Pardon the noobishness- What is a VSTi instrument?

[Toasta Whales]

Okay I'm new to recording and especially new to midi recording. I have a copy of Acid Music Studio 7 which is really all I can afford right now (I am a teenager) and I have been acquiring plug ins from various sources. I recently found a free copy of "Sonik Synth 2" within my USB mixer box and I installed it and I happily found that it was perfectly compatible with Acid. It is considered a "VSTi" and a workstation but I'm not sure what that is, or where I can find sounds for it (it has none)..... so anyway please try to answer my questions in pedestrian speak and also explain to me the different between VSTi and their workstastions and DLS instruments....

I'm sorry if that was an onslaught to your more experienced minds.. but I really want/need to know

 

[Chili]

It's a virtual instrument. VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology developed by Steinberg for processing plugs. Instruments were added to the technology.

They should have sounds, that's what they do. You use a midi source (a file or a midi keyboard) for the commands (notes) that make the VSTi generate those sounds. A quick google search says Sonik Synth 2 has over 8gig of sounds, so it's there. Not sure what the whole workstation thing is, most vsti's are not workstations, just instruments. Sounds like a nice deal for free, just have to learn how to use it.

No problem asking questions like that.... this is the newbies section. That's what it's here for.

 

[mikemorgan]

(rolls up sleeves) OK, a VSTi is a software program that creates sounds. The sounds it makes can be called upon using preset "patches"(a snapshot of it's parameters), or you can usualy twist knobs and sliders to create your own sounds (patches).

Think of a real piano as a hardware vsti with exactly ONE patch (piano sound 1).
Think of a Hammond organ as a harware vsti with a multitude of patches (many possible sounds).

A VSTi is the software -only version of the device it seeks to emulate.

NOW....
To extract SOUND from your VSTi, you have to give it direction.
Your Hammond organ doesn't make any sounds until you strike a key. Your VSTi operates in the same way. You must tell it WHAT note to play and when.

To do this, you can attach a midi keyboard to your computer to "trigger" the sounds of your VSTi. This is a very similar approach to what a real organ does. You strike a key, you get sound.

Another possibility is to trigger your VSTi to play the pre-recorded midi track you have selected. By this I mean, you can have a "sequencer" (any DAW with midi capabilities) play the VSTi for you. A midi track is like an old player piano roll. As the holes go by, your VSTi accepts them just like you were hitting the keys yourself.

This concludes today's session. Don't forget the exam on Friday, and leave your homework on my desk before you leave.