foo_vst: VST 2.4 adapter, Multi-instance, multichannel, and seamless; Now back in development Options

[pjgregory]

I have been testing VST 2.4 (0.9.0.3) with the Electri-Q parametric equalizer to correct the low frequency response in my room. No problems, except that the Electri-Q plugin is dual mono so I cannot create a separate equalization for each speaker. I have downloaded the demo version of the Blue Cat Stereo Parametric Equalizer. It loads OK, but as soon as I try to change one of the frequency or gain settings (a small pop-up text box appears), the Equalizer freezes and foobar crashes. Is this the same general crashing problem that has been reported here?

If there is no fix in sight, does anyone know of a stereo parametric equalizer that does work with VST 2.4

PJG

[Yegor]

I know about this problem with Blue Cat plug-ins. New version of the adapter is in development atm. UI stuff is going to have numerous bugfixes.

[AlphaWave]

Is there a way to have the running vst start automatically when foobar starts without have to start the dsp manager? Even better, to have the vst window integrated in foobar rather than in a separate window?

[Yegor]

What's the point of keeping VST editors visible all the time?

[AlphaWave]

Hmmm. I think what I meant to say was having the vst plugin itself visible all the time. I guess I'm asking that in the wrong place aren't I?

[Yegor]

It's the same. So why do you want to have them visible?

[AlphaWave]

So that I can play around with it as the fancy takes me I.e. when I think the playing track warrants a different eq. At the moment I have to firstly go to view - dsp manger - 'easy eq vst' to see the thing and then I have to switch between the main window and vst window. All this makes it more of a pain to make eq adjustments 'on the fly'. In my view it should be as easy as sliding the foobar volume slider.

[Yegor]

Short answer: I'm sorry but no.

It's View > DSP menu we're talking about, not VST plug-ins, right? Well, not only this feature won't be extended but it will also be disabled by default. It's because Foobar2000 doesn't encourage such behavior, i.e. to leave DSP config windows open. I wish it wasn't so myself. As for integrating VST GUIs into the fb2k's main window, it'll be just ugly because VST doesn't support window sizing.

[pjgregory]

I know about this problem with Blue Cat plug-ins. New version of the adapter is in development atm. UI stuff is going to have numerous bugfixes.

Fine. I will wait.

PJG

[Sylph]

Does this work with Ozone 5?

[marabundo]

Does this work with Ozone 5?

Works fine (foobar2000 v.1.1.10)

[oromasdes]

Archive is corrupt in the op and the dll won't extract and can't be repaired.
Please repack/repost.

Got the dll after a few attemtps. Don't use winzip, but use 7-zip instead. Steps :
1. Open the downloaded file 'foo_vst_0903.zip' with 7-zip.
2. Extract the 1 file named 'foo_vst_0903' (and close 7-zip)
3. Open the extracted file 'foo_vst_0903' again with 7-zip (as it has no extension, do it with right-click and 'Open', then select 7-zip as program; or start 7-zip and navigate to the file, then double-click on it)
3. Extract the 1 file named 'foo_vst.dll' - this is the unpacked dll

[Yegor]

Or just drag'n'drop the zip file to the components list in the preferences dialog box.

[pjgregory]

I know about this problem with Blue Cat plug-ins. New version of the adapter is in development atm. UI stuff is going to have numerous bugfixes.

Fine. I will wait.

PJG

Any progress on a fix for the Blue Cat Plugin?

[bobbyhu]

Does this work with Ozone 5?

Works fine (foobar2000 v.1.1.10)

Damn, I can't make it to work with foobar2000 v.1.1.10 and ozone advanced 5. (ozone 4 works fine)

Which dll did you add in the VST plugin window? iZotope Ozone 5.dll?

The View/DSP menu is greyed out even after restarting foobar.

[ironmine]

I have been testing VST 2.4 (0.9.0.3) with the Electri-Q parametric equalizer to correct the low frequency response in my room. No problems, except that the Electri-Q plugin is dual mono so I cannot create a separate equalization for each speaker. I have downloaded the demo version of the Blue Cat Stereo Parametric Equalizer. It loads OK, but as soon as I try to change one of the frequency or gain settings (a small pop-up text box appears), the Equalizer freezes and foobar crashes. Is this the same general crashing problem that has been reported here?

If there is no fix in sight, does anyone know of a stereo parametric equalizer that does work with VST 2.4

PJG

Hi PJGREGORY!

I've started experimenting with active equalization for room correction (plus I have some passive self-made acoustic panels & bass traps) quite a long time ago. My final result looks like this:

I use Foobar2000 and its component George Yohng's VST wrapper. It is linked to Art-Teknika Console, it's a very visual and user-friendly Japanese VST-chainer. The main action takes place inside this Art-Teknika. I use two instances of LiquidSonic Reverberate Convolution VST plugins, one for each channel. Each LiquidSonic is loaded with a room correction filter (impulse) made in Room EQ Wizard, separately for each channel.

Then I add Sonalksis Ultimate-D VST Plugin for dithering to 16 bits and finally I monitor the output with Sonalksis FreeG plugin to make sure the level does not go above zero.

I tried different equalizers, but I prefer the sound of LiquidSonic convolution plugins. However, I should say that Oxford Sonnox EQ is also very good!

If you need any help with the setup, you can write to me at ironmine@mail.ru

Bye,
Eugene K (Russia)

This post has been edited by ironmine: Jan 20 2012, 06:52

[Presto]

Yegor:

First of all, thank-you SO SO MUCH for creating a multichannel VST wrapper. Do you have a donation page?

One issue I was wondering if you could help me with. The plugin, whether using kernel streaming or ASIO outputs, seems to do it's channel mapping at a very low level (hardware level? HAL?) for the audio interface. Any attempt to use the Foobar matrix mixer post-plugin, or assign channel mapping in the more recent ASIO output plugin does not make any difference. Is this is a problem? Not really - but for some cards you get unusual or unexpected channel mapping. Examples:

X-Fi (Audio Creation Mode) - Only first 6 of 8 physical channels are available.
M-Audio Revolution 7.1 - Channels 5 and 6 are mirrored onto 7 and 8 (so only six are usable)
C-Media AZ9880 onboard codex - channel mirroring as with M-Audio revolution

Is this wrapper limited to 6 channels? Can one change the mapping?
What audio interface did you use when developing / testing this wrapper?
(Sorry for all the questions - I am SOOOOOOOO close to getting this all working it's maddening!)

I have other cards (and one on the way) to test and maybe that will shine a light on this. It could be goofy channel mapping inherent to the various cards to do "top" channels, which are often combinations of various surround channels. I.e., in X-fi, one top channel maps audio to every other channel. (Not wanted when you're doing audio-creation or Allocator type applications)

Thanks for your time, and thanks for getting us Thuneau Allocator users one step closer to sonic perfection!

Cheers,
Presto

[tribaljet]

ASIO is still a buggy output method, you can get exactly the same bitmatched output through WASAPI. And KS is obviously out of the question.

[Presto]

ASIO is still a buggy output method, you can get exactly the same bitmatched output through WASAPI. And KS is obviously out of the question.

Thanks for getting back to me Tribaljet.
UPDATE: It's all working 100% now. I needed to increase the channel limit from 6 to 8. I also no longer needed to do "counter-intuitive" ASIO mapping, so when I just picked the ASIO channels from 1 to 8 in sequence and ignorned the nicknames, it worked just fine.

All I can say is WOW - this sounds amazing. No separate VST host. No Console. No ASIO4ALL - just Foobar and the Allocator and great sound!

This VST adapter is DA BOMB!

[grimpr]

I have been testing VST 2.4 (0.9.0.3) with the Electri-Q parametric equalizer to correct the low frequency response in my room. No problems, except that the Electri-Q plugin is dual mono so I cannot create a separate equalization for each speaker. I have downloaded the demo version of the Blue Cat Stereo Parametric Equalizer. It loads OK, but as soon as I try to change one of the frequency or gain settings (a small pop-up text box appears), the Equalizer freezes and foobar crashes. Is this the same general crashing problem that has been reported here?

If there is no fix in sight, does anyone know of a stereo parametric equalizer that does work with VST 2.4

PJG

Hi PJGREGORY!

I've started experimenting with active equalization for room correction (plus I have some passive self-made acoustic panels & bass traps) quite a long time ago. My final result looks like this:

I use Foobar2000 and its component George Yohng's VST wrapper. It is linked to Art-Teknika Console, it's a very visual and user-friendly Japanese VST-chainer. The main action takes place inside this Art-Teknika. I use two instances of LiquidSonic Reverberate Convolution VST plugins, one for each channel. Each LiquidSonic is loaded with a room correction filter (impulse) made in Room EQ Wizard, separately for each channel.

Then I add Sonalksis Ultimate-D VST Plugin for dithering to 16 bits and finally I monitor the output with Sonalksis FreeG plugin to make sure the level does not go above zero.

I tried different equalizers, but I prefer the sound of LiquidSonic convolution plugins. However, I should say that Oxford Sonnox EQ is also very good!

If you need any help with the setup, you can write to me at ironmine@mail.ru

Bye,
Eugene K (Russia)

Amazing post, thanks for letting me know about Console, Foobar + Console + VirtualAudioCable + Continuator is a powerhouse combination.

[Alexa]

new foobar fading thingie fixed the clicking noises when you had fading enabled! yey

[DJ_DOGGY]

Plugin is very useful

This post has been edited by DJ_DOGGY: Mar 4 2012, 22:51

[ironmine]

Plugin is very useful

The George Yohng's plugin is better for me because I can keep the interface of the VST plugins on top of the Foobar2000 player while music plays and control the sound "on the fly".

[tribaljet]

The George Yohng's plugin is better for me because I can keep the interface of the VST plugins on top of the Foobar2000 player while music plays and control the sound "on the fly".

You can do the same with foo_vst, I have no idea where you pulled the idea that it can't.

This post has been edited by tribaljet: Mar 5 2012, 02:21

[extrabigmehdi]

hi,
there's two vst when you enter the parameters manually (i.e you type number then the enter key) ,
then it crashs. LP10 by DDMF, and VahlalaRoom.
What's weird, is that if I use the Acon EffectChainer as an intermediary to load vst, it doesn't crash anymore.

Note: By the way, it would be nice , if the vst adapter would allow saving of presets as fxp files (standard way of saving presets introduced by steinberg, but re-used by other programs like soundforge).
Now I'm using Acon EffectChainer just to use fxp presets (and to avoid crash too).