Ambisonic Decoders

Decoders turn an ACN/SN3D field into loudspeaker, subwoofer, stereo, or headphone feeds. Object and Adaptive are alternate loudspeaker renderers: they add content-derived focus while retaining ordinary speaker outputs. Match the decoder order to the encoded material and make its output bus the final spatial rendering stage.

Workflow

1. Choose a decoder and insert it after the encoded source and any Ambisonic processing on a track wide enough for the incoming and rendered buses. Match its order and input format to the encoded material, then select its speaker layout, sub count, stereo pickup, or head model.
2. Route its outputs to the matching physical speakers, stereo destination, or headphones.
3. Refine orientation, weighting, and output level while the source is playing.

Loudspeaker and Subwoofer Rendering

• Ambi Decoder Speaker: decodes first-through-seventh-order material to built-in or custom speaker layouts.
• Ambi Decoder Object: blends the complete speaker decode with a confidence-gated directional object path using VBAP, LBAP, or DBAP.
• Ambi Decoder Adaptive: varies high-frequency focus from directional-confidence and transient cues while keeping a diffuse low-frequency foundation.
• Ambi Decoder Sub: derives one to eight low-frequency feeds from the omnidirectional and horizontal first-order components.

Stereo and Headphone Monitoring

• Ambi Decoder Stereo: rotation-aware virtual-speaker decode to a true stereo output bus.
• Ambi Decoder Head: binaural headphone rendering with listener orientation and room controls.

Host Routing

In REAPER, set the track wide enough for the incoming order before inserting the decoder. Speaker, Object, and Adaptive expose fixed 64-channel outputs and silence lanes above the selected layout; Sub exposes eight outputs and silences lanes above the active sub count. Stereo and Head expose true two-channel outputs; enable Zero out unmapped output channels in the pin connector if REAPER passes higher track channels around either plugin.