Hot on the heels of the release of ModeAudio’s first ever plugin, regular contributor Josh Turvey shares his thoughts on Airspace.
Summary
An excellent plugin that falls just shy of some features that would make it a ‘best-in-class’ candidate for convolution plugins. “Airspace” is a worthy addition to any library, truly excelling with atmospheric sound design whilst unifying convolution and delay in a seamless workflow.
Pros:
- Highly intuitive and easy to use; especially for those used to working with convolution reverbs and plugins.
- Excellent factory content. High quality presets and impulse responses that are immediately usable across multiple genres.
- Very flexible Delay module that can cover an array of time-based and pitch effects.
- Lots of control for shaping and customising the impulse responses in the convolution modules.
Cons:
- Currently unable to import user samples.
- Lack of truly advanced routing options. E.g. Parallel, Dual Mono, Mid/Side and Multi-band.
- Limited number of delay modes. E.g. No Ping-Pong mode.
- No internal modulators provided outside of the Delay module.
- No MIDI mapping.
Intro
Launching in 2013 and heralding from London, ModeAudio has garnered a well-deserved reputation for developing high-quality sample, preset and MIDI packs, all of which traverse multiple genres and use-cases. Now, just over a decade into their journey, ModeAudio are turning their attention to the release of their first plugin, and given their history, it should come as no surprise that it draws on their considerable expertise with crafting samples.
“Airspace” is a convolution workhorse that brings together three processing stages to add colour, depth and space to modern productions. Harnessing the creative power provided by impulse responses (IRs), “Airspace” is an excellent solution for newcomers to convolution, as well as seasoned producers looking for a streamlined workflow.
Design & Features
Visually similar to Arturia’s “Fragments”, “Airspace” packs a lot of useful and well-executed features into its minimalist, one-page layout. The majority of the design is dominated by the three processing modules: Colour, Delay and Space, with the signal flowing from left to right, from one module to the next. Above this, the user has access to the plugin’s settings, which features GUI scaling, alongside a comprehensive preset menu. A global ‘Dry/Wet’ slider to control the overall effect of the plugin is also provided in the top-right corner of the interface, which is a small but extremely useful addition, particularly when using the plugin for more experimental applications.
Though intended for different convolution applications, the first and third modules (Colour and Space) are identical in design. The difference in name is simply to serve as a reminder of their most common role within the signal flow, but in reality they can be deployed however the user sees fit. Both modules feature the same excellent and varied selection of impulse responses, as well as various controls to shape their time scaling, amplitude envelope, gain and equalisation.
The second (Delay) module is potentially the unsung hero of “Airspace”. With its fully-featured modulation system, ability to independently control left and right ‘Feedback’ values, and a bypass-able ‘Crossfeed’, this delay is capable of creating a huge range of effects, from subtle chorusing and flanging, to infinitely shimmering soundscapes that completely transform the source audio.
In Use
Convolution has long been a powerful, not-so-secret weapon for Production, Sound Design and Mixing. Whilst it is commonly associated with Reverb, it’s also frequently used to capture the sonic characteristics of analog gear (e.g. Microphones, Tape Machines, Amplifiers etc.) so that they can be imparted onto any input signal. Traditional uses aside, convolution can also be used in highly experimental ways, often through loading various samples (e.g. Foley, Textures, SFX etc.) into the convolution engine, which frequently results in sounds that are extremely difficult to synthesise.
With the creation of “Airspace”, ModeAudio have succeeded in creating a plugin that succeeds in executing all of the above use-cases, often with exceptional results. A plugin so heavily reliant on convolution is only as strong as the included impulse responses (IRs), and fortunately, this is where “Airspace” shines. ModeAudio have evidently spent a lot of time crafting a premium selection of IRs and when they’re combined with the excellent presets, “Airspace” has the ability to elevate virtually any audio signal that runs through it. Ranging from foley to amplifiers, percussion, textures, plates and cavernous spaces, the provided IRs invite the user into a rich sonic playground that is begging to be explored.
The plugin also features some nice touches that make working with it a breeze. For example, the modules can all be conveniently bypassed, but they can also be mixed together via independent ‘Mix’ controls. ‘Volume’ dials, featuring metres to monitor the clipping and distortion of each module, are also provided for further gain staging. This puts the control firmly in the user’s hands for a multitude of applications, ranging from the subtle to the extreme. Whether you want to use “Airspace” solely as a colour/tone box, delay unit or as a reverb, it is more than up to the task. Indeed, the various ways that you can combine and customise these modules provides near-endless possibilities for sound manipulation.
The Delay module was a particularly nice surprise due to its rich and unique feature set, which is especially rare for a convolution-based plugin. Independent control over the left and right ‘Feedback’ is a stand-out feature that pairs extremely well with the provided ‘Crossfeed’, especially when pushing the ‘Feedback’ towards self-oscillation. Combining short delay times with the various modulations open up the possibility for Flanging, Chorus and the creating of metallic textures. Another standout feature, Recursive Shift feeds a definable pitch shift back into the feedback path, resulting in lush and shimmering soundscapes that sound incredible when fed into the final convolution engine.
All of the above puts an undeniably fresh spin on the convolution architecture underpinning the plugin, allowing the user to explore some truly unique sonic textures, but there were times when I felt limited by “Airspace’s” capabilities. Not being able to re-order the modules or choose different signal paths (e.g. Parallel, Dual Mono, Mid/Side and Multi-band) feels like a handicap for a plugin that encourages so much experimentation. Likewise, the modulation capabilities exhibited by the Delay are also begging to be routed to certain parameters in the convolution modules, such as ‘Mix’ and ‘Equalisation’. Most notably however, not being able to load custom samples into the convolution engine feels like a glaring omission, and it prevents users from engaging with their own sample collections in new and exciting ways.
Conclusion
“Airspace” is an extremely promising plugin that feels as though it still has more to offer. As a first release, ModeAudio has created a strong foundation upon which to evolve the plugin in future iterations. There is no doubting that this plugin achieves what it’s designed to do, but it is also lacking some features that would catapult it to the truly elite end of the spectrum. The developers at ModeAudio clearly have the talent and the vision to push the boundaries of what’s possible with convolution and I’m both hopeful and excited for the future of “Airspace” and what it can become.
Technical
- Easy to download, install and activate. Large download size (±300mb) due to impulse responses.
- Mac & PC are both supported, with options for VST3, AU.
- The manual is thorough and easy to understand.
- CPU usage is largely dependent on your system, but my testing found it to be less taxing than some of the other available convolution options.
Alternatives
- Convology XT (WaveArts)
- Fog Convolver (AudioThing)
- Snap Heap and Multipass (Kilohearts)
Many thanks, Josh, for this in-depth overview of Airspace. If you’re interested in checking out Airspace yourself, make sure to visit ModeAudio and download a trial version.
Josh Turvey is a musician, producer and an avid plugin enthusiast. He provides online, 1-2-1 tuition for guitar and music production for NoiseQuest.
