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The Doppler effect is an audible phenomenon responsible for the change in perceived frequency or pitch of a sound when the source is in motion, and the observer is static. For example, an ambulance siren passes by. As the ambulance approaches, the pitch of the siren sounds higher, and as it moves away, the pitch sounds lower. TONSTURM have produced some game-changing design software in previous years, and today, we'll be taking a look at their Doppler-specific offering, DopplerPRO.
Company: TONSTURM
Product: DopplerPRO
Price: £95
Our Rating: 4/5
Overview:
The TONSTURM DopplerPRO Plug-in is a powerful and versatile tool that gives users the power to recreate the sonic experience of objects passing by accurately, be it a car zooming past or a spaceship soaring through the cosmos. Using a 'vastly improved' Doppler engine, TONSTURM's focus here is to bring you a simplistic tool of inspiration. Allowing users to craft the best quality effects in the quickest timescale. Whether you're working on film sound design, game audio, or music production, DopplerPRO offers a comprehensive set of features that make it a valuable addition to your toolkit.
In their own words:
"DopplerPRO revolutionizes your workflow with its powerful spatial engine. By offering precise rescaling of the space for the approach and away phases, it enables you to have ultimate control over the timing and speed parameters of the Doppler effect...DopplerPRO adds energetic movement and depth to your audio, creating captivating and engaging experiences for your audience."
Key Features & Benefits
When firing up DopplerPRO we were immediately struck by the well-designed, user-friendly interface. A simple layout makes the plug-in easy to navigate, allowing for quick and efficient adjustments. Minimal use of colour helps draw your attention to the most important parameters while sitting very nicely in a dark-themed Pro Tools session, making it easy on the eyes after long periods of time. The only downside here is some controls may have a little too much space to themselves. At the bottom of the window, below your parameters, is a scrolling bar which you'll need to access all changeable parameters (Gain and panning included). Admittedly this isn't a huge issue, as the rare ability to expand the plug-in window is included, but it did take us a couple of minutes and a little peek at the manual to spot said bar.
The plug-in comes with a reasonable amount of presets, both aimed at Post-Production and Music Production. And offers a wide range of customizable parameters, giving you the ability to shape the effect to suit a wide variety of needs. You can adjust the shape of the Doppler curve (Viewed in grid form, giving a great visual representation of the sound's movement), the duration, direction and speed of the effect, and even apply fade-ins and fade-outs to help smooth transitions.
What It's Useful For
While using this tool and thinking about other Doppler Effect offerings in the marketplace, we were struck by the realization that TONSTURM also produces TRAVELER, another Plug-in that has the ability to replicate the Doppler effect. Now, while both plug-ins offer exceptional capabilities, TRAVELER focuses on overall spatial movement with the ability to cater to environmental effects alongside being able to create Doppler effects too. Whereas DopplerPRO specifically hones in on achieving precise and convincing Dopplers, which are most commonly applied to individual or specified objects.
DopplerPRO will be an invaluable tool when it comes to everyday audio design workflow improvements. In comparison to other products, the simplicity and laser focus of this offering puts it in the running to be a go-to tool for artists. We would use this plug-in when looking to make some quick and straightforward Doppler effects for situations such as vehicles or creatures passing by.
The Bottom Line
TONSTURM may have become a victim of their own success with this release. Aside from a slight need for some layout refining, DopplerPRO is an incredibly solid offering.
Its specific use case allows them to streamline included features and keep only the most important options, allowing users to focus wholly on the creative outcome while making no compromises to the quality of your end product. Where DopplerPRO may fall short is that it carries the same price tag as TRAVELER while offering less variety of use cases.
DopplerPRO requires a compatible DAW and is available as VST, AAX and Audio Suite/Audio Units.
For more from TONSTURM and the purchase information for DopplerPRO follow these links:
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