What Plug-ins Are Included in the IEM Plug-in Suite?

Updated

The IEM Plug-in Suite is a free, open-source collection of Ambisonic audio plug-ins supporting up to 7th-order Ambisonics, created by staff and students at the Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics. Its featured plug-ins span delay, granular synthesis, multiband compression, stereo encoding, and room simulation — each designed around spatial audio workflows. The current release is v1.16.0 (30th September 2026), available from the download page, with source code also published.

Featured Plug-ins

DualDelay

One of the earliest plug-ins in the suite, rebuilt for composers and musicians. Key capabilities:

  • Sync-to-DAW function
  • Tap delay button
  • Time setting in BPM with multipliers (replacing milliseconds)
  • Signal rotation and warping

GranularEncoder

An Ambisonic granular synthesis plug-in — described as the first Ambisonic synthesizer released in the suite. It accepts any mono or stereo audio signal and can either turn it into an enveloping sound scene or crush it into microscopic sonic particles.

MultiBandCompressor

A mastering-stage tool that behaves like a stereo multiband compressor but preserves the spatial image. The Ambisonic input is split into four bands, each compressible individually.

StereoEncoder

Encodes mono or stereo signals into the Ambisonic domain, up to 7th order. Interface features:

  • Orientation, width, and rotation controls for the stereo pair
  • Double-click the SpherePanner to switch to linear elevation for higher accuracy toward the horizon
  • Quaternion input for orientation trackers (e.g. headtrackers) to steer sources

RoomEncoder

The most complex and computation-intensive plug-in in the suite. It places a source and a listener in a virtual shoebox-shaped room and renders over 200 wall reflections — useful for enhancing externalization in binaural playback. Source and listener can be moved freely within the room.

Compatibility Note

Versions v1.16.0, v1.15.0, and v1.3.0 introduced breaking changes. Projects created with earlier versions may not work as expected. See the Breaking changes article and ChangeLog before updating existing work.