BeeBAP is a professional-grade spatial audio plugin implementing Vector Base Amplitude Panning (VBAP) for precise 3D sound positioning across a hexagonal speaker array. It provides real-time azimuth and elevation control with intuitive visual feedback.
- Full VBAP Implementation: Mathematically accurate gain computation with pair and solo fallback modes
- Hexagonal Speaker Layout: Six-channel output for 2D horizontal surround with elevation support
- Interactive Visualization: Drag-and-drop interface for real-time speaker and source repositioning
- Active Set Indication: Visual highlighting of active speaker pairs/triplets
- Per-Speaker Gain Meters: Real-time VBAP gain distribution feedback
- Input/Output Metering: L/R input and aggregated output RMS monitoring
- Bypass and Reset Controls: Quick A/B comparison and layout restoration
- VST3 Format: Cross-platform plugin compatible with major DAWs
BeeBAP uses a 6-speaker hexagonal configuration in the default horizontal plane. Positions are fully reconfigurable via drag-and-drop in the plugin interface.
BeeBAP implements the Pulkki VBAP algorithm through these stages:
- Speaker Triplet Selection: Identifies the enclosing triplet of speakers for the source direction
-
Matrix Inversion: Solves for gain factors
$\mathbf{g} = [g_1, g_2, g_3]$ using:$$\mathbf{g} = \mathbf{L}^{-1} \mathbf{s}$$ where$\mathbf{L}$ is the 3×3 matrix of speaker direction vectors and$\mathbf{s}$ is the source direction -
Gain Normalization: Applies energy-preserving normalization to preserve loudness:
$$g_i' = \frac{g_i}{\sqrt{g_1^2 + g_2^2 + g_3^2}}$$ -
Fallback Modes:
- Pair mode when source lies on speaker pair edge (2D inversion)
- Solo mode when source coincides with a single speaker (1D point)
Active Set Visualization:
- Yellow triangle: Active triplet
- Yellow line: Active pair
- Green highlight: Solo speaker
- CMake 3.22 or later
- C++17 compatible compiler (GCC 9+, Clang 10+, MSVC 2019+)
- JUCE Framework 7.x (included as submodule)
- libcurl development libraries
- Linux: ALSA, Freetype, X11 libraries (
libasound2-dev libfreetype6-dev libx11-dev)
# Clone with submodules
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/calanuzao/beevap.git
cd beevap
# Configure CMake
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
# Build (multi-threaded)
cmake --build . -j$(nproc)
# VST3 output location
# build/BEEBAP_artefacts/Release/VST3/BeeBAP.vst3After modifying source files:
cmake --build build -j$(nproc)For CMakeLists changes, reconfigure first:
cd build && cmake .. && cmake --build . -j$(nproc)Copy BeeBAP.vst3 to your system's VST3 directory and rescan plugins in your DAW:
- Linux:
~/.vst3/ - macOS:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ - Windows:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
- Red source dot: Drag to position sound (azimuth/elevation)
- Blue speaker markers: Drag to reconfigure layout
- Top bar: Reset, Bypass, and Help controls
- Side meters: Input (L/R) and output (RMS) levels with per-speaker gain indicators
- Bottom legend: Az/El readout and color reference
beevap/
├── Source/
│ ├── PluginProcessor.cpp/h # Audio processing, parameter management
│ ├── PluginEditor.cpp/h # UI rendering, interaction handling
│ ├── VBAPEngine.cpp/h # Core VBAP algorithm implementation
│ ├── SpeakerLayout.cpp/h # Speaker configuration management
│ ├── VectorMath.cpp/h # 3D vector utilities (cross/dot products)
│ └── Vector3D.h # Lightweight 3D vector template
├── Tests/ # Unit tests (Catch2)
├── JUCE/ # JUCE framework (submodule)
├── Docs/ # Flow diagrams and documentation
├── CMakeLists.txt # Build configuration
└── README.md # This file
-
Audio I/O: Stereo input (2 ch) → Hexaphonic output (6 ch), processing:
$\text{out}_i = g_i \cdot \text{mono}$ -
Parameters: Azimuth
$\theta \in [-180°, +180°]$ , Elevation$\phi \in [-90°, +90°]$ , Bypass toggle - Performance: Lock-free parameter updates, real-time safe VBAP, 30 Hz UI refresh
- JUCE 7.x: Cross-platform audio plugin framework
- libcurl: Network functionality (JUCE dependency)
- Catch2: Testing framework (fetched automatically by CMake)
This project is developed for academic and thesis purposes.
- Ville Pulkki: VBAP algorithm research and publications
- JUCE Framework: Cross-platform audio development toolkit
- NYU Tandon: C++ for Audio Applications and Real-Time Embedded Systems
Fork the repository and submit pull requests. For major changes, open an issue first to discuss proposed modifications.
Developed by Christopher Lanuza
Repository: https://github.com/calanuzao/beevap