In mathematics, a convolution function is (and I quote Wikipedia) "a mathematical operator that takes two functions f and g and produces a third function that is typically viewed as a modified version of one of the original functions." In audio, this technique is applied to reverbs and other ambient effects to produce organic sounding and complex echos, reverberations and other lush effects.

Linguistically, something that is convoluted is so complex as to be hard to follow. The may be no more perfect name, then, for Convolution Space, a new Kontakt Instrument from German developer Best Service (who's very name seems to obscure what exactly they do -- whatever it is, they're very confident in their abilities to do it). What is Convolution Space? Perhaps the effervescent Best Service Press Release will enlighten us:

"Welcome adventurers -- to Convolution Space -– an entirely new region of the sound universe containing unexplored and uncharted sonic landscapes! Based on a package of 8.5 GB of lovingly handcrafted Stereo and 5.1 Surround textures. This system is packed into the Native Instruments Kontakt 2 Player, with 625 instruments built in to combine and explore these textures endlessly, through the wonders of Convolution Based Spectral Recombination. . . The technique is advanced and hard to explain, yet simple to use. Select an instrument, play it on your keyboard and tweak the ModWheel -- and the texture you’re playing suddenly starts transforming into something completely different! You have entered Convolution Space!"

. . . OK.

At least Best Service is excited about their new instrument / effect / whateverthehellitis. I hoped that taking a closer look at the instrument categories would give me a better idea of what Convolution Space might actually sound like, but after reading descriptors like "Abstract" and "Mental." I just opened the sample player on their webpage.

Really, it just seems like a fun and complex (convoluted?) ambiance generator made for Kontakt. The ability to create textures in 5.1 in addition to stereo is pretty cool, but reading through the rest of the Best Service description left me with one basic question: are Germans this exuberant in real life, or just when they write in English?