DAW Plugins - Notes

Resources

Overview

Plugin Types

VST - Virtual Studio Technology - Created by Steinberg
AAU - Apples' Audio Units
AAX - Avid Audio eXtension
TDM - Digidesign's TDM
LADSPA, DSSI for Linux
LV2, a cross-platform, open source, liberally licensed audio plugin standard
Microsoft's DirectX plugin
Mark of the Unicorn's Motu Audio System
JACK Audio Connection Kit, an open source sound server allowing flexible audio routing between apps
Propellerhead's Rack Extensions
Clap, a cross-platform plugin interface distributed under the MIT license, includes demo host and synthesizer

VST Plugins

There are three types of VST plugins:

VST instruments generate audio. They are generally either Virtual Synthesizers or Virtual samplers. Better known VST instruments include Nexus, Sylenth1, Massive, Omnisphere, FM8, Absynth, Reaktor, Gladiator, Serum and Vanguard. Many of these also support built-in effects through their GUI. Input: MIDI Message. Output: Audio
VST effects process rather than generate audio—and perform the same functions as hardware audio processors such as reverbs and phasers. Other monitoring effects provide visual feedback of the input signal without processing the audio. Most hosts allow multiple effects to be chained. Audio monitoring devices such as spectrum analyzers and meters represent audio characteristics (frequency distribution, amplitude, etc.) visually. Input: Audio. Output: Audio
VST MIDI effects process MIDI messages (for example, transpose or arpeggiate) and route the MIDI data to other VST instruments or to hardware devices. Input: MIDI. Output: MIDI

Quality Factors for VSTi and VST Host

The measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for hardware (or software) VST hosts for live performance are:

Low time to switch between instruments, banks, patches, presets
Low audio latency (less than 5 ms)
Good sound quality (sample rate, high signal to noise ratio, etc.)
Low CPU/Memory use

VST Preset

What is a preset ? For VSTi ? For single instrument ? or FX parameters ?

Steinberg Cubase VST introduced two file formats for storing presets: an FXP file stores a single preset, while an FXB file stores a whole bank of presets. These formats have since been adopted by many other VST hosts, although Cubase itself switched to a new system of preset management with Cubase 4.0.

Keyswitches, banks, etc

NI Komplete

This includes following components ...

Engines

Kontakt 5 - Sampler. Program your own virtual instruments.
Reaktor 6 (+ Blocks) - Design your own instruments, samplers, effects. (See later for more description)
Komplete Kontrol Software - Best Instruments and sounds browser (and Komplete Keyboard driver).

Synthesizers

Absynth 5
FM8
FORM
REAKTOR Prism
REAKTOR Spark
RETRO Machines MK2
ROUNDS
KONTOUR
MASSIVE
MONARK - Sotware synth runs inside Reaktor / Reaktor Player.

Note: Only Razor and Skanner XT not included.

Reaktor

It is a modular software music studio.

It is software equivalent of hardware synth and more.

Design and build your own instruments, samplers, effects and sound design tools.
It is supplied with 70+ ready-to-use instruments and effects, from emulations of classic synthesizers to futuristic sound design tools.
In addition, more than 3000 free instruments can be downloaded from the User Library.
All of its instruments can be freely examined, customized or taken apart; Reaktor is a tool that effectively encourages reverse engineering.
Reaktor Player is a free limited version of the software that allows musicians to play NI-released Reaktor instruments, but not edit or reverse-engineer them.

Massive

Wavetable based software synthesizer.

Absynth

It is semi-modular software synth.

FM8

Frequency modulation based software synth.

MONARK - Sotware synth runs inside Reaktor / Reaktor Player.

What is included in Komplete standard:

NI Reaktor (Synth) is a whole universe unto itself.

These are important plugins to have:

The Giant, Damage and Action Strings

Unused Plugins

Omnisphere

Multi capable. Create one Omnisphere instrument track. Enable Multi on it and enable 2 channels A and B. Now create 2 MIDI channels and assign Omnisphere channel 1 and 2 to it. The instrument track does not contain any song. This reduces memory consumption.

The MULTI is at the top of Omnisphere’s hierarchy and consists of up to eight Parts, together with four Aux FX Racks and a Master FX Rack.

The Multi Section contains four pages: MIXER, FX, LIVE and STACK. These allow access to a full-featured MIXER, the Multi FX, and two flexible performance modes: LIVE MODE and STACK MODE, which provide interactive environments for both composition and live.

Saving a MULTI is like saving the entire state of the plug-in for future recall. and load it at a later time into new instances of Omnisphere (or new projects) by loading the MULTI from the MULTI Browser.

There are 8 channels.
2 Layers A and B per Channel (or Patch).
Each layer can load different sound from sound browser.
You can apply 3 FX for each layer A or B or Common(both) = Total 12 FX per patch.
Multi - Tab is mainly for mixing all channels. (Either you use this or cubase mixer, not both).
Multi=>Mixer: Here you mix all channel using volume levels and PANS. In addition, each channel has 4 AUX sends to be used for selective FX effects per channel. i.e. You can choose combination of 4 effects stacks.
Multi=>FX: You define the (Aux) 4 Effects stacks and Master output effects definition here. Each effects stack can have 4 effects.
Live and Stack Modes allow real time interaction.

Typically, you use Trillian plugin in Omnisphere for Bass and RMX for percussion.

Misc Other Percussion Plugins

(Spectrasonic) StylusRMX vs eZDrummer vs Addictive vs Superior Drummer vs Stven Slate vs BFD
Superior Drummer - More realistic
Freeware alternatives ... Sonoma DrumCore, Bluenoise Drummix, Sennheiser DrumMic'a (Kontakt); SM MegaReaper Drum Kit (samples); etc.
Superior Drummer costlier than ezDrummer (frm same toontrack) but ezDrummer more easier to use.

Sampler - Grace

It is a free sampler. It has factory patches and user patches stored in this dir: D:ProgramDataOne Small ClueGracePatchesUser

A file can have .lpg suffix (an xml file -- for grace loop?) which is a loop or plain .wav file. In the left browse area right click and add any dir you like (e.g. WAV-DIR etc).

Note that the .gig files of G-Player is present in: D:Program Files (x86)SoundlibG-PlayerVienna Simponyic Library

Best Waves Plugins

See http://getthatprosound.com/top-14-must-have-waves-plugins/ * L3 Maximizer -- Brickwall limiter * Metaflanger etc.