Nostalgia Panner
Nostalgia Panner is a Max for Live audio effect designed to explore how memory and perception become altered over time. The device focuses on nostalgia as a subjective experience rather than an accurate reconstruction of the past. It uses spatial motion, spectral filtering, and subtle temporal instability to create an immersive but intentionally unstable listening environment.
The device is built on the Max for Live Surround Panner and extends it into an eight-channel surround effect. Each output channel is processed through a dedicated band-pass filter. The center frequencies of these filters are distributed logarithmically across the audible spectrum, ranging from approximately 31 Hz to 13,228 Hz. As audio rotates through the surround field, it moves sequentially through these frequency bands, creating a continuous spectral and spatial transformation.
Additional delay and randomized tape-style modulation are applied to reduce clarity and introduce gentle temporal variation. Rotation is controlled by a phasor, allowing continuous movement around the full eight-channel field with adjustable speed.
Requirements
Ableton Live with Max for Live
Track configured for eight-channel audio
Surround speaker configuration set to eight-channel room
Usage Instructions
Insert Nostalgia Surround on an audio track.
Set the track output and speaker configuration to an eight-channel surround setup.
If rotation does not begin automatically, move the Y-axis control fully to the left or open the device in Max for Live and adjust any parameter to initialize motion.
Use the Focus control to adjust the perceived spatial size and depth of the sound source.
Increase the Nostalgia control to progressively narrow the band-pass filters assigned to each channel.
Adjust the rotation speed to control how quickly the sound moves through the surround field.
Notes
This device is intended for use as a spatial and conceptual effect rather than a transparent processor. It is particularly effective on percussive elements, sustained textures, and vocal material, but can be applied to any audio source.
