[Matt Ion]

Looking for software, preferably free (open source?) that will allow VST and/or
DX effects plugins and VST instruments to used "live" - something that will take
the sound card's input, apply plugin(s) to it, and then pipe the effected sound
back out the sound card for reinforcement. I know we used to do this using ADAT
Edit (a stripped-down version of Logic) on the old studio machine that had the
Alesis PCR card, but Edit won't run without the PCR hardware. I've found a few
other commercial apps that work well (like SpinAudio's stuff) but of course,
this being for typical musicians, they don't want to spend any money on it if
they don't have to...

[Bob Cain]

Matt Ion wrote:
Looking for software, preferably free (open source?) that will allow VST
and/or DX effects plugins and VST instruments to used "live" - something
that will take the sound card's input, apply plugin(s) to it, and then
pipe the effected sound back out the sound card for reinforcement. I
know we used to do this using ADAT Edit (a stripped-down version of
Logic) on the old studio machine that had the Alesis PCR card, but Edit
won't run without the PCR hardware. I've found a few other commercial
apps that work well (like SpinAudio's stuff) but of course, this being
for typical musicians, they don't want to spend any money on it if they
don't have to...

If I understand, you are looking for something free that adds system
sound output drivers to which can direct sound inputs or application
outputs, run the stream through a selectable plugin or rack of them
and send the result to a selected system sound output driver. If so,
I'm looking for the same to distribute with an application demo of
something I've developed. I've spent some time looking for it to no
avail (and hope I've overlooked something.)

This can be well effected with the combination of Virtual Audio Cable
(VAC) which adds the drivers and does routing and AudioMulch which
will host the plugins/instruments (and do a lot more if you want) but
these two are not free. VAC

http://nrcde.ru/music/software/eng/vac.html

costs $30 and AudioMulch

http://www.audiomulch.com/

costs $89.


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein

[Matt Ion]

Bob Cain wrote:
Matt Ion wrote:

Looking for software, preferably free (open source?) that will allow VST
and/or DX effects plugins and VST instruments to used "live" - something
that will take the sound card's input, apply plugin(s) to it, and then
pipe the effected sound back out the sound card for reinforcement. I
know we used to do this using ADAT Edit (a stripped-down version of
Logic) on the old studio machine that had the Alesis PCR card, but Edit
won't run without the PCR hardware. I've found a few other commercial
apps that work well (like SpinAudio's stuff) but of course, this being
for typical musicians, they don't want to spend any money on it if they
don't have to...


If I understand, you are looking for something free that adds system
sound output drivers to which can direct sound inputs or application
outputs, run the stream through a selectable plugin or rack of them
and send the result to a selected system sound output driver.

That's about it, yup.

If so,
I'm looking for the same to distribute with an application demo of
something I've developed. I've spent some time looking for it to no
avail (and hope I've overlooked something.)

This can be well effected with the combination of Virtual Audio Cable
(VAC) which adds the drivers and does routing and AudioMulch which
will host the plugins/instruments (and do a lot more if you want) but
these two are not free. VAC

http://nrcde.ru/music/software/eng/vac.html

costs $30 and AudioMulch

http://www.audiomulch.com/

costs $89.

Hmmm, SpinAudio's stuff is a lot cheaper than that and does it all in one
package (I think Virtual mixer is just under $80; they have two others that
aren't so fancy and don't have the mixer for around $30).

Oh well, the search continues. I've found one called Ableton Live that will do
it as well, but that's not free either.

Seems to me I did see some SDK stuff along these lines in my searches, though...
you could maybe take a look at www.sourceforge.net for some opensource APIs?

Thanks for the tips, anyway.

[Boris Lau]

Matt Ion wrote:
Looking for software, preferably free (open source?) that will allow VST
and/or DX effects plugins and VST instruments to used "live"

Check these out, maybe there's one that suits your needs:
http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm
http://www.toptensoftware.com/cantabile/
http://www.sensomusic.com/usine/
http://www.tobybear.de/p_minihost.html

(all free or donation ware, or with free lite versions available)

For more, check out this search engine:
http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php

Good luck,
Boris


--
http://www.borislau.de - computer science, music, photos

[Les Cargill]

Matt Ion wrote:
Bob Cain wrote:

Matt Ion wrote:

Looking for software, preferably free (open source?) that will allow VST
and/or DX effects plugins and VST instruments to used "live" - something
that will take the sound card's input, apply plugin(s) to it, and then
pipe the effected sound back out the sound card for reinforcement. I
know we used to do this using ADAT Edit (a stripped-down version of
Logic) on the old studio machine that had the Alesis PCR card, but Edit
won't run without the PCR hardware. I've found a few other commercial
apps that work well (like SpinAudio's stuff) but of course, this being
for typical musicians, they don't want to spend any money on it if they
don't have to...



If I understand, you are looking for something free that adds system
sound output drivers to which can direct sound inputs or application
outputs, run the stream through a selectable plugin or rack of them
and send the result to a selected system sound output driver.


That's about it, yup.

If so,
I'm looking for the same to distribute with an application demo of
something I've developed. I've spent some time looking for it to no
avail (and hope I've overlooked something.)

This can be well effected with the combination of Virtual Audio Cable
(VAC) which adds the drivers and does routing and AudioMulch which
will host the plugins/instruments (and do a lot more if you want) but
these two are not free. VAC

http://nrcde.ru/music/software/eng/vac.html

costs $30 and AudioMulch

http://www.audiomulch.com/

costs $89.


Hmmm, SpinAudio's stuff is a lot cheaper than that and does it all in
one package (I think Virtual mixer is just under $80; they have two
others that aren't so fancy and don't have the mixer for around $30).

Oh well, the search continues. I've found one called Ableton Live that
will do it as well, but that's not free either.

Seems to me I did see some SDK stuff along these lines in my searches,

There is a *very* rudimentary VST host included in the VST SDK.

though... you could maybe take a look at www.sourceforge.net for some
opensource APIs?

Thanks for the tips, anyway.

--
Les Cargill

[Bob Cain]

Matt Ion wrote:

Hmmm, SpinAudio's stuff is a lot cheaper than that and does it all in
one package (I think Virtual mixer is just under $80; they have two
others that aren't so fancy and don't have the mixer for around $30).

I can't tell from the online info, but can Virtual Mixer stand between
another DAW, Winamp, WMP, etc., and your sound card outputs so as to
have a generic insert point for plugins to serve all apps on the system?

This requires that it can be an output device itself as seen from
other apps.


Thanks,

Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein

[Matt Ion]

Bob Cain wrote:
Matt Ion wrote:


Hmmm, SpinAudio's stuff is a lot cheaper than that and does it all in
one package (I think Virtual mixer is just under $80; they have two
others that aren't so fancy and don't have the mixer for around $30).


I can't tell from the online info, but can Virtual Mixer stand between
another DAW, Winamp, WMP, etc., and your sound card outputs so as to
have a generic insert point for plugins to serve all apps on the system?

I don't think it will allow you to mix the apps separately, it appears to just
work with whatever hard I/O you have, but I haven't played with it much beyond
just trying to add DSP plugins to the line-in. It does support VST instruments
as well, but I don't have a MIDI controller here, so I haven't really tested
that either.

This requires that it can be an output device itself as seen from
other apps.

Not sure about that, I haven't tried it that way, but from looking at it, I
don't think so - it appears to just be a standalone mixer and VST host. Kind of
like Cubase's mixer, without all the sequencing and recording functions.

It's a free download of the demo, and it's really tiny and efficient - give it a
go for yourself.

[Bob Cain]

Matt Ion wrote:
Bob Cain wrote:

This requires that it can be an output device itself as seen from
other apps.

Not sure about that, I haven't tried it that way, but from looking at
it, I don't think so - it appears to just be a standalone mixer and VST
host. Kind of like Cubase's mixer, without all the sequencing and
recording functions.

It's a free download of the demo, and it's really tiny and efficient -
give it a go for yourself.

Thanks, Matt.

Yeah, I tried Virtual Mixer this afternoon and couldn't see any way
from the prog or the doc (great doc!) to do that.

Surprising as it may seem, only Virtual Audio Cable seems to provide
that capability. It's a Hubi for audio streams and is unique in that
regard AFAICT.


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein

[[email protected]]

Try this:

http://www.console.jp/en/

Works like a charm to receive streaming audio wav's from my DPS24,
through RME soundcard, process via DX and VST plugs, and send them back
out through the card to the recorder again. Not free, but cheap, and I
think you still get to try it for free for 30 days. User interface is
very basic - I spent a frustrating session trying to get it to work
before I noticed a cute little (unlabled) "power-on button" near the
top of the screen. After that, worked simply and quite reliably. Many
users of the DPS machine use this software and it has often been
discussed at http://dpsworld.vibestudio.net/index.php

Rob

[Bob Cain]

wrote:
Try this:

http://www.console.jp/en/

Works like a charm to receive streaming audio wav's from my DPS24,
through RME soundcard, process via DX and VST plugs, and send them back
out through the card to the recorder again. Not free, but cheap, and I
think you still get to try it for free for 30 days. User interface is
very basic - I spent a frustrating session trying to get it to work
before I noticed a cute little (unlabled) "power-on button" near the
top of the screen. After that, worked simply and quite reliably. Many
users of the DPS machine use this software and it has often been
discussed at http://dpsworld.vibestudio.net/index.php

Rob


Thanks, Rob. I downloaded this host and checked it out. It too is
lacking the ability to accept input from other programs (by installing
audio output drivers to which the other programs can send output that
arrives as input to the host.)

Frankly I'm surprised that any of these hosts lack that ability and
more than surprised that none of them seem to.

Has no one else desired a filter through which all sound output could
be passed on the way to one's ears?


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein