VIRTUOSO Lite

Precision Binaural Monitoring, Now More Accessible than Ever!

VIRTUOSO Lite is a streamlined edition of its flagship VIRTUOSO binaural monitoring tool, praised by many top sound engineers for its accurate and natural-sounding speaker and room virtualisation. Designed to make high-quality immersive monitoring more accessible, VIRTUOSO Lite delivers essential features for accurate binaural rendering while maintaining the core excellence of APL’s cutting-edge technology. While VIRTUOSO provides full customisation and advanced professional features for power users, VIRTUOSO Lite offers a refined selection of features tailored for seamless, high-quality immersive monitoring. Users can experience realistic spatial audio over headphones with:

ADM/WAV playback for QC and listening purposes (Standalone app only).
Support for Stereo, ITU 5.1/7.1, and Dolby Atmos configurations.
7 expertly tuned room presets.
Room ambience control for effective externalisation.
Head tracking for improved localisation and realism.

VIRTUOSO PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

Buy the full version of VIRTUOSO v2 and get up to 5 free licenses of the VIRTUOSO Lite Standalone App for remote QC with your clients using ADM.

Find out more about the partnership!

Experts Say

Bob Katz

Mastering and Mixing Engineer, Author

I thought I was listening to my speakers! Virtuoso fooled me. Amazing recreation. We finally have a convincing tool for binaural translation...I absolutely recommend Virtuoso for mixing engineers who do not have a good listening room.

Morten Lindberg

Recording Producer/Balance Engineer

APL Virtuoso liberates us from traditional limitations in binaural rendering and provide a view of what future immersive virtualization can bring to headphone listening.

Andrew Scheps

Mix Engineer/Producer

Virtuoso is the missing link when mixing immersive formats and you’re away from the studio. Sounds amazing, very customisable, and really gives you a feel for what’s going on in speakers. It’s also a great tool for getting clients to be able to hear speaker versions of their songs, even if they’re on the road!

James Auwarter

Recording, Mixing and Mastering Engineer

APL Virtuoso is absolutely the new benchmark for immersive headphone monitoring! Its precision, depth, and spatial realism allow me to trust every mix decision, knowing the translation will hold up in any environment. The natural, speaker-like accuracy has totally changed how I approach my Dolby Atmos mixing process!

Hans-Martin Buff

Recording and Mixing Engineer/Producer

Virtuoso is a game changer for my binaural adventures. Finally I have a reliable immersive monitoring setup to go, and all I have to think about is making music for it.

Natasha Barrett

Electroacoustic Music Composer

Virtuoso produces a convincing and trustworthy binaural 3D sound experience, empowering the artist to continue working on their spatial audio materials outside the studio. The many virtual space parameters also allow creative exploration of binaural mastering to bring forth qualities in the source.

Mark Willsher

Score Mixer and Music Editor

APL’s Virtuoso Binaural Renderer is simply astounding. I was able to arrive at settings where listening over headphones in my studio is eerily similar to listening over my immersive speaker layout. Virtuoso gives me confidence that I can make decisions on headphones and not be disappointed when I get back to my studio.

Emre Ramazanoglu

Mixer, Producer and Songwriter

Virtuoso is an unprecedented solution to the challenge of finding reliable, accurate software-based binaural monitoring for working on spatial mixes when away from the studio. APL have made it very straightforward to model a familiar space or experiment with new environments. Highly recommended.

Mark Gittins

Broadcast Mix Engineer

Never before have I heard such amazing binaural detail from behind and above. I was blown away by how moving an object around my head was translating binaurally on headphones. Mixing through Virtuoso really does give the impression of mixing through speakers in a room.

Christal Jerez

Mixing and Mastering Engineer

Virtuoso is the most realistic binaural renderer I have used and I am happy to have found a reliable tool I can turn to that accurately translates immersive room environments over headphones. I recommend every engineer include it as part of their immersive mixing workflow.

Matthew Chan

Re-Recording Mixer

We used APL Virtuoso for approval playbacks on Halo Season 2. We found Virtuoso to have the most convincing immersive/spatial rendering of any plugins we had tested. You truly feel as though the sound is moving around you.

Justin Gray

Mastering and Mixing Engineer

What a special binaural experience! I had to take off my headphones and make sure the speakers were off. With Virtuoso, I can see myself genuinely being able to create music in spatial audio with accuracy and confidence.

Katia Sochaczewska

Immersive Sound Designer/Producer

Virtuoso provides an unprecedented level of accuracy in spatialisation while preserving the naturalness and integrity of the source. It's an integral part of my immersive audio workflow.

Peter Chilvers

Composer, Musician and Engineer

Virtuoso has been absolutely invaluable to me mixing my last batch of EPs for Dolby Atmos. I don’t have an Atmos setup, so I used Virtuoso for monitoring while I was creating the mix on my home setup, then checked the final tweaks mixes on a friend’s setup. I actually changed very little from the Virtuoso mixes.

Mick Sawaguchi

Hi-Res Recording Engineer/Producer

Virtuoso is the first binaural monitoring tool that I found to reproduce the nuances and immersive sensory fields of high-resolution audio masters I produced. I wholeheartedly welcome the release of Virtuoso.

Michael Patterson

Mixer and Producer

Virtuoso is the best binaural monitoring tool I've used. The records that I have mixed using Virtuoso have translated exceptionally well to speakers and radio, while the score I mixed translated flawlessly to the dub stage.

Dror Mohar

Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer

Virtuoso is phenomenal. The imaging of multichannel mixes on headphones is truly immersive. The translation of Atmos on headphones literally had me check that the monitors weren’t on a few times. I also used it in conjunction with some delays and verbs to create textures and atmospheres that turned out great. I love it.

Felix Krückels

Tonmeister and Professor of Broadcast Production

Virtuoso is the first binaural software I used which replicates speaker monitoring close to a real speaker setup. It's not only very accurate in terms of localization and frequency response, but also very musical-sounding.

Lasse Nipkow

3D Recording and Mixing Engineer

Virtuoso is a top class binauralizer! I'm very impressed by the degree of externalization and the naturalness of the virtual room sound. Virtuoso makes my recordings sound like convincing dummy head recordings - that’s very impressive!

Sam Proctor

Mastering Engineer

As a mastering engineer I have found Virtuoso invaluable in allowing me to recreate the conditions in my control room when I am on the move. The accuracy with which Virtuoso replicates my room is uncanny - on several occasions I have been fooled into thinking I had left my monitors on. All my listening on headphones goes through Virtuoso now.

Martin Rieger

3D Sound Designer

Finally, a binauralizer that I can trust! With Virtuoso, I feel more confident in my mixing of immersive audio using headphones. I am impressed by its ability to create enveloping and externalised sounds without compromising the punch and clarity.

Educational Discount Programme

Special discounts are available for students and faculty. See details here.

Virtuoso Lite Plugins

$79Originally $99

Plugins for DAW
AAX | AU | VST3
macOS | Windows

View Product

Virtuoso Lite Standalone

$59Originally $79

Standalone App
WAV/ADM Player
macOS | Windows

View Product

Also available: VIRTUOSO

The flagship VIRTUOSO with fully customisable features

VIRTUOSO Lite vs. VIRTUOSO

Virtuoso Comparison Table

FEATURE	VIRTUOSO Lite		VIRTUOSO
FEATURE	Plugin	Standalone	Plugin	Standalone
Integration	AAX/VST3/AU	macOS/Windows	AAX/VST3/AU	macOS/Windows
Speaker Configurations	18 (up to 16 channels) Mono/Stereo, ITU-R, Dolby Atmos	18 (up to 16 channels) Mono/Stereo, ITU-R, Dolby Atmos	53 (up to 26 channels) Mono/Stereo, ITU-R, Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D, MPEG-H, NHK, Regular	53 (up to 26 channels) Mono/Stereo, ITU-R, Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D, MPEG-H, NHK, Regular
Room Presets	7	7	7	7
Room Customisation			✔	✔
Room Loudness Normalisation			✔	✔
Custom Room Save/Load			✔	✔
Built-in HRTF Sets	5	5	5	5
SOFA File Load			✔	✔
Head Tracking	✔	✔	✔	✔
Routing Matrix			✔	✔
Solo/Mute on GUI	✔	✔	✔	✔
Downmix Options			✔	✔
Headphone EQ Models	100	100	100	100
Custom HPC EQ Load	✔	✔	✔	✔
Custom HPC EQ Save			✔	✔
10-Band Parametric HPC EQ			✔	✔
Speaker EQ	✔	✔	✔	✔
WAV/ADM Playback		✔		✔

WAV/ADM Player

The VIRTUOSO Lite Standalone app can decode and play stereo or multichannel re-render WAV files, as well as ADM Dolby Atmos master WAV files, allowing you to virtually hear how your mix sounds over different loudspeaker setups and in various rooms. This feature also ensures your mix translates accurately during the QC process—simply share your ADM master file with clients or colleagues who have VIRTUOSO LITE, so they can experience how your mix sounds in your studio or in different environments. Find out about VIRTUOSO PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME – qualified partner engineers can get up to 5 free licenses of VIRTUOSO Lite Standalone they can share with their clients.

Virtual loudspeaker setups for binaural listening

VIRTUOSO Lite supports all essential loudspeaker configurations, including Stereo, ITU-R 5.1/7.1 and Dolby Atmos 7.1.4/9.1.6 configurations. VIRTUOSO Lite lets you precisely localise sound images around you, as if they’re being reproduced by real loudspeakers positioned at a distance, rather than inside your head. Even without an extensive speaker setup, you can embark on your immersive audio journey with just a pair of headphones and VIRTUOSO Lite.

Virtual room presets

VIRTUOSO Lite offers seven virtual listening room presets, scientifically designed using ASPEN™’s 3D geometric acoustic simulation and finely tuned by expert sound engineers. These rooms provide a highly realistic and natural sound experience without introducing any tonal coloration. In the VIRTUOSO environments, you can trust that what you’re hearing on headphones will translate accurately to real loudspeakers in similar settings, thanks to VIRTUOSO’s precise imaging. If you face acoustic challenges in your studio, simply transport yourself into APL’s ITU-R BS.1116-compliant reference listening room in VIRTUOSO Lite, making critical mix decisions easier and more confidently.

Built-in HRTFs and Head Tracking

VIRTUOSO Lite provides five carefully selected and finely tuned built-in HRTFs, along with smooth, low-latency head tracking for ultimate spatial realism. It supports four formats: APL, Audeze (for Maxwell), IEM, and Nxosc (for Waves NX).

Headphone compensation (HPC) EQ and loudspeaker (SPK) EQ

For the most accurate presentation of head-related transfer function (HRTF) in binaural audio rendering, it is often necessary to make the frequency response of the headphones perceptually flat. To achieve this, VIRTUOSO currently provides HPC EQ filters for 98 popular headphone models and allows you to load a custom headphone EQ .wav file (e.g., from the popular AutoEQ library). Additionally, SPK EQ filters model the on-axis frequency responses of 11 popular loudspeaker models. These EQs enable you to select virtual loudspeakers with different spectral balances for monitoring purposes and can also be used to add a unique tonal color to your binaural mix. More headphone and loudspeaker EQs will be added in future updates.

Examples of immersive and stereo recordings binauralised using VIRTUOSO

Please use headphones.

Below is a Samply playlist of Virtuoso binaural samples. For streaming quality, you can select between 48kHz/24bits Lossless (recommended) and Adaptive in the Audio Controls at the bottom of the player, depending on your internet bandwidth.

See the credits and technical details of these tracks.

Authorisation Method

PACE iLok (dongle gen. 2 or 3 or machine-base)

Formats

AAX
VST3
AU
Standalone macOS Application
Standalone Windows Application

Operating Systems

Apple macOS Mojave 10.14.1 through Sequoia 15.3.1

Microsoft Windows 10 and 11

Mac Requirements

Apple M1, M2 and M3

Intel 64-bit CPU with SSE3 (minimum Core i5 at 2 GHz)
– We recommend using a Mac from at least 2019. Core 2 Duo is not supported.

PC Requirements

Intel 64-bit or compatible CPU with SSE3 instruction set (minimum Core i5 at 2 GHz)
– We recommend using a PC from at least 2016.

Memory

4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended.

DAW

We tested on the following DAWS:
Pro Tools 2023.3
Reaper 7
Logic Pro 10.7
Nuendo 12
Cubase 12
Studio One 6
Pyramix 14
Sequoia Pro 16
Samplitude Pro X7
Audition CC
Ableton Live 12

* JRiver is currently not supported.

Sample Rates

44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz

VIRTUOSO V2 New Feature Demo

Quick Demonstration of APL VIRTUOSO

Using VIRTUOSO with Dolby Atmos “Internal” Renderer in Pro Tools

This video demonstrates how to use APL VIRTUOSO to binaurally monitor 7.1.4 output from Dolby Atmos Internal Renderer in Pro Tools. Use headphones for a binaural demo at the end.

Using VIRTUOSO with Dolby Atmos External Renderer

This video demonstrates how to use APL VIRTUOSO to binaurally monitor 7.1.4 output from Dolby Atmos External Renderer. Use headphones for a binaural demo at the end.

Head-Tracked Binaural Atmos 9.1.6 in VR with VIRTUOSO

Sam Hocking explores Atmos 9.1.6 playback using VIRTUOSO alongside the Supperware headtracker within a VR desktop setup. Achieving an ambiance level that matches the virtual cinema acoustics delivers a highly realistic and impactful externalisation.

Next-Level Binaural Rendering: Virtuoso Received an Update!

Michael G Wagner introduces new features of Virtuoso v1.1.0 and demonstrates Dolby Atmos Renderer (7.1.4) + VIRTUOSO (binaural) + Bridgehead (Headtracking) on Windows via Dante VIA (ASIO).

Bob Katz’s demonstration of VIRTUOSO

The legendary mastering engineer and author Bob Katz gave a talk and demo on Binaural Translation of Immersive Music using Virtuoso on February 7th, 2023, as part of AES San Francisco’s Audio Education Series.

Headtracked binaural with VIRTUOSO

Dr Michael G Wagner of Drexel University thinks that VIRTUOSO and Bridgehead headtracker are a killer combination for delivering a truly immersive binaural listening experience.

Reviews from Experts

APL Virtuoso v2 Binaural Translation Tool – New Features Explored

Bob Katz trusts VIRTUOSO for stereo and immersive mixing

APL Virtuoso Binaural Translation Tool – Tested

Testimonials from Experts

Bob Katz

Mastering and Mixing Engineer, Author

I thought I was listening to my speakers! Virtuoso fooled me. Amazing recreation. We finally have a convincing tool for binaural translation...I absolutely recommend Virtuoso for mixing engineers who do not have a good listening room.

Morten Lindberg

Recording Producer/Balance Engineer

APL Virtuoso liberates us from traditional limitations in binaural rendering and provide a view of what future immersive virtualization can bring to headphone listening.

Andrew Scheps

Mix Engineer/Producer

Virtuoso is the missing link when mixing immersive formats and you’re away from the studio. Sounds amazing, very customisable, and really gives you a feel for what’s going on in speakers. It’s also a great tool for getting clients to be able to hear speaker versions of their songs, even if they’re on the road!

James Auwarter

Recording, Mixing and Mastering Engineer

APL Virtuoso is absolutely the new benchmark for immersive headphone monitoring! Its precision, depth, and spatial realism allow me to trust every mix decision, knowing the translation will hold up in any environment. The natural, speaker-like accuracy has totally changed how I approach my Dolby Atmos mixing process!

Hans-Martin Buff

Recording and Mixing Engineer/Producer

Virtuoso is a game changer for my binaural adventures. Finally I have a reliable immersive monitoring setup to go, and all I have to think about is making music for it.

Natasha Barrett

Electroacoustic Music Composer

Virtuoso produces a convincing and trustworthy binaural 3D sound experience, empowering the artist to continue working on their spatial audio materials outside the studio. The many virtual space parameters also allow creative exploration of binaural mastering to bring forth qualities in the source.

Mark Willsher

Score Mixer and Music Editor

APL’s Virtuoso Binaural Renderer is simply astounding. I was able to arrive at settings where listening over headphones in my studio is eerily similar to listening over my immersive speaker layout. Virtuoso gives me confidence that I can make decisions on headphones and not be disappointed when I get back to my studio.

Emre Ramazanoglu

Mixer, Producer and Songwriter

Virtuoso is an unprecedented solution to the challenge of finding reliable, accurate software-based binaural monitoring for working on spatial mixes when away from the studio. APL have made it very straightforward to model a familiar space or experiment with new environments. Highly recommended.

Mark Gittins

Broadcast Mix Engineer

Never before have I heard such amazing binaural detail from behind and above. I was blown away by how moving an object around my head was translating binaurally on headphones. Mixing through Virtuoso really does give the impression of mixing through speakers in a room.

Christal Jerez

Mixing and Mastering Engineer

Virtuoso is the most realistic binaural renderer I have used and I am happy to have found a reliable tool I can turn to that accurately translates immersive room environments over headphones. I recommend every engineer include it as part of their immersive mixing workflow.

Matthew Chan

Re-Recording Mixer

We used APL Virtuoso for approval playbacks on Halo Season 2. We found Virtuoso to have the most convincing immersive/spatial rendering of any plugins we had tested. You truly feel as though the sound is moving around you.

Justin Gray

Mastering and Mixing Engineer

What a special binaural experience! I had to take off my headphones and make sure the speakers were off. With Virtuoso, I can see myself genuinely being able to create music in spatial audio with accuracy and confidence.

Katia Sochaczewska

Immersive Sound Designer/Producer

Virtuoso provides an unprecedented level of accuracy in spatialisation while preserving the naturalness and integrity of the source. It's an integral part of my immersive audio workflow.

Peter Chilvers

Composer, Musician and Engineer

Virtuoso has been absolutely invaluable to me mixing my last batch of EPs for Dolby Atmos. I don’t have an Atmos setup, so I used Virtuoso for monitoring while I was creating the mix on my home setup, then checked the final tweaks mixes on a friend’s setup. I actually changed very little from the Virtuoso mixes.

Mick Sawaguchi

Hi-Res Recording Engineer/Producer

Virtuoso is the first binaural monitoring tool that I found to reproduce the nuances and immersive sensory fields of high-resolution audio masters I produced. I wholeheartedly welcome the release of Virtuoso.

Michael Patterson

Mixer and Producer

Virtuoso is the best binaural monitoring tool I've used. The records that I have mixed using Virtuoso have translated exceptionally well to speakers and radio, while the score I mixed translated flawlessly to the dub stage.

Dror Mohar

Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer

Virtuoso is phenomenal. The imaging of multichannel mixes on headphones is truly immersive. The translation of Atmos on headphones literally had me check that the monitors weren’t on a few times. I also used it in conjunction with some delays and verbs to create textures and atmospheres that turned out great. I love it.

Felix Krückels

Tonmeister and Professor of Broadcast Production

Virtuoso is the first binaural software I used which replicates speaker monitoring close to a real speaker setup. It's not only very accurate in terms of localization and frequency response, but also very musical-sounding.

Lasse Nipkow

3D Recording and Mixing Engineer

Virtuoso is a top class binauralizer! I'm very impressed by the degree of externalization and the naturalness of the virtual room sound. Virtuoso makes my recordings sound like convincing dummy head recordings - that’s very impressive!

Sam Proctor

Mastering Engineer

As a mastering engineer I have found Virtuoso invaluable in allowing me to recreate the conditions in my control room when I am on the move. The accuracy with which Virtuoso replicates my room is uncanny - on several occasions I have been fooled into thinking I had left my monitors on. All my listening on headphones goes through Virtuoso now.

Martin Rieger

3D Sound Designer

Finally, a binauralizer that I can trust! With Virtuoso, I feel more confident in my mixing of immersive audio using headphones. I am impressed by its ability to create enveloping and externalised sounds without compromising the punch and clarity.

User Manual

The user manual can be accessed by clicking the i button in the top right corner of the plugin/app.

Or click here to download the user manual.

Loudspeaker Layouts

The list of loudspeaker layouts currently supported by Virtuoso can be accessed by clicking the i button in the top right corner of the plugin/app.

Or click here to download the list of loudspeaker layouts.

FAQs

Click here to find answers to frequently asked questions.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please email us at support@apl-hud.com

If you found a bug, please report it here.

VIRTUOSO Lite

Precision Binaural Monitoring, Now More Accessible than Ever!

VIRTUOSO PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

Buy the full version of VIRTUOSO v2 and get up to 5 free licenses of the VIRTUOSO Lite Standalone App for remote QC with your clients using ADM.

Find out more about the partnership!

Experts Say

Educational Discount Programme

Also available: VIRTUOSO

The flagship VIRTUOSO with fully customisable features

VIRTUOSO Lite vs. VIRTUOSO

WAV/ADM Player

Virtual loudspeaker setups for binaural listening

Virtual room presets

Built-in HRTFs and Head Tracking

Headphone compensation (HPC) EQ and loudspeaker (SPK) EQ

Examples of immersive and stereo recordings binauralised using VIRTUOSO

See the credits and technical details of these tracks.

VIRTUOSO V2 New Feature Demo

Quick Demonstration of APL VIRTUOSO

Using VIRTUOSO with Dolby Atmos “Internal” Renderer in Pro Tools

Using VIRTUOSO with Dolby Atmos External Renderer

Head-Tracked Binaural Atmos 9.1.6 in VR with VIRTUOSO

Next-Level Binaural Rendering: Virtuoso Received an Update!

Bob Katz’s demonstration of VIRTUOSO

Headtracked binaural with VIRTUOSO

Reviews from Experts

APL Virtuoso v2 Binaural Translation Tool – New Features Explored

Bob Katz trusts VIRTUOSO for stereo and immersive mixing

APL Virtuoso Binaural Translation Tool – Tested

Testimonials from Experts

User Manual

Loudspeaker Layouts

FAQs

Contact Us

Subscribe To Our Mailing List