1.

INTRODUCTION

Lava is a VST/VST3/AAX/AU Acqua plug-in that accurately recreates the

tone of classic microphones including the microphones’ response, har-
monic content and proximity effect. It is an out-of-the-box plug-in that
can make your own microphones sound just like the microphones you
have always wanted to own, with a few simple clicks.

Instantly expand your collection with vintage and modern microphones

from the cheapest to the most emblazoned models on the market, as
well as a selection of very rare boutique stuff.

Lava includes over 140 microphone emulations (100 source mics plus 41
destination mics).
Just choose your starting and output microphone, a few tricks using
the included controls and you’re done! A winning choice for recording,
mixing and even a tool that can give you satisfaction for broadcasting
and podcasting applications.

We invite you to read chapter 6 (Appendix) to find out about the genesis
of the project and for information, tips and tricks about the product.

1
2. OPERATION

Below we will immerse ourselves into the explanation of the Lava plugin
controls.

2.1 CONTROLS

1-’From’ drop-down menu (Source Mic)

This drop-down menu is used to select a specific model of mic.

Please Note: All trademarks appearing below are the property of their
respective owners. The following manufacturer names and model de-
signations are used solely to identify the microphones analysed in the
development of our digital emulations and do not in any way imply any
association with or endorsement by any of the named manufacturers.

2
Source mic list
The following is the list of the Source mic models that are included with Lava
plugin.

AE-44 001 - [AEA] R44

AE-84 002 - [AEA] R84
AK-451B 003 - [AKG] 451B
AK-C12 004 - [AKG] C12 VR
AK-C214 005 - [AKG] C214
AK-C414B 006 - [AKG] C414B
AK-C414B2 007 - [AKG] C414B TL2
AK-C414 008 - [AKG] C414B ULS
AK-D15 009 - [AKG] D15
AK-D19E 010 - [AKG] D190E
AK-P120 011 - [AKG] Perception 120
AK-TELEBK 012 - [AKG] Telefunken BK Hi
AST-SP 013 - [Aston] Spirit
AUTH-2020 014 - [Audio-Technica] AT 2020
AUTH-2031 015 - [Audio-Technica] AT 2031
AUTH-4040 016 - [Audio-Technica] AT 4040
AX-I5 017 - [Audix] i5
BHR-5 018 - [Behringer] B5
BHR-1 019 - [Behringer] B1
BYRD-160 020 - [Beyerdyna] M160
BYRD-201NC 021 - [Beyerdyna] M201N C
BYRD-69TG 022 - [Beyerdyna] M69 TG
BYRD-M81 023 - [Beyerdyna] M810N
BYRD-88TG 024 - [Beyerdyna] M88 TG
BYRD-MC74 025 - [Beyerdyna] MC740N C P48 Made in W.G.
BR-PHNT 026 - [Brauner] Phantom
BR-VMA 027 - [Brauner] VMA
CL-4038 028 - [Coles] 4038
DK-K613 029 - [Davoli] Krundaal K613
EM-250 030 - [ELA] M 250
EM-251 031 - [ELA] M 251
EVO-27ND 032 - [Electrovoice] RE27ND
FL-C12 033 - [Flea] C12
FL-49 034 - [Flea] M49
PS-01 035 - [Others] Microfono Piero Sturla
MG-692 036 - [Microtech] Gefell MV692
MG-70S 037 - [Microtech] Gefell UM70S
MG-921S 038 - [Microtech] Gefell UM92 1 S
M-VIP50 039 - [Milab] VIP 50
MX-2006 040 - [MXL] 2006
NM-563-7 041 - [Neumann] Gefell CMV 563 M7 capsule
NM-563-55K 042 - [Neumann] Gefell CMV 563 Neumann M55K capsule
NM-184 043 - [Neumann] KM184

3
 NM-84 044 - [Neumann] KM84
NM-149 045 - [Neumann] M149
NM-TLM07 046 - [Neumann] TLM 107
NM-U47 047 - [Neumann] U47
NM-U67-18 048 - [Neumann] U67 2018 reissue
NM-U67 049 - [Neumann] U67 vintage original 1965
NM-U87 050 - [Neumann] U87 ai
NM-U87A 051 - [Neumann] U87A
NM-U89I 052 - [Neumann] U89i
OTV-012 053 - [Oktava] MK 012
PH-6021 054 - [Philips] EL6021 60
PA-COP 055 - [Placid Audio] Copperphone
RC-1612 056 - [RCF] 1612
RVX-M35 057 - [Revox] M3500
RA-R12 058 - [Ribera Audio] R12
RA-R251 059 - [Ribera Audio] R251
RA-R47 060 - [Ribera Audio] R47 MK 2 new
RA-R47V 061 - [Ribera Audio] R47 MK 2 vintage
RD-NT5 062 - [Rode] NT5
RY-121 063 - [Royer] r121
RY-122 064 - [Royer] r122
SSN-C02 065 - [Samson] C02
SCH-MC6-4 066 - [Schoeps] CMC 6 U MK4
SCH-MC3-21 067 - [Schoeps] CMC3 MK21H
SCH-MC3-4 068 - [Schoeps] CMC3 MK4
SCH-MC5-21 069 - [Schoeps] CMC5 MK21H
SCH-MC5-4 070 - [Schoeps] CMC5 MK4
SCH-M221 071 - [Schoeps] M221F
SH-604 072 - [Sennheiser] E604
SH-935 073 - [Sennheiser] E935
SH-MD409 074 - [Sennheiser] MD409 U3
SH-MD214 075 - [Sennheiser] MD214 1
MG-921S 076 - [Sennheiser] MD421 II
SH-MD421 077 - [Sennheiser] MD421 N cream vintage
SH-441 078 - [Sennheiser] MD441 082INV
SH-441N 079 - [Sennheiser] MD441N
SU-K32 080 - [Shure] KSM32
SU-K44 081 - [Shure] KSM44
SU-57 082 - [Shure] SM57
SU-58 083 - [Shure] SM58
SU-7B 084 - [Shure] SM7B
SU-7BN 085 - [Shure] SM7B no filter
SU-81 086 - [Shure] SM81
SU-US545 087 - [Shure] Unidyne 545D made in Mexico
SU-MX545 088 - [Shure] Unidyne 545D Made in USA vintage
SY-017 089 - [Soyuz] 017 Tube
SY-013 090 - [Soyuz] SU 013
TELE-M411 091 - [Telefunken] M411

4
 TELE-82 092 - [Telefunken] M82
TB-B100 093 - [The T bone] RB100
TB-M700 094 - [The T bone] RM700
AK-1000S 095 - [AKG] C1000S
AK-3000 096 - [AKG] C3000
AUTH-2040 097 - [Audio-Technica] AT 2040
RD-1A 098 - [Rode] NT1 A
RD-1000 099 - [Rode] NT1000
RD-2A 100 - [Rode] NT2 A

2-’To’ drop-down menu (Sampled Mic)

This drop-down menu is used to select your desired mic.

Please Note: All trademarks appearing below are the property of their respecti-
ve owners. The following manufacturer names and model designations are
used solely to identify the microphones analysed in the development of our di-
gital models and do not in any way imply any association with or endorsement
by any of the named manufacturers.

Destination mic list

The following is the list of the Destination mic models that are included with
Lava plugin.

5
 AK-C12 001 - [AKG] C12 VR
AK-C414 002 - [AKG] C414B ULS
AK-D15 003 - [AKG] D15
AK-D19E 004 - [AKG] D190E
AK-TELEBK 005 - [AKG] Telefunken BK Hi
BYRD-M81 006 - [Beyerdynamic] M810N
BYRD-MC74 007 - [Beyerdynamic] MC740N C P48 Made in W.G.
BR-PHNT 008 - [Brauner] Phantom
BR-VMA 009 - [Brauner] VMA
DK-K613 010 - [Davoli] Krundaal K613
EM-250 011 - [ELA] M 250
EM-251 012 - [ELA] M 251
FL-C12 013 - [Flea] C12
FL-49 014 - [Flea] M49
MG-692 015 - [Microtech] Gefell MV692
MG-70S 016 - [Microtech] Gefell UM70S
MG-921S 017 - [Microtech] Gefell UM92 1 S
M-VIP50 018 - [Milab] VIP 50
NM-563-7 019 - [Neumann] Gefell CMV 563 M7 capsule
NM-563-55K 020 - [Neumann] Gefell CMV 563 Neumann M55K capsule
NM-184 021 - [Neumann] KM184
NM-149 022 - [Neumann] M149
NM-U47 023 - [Neumann] U47
NM-U67 024 - [Neumann] U67 vintage original 1965
NM-U87 025 - [Neumann] U87 ai
NM-U87A 026 - [Neumann] U87A
PH-6021 027 - [Philips] EL6021 60
PA-COP 028 - [Placid Audio] Copperphone
RC-1612 029 - [RCF] 1612
RVX-M35 030 - [Revox] M3500
RA-R12 031 - [Ribera Audio] R12
RA-R251 032 - [Ribera Audio] R251
RA-R47 033 - [Ribera Audio] R47 MK 2 new
RA-R47V 034 - [Ribera Audio] R47 MK 2 vintage
SCH-M221 035 - [Schoeps] M221F
SH-MD409 036 - [Sennheiser] MD409 U3
SH-MD214 037 - [Sennheiser] MD214 1
SH-MD421 038 - [Sennheiser] MD421 N cream vintage
SU-US545 039 - [Shure] Unidyne 545D Made in Mexico
SU-MX545 040 - [Shure] Unidyne 545D Made in USA vintage
TELE-M411 041 - [Telefunken] M411

5
3- Input Trim

This sets the input level from -24dB to +24dB, and is used to control the
signal level inside the Mic, the output level is then automatically compen-
sated by the same amount of gain. At first execution of the plug-in, set
the input to ensure that you feed an appropriate level from the first stage
of your signal path to the final one.

4-Filter

This sets the cutoff frequency for the high-pass filter from 45 Hz to 1k1
Hz (continuous filter).First step bypasses the filter.

5-Distance

This slider allows you to set the average distance separating the mi-
crophone from the signal source. The distance (Proximity) is measured
in centimetres, from a minimum of 25 to 50 cm. The closest distance (25
cm) and the farthest distance (50 cm) are the result of sampling, while
intermediate distances are the result of interpolating these. By using this
control, you can remove any proximity effects that may have been intro-
duced by the source.

6-Mix

This controls the proportion between the original (Dry) and ‘effected’
(Wet) signal. Range:0 to 100.

7-Oversampling buttons

These buttons allow you to change the oversampling rate to improve the
audio quality increasing the sampling frequency of the plugin and mini-
mize aliasing artefacts (
-The 1x mode bypasses the oversampling functionality.
-The 4x mode increases the sampling frequency of the preamp being
processed by a fixed multiple of 4x.
-The ECO mode bypasses the harmonic content of the emulation and so
has a less CPU consumption.

8-SIZE drop-down menu

This menu adjusts the whole plugin-GUI size (1x,1.5x,2x). Select the de-
sired resizing format from the drop-down menu. Close the plugin and
re-open it in you DAW to finalize the operation.

9-Input-Output Led meters

They measure the input and output levels of the plugin.

6
10-Automatic Gain

Automatically match the RMS input level with the target microphone
RMS output level to compensate for volume variations between the va-
rious selectable models. By enabling the Autogain button, the plug-in
will internally apply a gain compensation to balance the perceived output
volume. The maximum compensation is 6dB.

3. HOW TO DOWNLOAD, INSTALL,

AND AUTHORIZE YOUR PRODUCT

Acustica Audio products can be downloaded, installed, and authorized

using the Aquarius Desktop application. The Aquarius Desktop applica-
tion is a free standalone application that will manage every step in an
automatic way without user intervention.

Download Aquarius Desktop Application:

www.acustica-audio.com/pages/aquarius

3.1 HOW TO DOWNLOAD A PRODUCT IN

AQUARIUS DESKTOP APPLICATION

To download a product using the Aquarius Desktop application go to the

purchase page and select the product and format (VST2, VST3, AAX,
AU) to install. In case you can’t find your product on the purchase page
use the search page.

3.2 HOW TO INSTALL A PRODUCT IN

AQUARIUS DESKTOP APPLICATION

The installation is done automatically by the Aquarius Desktop applica-

tion after the download. As the Aquarius Desktop application creates a
temporary file of the downloaded products, known as the stage area,
at the moment you want to reinstall a product it will not be necessary to
download it again.

3.3 HOW TO AUTHORIZE A PRODUCT IN

AQUARIUS DESKTOP APPLICATION

The authorization is done automatically by the Aquarius Desktop appli-

cation after the product installation. You can manage your authorizations
using the Aquarius Web Service.

Click HERE for a complete installation user guide

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4. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Modern computers are powerful enough to run many plugins at once.

However, our technology requires more resources than algorithm-based
software, so we recommend optimizing your system to work with high
CPU loads and low audio latency.
Before starting the installation process, please confirm that your system
meets the minimum system requirements to run the plugins please con-
sult the following link:
https://app.box.com/v/AASYSTEMREQUIREMENTS

5. CUSTOMER CARE

To contact Acustica Audio, always use the single point of contact, which
is this help-desk portal:
https://acusticaudio.freshdesk.com/

We do not provide official assistance via social networks, public forums,

or email accounts. For troubleshooting and issue reporting, check the
available solutions in the knowledge base.

6. COPYRIGHTS AND CREDITS

All names, product names, logos, and brands displayed on this docu-
ment are the property of their respective owners. The content included
in this manual, such as graphics, icons, images, is the exclusive property
of Acusticaudio S.r.l. a socio unico or its suppliers and is protected by
international copyright laws.
The information contained on our website may not be downloaded, mo-
dified, distributed, uploaded, or otherwise used without the express writ-
ten consent of Acusticaudio S.r.l. a socio unico, Acustica Audio is a tra-
demark of Acusticaudio S.r.l. a socio unico.

8
6. APPENDIX

6.1 BEHIND THE SCENES

Lava is a project that took more than six months of development, in order
to properly understand how best to capture the sound characteristics of
each different sampled microphones.
We started by choosing the most suitable environment in which to carry
out the measurements: an anechoic room. In particular, we used the one
inside the ‘Politecnico di Milano’ run by Professor Roberto Fumagalli, who
spared no effort in his helpfulness and precious advice during our long
stay.

This anechoic room is a place where external sounds and unwanted or

polluting noises cannot invalidate the measurements.
The decoupled room is perfectly shielded from the outside environ-
ment, air recirculation can only be activated with the doors open, the
connection cables run through special pre-constructed channels, and
absolute silence reigns inside. This room also has the complete absence
of reverberation in high, medium and low frequencies, there are no room
modes that can in any way change the timbre of the sampling transdu-
cers. The internal sound absorption is almost cumbersome and one is
forced to work on special platforms as the absorbers are also present on
the floor.

Once the ideal location was found, we moved on to the choice of the
speaker, the transducer responsible for emitting our proprietary measu-
rement signals. After several attempts, the choice fell on the passive Ra-
sch Audio© speakers by Simone Fagnani driven by a hi-fi amplifier.

We were particularly convinced by the phase coherence and the very low
impulse response, basic characteristics for not emphasising data captu-
re. The 3-way speaker with its dedicated sub was measured with special
calibration microphones and calibration file. In this way, we were able to
cancel out even the smallest emission dissimilarities.

The measurements were carried out under controlled temperature and

humidity thanks to the instruments in the chamber. Laser levels and la-
ser metres helped us to achieve repeatability of positions and operating
distances.

Once the measurement routine was established, we moved on to find a

conspicuous number of microphones that represented the timbre, engi-
neering and history of these fascinating transducers. We were helped in
this task by Piero Sturla, a technician and microphone manufacturer for
Ribera Audio who is well known and appreciated among professionals.

9
Piero ensured that the electronic functioning of every single sampled mi-
crophone was perfect, especially for the vintage ones, devices that now
have more than 70 years on their shoulders. In fact, each microphone
was carefully checked in its operation before and after measurement,
verifying the data acquired with those released by the manufacturer.

The pre-amplifier used for the acquisition is among the best in terms of
linearity and driving capacity, its generous input impedance being able
to handle even the hardest microphones. The converter used for recor-
ding and test signal output is a benchmark for linearity and absence of
harmonic distortion.
A heartfelt thank you goes to Marco Vannucci, Acustica’s collaborator,
who actively participated in the project and contributed significantly to
its realisation.

6.2 INFO, TIPS AND TRICKS

The best way to use the Lava plugin is to stay within similar polar dia-
grams and transduction systems. The source and target microphone
should have these same characteristics to ensure more than optimal
operation. For example, if a source microphone has an omnidirectional
polar pattern, it will be less accurately reproduced if converted to car-
dioid. All lava microphones are sampled as cardioid polar pattern where
you can choose this option on the microphone body. The advice on the
translation system is the same, stay on the same principle: condenser to
condenser, dynamic to dynamic, ribbon to ribbon.

You can convert a dynamic source microphone to a condenser micropho-

ne with good results. The performance will be even more accurate if you
convert a low-cost condenser source to a high-end or vintage conden-
ser destination.

Microphones were measured and profiled using a highly sophisticated

and extremely accurate system. We got an impressive first result thanks
to our sampling approach and a first basic correction powered by an ad-
hoc algorithm.

In this way, as with the Sienna for headphones plugin, in Lava we correct
the microphones’ frequency response, taking into account physical me-
asurements and complex psychoacoustic phenomena.

To correct the microphones’ response, we developed a proprietary al-

gorithm, similar to that used for the Sienna plugin that doesn’t just apply
an inverted curve to the signal but imposes a maximum corrective gain
at different frequency bands. Therefore, by simply setting a microphone
source pattern, without selecting a target microphone, you will already be
able to appreciate the linearisation and significantly improve your sound.

10
We are very pleased with the results achieved by Lava, taking into ac-
count all the effort and extremely complex processes that went into
achieving our goal, which was to create one of the best sounding mi-
crophone emulation tools.

The denoising process required an elimination of the noise components

introduced by the sampling system despite the choice of a controlled
environment, subtractive process of the speakers’ frequency respon-
ses, resynthesis and fine-tuning techniques and finally the complex and
delicate microphone inversion techniques obtained thanks to Acusti-
ca’s know-how and partly derived from the Sienna project’s algorithms.

This plugin will allow you to choose between dozens and dozens of emu-
lations, we would like to share an extra word of appreciation for the ELA
251, in our opinion a ‘magical microphone’ and one of the most succes-
sful emulations.

Avoid using the high-pass on source mics that include it, this variable
has not been sampled on source mics, let alone destination mics.

11