Is 2C's Aether REALLY worth it? (the answer is: yes, certainly)

[jbraner]

Hi Andrew,

I'll send you an email - thanks. The only reason I mentioned the cores is that I'm just looking at a CPU graph (in SONAR) that is an average of all 4 cores. It doesn't break down the cores individually.

I always use true stereo, so I think I'm comparing like to like - but I'll cover that in the email.

rgds,

[jbraner]

I just thought I'd update this thread to say that I was mistaken in what the graph was telling me. I got an email from support saying that it should be more like 18% of one core for this CPU, for an instance of Aether.

I then realised that the SONAR graph was actually showing *peak* usage, and that must mean the peak usage for any core.

Sure enough, when I changed the CPU graph (with a setting in cakewalk.ini) to show a separate bar for each core - it showed 18% for only one core, with the other cores on 0-1%. This is much better! 18% of one core is a whole lot better than 18% of the entire quad core! I also put the graph into the original peak mode and added a second instance of Aether, and the CPU utilisation stayed at "18%".

I have since changed my graph to show average values for CPU utilisation, and I feel happy that I can load up 4 Aethers with the CPU utilisation that I thought the one instance was using!

[aMUSEd]

I just thought I'd update this thread to say that I was mistaken in what the graph was telling me. I got an email from support saying that it should be more like 18% of one core for this CPU, for an instance of Aether.

I then realised that the SONAR graph was actually showing *peak* usage, and that must mean the peak usage for any core.

Sure enough, when I changed the CPU graph (with a setting in cakewalk.ini) to show a separate bar for each core -

How do you do that?

[jbraner]

In cakewalk.ini

CPUMeterMode=<0 - 2>
This variable specifies how the CPU meter appears in the status bar on multiprocessor systems. The values are as follows:
0 = The peak thread load is displayed as the bar and a yellow indicator shows the average of all audio threads. This the default mode.
1 = The average audio thread load is displayed as the bar and a yellow indicator shows the peak thread.
2 = A bar is shown for each audio thread. This is the same display as previous versions of SONAR.

[NewSc2]

Another one:

Wet (Aether 1.5 only):

http://www.2caudio.com/products/aether/ ... her150.wav

Preset:

http://www.2caudio.com/products/aether/ ... Preset.2ca

Dry source will remain private as I am using it for a Galbanum sample-library product...

the sleeper has awakened...

(yes, I like David Lynch's version... I challenge the new remake to do a better job in equal time or less... or more for that matter...)

Looked at your Galbanum samples... loop-based sample sets really aren't my thing, but I'll keep on the lookout for some ambient instruments

[airon]

I still have the problem that Reaper will not verify the full version of Aether 1.5 32-bit Windows.

My system is Win7 x64 German, Reaper 3.63pre10 x86 (same for all previous versions since Aether 1.5 was released).

Now here's the funny part.

The demo version I downloaded and hand-extracted/installed worked. Reaper scanned it without incident and it worked, but of course I could not enter my serial in to it.

The full version, which I redownloaded the same day through that funny shop system, had the same problem. Reaper scans the plugin, and says the plugin performed an illegal operation, and thus the plugin cannot be used.

The installer makes mistakes. It does not ask for admin priviledges. I have to unpack the plugin by hand, which is no big deal for me, but since so many folks get this right, this may be an area a product priced in this range should improve in.

I've sent my report, the new development being that the demo works fine, but the full product continues not to with Reaper x86, to Denis, if I got that right. Andrew, while you were off for a few weeks he was the only person that could help me.

I hope the fact that the demo works can help in this riddle. I'd love to use the 1.5 features after all.

This sounds like an installer error or misconfiguration. Things get a little tricky with all the various hosts and 63/32 os/host combinations.

I suggest we try a manual install. To do so please try the following:

1) In the /pkg/ folder of the installer folder you will find a "2C-Aether" folder. This folder supplies all related resource files needed by Aether. Please move/copy this folder to your shared VST plug-ins folder for your host where you store other 3rd party plug-ins.

32bitOS/32bitHost: c://Program Files/.../VSTplugins/2C-Aether/ or similar.
64bitOS/64bitHost: c://Program Files/.../VSTplugins/2C-Aether/ or similar.
64bitOS/32bitHost: c://Program Files(x86)/.../VSTplugins/2C-Aether/ or similar.


2) Go back to the downloaded installer folder and you will find a "VSTDLL" folder. Inside this folder are the both the 64bit and the 32bit versions of the plugin. x64 is 64bit. x86 is 32bit.

If you are using a 32bit host open the x86 folder and copy "2c-aether.dll" into the new folder you created above in step 1.

If you are using a 64bit host open the x64 folder and copy "2c-aether.dll" into the new folder you created above in step 1.

3) Launch your host and rescan plug-ins if necessary.

Please let us know how it goes. Please back-up any user-presets you may have created before you try this if you have created any.

I have tested all this. I even tried to authorize the plugin in a different host first, Ableton Live 8.1.3. Everything was hand-copied exactly the way you detailed it(for the second time now btw).

Aether 1.5 x86 will always produce this requester when Clear-Cache&Scanning in Reaper 3.63pre15 and earlier.



Aether 1.01, installed the very same way produced no such errors. The authorization I'd entered when instantiating Aether 1.5 in to Ableton Live 8.1.3 carried over to the 1.01 version btw.

And once again, the demo of Aether 1.5 , unpacked that same way, works.

Another alley I tried involved starting Reaper with administrator privileges. This produced the interesting result of not showing the error mentioned above, but produced other problems. As I routinely never run software as an administrator because of the massive problems of having to run everything as administrator because of file writing rights, drag'n'drop not working between programs with and those without admin rights which includes the clipboard for copy/pasting the serial btw and thus a huge mess in general, I ran Reaper as a normal user after that.

Reaper does not recheck the plugins once their scanned beyond a simple scan for the existing DLL. It started fine, but when instantiating the Aether 1.5 plugin Reaper crashes every time, providing this data:

Code: Select all

Problemsignatur:
  Problemereignisname:	APPCRASH
  Anwendungsname:	reaper.exe
  Anwendungsversion:	3.6.3.15
  Anwendungszeitstempel:	4c3779cc
  Fehlermodulname:	2c-aether.dll
  Fehlermodulversion:	0.0.0.0
  Fehlermodulzeitstempel:	4bc46156
  Ausnahmecode:	c0000005
  Ausnahmeoffset:	0001a4d3
  Betriebsystemversion:	6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.48
  Gebietsschema-ID:	1031
  Zusatzinformation 1:	0c47
  Zusatzinformation 2:	0c47ecc18b31d3b3d50c3a36f49e3b09
  Zusatzinformation 3:	146b
  Zusatzinformation 4:	146b943f0dbdccb58e925816b82c4c68

This all points towards massive problems with Windows Vista/7 user rights management. I do hope you get this fixed some time in the future, as this is the only plugin I have so far seen that exhibits these kinds of problems with such consequences.

And running everything with admin rights is out of the question.

=edit=
Also tried this with the new 3.64rc1 version of Reaper.

One plugin I had some problems with as well is KJaerhus' Golden Modulator. It needs admin rights to access a keyfile, but then runs fine in a host run with normal user rights after that. The same applied to Omnispheres initial authorization in Ableton Live, though it all worked fine in Reaper this time.

So I guess you're not the only ones with these kinds of problems. Simply using the Aether 1.5 plugin has become a problem though.

If these problems seem impossible to fix on your end, I'll contact Cockos, who then however may need a full version from you to test. The demo works after all.

[Andrew Souter]

Could you try one other thing:

a) Please go here: C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VstPlugIns\2C-Aether\(or go to your Shared VST plug-in folder however you have set it up, if it is not this default location i.e. ...\VstPlugIns\...)

b) Select the "2C-Aether" folder. Right click on it and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

c) Un-check Attributes: Read-Only. Accept/Apply and select to apply to all sub-folders and files.

d) Open your host, load Aether...

Does this help?

[koalaboy]

If the plugins are truly under "Program Files" then that could be the problem... nothing should write under there except for installers. This will cause problems in Windows 7 (moreso than Vista).

A VST plugins directory should ideally not be under "Program Files".

[airon]

Could you try one other thing:

a) Please go here: C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VstPlugIns\2C-Aether\(or go to your Shared VST plug-in folder however you have set it up, if it is not this default location i.e. ...\VstPlugIns\...)

b) Select the "2C-Aether" folder. Right click on it and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

c) Un-check Attributes: Read-Only. Accept/Apply and select to apply to all sub-folders and files.

d) Open your host, load Aether...

Does this help?

I tried this. The plugin still shows the behaviour it previously did. When I checked the Properties of the folder again, the Read-Only checkbox was again partially checked (filled solid with a dark colour but not with a checkmark).

Koalaboy, Windows 7 always asks for admin rights verification when accessing anything in the "Program Files (x86)" directory. Aether must be doing something none of the other plugins I have do. These are Stillwell, Schwa, Kjaerhus, Audiodamage, Waves RenMaxx bundle, Voxengo, T-Racks3, Omnisphere, Alchemy, Delaydots, Sylenth1 and Izotope RX.

It's funny, but the installer doesn't even install anything if I start it as a normal user. The directories stay empty. If I install with admin privileges ... I don't even remember that any more. That was many weeks ago and didn't result in anything working either.

It's 1.01 for me atm, which works just fine. Maybe I need to reinstall my entire system. Won't that be grand. Perhaps that is the option I need to consider now.

[aMUSEd]

Amused, what version fo Windows are you using ?

Windows 7 Home Premium x64

Not experiencing any of the problems you are describing - it runs fine for me in Reaper 32 bit and 64 bit (I don't use the bridge at all)

I made a directory for plugins outside of Program Files though (C/Audio/VST32 and VST 64)

[airon]

That's two in favour of a VST Plugin folder located outside the Program Files folder. I haven't tried that yet, so I will do that tomorrow morning or evening.

[mixsit]

I have no idea if this is related... but I believe my initial gathering location for plugs (under c:\program (x86') bit me on my Aether upgrade. Aether setup put the dll' under 'VST (as it should), but I had Sonar scanning for plugs in the VST folder and 'prog (x86)' as I had several other plugs loading from there.
I believe Sonar seeing both the old and the new versions (as well as the 32 and 64 bit options?) created my install conflict. (In this case I moved all 'old Aether and launched the new from a location outside of 'c\prog' rather than moving the other plugs.

[mixsit]

Are there options on the GUI? Basically, I really like the two new ones, compact, good looks is good.. But is there a way to get more contrast on the function text names?
I'd hate to see messing with the nice design (and it is nice ) but I would gladly sacrifice the color (background and text) for easier quicker function. (Even maybe hacked version no one else needs to see?

[airon]

That's two in favour of a VST Plugin folder located outside the Program Files folder. I haven't tried that yet, so I will do that tomorrow morning or evening.

This test was successful. Let's have less of these complications on our way to these goodies.

I created a VSTPlugins directory in the root dir of the system drive, and had Aether as the sole inhabitant, copied from a non-admin-rights infested source. The Aether directory in the VSTPlugins directory that did require admin rights was deleted. I added the new VST Plugins path to the old one, and Reaper had no trouble whatsoever scanning this plugin.

Andrew, you may wish to contact Cockos to find out exactly what they're asking the plugin to do when they scan and use the plugin. This kind of confusion can't be good for anyone. Just look at the time we all wasted on this problem.

Works. Thank you. Enjoying it immensely. Thanks for the tips and ideas gentlemen.



-edit-
Instant suggestion which I'm sure a lot of folks have come up with : Use the mouse wheel in the preset browser for navigation. Maybe even a modifier+mousewheel for changing presets.

[elxsound]

Can anyone tell me the default preset location on a Mac?