Spacelab Interstellar

Name: Spacelab Interstellar
Price: 281.29 USD
Author: Fiedler Audio

by Fiedler Audio · Reverb · Immersive 3D reverb and panner

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Spacelab Interstellar is an immersive 3D reverb from Fiedler Audio that combines spatial panning with reverb, from stereo up to full-sphere formats.

It handles up to 256 objects and channels with per-source early reflections, a spatial EQ and binaural monitoring, for $299.

Best for: Mix Bus, Vocals, Acoustic Instruments, Sound Design. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Electronic & EDM, Pop.

Keywords: spacious, auto-pan, room, wide, A/B compare, bus processing, cinematic, creative, full mix, mix bus, mixing, perpetual licence, rent-to-own, sound design, vocals.

What it does

Spacelab Interstellar is Fiedler Audio's flagship 3D reverb and panner. Each source is placed as an object in a virtual room, and the reverb is generated from its position, so panning and reverb are handled in one place. The algorithm was developed at Fraunhofer IIS, which Fiedler Audio describes as "the inventors of MP3".

Large scale: up to 256 audio inputs, rendered to speaker layouts of up to 256 channels, from mono to full-sphere 3D.
Per-source early reflections: each object gets its own position-dependent reflection pattern, updated continuously as it moves.
Spread and mix: individual spread per source, with separate dry and wet controls.
Spatial EQ: shapes the reverb's tone in eight directions around the listener, so tails don't clutter the mix.
Automation: snapshot automation to switch between reverb settings, and source automation through the Beam satellite plugin.
Listener and monitoring: six-degrees-of-freedom listener movement (position and orientation), a map view, and a full-sphere binauralizer for headphone work in any layout.
Integration: connects directly to the Dolby Atmos Composer in any DAW, even stereo-only ones, turning the rendered reverb into dynamic objects; an optional MPEG-H Exporter is available.

A trial can be downloaded. It is sold perpetual, or rent-to-own over 3, 6 or 12 payments. The lighter Spacelab Ignition handles up to 24 objects and lacks snapshots, spatial EQ, per-source spread and 6DoF.

Source: Fiedler Audio product page

When to use it

Spacelab Interstellar is the pick when many sources need their own place in a 3D room and the reverb has to follow them. Compared with Cinematic Rooms Professional or Pro-R 2, which add reverb to channel-based surround and Atmos beds, it ties the reflections to each object's position and adds panning, 6DoF and binaural monitoring in the same tool. That makes it far more involved than a normal reverb insert, and overkill for stereo work. For classic or creative reverb character, Seventh Heaven Professional or VintageVerb are simpler and cheaper.

Best for: placing and reverberating many sources in Dolby Atmos, binaural and other 3D mixes, including moving sources in post and immersive music.
Genres: film and game post, cinematic, ambient, electronic and immersive pop mixes.
Look elsewhere if: you only mix in stereo or just need a bed reverb; Cinematic Rooms Professional or Pro-R 2 are quicker to set up.
Tip: set up the objects in the unified objects panel first, then add the Beam satellite plugins to tracks.

What producers say

Few reviews exist, but the one detailed user review rates its reverb quality and 3D placement very highly.

Visuals Producer blog (2022) found its reverb "the best I have come across" and said that for exact 3D placement "there is currently no alternative that comes close"; CPU use stayed low over 21 tracks in Logic, lighter than NUGEN Paragon and PhoenixReverb in their test.
Criticisms: object colours are hard to tell apart with many tracks, the MPEG-H export had compatibility issues with some Logic versions, and the learning curve is steep for basic reverb use.

Visuals Producer review

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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