KOMPASSI-Renderer
Key Features
- Renders Ambisonic and tetrahedral A-format microphone-array recordings for binaural headphone listening.
- Combines the KOMPASSI parametric encoder and decoder in a DAW-ready demonstration plugin.
- Loads SOFA files for personalized HRTF-based binaural monitoring.
- Supports six-degrees-of-freedom scene adjustment through listener rotation and translation controls.
- Lets users bias reproduction toward ambience or directional sound when evaluating a spatial scene.
- Official v1.0.0 release provides VST, VST3, and LV2 builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Description
KOMPASSI-Renderer is a spatial-audio rendering plugin for turning Ambisonic microphone-array recordings into binaural headphone playback. It is a demonstration wrapper around the KOMPASSI encoder and decoder, built to expose a configurable parametric rendering workflow inside a DAW rather than provide a conventional stereo effect.
The renderer accepts Ambisonics or tetrahedral A-format array recordings and delivers binaural monitoring. Its SOFA loader can use personalized HRTF data, giving researchers and immersive-audio creators a route to audition spatial scenes with listener-specific headphone rendering.
The plugin can also intercept its spatial parameter stream before decoding. That enables six-degrees-of-freedom adjustments for listener rotation and translation, plus a bias toward ambience or directional material when evaluating the balance of a recorded scene.
This is a specialist tool for field-recording, VR, 360-video, research, and immersive post workflows that already use multichannel spatial sources. The current official v1.0.0 release supplies VST, VST3, and LV2 builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux through the maintainers’ GitHub release page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of audio does KOMPASSI-Renderer accept?
The official project page identifies Ambisonics and tetrahedral A-format microphone-array recordings as supported inputs. It is intended for multichannel spatial material rather than ordinary stereo tracks.
Can KOMPASSI-Renderer be used for headphone monitoring?
Yes. The renderer produces binaural playback for headphones. It also includes a SOFA loader so compatible personalized HRTF data can be used for binaural listening.
What does the 6DoF option change?
The project page says the renderer can augment the spatial parameter stream to account for listener head rotations and translations away from the recording point. This is intended for evaluating spatial scenes with movement rather than only a fixed listening position.
Which plugin formats and systems are in the current release?
The official v1.0.0 GitHub release lists VST, LV2, and VST3 plugins for macOS 11.0 or later on ARM and x86-64, Linux x86-64, and Windows x86-64. The external release page provides the current platform-specific installer choices.
