O3A Decoder - IMAX 5.0, 6.0 and 12.0

O3A Decoder - IMAX 5.0

Host Support

O3A Decoder - IMAX 5.0

Host TypeSupport
AAXYes, output mapped to standard 5.0
VST2Yes

O3A Decoder - IMAX 6.0

Host TypeSupport
AAXYes, output mapped to standard 6.0
VST2Yes

O3A Decoder - IMAX 12.0

Host TypeSupport
AAXYes, output mapped to 7.1.4
VST2Yes

Audio

O3A Decoder - IMAX 5.0

ChannelsContent
Input16O3A
Output5IMAX 5.0 (mapped to standard 5.0 for AAX)

O3A Decoder - IMAX 6.0

ChannelsContent
Input16O3A
Output6IMAX 6.0 (mapped to standard 6.0 for AAX)

O3A Decoder - IMAX 12.0

ChannelsContent
Input16O3A
Output12IMAX 12.0 (mapped to 7.1.4 for AAX)

Controls

Description

These plugins take a third order ambisonics (O3A) mix and decode it as IMAX surround mixes.

The AAX version of the IMAX 12.0 plugin requires Pro Tools 2023.6 or later.

IMAX 5.0 Channels

The channel ordering used for IMAX 5.0 is as follows:

ChannelAAXVST
1Front LeftFront Left
2Front CentreFront Right
3Front RightFront Centre
4Rear Left (mapped to Left Surround)Rear Left
5Rear Right (mapped to Right Surround)Rear Right

For AAX, note that this is mapped to standard 5.0.

IMAX 6.0 Channels

ChannelAAXVST
1Front LeftFront Left
2Front CentreFront Right
3Front RightFront Centre
4Rear Left (mapped to Left Surround)Front Centre Overhead
5Front Centre Overhead (mapped to Centre Surround)Rear Left
6Rear Right (mapped to Right Surround)Rear Right

For AAX, note that this is mapped to standard 6.0, with the IMAX Front Centre Overhead channel mapped to the Centre Surround in standard 6.0 (i.e. at the back).

IMAX 12.0 Channels

ChannelVST
1 Front Left
2 Front Right
3 Front Centre
4 Front Centre Overhead
5 Rear Left
6 Rear Right
7 Side Left
8 Side Right
9 Overhead Front Left
10Overhead Front Right
11Overhead Rear Left
12Overhead Rear Right

IMAX systems use speakers with wider bandwidth than typical cinema systems. No Low Frequency Effect (LFE) channel is used in the mix formats. Also note that the last two channels in IMAX 5.0 and 6.0 correspond to rear speakers, not side or surround speakers.

The plugin is available in the O3A Decoding plugin library.

Controls

Control: Method

Three methods are supported, "Basic", "Reconstruction" and "Tinted Reconstruction". Generally, "Basic" is recommended except where the speaker rig to be used for playback is known and has been set up accurately.

MethodDescription
BasicThis method produces a resilient decoding which should play well on a range of speaker systems including large venues.
ReconstructionThis method controls the soundfield at the centre of the listening space to produce a clearer spatial image. It relies on the speaker layout being set up accurately.
Tinted ReconstructionThis variant of the Reconstruction method performs HRTF-based tinting on the audio stream to strengthen the spatial image. Again, it relies on the speaker layout being set up accurately.