[announce] VeeSeeVST Rack VST2 plugin

[deftinwulf]

First off, thank you from the bottom of my heart to bsp084 for this marvelous work. A VST version of Rack is what I have dreamed of since Rack was launched and to finally be able to make modular music in my daw is a dream come true. Seriously, thank you so much!

Now that I've said the most important thing, I have a few questions (and a request if anyone can be so kind).

I'm using Ableton Live x64 9.7.4, and every time I open a project there's an odd "tuning upward to pitch" phenomenon that every instance of VeeSee experiences the first time it is played. As in, the note will start at perhaps 1.5 octaves below where it should be and then smoothly rise in pitch until it is at the correct tuning. Once each instance of the plugin has done this, they all function perfectly until I save and quit Ableton again, and then the process repeats the next time I open the project. It's a small inconvenience, but something I wanted to mention in case it's a bug that hasn't been reported yet. Is there any fix for this?

Secondly, is it possible to add our own modules, or are they baked into the VST? If it is possible, does anyone have the 0.6.1 version of Vult's free modules? He said on his github that he never keeps legacy archives so the only way to get his 0.6.1 version modules would be to have someone in the community who still has the zip file and can upload it. Failing that, do you think you could add Vult's modules to the next release of VeeSee? If at all possible, of course.

Thirdly, is there any reason not to upgrade the plugin each time you release a new build? I am using the 9/2 build but I see you have a 9/5 build available. Does upgrading to the new version break old patches/projects or anything? Or is it a simple drag-n-drop replacement?

Thank you again!

[xtreme sounds]

Coolness.

This thing is near perfection now. I realize that I need to use the midi 1 or 4 module to receive input from an external sequencer software hosted in my daw. a few questions? Does it matter what midi channel I set it to in a single instance of VCV? Will there be a conflict with hardware instruments on the same channel? I am thinking I could have several of these midi 1 modules each with a different channel routing to different VCOs but I do not see a practical application in this context.

second how do I route different external sequencers into a single instance of VCV but have them control different VCOs? Maybe what I am thinking about?

[xtreme sounds]

Hi it appears that Audible Instruments macro Osc does not change waveforms in the 64 bit version of window. i am moving the edit knob and I cannot change it away from Saw wave. After I pressed play in my Daw I could then change the wafeform. I also tried painting some notes in the piano roll linked to VCV and every time a note hit, the waveform changed.

also this is the first time my mouse cursor disappeared when in my DAW. Not sure what changed here. all the sudden it vanishes when hovering over my daw but not my pc desktop

[deftinwulf]

Melodyz, what DAW are you using (and what version #)? The Macro Osc works as it should for me in Ableton but the Audible "Elements" (the texture/modal synthesizer, can't remember what it's called in Rack) doesn't seem to work for me at all. As in, I can't get any kind of sound out of it. The 3X OSC module from mstHACK is the same way; I can't get any tone out of it, even though it doesn't seem to require any different patching than any other oscillator. Have you experienced any "dead" modules like this?

Edit: Also, I just wanted to report that I upgraded to the 9/5 build without any problems. Just deleted the old folder and dropped in the new one and all my patches and projects are working as they should. Unfortunately, the new version did not fix the "rise to tuned pitch" problem I described in my initial post above.

[bsp804]

[..]I'm using Ableton Live x64 9.7.4, and every time I open a project there's an odd "tuning upward to pitch" phenomenon that every instance of VeeSee experiences the first time it is played. As in, the note will start at perhaps 1.5 octaves below where it should be and then smoothly rise in pitch until it is at the correct tuning.[..]

The only oscillator that does this (probably a module bug) is LindenbergResearch's "Woldemar VCO".
Are you seeing the same issue with other VCOs as well ?

[..]Secondly, is it possible to add our own modules, or are they baked into the VST? If it is possible, does anyone have the 0.6.1 version of Vult's free modules?[..]

It is possible (my own modules are located in a plugin DLL for example), and no, the precompiled module plugins for VCV rack are not compatible with this VST. Vult for example has not compiled his modules for VSVR, yet.

[..]Thirdly, is there any reason not to upgrade the plugin each time you release a new build? I am using the 9/2 build but I see you have a 9/5 build available. Does upgrading to the new version break old patches/projects or anything? Or is it a simple drag-n-drop replacement?[..]

I like to believe that the VST becomes a little bit better with each release. It is generally safe to upgrade, and newer versions should be able to load your old projects/patches. You may want to backup your "settings.json" config file in order to preserve your favourite module list (just overwrite the file with your backup once you have updated).

[..]Does it matter what midi channel I set it to in a single instance of VCV? Will there be a conflict with hardware instruments on the same channel?[..]

Yes, the MIDI channel matters. Whether there will be any conflicts with your HW instruments depends on your DAW (and its setup). Usually the VST is controlled by a DAW internal MIDI device (so to speak) but when you route a real MIDI device (external or loopback) to the plugin, those device may also control other things (depending on your setup).

[..]I am thinking I could have several of these midi 1 modules each with a different channel routing to different VCOs but I do not see a practical application in this context.
second how do I route different external sequencers into a single instance of VCV but have them control different VCOs?[..]

I think you already answered this yourself -- use multiple MIDI modules and set them to different MIDI channels ! (there are a lot of funky things you can do with this, i.e. control the pitch of different VCOs separately, (re-)trigger envelopes with MIDI notes, ..)

Hi it appears that Audible Instruments macro Osc does not change waveforms in the 64 bit version of window. i am moving the edit knob and I cannot change it away from Saw wave. After I pressed play in my Daw I could then change the wafeform. I also tried painting some notes in the piano roll linked to VCV and every time a note hit, the waveform changed.

This happens when the idle detection (see toolbar menu) is enabled and the plugin is idle.
Unfortunately, some of the UI handling in VCVR (and VSVR) is tied to the audio engine which means that some widgets (usually buttons) won't work while the plugin is idle.
Solution: Either play some notes or turn off the idle detection

also this is the first time my mouse cursor disappeared when in my DAW. Not sure what changed here. all the sudden it vanishes when hovering over my daw but not my pc desktop

I have seen this happen exactly once. Not 100% sure what causes it / how to fix it. I'll try to add a possible solution to the next release.

[..]the Audible "Elements" (the texture/modal synthesizer [..] doesn't seem to work for me at all [..] The 3X OSC module from mstHACK is the same way; I can't get any tone out of it

Could be the idle detection (see above).
Both modules work (I just re-tested them). The mscHack module needs a bit of parameter setup before it produces sound.



Changelog:

Code: Select all

** September 6th, 2018
- fix critical multi-instancing issue (mixed instr+fx plugins)
   - or better: a workaround:
      let each VST plugin instance load its unique set of add-on module plugins.
      each plugin.dll now exists twice: plugin.dll.fx, and plugin.dll.instr (same content)
- add module bsp.RMS

• The multi-instancing issue occurs when a DAW project uses both the instrument and effects version of the VST, and both instances use the same add-on module plugin.dll. In previous releases, this could have lead to wrong parameters being updated, or even crashes after certain instances of the plugin had been deleted
  • The root cause for this is that each plugin.dll is loaded only once into the address space of the DAW process (that's how Windows works)
  • The solution (/workaround) is to not load the same plugin.dll in both VST plugin versions. Instead of one "plugin.dll", there are now two DLLs, "plugin.dll.fx" and "plugin.dll.instr" (with the exact same content).
• The new "RMS" module is a Root Mean Square based envelope follower that can be used to generate envelopes from audio signals, e.g. to implement compressors.
  Here's an example: https://vimeo.com/288594338
  • The pulse width of the bass sound and the filter cutoff are controlled by two "RMS" envelope followers.
  • The compressor is also based on the RMS module. The bassdrum sound is sent to the sidechain input of the compressor lane (inputs 3+4). The compressor patch applies a high-pass filter before the signal is routed into the envelope follower, which then controls the amplification levels of the two "VCA-1" modules

veeseevstrack_0_6_1_win64_bin-06Sep2018.7z
veeseevstrack_0_6_1_win32_bin-06Sep2018.7z

[xtreme sounds]

do we have this or can we get it?
https://github.com/stellare-modular/vcv-rack turing machine

[xtreme sounds]

[..]I'm using Ableton Live x64 9.7.4, and every time I open a project there's an odd "tuning upward to pitch" phenomenon that every instance of VeeSee experiences the first time it is played. As in, the note will start at perhaps 1.5 octaves below where it should be and then smoothly rise in pitch until it is at the correct tuning.[..]

The only oscillator that does this (probably a module bug) is LindenbergResearch's "Woldemar VCO".
Are you seeing the same issue with other VCOs as well ?

[..]Secondly, is it possible to add our own modules, or are they baked into the VST? If it is possible, does anyone have the 0.6.1 version of Vult's free modules?[..]

It is possible (my own modules are located in a plugin DLL for example), and no, the precompiled module plugins for VCV rack are not compatible with this VST. Vult for example has not compiled his modules for VSVR, yet.

[..]Thirdly, is there any reason not to upgrade the plugin each time you release a new build? I am using the 9/2 build but I see you have a 9/5 build available. Does upgrading to the new version break old patches/projects or anything? Or is it a simple drag-n-drop replacement?[..]

I like to believe that the VST becomes a little bit better with each release. It is generally safe to upgrade, and newer versions should be able to load your old projects/patches. You may want to backup your "settings.json" config file in order to preserve your favourite module list (just overwrite the file with your backup once you have updated).

[..]Does it matter what midi channel I set it to in a single instance of VCV? Will there be a conflict with hardware instruments on the same channel?[..]

Yes, the MIDI channel matters. Whether there will be any conflicts with your HW instruments depends on your DAW (and its setup). Usually the VST is controlled by a DAW internal MIDI device (so to speak) but when you route a real MIDI device (external or loopback) to the plugin, those device may also control other things (depending on your setup).

[..]I am thinking I could have several of these midi 1 modules each with a different channel routing to different VCOs but I do not see a practical application in this context.
second how do I route different external sequencers into a single instance of VCV but have them control different VCOs?[..]

I think you already answered this yourself -- use multiple MIDI modules and set them to different MIDI channels ! (there are a lot of funky things you can do with this, i.e. control the pitch of different VCOs separately, (re-)trigger envelopes with MIDI notes, ..)

Hi it appears that Audible Instruments macro Osc does not change waveforms in the 64 bit version of window. i am moving the edit knob and I cannot change it away from Saw wave. After I pressed play in my Daw I could then change the wafeform. I also tried painting some notes in the piano roll linked to VCV and every time a note hit, the waveform changed.

This happens when the idle detection (see toolbar menu) is enabled and the plugin is idle.
Unfortunately, some of the UI handling in VCVR (and VSVR) is tied to the audio engine which means that some widgets (usually buttons) won't work while the plugin is idle.
Solution: Either play some notes or turn off the idle detection

also this is the first time my mouse cursor disappeared when in my DAW. Not sure what changed here. all the sudden it vanishes when hovering over my daw but not my pc desktop

I have seen this happen exactly once. Not 100% sure what causes it / how to fix it. I'll try to add a possible solution to the next release.

[..]the Audible "Elements" (the texture/modal synthesizer [..] doesn't seem to work for me at all [..] The 3X OSC module from mstHACK is the same way; I can't get any tone out of it

Could be the idle detection (see above).
Both modules work (I just re-tested them). The mscHack module needs a bit of parameter setup before it produces sound.



Changelog:

Code: Select all

** September 6th, 2018
- fix critical multi-instancing issue (mixed instr+fx plugins)
   - or better: a workaround:
      let each VST plugin instance load its unique set of add-on module plugins.
      each plugin.dll now exists twice: plugin.dll.fx, and plugin.dll.instr (same content)
- add module bsp.RMS

• The multi-instancing issue occurs when a DAW project uses both the instrument and effects version of the VST, and both instances use the same add-on module plugin.dll. In previous releases, this could have lead to wrong parameters being updated, or even crashes after certain instances of the plugin had been deleted
  • The root cause for this is that each plugin.dll is loaded only once into the address space of the DAW process (that's how Windows works)
  • The solution (/workaround) is to not load the same plugin.dll in both VST plugin versions. Instead of one "plugin.dll", there are now two DLLs, "plugin.dll.fx" and "plugin.dll.instr" (with the exact same content).
• The new "RMS" module is a Root Mean Square based envelope follower that can be used to generate envelopes from audio signals, e.g. to implement compressors.
  Here's an example: https://vimeo.com/288594338
  • The pulse width of the bass sound and the filter cutoff are controlled by two "RMS" envelope followers.
  • The compressor is also based on the RMS module. The bassdrum sound is sent to the sidechain input of the compressor lane (inputs 3+4). The compressor patch applies a high-pass filter before the signal is routed into the envelope follower, which then controls the amplification levels of the two "VCA-1" modules

veeseevstrack_0_6_1_win64_bin-06Sep2018.7z
veeseevstrack_0_6_1_win32_bin-06Sep2018.7z

I found other dead modules as well. so far 2 quantizers not working

[lalo]

Changelog:

Code: Select all

** September 6th, 2018
- fix critical multi-instancing issue (mixed instr+fx plugins)
   - or better: a workaround:
      let each VST plugin instance load its unique set of add-on module plugins.
      each plugin.dll now exists twice: plugin.dll.fx, and plugin.dll.instr (same content)
- add module bsp.RMS

• The multi-instancing issue occurs when a DAW project uses both the instrument and effects version of the VST, and both instances use the same add-on module plugin.dll. In previous releases, this could have lead to wrong parameters being updated, or even crashes after certain instances of the plugin had been deleted
  • The root cause for this is that each plugin.dll is loaded only once into the address space of the DAW process (that's how Windows works)
  • The solution (/workaround) is to not load the same plugin.dll in both VST plugin versions. Instead of one "plugin.dll", there are now two DLLs, "plugin.dll.fx" and "plugin.dll.instr" (with the exact same content).
• The new "RMS" module is a Root Mean Square based envelope follower that can be used to generate envelopes from audio signals, e.g. to implement compressors.
  Here's an example: https://vimeo.com/288594338
  • The pulse width of the bass sound and the filter cutoff are controlled by two "RMS" envelope followers.
  • The compressor is also based on the RMS module. The bassdrum sound is sent to the sidechain input of the compressor lane (inputs 3+4). The compressor patch applies a high-pass filter before the signal is routed into the envelope follower, which then controls the amplification levels of the two "VCA-1" modules

veeseevstrack_0_6_1_win64_bin-06Sep2018.7z
veeseevstrack_0_6_1_win32_bin-06Sep2018.7z

Hi and thanks!!!
I still have a problem if i use and FX instance after an instrument instance.
If i have some host automation for the Instrument instance all the automated parameters are mirrored on the FX instance. So the FX instance parameters are automated like the instrument one even if i dont' want this. I'm on Reaper.

[xtreme sounds]

Hi I tried changing the idle mode settings and the macro oscillator and quantum plugins and some others but forgot names do not work properly. I also tried setting me daw preference to keep focus still nothing

[bsp804]

do we have this or can we get it?
https://github.com/stellare-modular/vcv-rack turing machine

This has been requested before. It is not open source, can't port it.

I found other dead modules as well. so far 2 quantizers not working

If you want me to take a look at this, you have to be a little bit more specific (which modules ?).

I still have a problem if i use and FX instance after an instrument instance.
If i have some host automation for the Instrument instance all the automated parameters are mirrored on the FX instance. So the FX instance parameters are automated like the instrument one even if i dont' want this. I'm on Reaper.

Are you sure you are running the latest version ?
I just fired up Reaper and was not able to reproduce this.

Hi I tried changing the idle mode settings and the macro oscillator and quantum plugins and some others but forgot names do not work properly. I also tried setting me daw preference to keep focus still nothing

Both the Macro Oscillator and Quantum modules are working fine, I just tried them (using the 64 bit version of the plugin).

[lalo]

I still have a problem if i use and FX instance after an instrument instance.
If i have some host automation for the Instrument instance all the automated parameters are mirrored on the FX instance. So the FX instance parameters are automated like the instrument one even if i dont' want this. I'm on Reaper.

Are you sure you are running the latest version ?
I just fired up Reaper and was not able to reproduce this.

I was doing it with the new VeeSeeVST (sept. 6th) but i was doing on a song built with a previous VeeSeeVST version. I did it now on a new song loading to fresh instances and now it is working.
I noticed a strange thing BTW.
If i assign some Reaper envelopes to the parameters ad then i do MIDI learn on the Reaper envelopes to write my automation wuth an external controller, different parameters behave in different ways.
I.e automating the time knobs of the DelayPlus Stereo FX by AS i have the full range with in the range of 0-10 of my midi controller. I should have the full range in the 0-127 midi controller range. Can you reproduce it? BTW im' on Reaper 5.95rc1 on Win7 64x.

[VariKusBrainZ]

What will happen with this development port when the official VCVRack is released as a commercial VST?

[lalo]

What will happen with this development port when the official VCVRack is released as a commercial VST?

is this in Andrew's plans?
As far as i remember he choosed to go the "bridged" path because it works better for his own workflow.
So i think that is not in his plans to do a VST version. And VCV is open source.
Personally i really prefer the "integrated" VST path of VeeSeeVST.

[VariKusBrainZ]

What will happen with this development port when the official VCVRack is released as a commercial VST?

is this in Andrew's plans?
As far as i remember he choosed to go the "bridged" path because it works better for his own workflow.
So i think that is not in his plans to do a VST version. And VCV is open source.
Personally i really prefer the "integrated" VST path of VeeSeeVST.

I was reading this over in another thread where a commercial VST of VCVRack is discussed

[lalo]

What will happen with this development port when the official VCVRack is released as a commercial VST?

is this in Andrew's plans?
As far as i remember he choosed to go the "bridged" path because it works better for his own workflow.
So i think that is not in his plans to do a VST version. And VCV is open source.
Personally i really prefer the "integrated" VST path of VeeSeeVST.

I was reading this over in another thread where a commercial VST of VCVRack is discussed

where's the thread?