KVR Audio

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:15 pm

Is there any way to host VST effects (not instruments) in hardware? I recently looked for an alternative to using computers for everything, and got a Yamaha RS7000 to use with some other hardware. I love it, and it has allowed me to do a few live shows recently which wouldn't otherwise have been possible.

Inevitably I do miss my nice VST effects. I use a few guitar pedals and the inbuilt FX, but what would be better is a way to host something like MFM, Replicant, a lovely reverb, or a granular delay for example. My freeware VSTs piss all over anything the RS7000 can do.

I can think of 2 ways: use a laptop with Chainer (or similar) as a send/return effect on a mixer. Would this work?

A 2nd way is just something I imagined, maybe it's possible. A custom Windows Embedded device which just hosts a VST or VSTi. Not even sure if this is possible but sounds vaguely plausible to a non-programmer like myself!

I've also heard of V Machine (costs money) and Receptor (costs $hitload$ of money) of course.

hardbop200 · Post by **hardbop200** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:23 pm

Is there any way to host VST effects (not instruments) in hardware?

http://www.museresearch.com/products/receptor.php

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:17 pm

i already mentioned that i'm aware of receptor. and i already said that it's too expensive. this question is more out of curiosity than necessity. anyone know of another way?

merry christmas

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:31 pm

V-Machine is $300 currently. Which is way less than Receptor.

randyandyvandaman · Post by **randyandyvandaman** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:39 pm

Or the other way around you can host hardware such as korg Kronos as a plug in within your software such as machine or DAW like studio one.

Cheers

bmot · Post by **bmot** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:58 pm

thanks for replies. while maschine looks great, it is the opposite of what i want as it relies on a laptop. And it's really expensive. I already have a hardware sequencer in the RS7000. So that option is out.

V Machine has interested me for a while, especially now the price is much lower, but i'd be worried about compatibility. Their list of plugins is very incomplete, almost like the company couldn't be bothered testing them. Either that, or loads of plugins won't work. So it could be a big waste of money.

So far my favoured approach is using my old laptop to host VSTs and attaching it to mixer as a send/return effect. I have an old laptop, actually I also have a touchscreen thing (netbook powered CPU) which can run chainer and VSTs - just about. I'd need an adapter to give me a line-in. So, do you think this would work:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001EHG7DM/r ... B001EHG7DM

I'd run audio to/from this USB adapter, to/from the mixer's send/return. Load required VSTs in Chainer or another host. I can't see why it wouldn't, but maybe someone has tried this and can confirm?

Shy · Post by **Shy** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:05 pm

Use the laptop/netbook/whatever with a proper USB audio interface if you care at all about sound quality and latency/performance. Get a Steinberg CI1 for ~$80 and you're set.

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:39 pm

The other (pointless) option is Open Labs Soundslate, it's a dual core running XP rack unit. Compatibility is like everything, but I'm not saying I'd pay $2000 for one.

You can get a dual core lap new for $500, used for less than $200 easy when refurbished on ebay.

Dogman5000 · Post by **Dogman5000** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:34 am

Rhizome is precisely what you are asking for I think....

Crackbaby · Post by **Crackbaby** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:57 am

Send me the RS7000 and i will grant you three wishes!

I promise!!!

How much did you pay for it?

(sorry for not adding anything to the thread

)

Tony Ostinato · Post by **Tony Ostinato** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 7:19 am

i have 2 v-machines, i use em to do autotune live, using the free g-snap, and also occasionally some convolution reverbs with reverberateLE.

running both of them i can do 4 autotuners, one for each of 4 singers.

theyre good boxes but i really doubt there will ever be a cpu upgrade and indeed most plugins don't work, anything with a dongle for instance is going to be trouble. think of them as a circa 1998 computer for power.

still i have loaded a lot of good free fx plugins, like phasers and echo and wah and fuzz so its been good fun.

the software that you use with the v-machine to program its presets on computer will run without a v-machine and makes a pretty good simple live host for effects, and its free. its a 4 channel mixer with routing , 2 effects channel and a master channel. each channel loads 4 plugins.

mkdr · Post by **mkdr** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:09 am

bmot wrote: I can think of 2 ways: use a laptop with Chainer (or similar) as a send/return effect on a mixer. Would this work?

A 2nd way is just something I imagined, maybe it's possible. A custom Windows Embedded device which just hosts a VST or VSTi. Not even sure if this is possible but sounds vaguely plausible to a non-programmer like myself!

Won't work. You can't get past the latency of a computer system. It's just simply not good for live work. Just get hardware effects like a Kaoss pad etc.

Another thing entirely is to use only a computer. Then you only have to live with the "control latency", which is not as bad as audio latency. If you don't know what that means, go with the hardware effect.

Crackbaby · Post by **Crackbaby** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:27 pm

Another way to deal with things when not knowing is to learn it...

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:46 pm

Sweetwater is selling the Muse Research Musebox now ($1,000). I think you can load up to 2 plugins, no MIDI effects, your plugin has to run on Linux.

Aural Chaos · Post by **Aural Chaos** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:59 pm

mkdr wrote:
Won't work. You can't get past the latency of a computer system. It's just simply not good for live work. Just get hardware effects like a Kaoss .

Seriously ?!

hosting VST's in hardware - possible?