PANLAB 3 ADDS MAJOR NEW FEATURES

Innovate Audio have announced panLab 3, a major update to their spatial sound design and mixing tool. Available immediately as a macOS app, panLab 3 is an intuitive and user-friendly spatial audio tool, designed to integrate seamlessly with QLab.

Using panLab 3, users can intuitively mix QLab audio and mic cues by positioning them on a virtual map of their sound system. Using a bespoke algorithm designed exclusively for the software, panLab 3 takes care of much of the setup process required when configuring a spatial audio environment. As a result of this technological development, users should be up and running with panLab 3 in under 5 minutes.

New Features

Multichannel Algorithm

Unlike traditional spatial audio mixing solutions, panLab 3 can now seamlessly process multichannel audio inputs, with each channel of a multichannel audio file represented by its own position on the panner.

This means it is now possible to render almost any multichannel audio format onto any custom loudspeaker layout. The new multichannel algorithm also allows users to easily adjust the width and angle of any multichannel audio file on the panner.

Fancy Paste, QLab 5 support and more…

• panLab 3 now offers the user granular control when pasting parameters from one cue to another, so it is possible to either completely match the position and output level parameters of a cue, or just paste certain characteristics from one cue to another
• panLab 3 adds support for QLab 5, whilst maintaining backwards compatibility with QLab 4
• panLab 3 now autosaves documents in the background and includes support for reverting to previously saved versions of the document

Testimonials

“We used panLab 3 for mixing music and SFX stems in Frameless Galleries ‘The Art of Abstraction’ and ‘Colour in Motion’. It is a hugely intuitive and creative tool, making the deployment of the composed music into the designed space a whole other layer of imaginative engagement with the project. The fact it now handles stereo and surround files meant we could use the movement of surround reverbs to really explode solo instruments into the spatial environment. It was a thrill to use panLab 3 and feel the music I’d written expand in the space.” – Nick Powell, Sound Designer and Composer

“panLab has completely revolutionised the way I create work. The speed at which I can create complex audio sequences, from surround sound transitions to the placement of music stems, has made my workflow much simpler. I can do things that would’ve otherwise been impossible when strapped for time. I have even found myself beginning my sound design and even compositional process with the reassurance and understanding of what I can achieve with my design because of panLab – like picking speaker plans based on the knowledge that I have the freedom of immersive and moving sound designs!” – Beth Duke, Sound Designer

About panLab 3

panLab 3 has been developed by Innovate Audio LTD and their directors Daniel Higgott and Oscar Higgott. Oscar Higgott is a physicist, specialising in quantum computing, whilst Daniel Higgott is a software developer and live sound engineer. They have combined their skills to create a product that completely reimagines how sound designers can create content in the live audio environment.

The software has been in beta since early 2022 and has already been used on a number of major productions including Secret Cinema presents Bridgerton, Secret Cinema presents Guardians of the Galaxy, Frameless Immersive Art Gallery and Identical, a new musical based on the novel ‘The Parent Trap’.