Use Laptop as Virtual Expansion for Advanced Processing. ( VST/AU FX plugins)

Started by Elantric, April 25, 2009, 10:18:51 AM

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Elantric

Quote<Germanicus wrote>

Im blown away by the vg99 everytime i sit down to screw around with it. I started years ago with a roland gr30, then a gr33 and yamaha g50, then got into variaxes (still use them) and pod xt's and x3, and now the vg99. The thing is at some point you have to stop tweaking and actually make music with the stuff (something im extremely guilty of, I have dozens of tunes all like 90% finished). I dont really find myself wanting more with the 99 except one arena, that of its acoustic modelling, line 6 has roland licked in this capacity. However the feature set in the 99 is lightyears beyond what i expected honestly.

One aspect Im really pleased with is how I can run a laptop live with the 99, with just one USB cable, and drive softsynths and vsts, and then output back through the same usb to the 99 again and use the 99's direct outs for everything. My laptop is acting as a virtual expansion unit in this regard. VG99 driving a few instances of M-Tron (mellotron sampler/library vst plugin) is mind blowing.

Next step is seeing if the newer netbooks can handle running a vst wrapper and possibly mounting it right under the 99 on my pds stand.

The VG-99 IS an ASIO USB Sound Card. If trying to configure a VG-99 rig like germanicus -  install the VG99 audio driver  = set the VG-99 driver to Advanced Mode, and run a decent host DAW/ VST host application ( Reaper, Ableton, Console, etc.) and set its Audio Hardware I/O Preferences to VG-99 - and no other sound card.

Apps that can serve as VST / VSTi / AU Hosts:


Reaper DAW

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun07/articles/reaper.htm

Forte Ensemble
http://www.brainspawn.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=94


Console
http://console.jp/en/

Hermann Seib, VSTHost.




Apple Logic


You could have the VG-99's MIDI Out (via same USB Cable)  drive VSTi Instruments like
M-Tron (mellotron sampler/library vst plugin)
http://www.gforcesoftware.com/

Avoid using ASIO4ALL and trying to run different Audio I/O devices at once. (Your mileage may vary!)


Read more about the VG-99 ASIO Audio Driver here:

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php/topic,48.0.html

Explore the VG-99's Flexible USB Audio Routing.

VG-99 External FX Processing Example

Be sure you have the VG-99 USB Driver loaded
Be sure is is set to Advanced Mode (Win Control Panel's  VG-99 Icon) or (Mac OSX System Preferences)

1) Fire up the VG-99 Editor  - Look up at the top

2) Click on  " SYSTEM/MIDI/USB/V-LINK

3) From the "System" popup window - click on OUTPUT/USB

4) Look at the bottom left "USB" area  - Observe the ability to re-route the VG-99 Audio path sent and received over the USB port!



5) Click on "USB OUT (to PC)

Choices are:

* from COSM A Guitar
* from COSM B Guitar
* from NORMAL Pickup
* from CH A
* from CH B
* from MIXER (DRY)
* from MIXER
* from MAIN OUT
* from SUB OUT

6) Use the Above select the signal Source which the VST FX (Guitar Rig, Amplitube, etc) with "see" on its Input.

7) For example in NI Guitar Rig 3 - Preferences - choose Audio Device as  "VG-99", and Routing choose VG-99 for both Input and Output.   

8 ) From Step 5 above - choose "from COSM A Guitar"

9) Select your favorite VG-99 COSM guitar

10) Select your favorite GR3 Amp Tone Patch.

11) Now Route the Guitar Rig 3 Output (over USB) back into the VG-99

12)  Click on "USB IN (from PC)"

Choices are:
* OFF
* to COSM A Guitar
* to COSM B Guitar
* to NORMAL Pickup
* to MAIN Out
* to SUB Out
* to MAIN & SUB Out

13) Choose "to MAIN & SUB Out"

14) Turn OFF "DIRECT MONITORING" - so you do not hear the typical VG-99 COSM Amps.

15) Connect VG-99 Output to your Amplified Monitors / Headphones

16) Enjoy and Explore!



<germanicus wrote>
Spurred by this thread I just tried the 99 on my home workstation checking out the USB and audio reamping performance. I disabled my delta 1010 drivers in sonar, put it in asio driver mode, and opened the vg99 asio driver settings control panel to increase the audio buffer.
I turned off Direct Monitoring in the VG99 itself under System>USB so I only heard audio being sent into the 99 from the USB cable.

It works pretty well. I was able to load Amplitube 2 in sonar using "Stereo Roland VG-99 IN L" as the input source, and "Roland VG-99 OUT L" as the output. Sonar reports an effective latency of 4.4 msecs when the VG99 Driver Settings Applet is set to the 4th notch from the left under Audio Buffer Size. I also have "Use Smaller ASIO buffer Size" checked, as well as ASIO Direct Monitor and MIDI IN "light load" checked.

When using the third notch from the left in the Audio Buffer Size window, I got alot of breakup.
4.4 msecs is very useable for live applications Live.

Amplitube 2 sounds great with this, im able to use the COSM guitar Modelling (and alternate tunings) in the 99 and the Amp Modelling in Amplitube 2 to get amazing sounds all sent OUT through the main outputs of the vg99. Think of the laptop as an expansion board that has a universal language (VST) that third party's use to code instruments and effects for. There are many options. Amplitube, Waves GTR, Guitar Rig 3, hell even the new line 6 Pod Farm (software based x3) all have some very nice amp and effect modelling.

This is really cool because if you think for a moment this opens crazy possibilities. You can actually define from which portion of the 99's signal chain you want to send the signal from over the USB. If you send it right after say COSM A, then you actually can use completely different amp modelling and effects simultaneously in the 99 (by reactivating the 99's direct monitoring), and use completely different amps and effects in your software, route that back into the 99, and you have another complete layer of modelling. Its the ultimate 'expansion' for the 99. Use whatever software guitar modeller you want. My head is spinning now.

Heres a question, how many vg99 users out there even know you can do this stuff with it? I doubt many do, and im sure those who dont own a vg99 do either, but i think this type of thing is really the future of guitar-dom. Live performance hardware that can run third party modelling software. The vg99 does this in an indirect capacity. I cant think of another unit/setup that is as powerful. As netbooks (check them out if you arent familiar) become more powerful and smaller, it will be pretty damn easy to have on stage with you. In fact many of the current netbooks could be mounted under the vg99 on the pds stand. Solid state hardrives runing win xp running VST host software connected to a vg99. Sheesh

alexmcginness

VG-88V2, GR-50, GR-55, 4 X VG-99s,2 X FC-300,  2 X GP-10 AXON AX 100 MKII, FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY,MIDX-10, MIDX-20, AVID 11 RACK, BEHRINGER FCB 1010, LIVID GUITAR WING, ROLAND US-20, 3 X GUYATONE TO-2. MARSHALL BLUESBREAKER, SERBIAN ELIMINATOR AMP. GR-33.