14 DAY TRIAL // No matter how good our beloved music players are, there's always room for some enhancements, otherwise plugins wouldn't have been invented, isn't it? Whether for 3D-effects, for compression or echoing, sounds of plugins are available on the web, both free and costing hundreds of dollars, childish or highly-professional, all sworn to enhance in a way or another the sounds you are playing on your PC.
While some plugins are single-task oriented, others offer a lot of features which range from the very simple up to high-tech operations; while a certain set of plugins can be easily utilized by the inexperienced users without fuss or confusion, other plugins or plugin bundles require strong knowledge of sound technology and DSP (digital signal processing) and, as a matter of fact, these plugins are rather costly.
Today I have tested such a high-tech plugin and I must admit it took me a while to make it work and to learn how to tweak its settings a bit. Still, I must confess, I haven't got a full idea of how it works completely, but the inner and most important principles have been revealed. So, let's see what Amphiotik is made of!
The Looks
I have installed the Winamp version for some very obvious reasons: first of all, I like Winamp more than I like Windows Media Player, therefore I have chosen the former installation. Then, I abandoned the idea of working with the Amphiotik for VST (virtual studio technology) because that would have meant a longer of time spent describing the host-integration, possible host-integration troubles and so on. The Winamp was the handiest solution, so I went on with it.
As a Winamp plugin, the Amphiotik presents itself as a large window divided into some 8 smaller regions, each with its functionality. Processing, Post EQ, Real Time Compilation, Tools, Virtual World, Sound Field Model, Output, Virtual Sound Sources and 2D/3D View are these sections and they all look quite cool, especially after you have gotten to understand what each of them does and now you have a clue on how they work.
Definitely no skins and no coloring options for this professional plugin: the only graphic tweak to which you have access is the Bitmap on the Background menu, which replaces the whole Windows-grey background of the Amphiotik with a polished metal texture, with grey as well, but looking slightly more "human", ha-ha!
Buttons are very sober and they all have text on them, which reads their functions, so no chance in pushing the wrong ones (provided you have learned their works). All the text in the Amphiotik is very readable and with sufficient contrast so that nothing changes once the background has been changed. The Output section has a very handy stereo VU-meter, which is really helpful while analyzing the sound source you have processed.
The best visual feature in the Amphiotik is the 3D-modelling system of the sound-array. It is mouse-controllable and it represents the bust of a man in a square room whose wall, ceiling and floor have different textures, according to your settings and the stereo sound sources which can be easily moved in 3D! This means not only that you control the width of the stereo field and the front/back position of these sources, but also the elevation.
The Works
Basically, the Amphiotik simulates a 3D-world that you construct. By setting it up, you specify numerous variables which generate an environment according to which the way your music also varies; needless to say you will make many attempts until you get the sound you want: the Amphiotik is not at all a toy, but rather a very complex tool which will demand a very thorough learning-session in order to be well operated.
The nicest thing in this plugin is that you can alter the position of the sound source, so this means you can produce very interesting effects: after you have learned the ways of the Amphiotik you will be able to easily set the source of an audio to a level lower than the usual one or higher up, as if you were on the ground and music came from the 3rd floor. Or you can reverse the positioning; or make music sound as if the speakers were behind you and slightly on the left side; or make music ring as if inside your head...or almost anything.
Since Winamp is only a player, you will find lesser importance in the capabilities of the Amphiotik used this way. But think that you'd be a music producer...the awesome stereo-positioning effects you could be able to render! Nevertheless, very interesting results can be attained in what listening to music is concerned.
You can set up the type of rooms according to which the sound will be processed and even the materials with which the walls, ceiling or floor are covered. From painted and unpainted concrete to carpets covering the walls, wooden planks and the likes, you have a wide array of materials to choose from and modify the sound as you like.
High and low-shelving, bi-aural or trans-aural processing with different sorts of "head-related" frequency-splitting and other features complete the functions of the Amphiotik Enhancer making it (as I guess you have noticed by now) a very complex and reliable tool, especially when you think of VST plugging-in. While being definitely a tool not that suited for the inexperienced users, it can still be operated after a minimal set of knowledge has been assimilated.
The Good
The best thing about the Amphiotik Enhancer is that it opens a new direction in what 3D means in the sound-world. It can be a very useful tool for replicating weird (if not even impossible) recording conditions and will dramatically reduce the processing-times in what stereo field-positioning is concerned.
The Bad
Nothing bad, except that the manual and the help files are rather short and how-to info is scarce in there. I guess that implementing a tutorial in the software could help a lot: people will understand easier the wonder they can create with the Amphiotik Enhancer so they will use it more.
The Truth
Truth is that the Amphiotik Enhancer can easily become a tool you'd become addicted to, especially when creating sound SFX is one of your hobbies or even your job. A good price for what it does, but obviously not a good price if you plan to think of it as a toy: it really ISN'T A TOY!
See the screenshots I have prepared for you:
