Random Ambience Algorithm

The Random Ambience (also known as Ambience) algorithm was introduced on the V4 update of the original hardware in the early 90s.

This original hardware was one of the first digital reverbs to introduce a more sophisticated approach to early reflections in 93. Most hardware up until this time did not have the processing power to handle early reflections in any way other than simple delays.

The Ambience algorithm unlike the Hall, Room and Random Hall, is designed to become part of the input signal, rather than adding a cushion of reverb that sits behind a clear direct sound.

This algorithm is often used in music and post-production to create depth and width by adding a realistic room ambience to close–miked sources or studio–recorded dialog.

The Random Ambience Algorithm Sound

Random Ambience is different from any of the other algorithms. It has an early reflection environment based on a hall, but with randomization so that you avoid any over-coloration of the source material.

This algorithm introduces a highly advanced echo system. Normally, echoes and early reflections in reverbs are based on a single echo tap or a group of taps. This often introduces an unpleasant coloration of the sound caused by phase interference between the dry sound and the early reflections. Random Ambience avoids this destructive ringing by randomizing the taps, breaking up any patterns in the phase interference.

This new system emulates clusters of 1000s of reflections including advanced randomization and modulation based on real-world behavior. This allows you to recreate the first 100ms of a real hall without forcing a specific coloration onto the sound.

If you remove all modulation, by turning down the spin and wander parameters, it behaves more like early reflections with color.

Random Ambience also includes a sparse reverb tail, that can be adjusted to taste. This allows you to get a sense of reverberation without the denseness of other reverb algorithms.

With other algorithms, the early reflections are separate. This means that you will not get the sound of the early reflections in the tail unless you set up a cascaded Dual Engine Setup.

You can almost think of the Random Ambience as a 2 stage algorithm in series: the early part where these first reflections are produced and then fed into the late part which is the reverb tail.

The late part of the sound doesn't have as much density as the early part. It is more random and chaotic. The number of reflections does not increase over time, but injecting the early reflections into the tail, gives the tail more density.

Key Parameters

Here are a few of the more significant parameters you can use to get the most out of the Random Ambience algorithm.

• Reverb Tail Level
• Spin
• Wander

Random Ambience Algorithm Block Diagram

The following block diagram flowchart is a graphical representation of the steps of the Ambience algorithm. This makes it easier to understand the logic and flow of the algorithm and its parameters.

Random Ambience Algorithm Available Parameters

The following tables lay out all the editable parameters available in the Random Ambience algorithm, in both the Hardware Mode and Advanced Mode.

• Hardware Mode is an authentic reproduction of the original LARC workflow.
• Advanced Mode gives you a more interactive visual interface, as well as access to additional parameters and functionality. Any additional functionality not available in the original hardware has been highlighted.

Hardware Mode

Advanced Mode