Japanese developer Suzumushi released SpeakerObjects, a freeware plugin for emulating a pair of stereo speakers while using headphones.
If you’re looking to replicate the sensation of panning in a stereo speaker placement, then SpeakerObjects has you covered.
SpeakerObjects is the work of Suzumushi, a Japanese developer, and the express intent is to replicate the characteristics of stereo speakers while listening to headphones.
The software does a fair job of replicating the sensation of listening to an actual pair of speakers. I keep a pair of Yamaha HS7s in my workspace, so I’m pretty used to working with stereo monitors as a whole.
However, when I decide to don my headphones for closer monitoring purposes, I definitely lose a certain something while mixing.
SpeakerObjects allows a lot of control when it comes down to replicating the sensation of listening to audio playback on a pair of stereo speakers. You can place each speaker on a plot across the X, Y, and Z axis.
This is further enhanced with the addition of reflectance controls, mimicking the property of a wall bouncing the sound and resonances back at you during the listening process. You can even load up HRIR files to emulate a space more closely, which does help to nail in the vibe.
Now, you can use this as is, like a more robust replacement for software like CanOpener from Goodhertz. However, there is quite a bit of potential to get into some wacky territory running this on single inserts and panning sounds however you want.
With control over parameters like distance attenuation, you can get into some interesting territory that really entices me as a sometimes ambient musician.
As a wholeSpeakerObjects is an interesting plugin. I don’t know that I would personally reach for it first when I can just turn up my monitors, but it’s worth a try if you only have headphones.
SpeakerObjects is available for Windows 10 and 11. You’re stuck with VST3 as the only plugin format. Supported sampling rates are 44.1, 48, and 96 kHz. If you’re running sessions at higher sampling rates, you may experience some issues.
Download: SpeakerObjects (FREE)
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Last Updated on December 12, 2023 by Tomislav Zlatic.
