VST Host

[Dojo]

It's a VST-compatible (and very small) host that's capable of:

- loading VST effects (aka "plugins")
- parameterizing / editing them
- sound output for VSTis
- MIDI-input and -output
- loading / saving .fxb / .fxp files
- I/O through either Windows MME or ASIO drivers
- Wave Player / Recorder
- MIDI Player

http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm

[Numanoid]

Yeah this programme is fantastic, it turns your USB stick into a portable synthesizer!

To get you going you can find hundreds of freeware VSTI synths at this site: http://tinyurl.com/3cvvo8

You don't need a MIDI keyboard to play them either, when using the VST Host programme the keyboard keys on your computer is configured into a two octave piano keyboard.

You don't need to tweak the sounds of the synths much either, most of them comes with dozens of great sounding presets.

For me this is the killer application of USB sticks!

[Numanoid]

This is another application which should be included here.

If there is enough room to showcase 16 portable notepads, surely there must also be space to feature this fine programme in the regular list here?

It's a great tool, and pretty unique.

[alanbcohen]

It's a VST-compatible (and very small) host that's capable of:

- loading VST effects (aka "plugins")
- parameterizing / editing them
- sound output for VSTis
- MIDI-input and -output
- loading / saving .fxb / .fxp files
- I/O through either Windows MME or ASIO drivers
- Wave Player / Recorder
- MIDI Player

http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm

The first problem - making sense of what it does. You make a nice list, but the key to understanding it all is 'VST' and nowhere in your post or the developer's website can I find a definition, or at least the spelled out version in any language. If it wasn't for a subsequent post that gave a little more info, I wouldn't have had a clue. Google reports 13.2 million references for 'VST', but it looks like it 'could' mean 'Virtual Studio Technology'. Is that correct?

[Numanoid]

VST means Virtual Studio Technology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology)

I think the easiest way to describe what the VST Host programme does is that it functions as a host for software synthesizers.

Using VST Host one can load software synthesizers, which then can be played by connecting a MIDI keyboard to the computer.

Most synthesizers like the MiniMoog, Prophet V, Arp Odyssey, Yamaha DX7, etc, have been emulated as software synths by now. Life as a live musician has thus become easier as one doesn't have to travel with a bank of keyboards anymore, these days a MIDI keyboard and a laptop will do just fine.

[guinness]

V1.48 is available. Not Tested!

[Onesimus Prime]

Hmmm... I've been using 1.47.0.1 portably for a while, and I have that configured as follows:

A file named "vsthost.ini" in the application directory, which contains

Code: Select all

[Settings]
DataPath=%AppPath%\Data

There is then a "Data" directory with (for me) three subdirectories, four .ini files, and a .vsthost file.
So as of the previous version, it was portable, and possibly stealth. Haven't tried updating yet, though, but that may give people an idea what to look for... (Sadly, I don't think the default path for the VSTs themselves can be drive-less, or relative, or whatever. But I'd love to be proven wrong.)

This from the manual, p. 8:

Starting with V1.43, VSTHost doesn’t store its settings in the registry any more. Instead, it uses a “Data” directory for storing information, such as performance banks, recordings, global initialization files and the like. If you just downloaded and installed VSTHost for the first time, that’s no problem – the distribution comes with a populated “Data” subdirectory, and VSTHost defaults to using the path where it is installed, with an appended “\Data”, so everything just starts up nicely.

Oh, and it's a free program that lets you use a joystick as a MIDI controller, plus the computer keyboard as a virtual MIDI keyboard. That's pretty fun with, say, the free Delay Lama VSTi (VST instrument)!

[I am Baas]

VSTHost is at version 1.54

http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm



Skins @ http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthostskins.htm

Documentation is available for download @ http://www.hermannseib.com/documents/VSTHost.pdf