Strata is the latest product to be released by Audiokinetic, the developers of Wwise, a software suite which allows sound designers to integrate their work with a range of video game and interactive media engines. The package offers a huge selection of sound effects that range from foley to user interface sound effects, all of which are provided as multitrack Reaper DAW projects, allowing users to carry out in-depth editing and customisation.
SFX Library
Interestingly, all of the sound effects in Strata are provided as Reaper project files, allowing them to be customised by the user.Over 19,000 sounds effects are included with Strata, with its 29 individual collections currently totalling 300GB of content. Every sound effect is provided as a multitrack project, allowing users to see exactly how they have been made, as well as customising them by editing and rearranging layers, blending in new parts and altering processing parameters.
Also included is a collection of Wwise plug-ins, which have been ported to VST3 for use within Reaper sessions, but retain the source code used in the original versions. All of the plug-ins are licensed for free use under the Wwise Project licence, and will need to be installed in order to use Strata as they are used throughout the downloadable project files.
Plug-ins
Additionally, subscribers will gain a licence for ENRAGE, a modular effects plug-in designed by BOOM Library which contains over 50 processors divided into categories such as distortion, delay, modulation, filter, reverb, dynamics, pitch and more. Once again, the plug-in has been used extensively across the Strata projects and will need to be installed, along with the Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics’ free open-source IEM plug-in suite, which has been used in collections that provide Ambisonics content.
For those wishing to transfer their audio to a Wwise session, is also possible to use ReaWwise — a Reaper extension developed by Audiokinetic — which uses the DAW’s render matrix to simplify the process of creating complex Wwise hierarchies.
Compatibility
Strata requires a copy of Cockos’ Reaper, which is supported on PCs running Windows XP and higher, Macs running macOS 10.5 upwards and Linux systems with GTK+3. ENRAGE requires an iLok account for authorisation, but does not need a physical dongle.
Pricing & Availability
Strata is available now, and is subject to a three-year subscription paid in three installments. Currently (10 July 2023), Audiokinetic are offering an Early Adopter Discount price of $695 per user, per year. The company say that the price will increase as more content is added, and will eventually cost $1499 per year.
