based panning approaches based on psychoacoustic principles. I'll demonstrate its features including the T-A slider for blending panning methods, the head shadow functionality that mimics natural frequency dampening, the dual band option for frequency-specific panning, and its seamless integration with immersive audio formats.