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GPU Audio Releases FREE FIR Convolver Early Access Plugin

By 18 Comments3 Mins Read
FIR Convolver by GPU Audio

GPU Audio released a free early-access version of FIR Convolver, a GPU-powered convolution reverb VST plugin for Windows.

FIR Convolver is the first plugin based on GPU Audio’s innovative GPU-based audio processing technology. The idea is to offload all DSP processing to a local or remote GPU, enabling instantly-rendered audio, zero-latency performance, and preventing DSP bottlenecks.

The plugin is free to download and use, but there are some limitations. The current version requires an Nvidia 10XX+ graphics card, Windows 10, and any of the following digital audio workstations:

  • Bitwig Studio
  • Ableton Studio 10/11
  • Cakewalk
  • MOTU Digital Performer
  • PreSonus Studio One
  • Reaper (recommended for early access)
  • Magix Samplitude Pro X
  • Magix Sequoia
  • Cubase

If your computer meets these requirements, you should have access to an incredibly fast convolution reverb.

FIR Convolver is a simple convolution reverb with a dry/wet knob and 10 built-in reverb impulse responses. It can load external impulse responses in WAV format, so you should be able to use your favorite IRs.

The headline feature, though, is GPU-based processing. Convolution reverbs are some of the most CPU-hungry plugins around, and offloading that to the GPU should significantly improve your DAWs’ performance.

GPU Audio is developing an entire suite of GPU-powered audio plugins.
GPU Audio is developing an entire suite of GPU-powered audio plugins.

Here is more info from GPU Audio:

“With GPU Audio, there is no added latency as a consequence of adding more instances, so have fun and stress test your DAW! For example, I was able to run 128 stereo instances within 1ms latency on Reaper.

Please check the Read-Me as this is a test plugin with purposeful limitations and is currently only compatible on Windows PC with an NVIDIA discreet GPU. We are testing across most major DAWs Roadmap ahead includes AU, macOS, AMD card support, and much more. GPU Audio is a full tech stack designed to effectively parallelize audio processing across thousands of GPU cores by offloading DSP from CPU to the GPU and returning within 1ms latency.

The plugin is basically an open-benchmarking test for us as we prepare to launch an entire suite of products in 2 months. We are also forming partnerships with great plugin makers to power up others’ future instruments and have lots of news coming.”

If you’re testing FIR Convolver in your DAW, keep the following in mind: “The Windows Task Manager is useful for seeing how adding instances of a VST3 scales processing loads, however, it is not showing you the “actual” GPU load. Our device scheduler completely occupies the GPU for specific time-slices, if any tasks are running within that particular frame. So in theory, a single channel could show up as *100% GPU* even though we could run 100-200x – orders of magnitude – more channels.”

If you’re interested in learning more about GPU Audio’s platform, tune in for their talk at NVIDIA GTC on March 24th, 2022.

GPU Audio is working on expanding its compatibility with other platforms. AMD GPU support is expected to drop by the end of March, followed by a full beta plugin suite. Support for more DAWs and macOS-based systems is coming in 2024.

You can download the early-access version of FIR Convolver below. Please note that an Nvidia 10XX+ graphics card is required for the plugin to work. The current version of FIR Convolver will remain freeware.

Download: FIR Convolver (22 MB download size, EXE installer, 64-bit VST3 plugin format for Windows 10)

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Tomislav is a music producer and sound designer from Belgrade, Serbia. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief at Bedroom Producers Blog.

18 Comments

  1. Adam-Division One

     on

    Fianlly. After 10 years we have finally one project with that concept ongoing. Bye bye expensive dsp cards when we’re all having some descent gpu (at least 1050). :D

    Reply

    • MRG

       on

      Nils Schneider, author of the sexy K1v VSTi (a Kawai K1 emulator) released as freeware his “GPU Impulse Reverb” last year, after ten years of commercial status. It uses OpenCL/CUDA. Could be an alternative for older GPUs. Not sure if still relevant for modern machines (CPU or GPU wise). Still, if you want to play with that technology…

      Reply

      • Dean (aka Nekro Machine)

         on

        MRG it’s still well worth linking to as he provides a utility that checks your compatibility before having to download it and then try it just hoping for the best. Plus being provided in both 32-bit and 64-bit VST2.4 the compatibility for a lot of PC users is pretty decent.

        https://gpuimpulsereverb.de/

        Good idea to bring it up man, cheers and all the best

        Dean

        Reply

  4. tefes

     on

    What? You mean my GPU could actually do something more than sit at 1% while my CPU gets whipped? That’s crazy talk!

    Reply

    • Dean (aka Nekro Machine)

       on

      That’d be very useful, wouldn’t it?
      I am looking forward to trying this out and hopefully, it’ll be good and viable plus also encourage more developers to make use of the available just ready and sat idly by currently processing power that many of us in audio with our computers that are packing anything from decent, respectable through to and including the most modern very powerful GPUs.
      Simply as it gives us as users more options to make better use of our resources, so that we may see plugins which could for example an option in the settings which could be selected to make use of a GPU if present and suitable.

      Cheers and all the best

      Reply

  6. MRG

     on

    With the current GPU shortages, between coin miners and gamers… and now we add musicians. :-)
    Not for me, certainly not with my current rig, but it’s nice to see things evolve that way.

    Reply

  7. Pacapaca

     on

    Previously, there was a convolution reverb using Nvidia GPU (as far as I can remember, it required a limited card such as about 9600 GT).
    If this project becomes a more general-purpose specification and APU etc. can be used, it will be one of the long-awaited plugins.
    It also makes me expect be a suite of rack modules.

    Reply

    • Nicola

       on

      I assume you mean the Liquidsonic’s reverberate lite GPU edition, it was 32bit only, and I never tried it with an AMD card (that I can remember, but I did briefly have a AMD card during the time I used reverberate lite), but it worked with every nvidia card I threw at it, starting IIRC with a 6600.

      Reply

  9. Hazy J

     on

    Any mention of FL Studio is suspiciously absent, except for in the installer; There is a brief mention that says “Beta/Not officially supported. Try at your own risk and don’t use on actual projects”.

    Seeing as they just released the modulation bundle, AND have a full-fledged Synth on the way, I was wondering if (on the off chance anyone reads this) they have any update to this information?

    Could it be Image-Line are just waiting for FL 21 to support it? Are they planning to support it at ALL? CAN they support it with the way FL’s signal flow is unconventional?

    Reply
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