Audio Gridder, free networked DSP aka VEpro alternative

[timbit2006]

https://github.com/apohl79/audiogridder
Long story short, has anyone here tried it out? I'm going to get it going on my laptop in the next day or so and give it a go.

[auron]

Yeah sure i tested it when it was alpha version. Very promising. Could be a problem solver for that annoying high performance meter loads in cubase. Now in beta version it is way faster than before and all your load of heavy cpu plugins are running outside of cubase , even vst3 plugins. great idea, i will donate this guy in the next days.

[imrae]

Is this technically any different from ReaMote?

A practical problem with these setups can be the need to deal with DRM/authentication limitations when installing on the othet machine. You want your have your plugins available on both in case low-latency is needed, while the cpu-heavy plugins that benefit the most tend to be the same ones that have more license restrictions. "Only one active on network at the same time" is especially likely to cause problems!

[auron]

I think Reamote is practically the same, but bound to Reaper. Is it available for all hosts? One restriction in Audiogridder could be a problem that it has only one stereo out on every instanciated instrument plugin, no multi outs. Dont know if future versions will support this.

[timbit2006]

So I'm now successfully using Audiogridder version beta 1.4 streaming 32 instances of SWAM Strings from 4 computers to my main computer using only 5% of the maximum RT CPU speed. Suddenly I3s and I5s of the past that are above 3ghz are relevant again, my current setup is 1 i5-2400, 2 I3-3240 and an I3-2350M with my main computer having a 3900XT. I think I'll end up adding another computer with VEpro on it though for the annoying RAM hog Play libraries and to offload a few kontakt libraries if I really need to, it seems both VEpro and Audiogridder have strengths and weaknesses in opposite areas so they would work very well together. The only major limitations of audiogridder that I can think off the top of my head compared to VE is no multi outs(yet) and you can only have one plugin GUI open with audiogridder because it uses screencapturing so for something where you're constantly switching through articulations with mouse clicks or typing into a word builder it'd get annoying after a while.

I also just want to add that the developer, Andreas Pohl is very responsive to suggestions and tips on github, originally there was a problem where MIDI was just set to not transmit on non VSTi VST instruments(ie. SWAM) and after reporting the issue it was genuinely fixed while I slept. 10/10 for that for sure.
Final note: If anyone's just about to get it now because of my bumping this thread, beta 1.4 is the last stable version from what I've experienced so get that one instead of 1.7, if I upgrade again eventually and have no issues I'll edit this post for sure.

[elektrastudio]

Did anyone used Audiogridder on an m1 mac with plugins ported from virtual windows inside the same machine? I have heard people used it on Intel macs like that and works fine, but wondering about M1 specifically. Thanks

[TS-12]

installed audio gridder on Windows 11 as server and as plugin on M1 Macbook.
on macbook the plugin opens fine, but on windows the server keeps crashing while opening with this error "failed to bind to server port xxxx" as soon as I click OK it crashes

[jancivil]

pretty certain anybody saying 'alternative to VE Pro' has not used VE Pro. If it's more or less equivalent to REAmote this is a joke. "The only major limitations of audiogridder that I can think off the top of my head compared to VE is no multi outs"
lol. "t seems both VEpro and Audiogridder have strengths and weaknesses in opposite areas"
<it seems> is weasel words and indicates pure conjecture, one hoping this is so trying to sell themselves on something. Sorry, that isn't passing the smell test.

There's a way to affirm the thing without a comparison that isn't going to hold up.

[Guenon]

pretty certain anybody saying 'alternative to VE Pro' has not used VE Pro. If it's more or less equivalent to REAmote this is a joke. "The only major limitations of audiogridder that I can think off the top of my head compared to VE is no multi outs"
lol. "t seems both VEpro and Audiogridder have strengths and weaknesses in opposite areas"
<it seems> is weasel words and indicates pure conjecture, one hoping this is so trying to sell themselves on something. Sorry, that isn't passing the smell test.

Maybe just tone down a bit and chill , that was a reply to information from almost three years ago, and in a somewhat aggressive tone at that. Multi-out support has been added, for up to 64 instrument outputs. Also, the confusion between ReaMote and Audiogridder, from years ago, might best be looked into a bit before commenting in this fashion. ReaMote is a simpler tool that uses the interface of locally installed plugins to control remote identical ones, i.e. it requires you to install the plugin and its materials on both machines (in other words the main host machine needs to have everything installed that the remote ones have, combined). Audiogridder streams the actual remote graphical interface to be used on the main host. AG in its current version is well worth looking into.

[ideny]

but on windows the server keeps crashing while opening with this error "failed to bind to server port xxxx" as soon as I click OK it crashes

.

Is the tool running as an admin, you may need that to run an listener?

Is ther a configuration setting for the listener IP?
The tool mit be configured to bind to a defakt ip.

Other options are typically appears if the port used to listen is in use by a different application.

I think there should be as well a log which gibes you more information.

[TS-12]

finally got it to work. Now I can use my beloved Virtual Guitarist 2 again