From the original SynthMaker forum (2004–2014), with its members’ names and dates.
SyrupPudding ·
On another thread I was bleating on about how even the simplest plugin is at least 750KB. That started me thinking about combining multiple effects into a single plugin.
The VST specification supports a category of plugin called a shell which seems to allow for multiple plugins within a DLL but I am not aware that SM supports that.
So I thought I would experiment to see if I could achieve a similar result using the tools available in SM. Basically I use a Selector in combination with several MultiPlexes to direct the graphics and audio to the correct submodule, each of which contains an effect. In the attached example I have used the existing reverb and chorus modules.
This plugin does not have presets and would require a bit more thought as to how to achieve it. Probably the simplest approach would be to have each preset contain the union of all the effects' properties, along with the index of the active effect and feed that index back into the multiplex components.
Useful? Or is there a simpler way to achieve this?
I think if an object is connected to the output it is calculated.
If your intention in doing this is to provide a selection of effects in a small screen space, why not give users the chance to chain them as well as run them individually.
If you give them the chance to chain them you might want to look at the new matix components.
To my mind a small creen space selection of effects with a 'routing' page would be quite handy, much more so than simply accessing one at a time.
SyrupPudding ·
angstrom wrote: a few quick thoughts on this.
I think if an object is connected to the output it is calculated.
So that might use up more CPU than necessary?
angstrom wrote: If your intention in doing this is to provide a selection of effects in a small screen space, why not give users the chance to chain them as well as run them individually.
The main intention is to reduce the overhead by combining multiple effects in one DLL. Intra-plugin routing is an interesting idea. My original thought was for my custom host to allow the user to select which effect was required using windows controls and then instruct the plugin via VSTParameters to select the active effect within the plugin.
angstrom wrote: If you give them the chance to chain them you might want to look at the new matix components.
Not come across them and I've only vaguely looked at the related bus components. I'll check them out. Maybe I can prevent unused effects being calculated by isolating them from the plugin output using a bus or matrix.
angstrom wrote: To my mind a small creen space selection of effects with a 'routing' page would be quite handy, much more so than simply accessing one at a time.
For my target audience, maybe not 😉
Thanks for your suggesitions. That's the rest of the weekend sorted 😈
SyrupPudding ·
I've added a couple of Select components at the back end to hopefully isolate the inactive effect from the output.
I think you could lose the multiplex off the front end.
ASAIK the sound modules are only calculated if connected from the right to the sound output. So the effect you're not using will not be calculated with the selects alone and the multiplexes are redundant.
But the effects already have bypasses in them so all of this is redundant!
You can just chain them together and the on/off switches should take care of it.
Wrote something here? To have a post removed or your name hidden, write to [email protected].
SynthMaker