The holidays came early for users of Wallander Instruments Brass and Woodwind Visual Instruments in the form of a free software update that adds powerful new capabilities to the already feature-rich plug-ins. Numerous improvements are included in the just-released 2.10 version, the most significant being the addition of WI-Verb DS™, a discrete spatialization reverb designed specifically for multi-instrument environments, parametric EQ for all instruments and layers, enhanced dry instrument early  reflections, and a top-to-bottom reworking of all presets to take full advantage of the new features.

Wallander Instruments Visual Instrument (WIVI) plug-ins use advanced acoustic behavior modeling to generate sound. The technology bypasses the limitations of static "snapshots" and fixed articulations associated with sample-based instruments, allowing players to continuously vary dynamics and timbre throughout the course of a note.

The V2.10 feature set significantly enhances the realism of the models. At the instrument level, a set of "sparse reflections" controls has been added, affording greater accuracy in defining an instrument's direct sound and early reflections. The instruments' "late" reverb has been replaced with the revolutionary new WI-Verb DS™ reverb engine. Designed specifically for multi-instrument environments, such as orchestra, WI-Verb DS™ employs discrete spatialization technology to precisely localize each instrument's position in the soundstage panorama --a critical factor in maintaining the authenticity and realism of multi-instrument source material.

Also unique to WI-Verb DS™ is its "spaciousness" parameter, which delivers a surround-like experience at higher settings and distinct stereo imaging at lower ones. This provides control over the perceived width of an instrument without affecting its pan position.

"The new reverb makes mixing a WIVI orchestra more intuitive than ever before," explained Arne Wallander, the company's founder and chief scientist. "We designed the reverb specifically for the WIVI sound and technology, making it much easier for users to achieve natural and realistic instrument balances and ambiences with the on-board reverb than with an external effect."

While the traditional impulse response/convolution reverbs commonly used in film and orchestral scoring sessions can be very accurate in recreating specific environments, they don't offer flexibility in instrument positioning. WI-Verb DS™ eliminates this limitation and also provides for precise localization of multiple audio sources within a single ambient environment.

A further enhancement in V2.10 is the parametric EQ, available on each individual instrument and layer, which replaces the original bass boost and high/low cut controls. EQ settings are backward-compatible; users' existing settings are simply mapped to the new EQ when the 2.10 upgrade is installed.

Rounding out the package: The preset libraries in all WIVI instruments (Brass 1 and Woodwinds 1, 2, and 3) have been completely reworked to take advantage of the new V2.10 capabilities. In addition to instrument presets, new playback environment presets have been added, including models based on world-renowned classical recordings, and theater presets featuring soundstage acoustics.

The V2.10 update is available at no charge to all registered WIVI users. New users will automatically receive V2.10 when they purchase the software from their local retail outlet. For further information visit www.mvproaudio.com