Convolution reverb goes beyond traditional analog and synthetic digital reverb techniques to directly model the reverb response of an actual reverb space. First, an impulse response (IR) is taken of an actual physical space or a traditional reverb unit. An IR can be captured in mono, stereo, surround, or any combination. The IR, as displayed by TL Space, clearly shows the early reflections and the long decay of the reverb tail.
TL Space uses a set of mathematical functions to convolve an audio signal with the IR, creating a reverb effect directly modeled on the sampled reverb space. By using non-reverb impulse responses, TL Space expands from reverb applications to a general sound design tool useful for many types of audio processing.
The downside of traditional software based convolution reverbs is the heavy CPU processing requirement. This has often resulted in earlier convolution reverbs with unacceptable latency. Many early software convolution reverbs did not offer adequate control over traditional reverb parameters such as Pre Delay, EQ, or decay time.
TL Space redefines reverb processing in Pro Tools by offering zero and low latency convolution with the full set of controls provided by traditional synthetic reverbs.