Xhip Effects v6.7

[aciddose]

Xhip Effects bundle.

Just announcing I've updated the Windows version of Xhip Effects to include the new GUI sizing and skinning features. A Linux version 6.7 is coming soon to replace the alpha (a little more work needed.)


Regarding the GUI, sizing, configuration and skinnability; please see this thread for comments or requests: KVR Forum - Xhip Effects - resizing/skinable GUI.



https://soundcloud.com/xhip/vocor2

I've added a new "Vocal" vowel filter effect which is quite useful for spicing up pads or leads with "woaeuowaah" effects.



I'd like to hold off on any major news (like a v7.0) outside basic forum posts until I have the Linux/MacOS versions working well. It would also be nice to include a few new effects all at once.




I'm also interested in adding new effects. Something I've been working on is a more efficient build process to handle things without having 15+ independent project files due to the addition of new targets/platforms multiplying this even further. With this new system there is no reason not to have 100s of effects.

The new preset format opens up the possibility of some sort of internal preset system (a context menu?) as well as allowing for new parameters to be added to existing effects. I'd prefer to keep these effects "simple" and leave specialty plug-ins to handle "epic mega everything delay!" and similar complex features. Small tweaks like adjusting parameter ranges (2 seconds delay time?) are now possible too without compatibility issues.

I'd appreciate any comments on simple ways I've overlooked of making the effects better. The addition of the low/high cut to the mdelay effect for example was extremely simple (just copy/paste code) but also very useful. (Features like tempo-sync although useful are not likely to be simple.)

[heavymetalmixer]

Awesome, thanks for the update!

Btw, is there a possibility you coul put numbers above the knobs to see what value are they in? Also, to clic on them and type them manually for more precise settings.

[aciddose]

That's definitely possible but it doesn't really match my goal for the plug-ins.

I've updated the description on the Xhip Effects page here on KVR and the xhip.net site:

What are Xhip Effects?

The Xhip Effects bundle are simple, general purpose, rack-mount style effects designed to be flexible, easy to use and most importantly fun.

Many other effects plug-ins are designed with a more specialized focus or attempt to do what some might consider "too much", making them needlessly complex when used for a simple purpose like a stereo delay.

Each effect is designed to include only the most minimal parameters in a knob-strip format much like you'd expect on a rack-mount effect unit or a guitar pedal.

These effects provide every parameter via the plug-in interface for parameter automation and do not include menus, tabbed windows or other more complex UI features. Xhip Effects are intended to be used in a more plug-and-play, old-school, "analog" or "by ear" way rather than including pages of presets or hidden menus and back-panel switches.

It isn't normal to have read-outs on rack-mount or guitar pedal effects and in most cases they'll just get in the way. I find it produces much better results if you ignore the exact settings and just go "by ear". These effects really aren't the solution if you want perfect tempo-sync delays or that sort of thing, it's probably better to use a more specialized plug-in.

These are meant for when you want to just plug in your guitar and start jamming while twisting the knobs in real-time to get crazy spaced out echos with pitch effects or similar, like a performance tool really for live tweaking rather than precise "exactly 963.4789123ms" evil scientist army of robots type stuff.

It's probably going to become possible as the skinning features are improved by using custom skins, but it isn't now and I'd prefer not to make that the default option. (Personally I hate effects that pop up horrible looking text-boxes when you click on them.)

This is a subject for discussion in the GUI thread here.

If I want read-outs I usually just switch to the built-in host GUI.

[heavymetalmixer]

Thanks for the answer, well, I don't have a lot of "by ear" training, so maybe I should start that with these plugins

[heavymetalmixer]

There's something I forgot to tell since the last year: since this FX pack is so complete, why is there no EQ?

[aciddose]

Actually I do have a low/mid/high EQ using both KHN (accurate filter) and the typical "cookbook" naive biquad.

The reason I haven't included them is I haven't been particularly motivated to do so (I rarely mix with EQ) and in addition I haven't really been able to come up with an EQ design that I really like.

All the other effects were motivated by my need for a "better effect": for example the compressor was the very first one. I wrote this when I made a plug-in for a music player way back in 1999 (IIRC?) which included a bass-boosting EQ+compressor in combination with a sub-harmonic generator to maximize the bass present regardless of the signal.

Over time I got more into PC music and once I started using DAW software I found the compressors were just awful. I didn't like any of them. So since I had already written Xhip as a VST by that point (mid 2004) I decided to make a compressor, modulated delay, chorus/phaser and a few others.

The generic EQs that come with hosts/DAWs tend to be perfectly suitable for my needs, so I've just never been motivated to put in the effort to make something better.

[K82]

First I want to thank you for your plugins, I find them very usefull.
I agree the built in plugins in the daws are good now, the reason I work with external vst is that you can use them even when working in a other daw . I feel safe working with them , as you don't have learn to work every time with different tools (soundwise too) if you don't choose to.
Other than that I like to keep things simple and xhip fx is perfect for this.
A eq would be nice ; )

[hivkorn]

Thx i will try it and report if i find bug

[aciddose]

Yep if I wasn't clear in my response about the EQ: that's on the TODO list. It's just one of those things that I'm not too certain about the time-frame.

I was recently thinking I should release the generic low/mid/high EQ. I just don't want to create a sub-par effect, so the fact I hardly ever use EQ doesn't give me much ability to judge the quality of one.

[funky lime]

Yep if I wasn't clear in my response about the EQ: that's on the TODO list. It's just one of those things that I'm not too certain about the time-frame.

I was recently thinking I should release the generic low/mid/high EQ. I just don't want to create a sub-par effect, so the fact I hardly ever use EQ doesn't give me much ability to judge the quality of one.

This is KVR; we don't care how it sounds. We just want it to look like vintage hardware and not be made in SynthEdit. And even though it's free we still want to complain about it.

We probably have enough EQs anyway. What we really need is Milkdrop as a VST plugin

[Everglide]

Your reverb Sir is a tweakers delight! Thank you very much.

[aciddose]

One fairly important thing to note about the buffer length "distribution" values is that unfortunately it isn't made clear that the ideal value is usually what produces a square-root for the times. I'd like to improve this in the future but it's one of those things where it's very hard to say exactly what's best.

If I were forced to, I'd have left the parameter inaccessible and fixed to output 1/2 (leading to a square root.)

Code: Select all

The parameter is mapped via:
lerp(low, high, x) = x * (high - low) + low
coefficient = lerp(1/8, 4, input^2)

To get an exact result we need the inverse parameter mapping:
normalize(low, high, x) = (x - low) / (high - low)

The value we want is normalize + square root to undo the square:
sqrt(normalize(1/8, 4, 1/2))
which is equal to:
~= 0.311

Nasty huh? So generally you'll want to use distribution = 31%

The mouse-wheel is used to input in steps of 1/16th, so if you set the parameter to zero and count five ticks upward you get 5/16ths = 31.25%.

Xhip_Reverb_Preset_Normalizatron_FXP.zip

Also cool thing: The GUI totally looks like a version of Darth Vader's experimental TIE Fighter:

[vata44]

My idea is make them 8 sliders and 8 knobs only. Many many midi controllers have only 8 knobs or 8 knobs and 8 sliders. Make them fit the most common layout of those like 8 knobs in a row. So then they will be fun and logical when you assign them to a midi controller. You won’t have to think which is assigned to what. Left to right.

I know some things like the reverb have many controls and options, but how about making 8 knobs in a row for the most common parameters and everything else below for the deep tweaking?

That I think would be the most useful thing.

[aciddose]

That I think would be the most useful thing.

Please see the skinning thread:
viewtopic.php?p=7739666#p7739666

It would make more sense to ...

[aciddose]

My idea is make them ... 8 knobs only. Many many midi controllers have only 8 knobs ... Make them fit the most common layout of those like 8 knobs in a row.

Another way to achieve this is to do what most of those "simple" reverb effects do: have a knob dedicated to presets like "room", "hall", "echos" which pre-configures all the hidden parameters and configures the feedback parameters to work as "decay time" with some normalized range like 30 ms to 1.5 s.

That sort of thing could be released as another effect: internally identical, but externally "Xhip Verb". Unfortunately though that isn't real simplification. It's merely wrapping it up as a preset machine by hiding the parameters.

That's similar to releasing a vocal synthesizer that only says "Merry Fishmas!" with incredible realism of course, matching the model vocal recording almost perfectly... but not much use for anything other than shouting "Merry Fishmas!" which defeats the whole purpose. At that point you should just be using a sample, and for a reverb effect the situation is identical: just use a convolution reverb.