Introduction
Mode Audio have released Airspace, a hybrid convolution reverb and stereo delay effect available in VST (vst3) and Audio Unit (component) formats. It is typically priced at £60 and is available from Mode Audio’s website, a 15 day free trial is also available.
Overview
A convolution reverb uses a recorded sample of a real space (called impulse responses – IRs) and multiplies with the source audio to give the impression that the source audio is being played within that physical space. But you’re not limited to physical spaces, you can use any audio files from drums to found percussion – even the kitchen sink.
Airspace comes with 450 IRs arranged into 12 folders. It has two identical convolution reverbs called colour which typically uses short IRs. These don’t add decay or reverberation but instead shape your sound in interesting ways, hence the name colour. Space typically uses longer IRs which add decays and reverberations. Between colour and space is a stereo delay with modulation options for pitch, time and pan.
Of course you’re not limited to these type of IRs, you can use any combination you like so two short IRs will tend to colour, layer or transform your sound whereas two long IRs can create vast ambient sounds.
In-Use
The GUI has a clean, modern look and all the controls are laid out on one screen. On the left you have colour, on the right space, and sandwiched between them is the delay with modulation options towards the bottom of the screen.
A good way to get a feel for the type of sounds that Airspace can produce is by trying a few of the presets. Airspace comes with a huge 246 presets arranged into 6 categories – Ambient, Blur, Cosmos, Reflect, Transform and Warp. These offer a phenomenal range of sounds including subtle ambience, spooky atmosphere to drones, glitchy, warbly and mangled.
By default colour and space are active, you can turn them on and off by clicking their respective white text or the power button next to the title. The volume control and level meter are next to each section’s title.
At the top you have the IR dropdown menu with IRs arranged into 12 categories and you load one by clicking on it. Below this is the waveform display which also shows the amplitude envelope with a blue line. There is a dedicated EQ module, you can switch between the waveform display and EQ module at the bottom of the display.
The plugin controls are located below. The amplitude envelope controls comprise attack, hold, release and predelay. These give lots of scope to shape the envelope. When settings are adjusted, you can see the corresponding changes on the blue envelope line in the waveform display.
Other controls include IR size which adjusts the sample rate (effectively playback speed) from 5x smaller to 5x larger, Gain and Mix controls.
Delay similarly can be turned on and off by clicking the white title text or power button and similarly has volume control and level meter.
There’s a mix control and the delay can be tempo synced or time based. The left and right channels have feedback controls and you can either have separate settings or link them.
You can crossfeed from left to right and right to left and there are also high pass and low pass filters which each have cutoff and resonance controls.
Things get really interesting with the modulation options available directly below. These comprise time modulation, pitch modulation and pan modulation.
Time modulation has 5 selectable LFO shapes, modulation amount and modulation rate. There’s also an option to tempo sync. This can create from subtle chorus type sounds to more sci-fi like modulations.
Pitch shift can be applied from -2 to +2 octaves, there’s a mix control and also a recursive shift button which will apply the pitch shift incrementally to each new loop / reflection.
Pan modulation mirrors the controls for time modulation and applies them to panning of the left and right audio channels.
Conclusions
Sometimes you get an idea of how you think an effect is going to sound. Then you use it and it completely takes you by surprise how versatile, diverse and incredibly creative it is. That’s Airspace. Although it is basically two convolution reverbs and a delay, it’s so much more than that. It’s a very capable and easy to use effect. It can do ‘typical’ reverbs to huge ambiences and even glitchy and warbled. It’s a brilliant creative effect.
I’ve used it to create the track embedded at the top of the post. I’ve used Airspace on every track apart from the bassline and riser. I’ve also used Shaperbox 3, KH-Comp1, Pro-Q 4, Type A, Saturn 2 and Pro-L 2.
