Synergy Wizard
Build a listening system around the headphones, amplifier and DAC you actually use.
- Guided hardware matching
- Chain-wide presets
- Output and DSP setup
Local audio · Windows · Free public beta
Hear the entire signal.
A hardware-aware listening system that configures your complete chain, corrects headphones, measures the signal and produces evidence you can inspect.
Synergy WizardChain-wide setup
Integrity reportsEvidence, not badges
Scientific correctionTarget + AutoEQ
Analysis suiteSignal in motion
Current beta interface Explore the instruments →One listening environment
From library to truth.
AETHER connects playback, processing, correction and measurement in one continuous workflow. Every active stage remains visible, so sound quality is something you can hear, inspect and understand.
STAGEMAP + RTAREAL AETHER CAPTURE
HEADPHONE CORRECTIONAUTOEQ PROFILES
OSCILLOSCOPELIVE SIGNAL VIEW
Flagship systems
More than playback.
AETHER’s defining systems share the same native signal state. Hardware, DSP, correction, measurement and saved listening environments operate as one chain.
My Gear & Zones
Recall the entire listening environment when you return to a device, room or use case.
- Headphone, DAC and amplifier identity
- EQ, layout, crossfeed and convolution
- Exportable and shareable presets
Integrity Measurement
Inspect what the active chain is doing instead of relying on a decorative quality label.
- Bit-perfect eligibility and path state
- Sample-rate and DSP provenance
- Structured HTML and PDF reports
Scientific Target
Combine a measured headphone profile with a listening target while keeping each contribution visible.
- AutoEQ profile foundation
- Target modeling and residual analysis
- Filter, headroom and A/B evidence
Analysis Suite
See level, energy, dynamics and stereo behavior through coordinated professional views.
- RTA and spectrum analysis
- Oscilloscope and waveform
- Lissajous, goniometer and StageMap
16-band Parametric EQ
Shape the signal with a visible accumulated response and tactile control over every band.
- Frequency, gain and Q per filter
- Per-band level visualization
- Persistent MIDI Learn mappings
Synergy Wizard · My Gear · Zones
Your system becomes the preset.
The preset is larger than an EQ curve. AETHER associates headphones, amplifier, DAC/output, correction, target, parametric EQ, crossfeed, convolution, gain, layout and MIDI mappings with a saved gear profile or zone. Exported presets carry that setup to another AETHER installation.
Hardware identityComplete DSP statePer-zone recallPreset exchange
THREE-STEP SETUPFULL-CHAIN RECALL
Scientific Target · AutoEQ
Correction you can interrogate.
AutoEQ supplies the measured headphone model. Scientific Target defines the intended response. AETHER exposes the resulting filters, predicted curve, residual error, headroom and processing state so the stages complement one another without hiding redundant correction.
Source provenanceFit metricsModeled phaseABX comparison
MODEL / TARGET / RESULTFILTER EVIDENCE
Parametric EQ · MIDI Learn
Sixteen bands under precise control.
Each band exposes frequency, gain and Q with a combined response curve, live band-energy feedback and direct MIDI mapping. Mappings can live with the active gear profile so a physical controller returns with the rest of the system.
16 independent bandsRBJ filter chainBand VU feedbackHardware mapping
FREQUENCY / GAIN / QMIDI LEARN
AETHER in the listening room
Software connected to real hardware.
These studio scenes place actual AETHER workflows in representative listening environments. Product screens throughout the site are direct captures from the current beta.
Parametric EQ · MIDI
Move sound with your hands.
Map transport and supported processing controls to a MIDI surface. The 16-band parametric EQ keeps frequency, gain, Q and the combined response visible while the controller becomes part of the saved listening setup.
Representative studio scene · AETHER interface based on a real product capture
Audio Chain Analyzer
Follow every active stage.
Trace the file, decoder, sample-rate conversion, PurePath, gain, correction, spatial processing, plugins, driver and output device. Verified, modified and bypassed states remain explicit.
Representative studio scene · signal path from the current beta
Acoustic Space · Native IR bank
Recall a space as part of the system.
Load AETHER’s local impulse responses, including Five Columns and Echo Hall, then set Wet and Gain with the active file and engine state in view. The IR choice can return with My Gear or a Zone.
Representative listening room · no hardware endorsement impliedAcoustic Space · Convolution
Place sound inside a measured response.
AETHER’s Impulse Response engine applies the captured behavior of a room, cabinet, device or acoustic system as a deliberate DSP stage. The active IR, mix and gain remain visible throughout the session.
PARTITIONED CONVOLUTIONACTIVE IR + ENGINE STATE
01Import and identify
Add an impulse response, select it from the library and always see which file is active.
02Blend with intent
Wet controls the contribution of the convolved signal. Output gain keeps comparison levels under control.
03Compare honestly
Use bypass and the integrated ABX workflow to judge the effect without relying only on expectation.
04Recall the space
Store IR selection, Wet, Gain and related DSP state with My Gear or a Zone preset.
EnginePartitioned FFT convolution
Designed to process longer responses efficiently while keeping the interface responsive.
ControlsIR · Wet · Gain · Bypass
The core parameters remain explicit and available for repeatable setup.
EvaluationABX and diagnostics
Level-aware comparison plus visible engine and active-response status.
ContextRooms, cabinets and systems
Results depend on the source IR. AETHER does not treat every response as corrective or neutral.
An IR is not automatically an improvement. It can recreate a measured acoustic signature, simulate a cabinet or form part of a correction workflow. Accuracy depends on the measurement, sample rate, channel layout, normalization and intended use of the impulse response.
AETHER Analysis Suite
One signal. Many truthful views.
The central analysis workspace and side analyzer are independent. Each can show a different instrument while reading a defined point in the signal path.
INDEPENDENT VIEW SELECTIONDEFINED SIGNAL TAP
Signal integrity
No mystery badges.
AETHER distinguishes requested settings from verified signal conditions. “Bit-perfect” only makes sense when sample rate, output mode, volume and every processing stage support that result.
FILE
DECODER
DSP CHAIN
OUTPUT MODE
DRIVER
DAC
Transparent by design. Shared-mode resampling, digital gain, correction, convolution and other processing are disclosed as modifications. Reports describe the observed path; they are engineering evidence, not a substitute for independent laboratory certification.
VERIFIABLE PATHHTML / PDF REPORTING
LIVE METRICSDSP PROVENANCE
Playback IntegrityWhat reached the output?
Source codec and rate, decoder, sample-rate conversion, output mode, digital volume, active DSP and bit-perfect eligibility.
MeasurementWhat did the meters observe?
LUFS M/S/I, LRA, true peak, RMS, crest factor, correlation and the availability of a loopback measurement endpoint.
DeliverablesEvidence that can travel.
Human-readable HTML and accessible PDF reports with methodology, status classes, build identity and technical details translated with the interface.
Deep processing toolkit
Every stage has a purpose.
AETHER exposes processing as an intentional chain, with clear bypass state and diagnostics instead of invisible enhancement.
Convolution & IRPartitioned processing for acoustic spaces and imported impulse responses, with wet and gain control.
Crossfeed & ReplayGainHeadphone spatial blending and consistent program level as separate, auditable stages.
Pure / ExclusiveControls for a minimal DSP route and compatible direct output, with safe fallback when conditions fail.
VST3 plugin rackIsolated beta hosting with discovery, bypass, parameter control and native editor support where compatible.
Foundation features. The local collection supports albums, artists, persistent playlists, queue recovery, artwork and tag editing. Playback covers FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC/M4A, OGG and Opus, plus device-dependent DSD/DoP. These are the foundation beneath AETHER’s differentiating systems.
Inside the current beta
Every screen has a job.
Direct captures from AETHER show the working interface and the role of each system. No concept UI is presented as a shipping feature.
Diagnostics
Bottleneck Detector
Turns the active chain into actionable findings. Critical, important and informational states identify the cause, explain the consequence and suggest the next step without duplicating the visual signal-path view.
Correction
Headphone model and fit
Select a local measurement profile and inspect the correction, target relationship, gain management and comparison state. The bank remains local and available without uploading a listening library.
Extensibility
VST3 plugin rack
Discover compatible VST3 effects, arrange the processing order, bypass a stage and open its native editor where the plugin supports it. Compatibility still depends on each vendor and plugin architecture.
Reporting
Scientific evidence
Expose target, predicted response, residual error, filters and methodology in a reviewable report. Status classes distinguish passed, failed, informational and not-verifiable results.
Session tools
Acoustic Space in context
Keep convolution beside crossfeed, diagnostics, library and reporting controls. Wet, Gain, selected IR and engine status describe exactly what the spatial stage is doing.
Independent instruments
StageMap and side analyzer
Choose one analyzer in the central workspace and another in the side panel. StageMap presents a frequency-aware stereo field while the side instrument can remain on RTA, spectrum, Lissajous or another available view.
Windows beta · limited testing wave
Help shape the next listening instrument.
Join a controlled 30-day test with your own audio system. The first wave is limited to 200 participants so every observation can be reviewed.
Independent development
The beta is free. If AETHER is useful to you, an optional contribution helps us test more hardware and obtain Authenticode signing.
Support the project →Your Beta access
Save this activation code. It starts the 30-day period when first activated in AETHER.
Windows 10/11 · 64-bit · Up to two devices · Five downloads · Native IR, AutoEQ and Scientific Target libraries included.
Price
30-day controlled beta
30-day controlled beta
Current build
S1090
S1090
Availability
Checking the current wave…
Checking the current wave…
Feedback
aetherdevelop@proton.me
aetherdevelop@proton.me
Beta observations
Tell us what happened.
Clear reproduction steps help us fix audio, device, interface and compatibility problems. Do not include music files, private paths or personal information.
Download transparency
Why Windows may show a warning.
The current independent Beta does not yet have an Authenticode certificate. Windows SmartScreen may therefore identify the publisher as unknown even when the file is unchanged.
Download AETHER only from this page. Avoid copied installers or third-party mirrors.
Compare the file checksum with the release record before running the installer.
Open checksumsThe release manifest records build identity, file size, native banks and clean-profile validation.
Open release manifestUnsigned does not mean hidden. It means Windows cannot yet verify AETHER through a paid code-signing identity. The project publishes cryptographic hashes and a release manifest while Authenticode funding and validation are completed.
Back independent development
Support the signal.
Contributions fund device testing, code signing, accessibility work and the long hardware validation sessions required by serious desktop audio.
Choose the amount that feels right.
Any amount
Support code signing, hardware testing, accessibility and continued independent development. The AETHER Beta remains free whether you contribute or not.
Contributions are voluntary, one-time support for development. They do not purchase equity, guarantee features or replace a future software license. Stripe processes payment details; AETHER does not receive card numbers.
Clear answers
Before you listen.
Is AETHER already a certified reference instrument?
No. AETHER implements engineering-oriented measurement and integrity diagnostics, but the current beta should not be presented as independently certified laboratory equipment.
Does AETHER always produce bit-perfect output?
No application can promise that for every configuration. AETHER reports bit-perfect only when the observed route supports it: compatible source and output rates, suitable exclusive or ASIO path, unity gain and no active DSP.
Does AETHER play MIDI files?
The current build uses MIDI Learn to control transport, EQ and mapped parameters. It does not currently provide a Standard MIDI File sequencer or built-in instrument.
Will every VST plugin work?
VST3 hosting is in beta. Compatibility varies by vendor, architecture, channel layout, user interface and copy-protection system. Unsupported plugin formats should not be treated as active processing.
What data does AETHER upload?
AETHER is designed around local audio. A final public privacy notice will document optional online services, diagnostics and support flows before public distribution.