Any x64 guys get the MFX Shell wrapper to do anything meaningful?
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From: "Dave "Mod Bod" Modisette" on 21 Jan 2010 19:02 Rick Paul wrote: > Have any of you who've gone down the SONAR x64 route, be it with Vista or > Windows 7, gotten the MFX Shell that came with the DX Shell and DXi Shell > bundle, to work in practice? The release notes said it was experimental, > and might not work with some MFX plug-ins, but that also suggested to me it > might work with some. I haven't tried it with a boatload of MFX plug-ins, > but did try it with two. Ultimately, though it wrapped both okay, and I > could insert them in my projects, neither seemed to do what it was supposed > to do in practice. > > I tried this for both Jasmine Music Technology's JMT Orchestrator (v2.1) and > the latest version of the WordBuilder MFX for the East West Quantum Leap > Symphonic Choirs. In each case, the plug-in gets wrapped as a VSTi, and can > be inserted in the Synth Rack or an audio bin. I can enable the MIDI output > in the Synth Rack in either case, and it then shows up as a MIDI input in > MIDI tracks. It also shows up as a MIDI output in MIDI tracks. The plug-in > interfaces seem to work as I'd expect. So far so good, or so it would seem. > When it gets down to brass tacks, though, they don't seem to do anything. > > WordBuilder, and it's relationship to the EWQL Symphonic Choirs plug-in, is > probably a bit complex, in that it is lending the diction to what would > otherwise be oohs and ahs. It would normally take MIDI input from a > keyboard or MIDI track, add some control information, and spit out an > enhanced MIDI track that then feeds the instrument. Or at least that's my > recollection from the one time I experimented with it. (The only time I > ever used EWQL-SC on an actual project, I just needed oohs or ahs.) I tried > a variety of ways of hooking it up, but the way I think should have been > correct was to have the keyboard MIDI track output to the wrapped > WordBuilder VSTi, then have the MIDI track that actually drives the EWQL-SC > plug-in take its input from the WordBuilder's MIDI output. I got different > results from when the keyboard track drove the EWQL-SC plug-in directly, and > it wasn't just silence, but it wasn't anything even remotely close to what > I'd have expected, either -- more like a few random notes. > > JMT Orchestrator would seem to be a much less complicated plug-in. It's a > Band-in-a-Box-style accompaniment generator, where you give it chord changes > and styles and information on variations, then it generates multi-part > accompaniment, which you then sent to a multi-timbral sound module, such as > TTS-1 (which is actually perfect for that as the default sounds mapping is > General MIDI). Thus, I sent the MIDI output of the wrapped JMT Orchestrator > VSTi to a MIDI track whose output went to the TTS-1 plug-in. You'd think > that would be simple enough, but there was no sound at all, nor any signs of > MIDI data on the MIDI track. > > Unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've even tried using either > plug-in, so it is conceivable I'm doing something wrong in the plug-ins > themselves, though I think that is fairly unlikely in the JMT case. I > haven't tried MFX Shell with any other MFX plug-ins yet to see if something > that is a simple filter may work, but I think most of the MFX plug-ins I'd > had that fit that description came with SONAR and were just bundled in as > 64-bit plug-ins in the x64 edition. These two were the only remaining ones > that I felt I actually might want to use (especially the EWQL one. > > I'm wondering if anyone else has tried MFX Shell, and, if so, what kind of > results you've gotten, and, if it actually did work for your particular > plug-in, if there were any tricks needed on the configuration and routing? > > Rick > I never could get it to work so I gave up. If I want to use my Timeworks plugs I just run the 32 bit version of SONAR. I'm a little reluctant to run that adapter anyhow for fear that it will cause problems. -- Dave "Mod Bod" Modisette http://www.gatortraks.com/forum http://www.gatortraks.com
From: John Braner on 22 Jan 2010 05:07 > > FWIW, the plug-ins I am currently running under DX Shell are: > > Cakewalk FX3 Soundstage > dB-Audioware dynamics processor suite (I.e. dB-D, etc.) Rick - I set up the old db multiband limiter. It works fine, but there is no way to save presets. Can you save a preset with the wrapped db plugs? -- =========== John Braner jbraner(a)NOblueyonderSPAM.co.uk http://cdbaby.com/cd/JohnBraner http://www.soundclick.com/johnbraner
From: John Braner on 23 Jan 2010 06:15 On 22/01/2010 19:34, Rick Paul wrote: > "John Braner"<me(a)myhouse.com> wrote in message > news:hjbtcm$i7c$3(a)news.eternal-september.org... >>> FWIW, the plug-ins I am currently running under DX Shell are: >>> >>> Cakewalk FX3 Soundstage >>> dB-Audioware dynamics processor suite (I.e. dB-D, etc.) >> >> Rick - I set up the old db multiband limiter. It works fine, but there is >> no way to save presets. Can you save a preset with the wrapped db plugs? > > You can't save them within the plug-in's preset menu, but you can use the > Save/Load Bank facility in the file menu to save them on hard disk as .FXB > files, which I believe are generic VST plug-in preset banks. I just tried > that with dB-M and dB-L, and it worked in both cases. > > That's obviously not ideal, but perhaps better than nothing. I thought I tried that - but when I loaded the fxp file - it didn't change anything. I'll try again. > > One other approach that might be helpful in certain cases would be using > Track Templates, if, for example, the preset you want is always used in That's a good idea! I just like to set each band at 0db gain, and limit at say, -.5db. It's a lot of clicks, but not impossible. > conjunction with a specific type of track and signal flow, where you could > just load the preconfigured plug-in chain and other track settings. A > situation I can think of where that sort of thing might be useful is if the > reason for the preset was something like preconfiguring a drum kit setup > with specific settings on each mic, along with other specific settings such > as mic panning. > > Rick -- =========== John Braner jbraner(a)NOblueyonderSPAM.co.uk http://cdbaby.com/cd/JohnBraner http://www.soundclick.com/johnbraner
From: "Dave "Mod Bod" Modisette" on 23 Jan 2010 09:16 Rick Paul wrote: > "Dave "Mod Bod" Modisette" <dmodisette(a)gatortraks.com> wrote in message > news:4b58eb22$0$4972$9a6e19ea(a)unlimited.newshosting.com... >> I never could get it to work so I gave up. If I want to use my Timeworks >> plugs I just run the 32 bit version of SONAR. I'm a little reluctant to >> run that adapter anyhow for fear that it will cause problems. > > Dave, I had no problem with DX Shell and DXi Shell for Direct X and DXi > plug-ins, respectively. The Timeworks plug-ins from SONAR 2.2 XL were among > those that are working fine with DX Shell. Tassman 3 DX and DreamStation > are both working with DXi Shell. > > There are a few ways to use these, but the easy way for me was to create a > separate directory, not in the VST path, where you keep the DX/DXi/MFX Shell > stuff, including the SHELL2VST.EXE program. Then, if you want to convert > your DirectX plugins, just drag dxshell.dll on top of shell2vst.exe, and it > will create a subdirectory called DX with wrapped DLLs. Then you just copy > or move the wrapped DLLs into a directory (or different directories, if you > prefer for organization purposes) under your VST path. Start SONAR x64 > again to let it scan, and, with luck, you are in business. > > I say, "with luck," because some plug-ins ended up being hopeless, mostly > ones from Antares with PACE InterLok protection. I also had some challenges > scanning Waves plug-ins (RennMaxx with iLok protection), but that was a case > of where it seemed it could only scan a few at a time, so I had to move just > a few in the VST path, let SONAR scan, move a few more in, let SONAR scan > again, and so on until all the Waves plug-ins were scanned. After that, > they worked just fine. In fact, with the Waves plug-ins, I could not get > those working under VST with BitBridge for whatever reason, so the Direct X > ones actually ended up working better, with a wrapper than the VST versions. > > I have not even installed the 32-bit version of SONAR on my system. There > are a few plug-ins I ultimately could not get running properly with > BitBridge and SONAR x64, but other than ones that I also couldn't get > working properly in general (e.g. under 32-bit Ableton Live on the same > system), those ended up being plug-ins I could easily live without. > > FWIW, the plug-ins I am currently running under DX Shell are: > > Cakewalk FX3 Soundstage > dB-Audioware dynamics processor suite (I.e. dB-D, etc.) > DSP FX suite (not the Cakewalk versions of the same plug-ins, such as > FxReverb, which I did not bother trying, but noted someone else had gotten > working through DX Shell) > iZotope Ozone 3 (but with some issues in control values) > iZotope Trash > TimeWorks CompressorX and Equalizer > Waves RennMaxx suite > > I also converted the Sony Sound Forge effects, but some of those had issues > similar to the one Ozone was having, and I ultimately decided I wouldn't be > likely to use those anyway, so why clutter up my menu. The Sonalksis > plug-ins also converted okay, but I am running the VST versions of those > under BitBridge, so there is no need for the DX versions. > > With DXi Shell, I am current running: > > DreamStation DXi > Tassman 3 > > Rick Maybe, I'll give it another try this morning. -- Dave "Mod Bod" Modisette http://www.gatortraks.com/forum http://www.gatortraks.com
From: "Dave "Mod Bod" Modisette" on 23 Jan 2010 09:33
Rick Paul wrote: > "Glennbo" <vdrumsYourHeadFromYourAss(a)cox.net> wrote in message > news:Xns9D085AE685542BrownShoesDontMakeIt(a)188.40.43.245... >> The killer robot "Dave \"Mod Bod\" Modisette" <dmodisette(a)gatortraks.com> >> grabbed the controls of the spaceship cakewalk.audio and pressed these >> buttons... >> >>> If I want to use my Timeworks plugs I just run the 32 bit version of >>> SONAR. >> That would drive me totally nuts. I use at least ten instances of the >> Timeworks CompressorX and EQ in every song I do. My drums are pre-mixed >> in >> my default templates in both Sonar and Reaper with about five of each. >> CompressorX is my absolute favorite brickwall limiter, and I sure wouldn't >> even think about losing it to more bits. > > Not that you're actually considering upgrading to SONAR x64 anyway, but, as > I said in my response to Dave, the CompressorX plug-in works just fine in > SONAR 8.5.2 x64 via the DX Shell wrapper, which turns it into a VST plug-in. > > Rick Well Rick, you finally got me to understand how to run that little application. It's been three months since my original try and I recall that I was trying to make it a much more complicated process. I ran it using your simplified instructions and it converted all of my DX audio plugins. I can't think of any soft synths that I want to use so I'll probably not convert them. I got a lot of plugins converted (SONY) that I'll probably delete to keep the list of converted plugs short. Thanks again, for the nudge in the right direction. -- Dave "Mod Bod" Modisette http://www.gatortraks.com/forum http://www.gatortraks.com |