Probably a really dumb question

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Cooperman

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Can someone explain to me what Direct X or VST plugins are. I know they basically work as outboard effects processors but that's about all. Who makes them? Where do you get them from? Are they free or do you have to pay for them? What kinds of plugins are there?

Any help appreciated
 
Ok get out the whips and chains. I wanna know too. Doc? S8-N? Slack? Somebody?...gibs
 
Plug-ins are the outboard gear of the DAW setup... DirectX is the most popular type. DirectX is a fromat that allows third party software to be compatible with the major multitrackers.
In the digital recording environment they function exactly like rackmount outboard gear. Different multitrackers have different methods of employing plug-ins but they usually involve inserting a chain of plug-ins via a virtual effects loop.
Any type of studio gear can be found in DirectX plug-in format. Damn near every music software company has a few DirectX plug ins on the market. They aren't free or even cheap, but they are MUCH cheaper than the actual studio gear would be... The best plug-ins are starting to rival the quality of the high end Pro studio gear at a fraction of the price.
Many website have downloadable demo versions of plug-ins for free.
 
Thanks man...I've still got so much to learn about digital it ain't funny...hope the newbies site never croaks....gibs
 
DX effects are the way to go because they work on a variety of applications. S8-N's explanation of what they are is pretty good. Now you need to get some. Check out Blueline effects at http://www.digilogue.com They're fully functional shareware...nice compressor, parametric EQ, reverb, etc; all with graphical interfaces. I just noticed that their website moved..and doesn't exist where they say they moved it. You might want to find out what happened to em.

Most multitracking software comes with decent DX effects too. But the best of the best DX effects cost big bucks.

VST effects are designed to work with Cubase, which has a massive following. There are a boatload of free VST effects out there, written by users and whatnot. Can you use VST effects in your DX application? Yes, if you download the VST wrapper from http://www.spinaudio.com It works like a charm...I downloaded maybe 30 VST effects the other night and they all worked fine...though some were pretty lame. It's definately worthwhile to keepup on the Cubase webring.

Slackmaster 2000
 
I never used plug-ins with CEP cause I couldnt figure out how to preview them...
 
Hey, S8-N, have you come across plugins that are better than CEP's? Names, please, I want names...
 
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