ValhallaRoom 1.5.1 Released. New Electric Blue GUI

[valhallasound]

And the ProgramData folder isn't esoteric at all.
It's a very convenient place where all kinds of software store user data -
go: back it up regularly.

Happy Easter everybody!
D.

No it isn't esoteric you are right, however it is a way of dumbing down installs for people who don't like to keep tabs on installed data

Which is why this method is used by Steinberg, Ableton, Digidesign, et al. "Dumbed down" means "easy to use for the vast majority of users."

storing presets next to the .dll is simply the best way to do this and the x64 32 argument is not really even valid, the user should be able to decide where it is placed, simple as that.

The method I have landed on, after a great deal of research, is the best method for cross-platform, multi-format plugins. It is critical to me that the plugin files are in 1 fixed place, that is a standardized location for both Windows and OSX. This location was decided early on within the development process (it is, in fact, implicit in the plugin framework I use), and will not be changing.

If this doesn't work for you, you are free to choose other plugins that store the presets next to the .dll. Or you can build your own. A few good links to get you started:

- http://www.microsoft.com/express/Windows/ - a free compiler for Windows. If you are going to do cross platform plugin creation, you will want to look at Xcode as well, but that comes with your Mac, so no link necessary
- https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/ - Read everything on this site, as it will be critical for developing high quality plugins
- http://ygrabit.steinberg.de/~ygrabit/pu ... index.html - links to the VST SDK

the plugin sounds OK, like has been stated it is no Lex

The Lexicon plugins are Lex. ValhallaRoom is its own entity, with the goal being a higher modal density than what is possible with the single allpass loops that have been used by Lexicon since the 224 was released in 1979.

Again, if you are looking for something else, you should probably get the specific thing you desire, instead of spending your time and energy on the forums trying to get developers to change things to your particular specifications. Due to the nature of how plugins work, it is pretty much impossible to "customize" the behavior for a specific user once the plugin is released, without breaking the functionality for other users. It sounds like you really want a Lexicon, so start saving those pennies!

Sean Costello

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Why the strong reaction to preset locations all of a sudden?

[standalone]

I was about to look past the childish interface, and purchase it...

I'll watch this thread, and see how things pan out

Just out of curiosity, what's happening in this thread that could change anyone's opinion about purchasing or not this plugin?. I see nothing.

[TitusRaindrops]

Every developer has, and is entitled to, their own style both in user interface design and in the approach used for whatever software they write. That's what creates variety and distinction (or lack thereof) in the marketplace. And there is always a bit of learning curve with any new piece of software...

That said, the ValhallaRoom UI is deceptively simple. The two-dimensional graphics suggest a simple product, but if you play with the presets and controls you'll see that there is a lot of complexity hidden beneath the "Fisher Price" knobs and sliders. Besides, it's not that unusual-looking. It reminds me of Ableton Live more than anything else.

What is really important though is what it sounds like when you apply it to your tracks. As important as reverb is, I have generally avoided it because I hated what it did to my sound (think the 80s remastering of the classic 70s ZZTOP albums). And, admittedly, my sound has suffered from my stubborn refusal to use crappy sounding reverb to create a sense of space. But all I had to do was turn on ValhallaRoom once with the default setting to realize that it actually enhances what it touches. I don't know if it is accomplished with selective EQ or with something else, but whatever it does it makes everything sound better. At least to my ears.

And it costs $50! Not $250 or $350. It costs $50 because the developer wants it that way (his reasons were published earlier in this thread). Anyway, I would have paid more for this. I liked it instantly and it fills a huge hole in my production toolbox that needed filling. Every product has bugs. They're not limited to new releases either. But here we have an attentive developer who listens, makes fixes and updates quickly, and has created some really exceptional plugins at seriously affordable prices.

This is the kind of product development I like to support. I can't wait to see what comes next from Valhalla.

[b-pole]

This is the kind of product development I like to support. I can't wait to see what comes next from Valhalla.

and I hope to save a little bit money to buy my first "Valhalla's" next month

[TristezaOrange]

the plugin sounds OK, like has been stated it is no Lex but at $50 that is hard to expect, it is up there with most free reverbs and compares well to some commercial ones too, so i'm looking forward to trying a new version with bugs fixed

Way to understate the awesomeness of this reverb. But opinions are like herpes... wait, that's not right.

[V'ger]

I really like the GUI. The big bold knobs and sliders are very businesslike.

Agree preset path is a mess, especially when they are not even in \app data\ValhallaRoom, but just save to your DAW native and backup should be less of a chore.

But what's with the global hook on load Sean?


Not that I don't trust you, but obviously don't want anything opened unnecessary as a rule.

[valhallasound]

But what's with the global hook on load Sean?


Not that I don't trust you, but obviously don't want anything opened unnecessary as a rule.

Honestly, I've never heard of a global hook before this (as in, I have no idea what a global hook is). It might be something that is part of the bug fixes in the Juce framework that were used to fix the 1.0.2 issues. I'll ask in the Juce forum.

Sean Costello

[A.M. Gold]

..."Fisher Price" knobs and sliders.

[John-E34]

I was about to look past the childish interface, and purchase it...

I'll watch this thread, and see how things pan out

Just out of curiosity, what's happening in this thread that could change anyone's opinion about purchasing or not this plugin?. I see nothing.

The strange installation routine, and this 'global hook' issue.

But, the interface is a serious abuse of screen space...
For example, why the HUGE font for "ValhallaRoom", just delete it, save a third of the gui size, and add the name to the version number at the lower right. Also, reduce the overall font size, make the red sliders a bit narrower, and the gui would be fine.

Sound wise, it is outstanding, although cpu usage is a bit worrying...

Imho - of course.

[pheeleep]

Just bought it

The bonus was seeing $39 sitting in my paypal account from a refund I got a while back and completely forgot about.

Only ended up being $11 of "new money".

Very happy here.

[valhallasound]

As important as reverb is, I have generally avoided it because I hated what it did to my sound (think the 80s remastering of the classic 70s ZZTOP albums).

What is worse is that the remasters are often the only version you can find of those ZZ Top albums. I was looking for "Just Got Paid" on iTunes, and finally found the original version. Dry as a bone. Which works much better for the early ZZ Top sound than that horrible reverb they drenched the remasters in. You don't want to hear gated echo and drum replacement on "La Grange." Actually, lots of people here probably don't want to hear "La Grange" at all, which is fine.

Jethro Tull did a similar thing in the 1980's. I remember hearing remastered versions of "Aqualung" that just RUINED that song. Fortunately, the remaster quickly faded out of the public eye. Or I decided that Jethro Tull was utter crap. Get me drunk enough, and I'll break out into my imitation of Ian Anderson playing flute. Which is mostly me standing on one leg, holding an imaginary flute, and making a bunch of weird humming and chuffing noises:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 3991991942#

Actually, I don't think that performance is crap, but seriously, that one legged flute shtick...

One of the goals for VRoom was to get a natural "drum room" sound. I was striving for the sound Albini gets with his delayed room mikes. I'm thinking of the drums on "Surfer Rosa," or the Jesus Lizard's "Goat." I'm not saying I've nailed that sound, but I've gotten closer than I have with any of my past algorithms. On another forum, someone said that the sound reminded them of Headley Grange, which is one of the highest compliments I've had in my career.

Sean Costello

[pheeleep]

Thanks for getting me my license file so quickly! 11:30pm on a Saturday night!

Could you add an option to not have our name displayed on the plugin? Looking forward to using Room on some tracks

[valhallasound]

Thanks for getting me my license file so quickly! 11:30pm on a Saturday night!

Yeah, I got back kinda late from a CRAZY Easter Egg dyeing party.

Could you add an option to not have our name displayed on the plugin? Looking forward to using Room on some tracks

Not sure where I would add that option. However, send me an email or PM with your preferred display name, and I'll send you an updated keyfile.

Sean Costello

[DF2R]

No need to look past it! Here's a quote from my own marketing:

"The GUI has been designed for easy navigation, and is inspired by Joseph Müller-Brockmann, NASA control panels, and Sesame Street." (italics mine)

I am unabashedly inspired by my childhood memories of certain toys, books and TV shows. Fisher-Price has AMAZING UX ("UX" is shorthand for "User Experience" which is an important concept in the area of interactive design). Goodnight Moon, with its bold yet muted colors and emphasis on typography, is a masterpiece. Sesame Street in the 1970's made heavy use of the Futura typeface, and my use of this in ValhallaRoom intentionally reflected this influence.

It is worth noting that the designers who created these iconic works for children shared many of the same modern design school influences as ValhallaRoom. The clean lines of modern Swiss design, the Bauhaus emphasis on typography as a design element, and the Soviet Constructivist use of blocks of bold color, saturate the design of these toys, books and shows. The same influences can be explicitly found in the iPhone/iPad GUI. And my 5 year old can navigate through iOS just fine.

One of my deepest held beliefs is that design should reflect the medium in which it is constructed. For ValhallaRoom and the other Valhalla DSP plugins, this translates to avoiding any ersatz 3D elements. The GUI is NOT a 3D entity. It is a 2D construction that exists only on your monitor. It is made of bits of light. It is not modeled on any existing hardware. Fake shadows, fake modeled knobs and buttons, etc., just don't make sense in this context. The ValhallaRoom GUI embraces the 2D reality of the medium we work in.

My goal with the ValhallaRoom GUI was to create something that was clean, bold, modern, and easy to use. These are the same characteristics found in all well designed children's toys, as usability is most critical for that audience. If my GUI evokes childhood influences, then I take this as the highest of compliments.

Sean Costello

This was a cool insight into the design (which I like).