PG-8X (2.0) released

[theviirus]

I wonder if he could sell the code to a company like Roland or Arturia?

NO.

[cyberheater]

Just a question.  When I load up the sysex for a bank into a bank and then power off the DAW the PG-8X loses it's memory so the next time I have to reload the sysex data.

Is there a way for the synth to keep its the memory?

[mholloway]

Just a question.  When I load up the sysex for a bank into a bank and then power off the DAW the PG-8X loses it's memory so the next time I have to reload the sysex data.

Is there a way for the synth to keep its the memory?

Not sure what DAW you use, but I do this in Ableton by loading PG-8X into an Instrument Rack, loading the bank I want to use as the 'default' bank, then saving the instrument rack to my User Library. Anytime I load the rack, PG-8X is loaded with that default bank. I just treat the 'rack' (which is just a wrapper, anyway) as the instrument itself. I can also drop in a set of FX that I always use with the synth -- EQ, utility, whatever else, and those load inside the rack every time, too.

Not sure how this works in other DAWs but this is how I store / load all of my VSTs in Ableton.

[planetearth]

Just a question.  When I load up the sysex for a bank into a bank and then power off the DAW the PG-8X loses it's memory so the next time I have to reload the sysex data.

Is there a way for the synth to keep its the memory?

In the folder where your PG-8X plug-in is located, there is a PG-8X.INI file. Open the file in a text editor (Notepad.exe on the PC, for example) and add the following line:

DEFAULT_BANK = {Complete path to the .PG8XBANK file you want to load as default. For example: C:\VSTPlugins\PG-8X\JX-8POriginalbanks.pg8xbank}

(Note: Your PG-8X.INI file may already have "DEFAULT_BANK =" in it. If it does, just add the complete path to where the .PG8XBANK file is located.)

Steve

[cyberheater]

Just a question.  When I load up the sysex for a bank into a bank and then power off the DAW the PG-8X loses it's memory so the next time I have to reload the sysex data.

Is there a way for the synth to keep its the memory?

In the folder where your PG-8X plug-in is located, there is a PG-8X.INI file. Open the file in a text editor (Notepad.exe on the PC, for example) and add the following line:

DEFAULT_BANK = {Complete path to the .PG8XBANK file you want to load as default. For example: C:\VSTPlugins\PG-8X\JX-8POriginalbanks.pg8xbank}

(Note: Your PG-8X.INI file may already have "DEFAULT_BANK =" in it. If it does, just add the complete path to where the .PG8XBANK file is located.)

Steve

Thanks.

[kofi]

hello to all, thank you for all this information
I'm not sure I understood: the PG-8X is unusable with the mac M1?
thank you in advance for your clarification

[EvilDragon]

It's not a native ARM plugin, but you should be able to use it with Rosetta, I think.

[cyberheater]

It's not a native ARM plugin, but you should be able to use it with Rosetta, I think.

You certainly can.

[jamcat]

Unfortunately PG-8X is not AU, though. Apple built automatic Rosetta conversion into the OS for Audio Units, so Intel AU plugins will show up in native ARM DAWs that support AU, such as Studio One. It's not as good as having a native ARM VST3 version, but it does mean you can access those plugin (at least for now) in your DAW without having to run the Intel version of it in Rosetta.

The downside is AU plugins don't load cross-platform or in place of VST, so it breaks project compatibility with Windows and existing projects.

[Weasel-Boy]

It's not a native ARM plugin, but you should be able to use it with Rosetta, I think.

You certainly can.

Not in Cubase 11.0.41 running Rosetta under Monterey on an MBP M1 Max. It gets Blocklisted as a 32bit plug-in. Interestingly, Plogue's VST Inst Bidule blocks it with the same message.

[cyberheater]

It's not a native ARM plugin, but you should be able to use it with Rosetta, I think.

You certainly can.

Not in Cubase 11.0.41 running Rosetta under Monterey on an MBP M1 Max. It gets Blocklisted as a 32bit plug-in. Interestingly, Plogue's VST Inst Bidule blocks it with the same message.

I'm forced to use a VST to AU bridge to run the VST in Logic on Monterey I'm a M1 MacBook Air.
I wish I could load the AU natively but nothing I've tried works.

[jamcat]

Take all the time of the world, I can wait...; - )

Well it’s been over a year now that Martin’s been “weighing his options.”

I blame you.

[AndrewLMacaulay]

I do hope that Martin manages to make a decision around this soon - with M1 native not able to support VST2 plugins, and Steinberg removing VST2 support completely from the DAWs in the coming 2 years (and I suspect many other DAW vendors, given the lack of any ongoing development for VST2) this looks like it will become end of life in the coming year or so, and that would be a great pity. Maybe someone out there with in-depth knowledge about moving things to Open Source could help Marting, if that's the way he wants to go - or, as suggested by others, see if Arturia or Roland, or even other developers like Xils Lab, discoDSP, Martinic, etc. would purchase it and develop it further.

[EvilDragon]

M1 native can support VST2, it's just that Steinberg decided THEY won't be supporting VST2 in their hosts on M1.

[AndrewLMacaulay]

[Updated as have found one exception to my statement]

@EvilDragon, I think that you're wrong --- all the MacOs M1 native DAWs that I have checked except for FL Studio 20.9 are explicitly stating that they can't support VST2 on M1 native given that:
(1) VST2 plugins are ONLY available for Intel chips and, as VST2 developer kits aren't available for ARM chips/Apple silicon having been deprecated many years ago, VST2 plugins can never be recompiled to be MacOS M1 native; and
(2) Apple have explicitly made it impossible very difficult in MacOS on M1 for Intel-based plugins (other than their own AU format) to run using Rosetta mode INSIDE an M1 native host, forcing you to choose between running the DAW in Rosetta mode or lose access to the non-M1 native VST plugins (this also applies to Intel-based VST3 plugins without an M1 native version).

Cubase, like the other DAWs that I've checked which have M1 Native versions, DO currently fully support VST2 when the DAW is running in Rosetta mode, just NOT when the DAW is in native mode - in fact the FAQs typically state that if you have non-Apple silicon versions of AAX, VST2 or VST3 plugins (i.e. anything other than AU plugins) you have NO option but to run their DAW in Rosetta mode to be able to use the plugins.

[update] The *one* exception to this rule is that FL Studio 20.9 now seems to offer a bridging mode to provide backwards compatibility (probably similar to x86 support for x64 machines) but with the caveat "The downsides are 3rd party VST plugins will need to run in the FL Studio process bridge and this can use some more CPU and may be less stable than native Apple Silicon software."

So rather than simply blaming Steinberg in this case, how about complaining to Apple for their refusal to provide the necessary easy backwards compatibility for plugins in industry-accepted formats other than their own.