Eclipse Audio’s FIR Designer is a software tool for creating custom loudspeaker processing (IIR+FIR) and single-channel presets. FIR Designer M adds capabilities to build up to 6-way multi-channel presets. Both tools are available for macOS or Windows and use imported audio measurements as the basis for DSP design.
The latest update of FIR Designer & FIR Designer M introduces two new branded IIR modes – AFMG and Storm Audio. “These ensure precise matching of the IIR filter behavior with the destination processor by adjusting for brand-specific differences in IIR filter interpretation”, said Michael John, Lead Developer at Eclipse Audio. “The two additions extend the list of existing supported brands, including Biamp Tesira, Blaze Audio, BSS, Lake, Linea Research, Marani, Pascal Audio, Powersoft, QSC Q-SYS, RAM Audio, RMS Acoustics, and Symetrix. The AFMG mode is unique in modelling analog filters spec’d in loudspeaker GLLs used in AFMG simulation tools like EASE and EASE Focus.”
Two new export options are also now available. These include an IIR filter coefficient export option specifically for Audio Weaver (adding to the existing FIR export capability), and new DTP (Direct-to-Processor) export for Lab Gruppen’s IPX range of DSP amplifiers. Data is sent to the IPX Controller using the ‘Loudspeaker Processor Interchange Format‘ (LPIF), a brand-agnostic JSON-based format for transferring loudspeaker EQ settings from filter design tools to DSP amplifiers & processors. (In FIR Designer M, this new DTP export includes automatic latency compensation when deploying FIR filters.)
Users of FIR Designer’s ‘Supplementary Responses View’ will welcome the new normalization option in the latest update. “A new set of loaded measurements can now be viewed in relation to the on-axis response, for both individual response plots and the polar heatmap, providing a clearer picture of the loudspeaker’s radiation pattern,” said John. “All main workflow processing – gain, polarity, delay, IIR, FIR – is applied to the new measurements before on-axis normalisation is applied.”
“FIR Designer and FIR Designer M now also look quite different to all previous versions,” said John, “We’ve introduced a dark user interface option for the first time ever, allowing users to design custom DSP using either a light or dark theme.”
Free demos of FIR Designer & FIR Designer M are available for download at eclipseaudio.com.
