dearVR MICRO
by Dear Reality · Imaging · Binaural 3D panner
Not rated yet
dearVR MICRO is a free binaural panner that places mono or stereo sources anywhere around the listener, including above and below, with a simple room simulation.
A Focus control balances 3D effect against tonal accuracy, and you can choose Dear Reality or Sennheiser AMBEO Orbit HRTFs.
Best for: Vocals, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Electronic & EDM, Pop.
Keywords: spacious, free, auto-pan, vocals, synths, wide, cinematic, mixing, simple, sound design, thin.
What it does
dearVR MICRO is a free binaural spatializer from Dear Reality, part of Sennheiser's AMBEO line. It takes panning past left and right into "full three-dimensional space" for headphone listening.
- 360° panning: azimuth and elevation controls place a mono or stereo input around and above the listener, with a stereo width control for stereo sources.
- HRTF choice: Dear Reality's own filters, taken from dearVR PRO and dearVR MUSIC, or Sennheiser AMBEO Orbit HRTFs based on the Neumann KU 100 dummy head.
- Room simulation: a binaural room with adjustable size and reflection level, and five selectable acoustic materials.
- Focus: Sennheiser's patented AMBEO focus parameter, which balances 3D perception against keeping the original tone.
- Sample rates: 44.1 to 192 kHz.
The current version is 1.0.3. It is free. Sennheiser states that Dear Reality products "will no longer be developed or maintained", so treat it as a finished, unsupported plugin.
Source: Dear Reality product page
When to use it
dearVR MICRO is the better pick when you want a sound to move above, behind or around a headphone listener, not just wider. Compared with stereo tools like Ozone Imager or Waves S1, it places sources in 3D with HRTFs and a room, while those only spread or narrow the left-right image. Compared with dearVR PRO 2, it has fewer controls and no speaker or Ambisonics output, but it is free and quick to set up. Its binaural result is aimed at headphones and won't translate the same way on speakers.
- Best for: headphone-focused 3D effects on vocals, synths, FX and audio for video.
- Genres: ambient, instrumental, cinematic, electronic and pop.
- Look elsewhere if: you need speaker, surround or Ambisonics output (dearVR PRO 2), or a plain stereo widener for a mix that will be heard on speakers (Ozone Imager).
- Tip: if the 3D placement dulls the tone, turn Focus towards tonal preservation.
What producers say
User feedback is thin but positive about the headphone effect.
- KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from one review (2021), calling it a "beautiful immersive effect for music and video" for ambient and instrumental work.
- Criticisms: one 2020 KVR comment reported a crash in FL Studio 20.
Where to buy
- Sennheiser (Dear Reality): Free (Free download after registering for the Sennheiser AMBEO newsletter)
Tutorials and reviews
- dear VR Micro - FREE Spatial Audio Binaural Plugin
- Free 3D Audio Plugin-DearVR Micro
- dearVR Micro - FREE 3D Audio VST Plugin
- dear VR Micro - Kostenloses binaural PlugIn
- dearVR Micro Free (Perfect for DJs, Vocalists, Streamers, Vloggers, Content Creators!)
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