My Bee Knows by LESON by Music Unit
REAL-TIME BINAURAL MIXING SUITE FOR ABLETON LIVE My Bee Knows brings true 3D spatial audio into your Ableton Live session, without complex routing or heavy CPU load. Four complementary Max for Live devices cover panning, monitoring, reverb and scene control, so you can compose, mix and perform in binaural from start to finish. Built on research co-developed with École Polytechnique de Paris and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris. • MBK Pan: Place mono or stereo sources in a full 3D binaural space, with automatable spatial movement and optional early reflections. • MBK Mix: Monitor multichannel and ambisonic mixes binaurally inside Live, supporting formats up to 32-channel surround and 4th-order ambisonics. • MBK Space: A binaural reverberator that collects early reflections from MBK Pan and MBK Mix devices and distributes them in a coherent 3D room, placed on a return track like a classic reverb. • MBK Scene: Rotate the full 3D soundstage in real time across all MBK devices, with optional OSC headtracking input for dynamic spatial monitoring. • MBK EzPan: A simplified minimum version of MBK Pan for straightforward binaural panning. • Universal HRTF rendering: Consistent spatial translation from headphones to speakers, with transparent audio rendering across all devices.
LESON by Music Unit
LESON by Music Unit is the technology division of Music Unit, a professional audio company founded in 2004 and based in France.
View all products by LESON by Music UnitOverview
Real-time binaural spatial audio for Ableton Live
My Bee Knows turns your Ableton Live session into a full 3D mixing environment. Place sources in space, monitor immersive mixes, shape a binaural room, and rotate the entire soundstage, all inside Live via Max for Live, with no external software required.
The suite handles mono, stereo, multichannel and high-order ambisonic signals using universal HRTF-based rendering. Processing is ultra-efficient and the audio rendering is transparent, which means binaural mixes translate reliably from headphones to speakers. It works equally well for composition, mixing, post-production and live performance.
- Four complementary Max for Live devices: MBK Pan, MBK Mix, MBK Space and MBK Scene, plus MBK EzPan for simplified binaural panning
- MBK Pan places mono or stereo sources in a full 3D binaural space, with automatable spatial movement and optional early reflections that improve source localisation
- MBK Mix monitors channel-based multichannel streams up to 32 channels (5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4 and custom formats) and ambisonic streams up to 4th order (25 channels) in binaural
- MBK Space is a binaural reverberator placed on a return track; it collects early reflections from MBK Pan and MBK Mix devices and distributes them in a coherent resonant 3D space, with additional audio inputs for non-binaural tracks
- MBK Scene rotates the full 3D soundstage in real time across all MBK Pan and MBK Mix devices, with optional OSC headtracking input for dynamic spatial monitoring
- Universal HRTF-based rendering processes mono, stereo, multichannel and high-order ambisonic signals with consistent spatial translation from headphones to speakers
- Ultra-efficient processing with no complex routing, everything runs internally inside Ableton Live
- Five example Ableton Live sessions included, covering binaural stem mixing and multichannel downmix workflows
- Developed by Leson in collaboration with École Polytechnique de Paris and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris
- Designed for composition, mixing, post-production and real-time live performance
- Max for Live Audio Effect .amxd device
- Ableton Live .als demo set
- User manual (PDF)
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MBK Pan
MBK Pan places mono or stereo sources in a full 3D binaural space, with automatable spatial movement and optional early reflections that improve source localisation
MBK Mix
MBK Mix monitors channel-based multichannel streams up to 32 channels (5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4 and custom formats) and ambisonic streams up to 4th order (25 channels) in binaural
MBK Space
MBK Space is a binaural reverberator placed on a return track; it collects early reflections from MBK Pan and MBK Mix devices and distributes them in a coherent resonant 3D space, with additional audio inputs for non-binaural tracks
MBK Scene
MBK Scene rotates the full 3D soundstage in real time across all MBK Pan and MBK Mix devices, with optional OSC headtracking input for dynamic spatial monitoring
MBK EzPan
Simplified binaural panning, a streamlined one-control version of MBK Pan.
Important Information
INSTALLATION
Our Products are generally provided as Zip file downloads which in all cases will need to be extracted and saved to your hard drive prior to installation. Details on the different file type provided and what to do with them are below.
.alp Files – These are Ableton Live Packs and will either install directly into the Packs Section of the browser of Ableton Live or ask you to save them to your hard drive. For packs that install to the library, when you double click on them you will see a pop up window asking you to confirm that installation is ok as the files are described as “Legacy”. This is fine and you are ok to proceed, the packs are created using the format for an earlier version of Live and so remain compatible with the current version.
.amxd files – These are individual MaxforLive Devices and can be stored anywhere on your hard drive. We’d advise creating a folder for them and then adding that folder as a location within the Places section of Lives Browser.
LICENSE
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is My Bee Knows for Live?
My Bee Knows (MBK) is a suite of five Max for Live audio devices that bring real-time binaural spatial audio into Ableton Live. It uses universal HRTF-based rendering to place sounds in a 3D space, monitor multichannel and ambisonic mixes, add a binaural room effect, and control the full soundstage, all without leaving Live.
Which version of Ableton Live do I need?
My Bee Knows requires Ableton Live 12.4 Standard with Max for Live, or Live Suite. Max for Live must be active. It is compatible with both Mac and Windows.
Do I need special hardware, external routing or additional software?
No. Everything runs internally inside Ableton Live using the Max for Live devices. No external software, complex routing or dedicated audio interfaces are required. Headphones are recommended for binaural monitoring, though the rendering also translates to studio monitors for checking spatial balance.
What audio formats does My Bee Knows support?
MBK processes mono, stereo, multichannel channel-based streams up to 32 channels (including 5.1, 7.1 and 7.1.4 formats), and high-order ambisonic signals up to 4th order (25 channels).
Can I use My Bee Knows for live performance?
Yes. MBK is designed for real-time spatial performance and can be used on stage. MBK Pan supports real-time automation of spatial movement, and MBK Scene can rotate the entire soundstage in real time.
Is headtracking required to use MBK Scene?
No. Headtracking is optional. MBK Scene works without it and controls the global 3D rotation of your soundstage across all MBK devices. If you have a compatible headtracker, it can be connected via OSC input for dynamic spatial monitoring.
In Depth
Real-time binaural mixing inside Ableton Live
Most binaural tools are built for research labs or post-production suites, which means they sit outside the creative tools producers actually use. My Bee Knows (MBK) is different. It is a real-time binaural synthesis engine built specifically for music creation, running entirely inside Ableton Live as a suite of Max for Live devices. Place sounds in a full 3D space, monitor immersive mixes, shape a binaural room, and rotate the entire soundstage, all without leaving your session.
What it does
MBK uses a universal set of HRTFs (Head-Related Transfer Functions) to process mono, stereo, multichannel and high-order ambisonic signals and render them binaurally in real time. The rendering is transparent enough to translate from headphones to speakers, because a mix that only works on one playback system is a mix you cannot fully trust. No external software, no complex routing, no heavy CPU overhead.
The four devices
MBK Pan is the starting point for most sessions. Drop it onto any track you want to spatialise and position that source anywhere in a virtual 3D space. Azimuth, elevation, distance and radiation are all adjustable. Early reflections move with the source, which improves localisation and feeds directly into MBK Space. Spatial movement can be automated or performed live.
MBK Space sits on a Return track the same way a classic reverb would. It collects early reflections from every MBK Pan and MBK Mix device in the session and distributes them into a coherent binaural room. A set of simple controls shapes the character of that room. Non-binaural tracks can reach it through standard Send routing, so the whole mix breathes in the same space.
MBK Mix is designed for monitoring existing multichannel material binaurally. It can project channel-based formats up to 32 channels (5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4, Atmos bed and custom layouts) and ambisonic streams up to 25 channels (4th order) into headphones. That means you can continue a multichannel mixing session outside a studio, or validate an immersive mix on headphones before committing to a full speaker setup. Standard Live track routing gets signals into MBK Mix inputs.
MBK Scene controls the full 3D soundstage globally. A single 3D rotation control shifts the orientation of every MBK Pan and MBK Mix device at once, which means broad spatial moves take one gesture rather than many. It also accepts OSC input from an external headtracker, so the soundstage compensates in real time as your head moves. Head tracking is optional, not required.
A fifth simplified device, MBK EzPan, is included as a minimum version of MBK Pan for quick binaural panning without the full parameter set.
Built on research, made for artists
My Bee Knows is developed by Leson, a French sound creation and research studio. The underlying technology is co-developed with École Polytechnique de Paris and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. That academic foundation is what gives the HRTF rendering its consistency and transparency across playback systems.
What you need
My Bee Knows requires Ableton Live 12.4 Standard with Max for Live or Suite, on Mac or Windows. Headphones are recommended for binaural monitoring, though the rendering also translates to studio monitors for checking spatial balance. No special audio hardware is required beyond your standard interface.