Elliptique: a new multichannel reverberator for SPAT - Benoit Alary, Etienne Démoulin

Presented during the IRCAM Forum Workshops in March 2023.

Nowadays, traditional artificial reverberation systems can feel quite limited when using a complex reproduction system with many loudspeakers or spatial audio formats (binaural, ambisonics, WFS, …). From enhancing the natural reverberation of a room during a live performance to creating unique virtual sonic environments in virtual and augmented reality, being able to control the reverberation is always key. In the next release of SPAT, we are introducing a new multichannel reverberator named Elliptique. With Elliptique, you can create several reverberation areas in space, each using different reverberation properties. These areas will adapt to the output loudspeaker layout and format to produce anything from natural-sounding reverberation, to completely abstract acoustic environments. 

In this presentation, Benoit Alary (researcher, IRCAM/EAC) and Étienne Démoulin (computer music designer, IRCAM) will go over the essential aspects of working with this new Max external and take an in-depth dive into how Elliptique was recently used to create complex spatial reverberation during a live performance in Ircam’s “Espace de projection”. With this new reverberator, we want to explore fresh paradigms for creating rich spatial reverberation that can continue to evolve as we discover new creative use for it.