WRITTEN BY PETER KAY
SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR, BOOM BOX POST
Space Controller by Sound Particles allows for a new way to pan sound sources instead of the traditional method of using knobs, joysticks, or a computer mouse. There is a separate app for mobile devices which allows the device to be used as a movement reader to pan the sounds according to the position of the device.
There are two editions of the plugin: Standard and Studio. The standard edition starts at $99 and the studio edition starts at $399. The main difference between the two is that you can only connect the app to the plugin using Bluetooth in the standard edition, while the studio edition allows for Wi-Fi connectivity. Also, the standard edition only supports up to 5.1, while the studio edition allows for 7.1, Dolby Atmos, and ambisonics.
Space Controller has 2 main view modes: cube and sphere. The cube mode is ideal for cinema projects, whereas the sphere mode is ideal for ambisonics or VR projects.
Space Controller in cube mode.
Space Controller in sphere mode.
In cube mode, Space Controller uses X,Y,X coordinates as parameters which control Left/Right, Front/Back, and Up/Down positions of the input source. In sphere mode, the plugin uses azimuth and elevation as parameters, which control the positions of the input source on the horizontal and vertical planes. The azimuth refers to the horizontal direction of the sound in the sphere.
You can connect to the app either using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, depending on the edition you have. To connect using Bluetooth, you just need to turn on Bluetooth on your mobile device and select Bluetooth as the connection service in the settings icons in the app. To connect via Wi-Fi, you click the Wi-Fi setting in the plugin, and that will open a window with a QR code. Point your mobile device’s camera at it, and it will automatically pair with the plugin. It was very simple for me to connect the app to the plugin. Once the app was connected, all I had to do was press the TOUCH TO PAN button, and the plugin started to pan the sounds in response to the movement of my mobile device. It was very simple to use.
Here is an example of the Space Controller User Interface.
There are 4 different panning modes users can choose from: Mono, Channel, Rotation, and Symmetric. The mono mode down-mixes the input source into a single sound source. This sound source can then be panned using a mobile device. Channel mode is similar to mono mode, but it has one major difference: the user is able to pan any of the input channels. All of the input channels are independent. For example, if the input channel is stereo, channel 1 can control the left channel, and channel 2 can control the right channel. Rotation mode allows for users to rotate the entire sound field. Only the azimuth can be changed in this mode, and the elevation will always remain at 0 degrees. Finally, symmetric side mode essentially mirrors the behavior of the source based on a selected channel.
A feature that I found interesting is the randomize button. When you press the button, it sets random values to the parameters. I think this can be a very useful function when creating something new as it can produce unexpected results.
Overall, Space Controller was very easy to use even though I was relatively new to mixing/panning. It is very user friendly as you can see where and how the sound is being panned in the Space view. From my experience using the plugin, I think it provides a really intuitive way to pan compared to the traditional way of using knobs, joysticks, or a computer mouse. It is as simple as just clicking and moving your mobile device in the direction you want the sounds to be panned. The plugin was very quick and responsive and I didn’t experience any delay. I think users working in surround or 3d formats would benefit the most from this plugin due to the fact that you can pan sounds more freely. I was able to more accurately control the sounds compared to using traditional methods. I would recommend trying out the plugin for anyone who is interested as there are free trial versions for both the standard edition and studio edition.
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