VirSyn has introduced Bark – a critical band analyzer, filter and compressor for iOS.
Why the name Bark? The Bark scale is a frequency scale on which equal distances correspond with perceptually equal distances. Above about 500 Hz this scale is more or less equal to a logarithmic frequency axis. Below 500 Hz the Bark scale becomes more and more linear.
Features:
- Multi band dynamic range compressor with up to 27 bands
- Variable number of compressor bands (1..27)
- Threshold/Ratio Attack/Release and Makeup Gain
- Linear phase precision filters for maximal transparency
- Real time pre/post processing calibrated spectrum analyser
- AudioUnit for AUv3 compatible hosts.
- Inter-app audio compatible effect.
- Audiobus 3 compatible with state saving.
- Low latency live usage with mic and headphones.
- Audio recorder
The multi band filter in Bark takes the approach to match the reception characteristic of the gate where all sounds must pass through: the human ear. The ear behaves as if it contains a bank of filters, each filter passing frequencies within their respective critical band.
Two tones apart more than the frequenc-dependent critical bandwidth are perceived as separate tones. For this reason Bark contains a filter bank with 27 very steep bandpass filters matching the critical bandwidth characteristic of the human ear.
Multiband compressors can act differently on different frequency bands. The advantage of multiband compression over full-bandwidth compression is that unneeded audible gain changes or “pumping” in other frequency bands is not caused by changing signal levels in a single frequency band.
Bark can act both as single band compressor and with up to 27 bands in multiband mode by linking critical bands.
The linear phase filter bank with its steep filter slopes can be used for unusually pronounced filter effects, too.
Video Demo:
Pricing and Availability
Bark for iOS is available now for US $6.99.
Nice! I’ve been searching for a spectrum analyzer for iOS and I’ll go with this because yeah
I love that they based the filter bands on the ear, but I don’t know if there’s any science to back up what they are saying. I’ll have to do some research.
I like that the filters are Phase Linear– that means that this’ll be a very transparent and low-destruction multiband.
I’m really disappointed they didn’t take this fancy phase linear dynamic filter bank and make the best vocoder on iOS. They could have with that last product, too. Ugh!! Come VirSyn, add a vocoder mode to this. It would even make sense with the name, “Bark!”
I’d also love to see this as a AU for Mac OS. If they threw in a side chain, that would allow a workaround for look-ahead. I’d be willing to pay much more than $7 for that.
This came out as a VST and Audiounit effect years ago. If you look on their website you can see it. Here: http://www.virsyn.de/en/E_Products/E_BARK/body_e_bark.html . There’s a demo too. From the look of it it’s pretty much the same apart from different graphics.