MUX Modular VST 6.1.29 release

[mutools]

One of the leading features in MUX is the front panel. Why has the new update no new features for it (bigger knobs, faders, text-boxes)?

Because i chose to R&D the Multiform Oscillator which took quite some dev time to get it all right. It's a very versatile module adding a new sonic palette to the MUX. Hope you like this new oscillator.

Another reason is that there was a slowdown in the MuTools works due to serious events on family level: During august-september-october my father was very ill, had several strokes and broke his hip, and unfortunately on 11 october it all meant the end of his long life Thankfully he didn't suffer too much and we had the chance to implicitly say goodbye to eachother. Now we're recovering from all that, as a family.

Back on MUX topic:

The only interesting new feature for me is the "Use On/Off Button". It would be nice if the On/Off switch can be adjustable by Midi (by one of the 32 midi parameters).

The module on/off switches will never be automatable/MIDI controllable as they're really a on off switch and not meant to be used on realtime thread level. If you're familiar with VST internals they're similar to suspend/resume and thus they're allowed to allocate memory, do (heavy) initialisations, etc. But it will be possible to put them on the front panel, in fact they already can be part of a module button now in M6.1. Also other front panel components aka widgets will be added. I agree with you that it has quite high priority as many users request this. Will work on that.

[BlackWinny]

...

Another reason is that there was a slowdown in the MuTools works due to serious events on family level: During august-september-october my father was very ill, had several strokes and broke his hip, and unfortunately on 11 october it all meant the end of his long life Thankfully he didn't suffer too much and we had the chance to implicitly say goodbye to eachother. Now we're recovering from all that, as a family.

...

It is often difficult to reconcile family and job in such conditions. And sometimes the family must have the priority, everybody will be able to understand.
Il est souvent difficile de concilier famille et travail dans de telles conditions. Et parfois la famille doit passer avant, tout le monde pourra le comprendre.

Receive all my sincerest condolences, Jo.
Reçois mes plus sincères condoléances, Jo.

[paradiddle]

Sorry to hear about your father. My condolences to your family Jo!

Mux 6 looks pretty cool and just about to update!

[mutools]

Thanks BlackWinny and paradiddle

[Nielzie]

Jeetje, wat een heftige tijd moet dat voor je zijn geweest de afgelopen maanden.. Gecondoleerd met het overlijden van je vader Jo. Heel veel sterkte toegewenst voor jou en je familie de komende tijd.

[mutools]

tJa tis wat. Ik weet dat het iedereen overkomt en te wachten staat maar de emoties blijven wat ze zijn. Bedankt Niels.

[Zombie Queen]

Are you talking about the demo noise? That's a soft noise that softly fades in and out for about a second or 2, now and then. Is that what you're hearing? If not, then what version are you using: MUX Modular Demo or the full version MUX Modular?

That would be nice, but it's a short sharp clipping pop, very loud. I'm using MUX VST 1.2 full version (the old one), MUX5 VST full and now I have been trying new MUX Modular demo - last two are doing popcorn.

[mutools]

So lets concentrate on MUX 6: Did you install it from the complete original MUX zip package?
Those short cracking noises normally only come when there is a problem with the .ID file, which is a file that must match the .DLL file.
Everytime the MuLab.exe or MUX.dll file is updated the corresponding .ID file (always included in the zip) must be updated too.
Does this explain something?

[mutools]

There is a new MUX Modular 6.1.28 in http://www.mutools.com/mulab/forsythia/

What's changed:

• Multiform editor: [+] button now directly lists the types so that's one click less to do.
• Fixed a confusing issue with the border of a MUX front panel showing a pointing hand.
• Sub-windows now stay floating on top.

[AC222]

There is a new MUX Modular 6.1.28 in http://www.mutools.com/mulab/forsythia/

What's changed:

• Multiform editor: [+] button now directly lists the types so that's one click less to do.
• Fixed a confusing issue with the border of a MUX front panel showing a pointing hand.
• Sub-windows now stay floating on top.

Thank you, Jo for this fix. Finally bought the MUX (yeah!) so I'm a brand new member of the Mutools community now. One of the great joys of the Mux and Mulab are the customizable keyboard shortcuts and prior to this fix you just posted I could not get the keyboard commands to work with Mux 6.

I just uploaded the latest file into my Mutools folder and now the keyboard commands are working as expected. I really love the workflow of Mux for an effects chainer. It's so cool to be able to assign a command to close windows when you are working with racks.

I do hope that in future iterations that it will be possible to access racks (as opposed to just the button) on the front panel as soon as you open up a preset/patch. That would make an already great product even better for those that use this as the ultimate effects chainer. Even so, I am still very pleased with this and appreciate all your efforts, especially considering your personal circumstances. So three cheers to you and Mux!

Happy New Mutools User,
AC

[Zombie Queen]

So lets concentrate on MUX 6: Did you install it from the complete original MUX zip package?

This might be it. I copied whole pack to separate folder, but I had dll's renamed, as I wanted to keep previous versions with separate id's. Do the files have to be named as they were, or just ID file name has to match dll file name?

edit. Never mind, you've got me on the right track it seems, thank you. Apoligies for spreading confusion.

[mutools]

There is a new MUX Modular 6.1.28 in http://www.mutools.com/mulab/forsythia/

What's changed:

• Multiform editor: [+] button now directly lists the types so that's one click less to do.
• Fixed a confusing issue with the border of a MUX front panel showing a pointing hand.
• Sub-windows now stay floating on top.

Thank you, Jo for this fix.

Which fix do you mean? FYI: I didn't change anything about keyboard handling. Or is it working better now for you cause of the floating windows?

I do hope that in future iterations that it will be possible to access racks (as opposed to just the button) on the front panel as soon as you open up a preset/patch.

Without promising anything i expect this will be possible in a future version indeed.

[mutools]

So lets concentrate on MUX 6: Did you install it from the complete original MUX zip package?

This might be it. I copied whole pack to separate folder, but I had dll's renamed, as I wanted to keep previous versions with separate id's. Do the files have to be named as they were, or just ID file name has to match dll file name?

Yes the filenames must match. So if you rename the .exe or .dll make sure you rename the .ID file likewise. Otherwise there will be a ID mismatch and MuLab/MUX will think they have been cracked and that will cause the sudden noise bursts etc.

[UltimateOutsider]

Yes that are normal messages as these DLLs are scanned, as they are DLLs and thus possibly VSTs, but MuLab can't find the typical VST functions in these DLLs and says so in these log messages. Conclusion is that these DLLs are not VST DLLs, which is correct.

I'm a MUX owner, and I think it's a great synth that deserves to be better known.

I do have a few complaints, though, related to this topic:

• I don't like when plugins require that you copy any additional files into your VstPlugins folder in order to work. The great majority of plugins only copy a single DLL into your plugins folder, and install any supplementary files into a separate location. (I get into WHY I don't like this in the following bullets.)
• I don't like it when plugins can't function properly without Admin rights. The documentation recommends against installing plugins under Program Files due to User Account Control, but the fact is that most Windows users have their DAWs and plugins under Program Files, and the majority of plugins let you save preferences and presets without requiring Admin access. They just store data under My Documents, AppData, or ProgramData, depending on the type of info stored. A hidden benefit of using those folders is that your 32-bit and 64-bit plugins can have the same presets/preferences, instead of doing everything in platform-specific plugin data folders. Users shouldn't have to even know what UAC is; things should just work when they install stuff in the Program Files folder. Another reason this can be a hassle is, I like to save all my custom presets under My Documents, so when/if I migrate all my stuff to another computer, all I need to take with me is My Documents. I don't like having to keep track of every application/plugin that stores all my settings in weird places, so I have to go grab all that stuff individually when moving to another system. Keeping all that stuff in one location also simplifies backups. I have daily backups of my User folder and my ProgramData folder. I don't want to have to worry about what's in my VstPlugins folders in the event there's a system failure and I have to rebuild.
• My DAW (Ableton Live 9.1) got confused after I copied the MUX 6.1 folder into my VstPlugins folder. See I still had my MUX 5 folder installed, and even though Live's browser could "see" MUX 6.1, when I tried loading the plugin, it would only load MUX 5. I prefer it when major plugin versions are treated as separate plugins, (so, for example, old projects would continue to load MUX 5, and I can add either MUX 5 or 6 as needed to future projects). If NI Battery 3 and 4 were treated like the same plugin, for example, I would basically be forced to uninstall Battery 4 and not really have the option to use it, since I prefer Battery 3 for the purpose of building kits. I would hate to be forced to choose which version I could have installed.
• I'm a computer person, so it's not a huge deal for me to manually copy plugins into the appropriate location, but an actual installer is much more convenient, and generally less problematic. An installer would also make it easier to implement a system where the plugin's extra files are stored in a separate location and the paths are registered properly so the main plugin DLL is able to find them.

Again- MUX is a great synth, and these complaints have nothing to do with the synth itself. But they are all things that make the end user's life a little more complicated, and all things that most other developers already take care of.

Anyway, to return to the original topic: Once I removed my MUX 5 folder from VstPlugins, I was able to use MUX 6 just fine. Eager to check out some of the new features.

[Zombie Queen]

Otherwise there will be a ID mismatch and MuLab/MUX will think they have been cracked and that will cause the sudden noise bursts etc.

So these noises were copy protection? Although MUX5 period I basically wasn't using it, sticking to 1.2, because I thought, it just doesn't work on my system.