I see. But by what means does it connect to your main computer? I mean, how do you route outboard FX into a computer, so they work inside your project?
Sorry, I just find the whole thing a bit confusing, that's all.
Dr. V
I misread your original post. Where you wrote "DAW" I somehow interpreted "recording console and recorder".
I'll explain what I do with examples, and hopefully it's clear enough to follow.
Let's say I want "autotune" for my analog or digial console.
I can buy a complete, autotune rackmount unit such as the Antares ATR-1, screw it into my rack, cable it up as I would any outboard, (effects send to Antares in, Antares out to effects return), power it up and I have autotune.
(or)
I can buy the Antaras EVx VST plug in, slap that software on a windows PC running Chainer, and connect the console's effects send to the PC line in, the PC Line out to the effects return.
Basically, I turned the PC into an Antaras auto-tune outboard, with this method.
The advantage of the latter method (PC, Windows, Chainer, VST stuff), is I can run more than one VST on that PC - so that piece of hardware, can be many things. Google for "VST Plugins" and you'll find tons of VST effects and instruments (free and otherwise) that you can install, making the PC-based VST thing very flexible - it can essentially be anything you want - effect unit or synthesizer, drum machine, piano module, sampler, etc.
I use such a PC with
my Tascam TM-D4000 digital console - it has effects sends and receives just as an analog console would have. Couple of 1/4" to 1/8" patch cords and it's spliced in as an effects unit, and I'd then load VST effects.
TO use it as a synth/drum machine/piano/bass module, I'd plug the PC's line out to a pair of input channels using the same cords, and send the PC midi data as if it were a multi-timbral synthesizer - because now it is.
What you're talking about (I think), which I missed in the very beginning is you want to offload VST processing to a second PC, and have it work in conjunction with your DAW PC processing the audio "live" in the DAW software on the first PC.
That, I have no idea how to do because I've never had to do it myself. I use my Sonar Producer for Midi composing and sequencing only (well, 99.9% of the time anyway), as I have a set of digital consoles linked together plus a rack of Akai DR16's (hard disk recorders) connected to them, and rack after rack of synths and outboards behind me.
Not sure if that helps, hopefully it does.
To the person who said above that certain things cannot take advantage of multiple processors or processors with multiple cores, that is correct, however this is where something like Chainer shines. While it by itself doesn't take advantage of dual cores or dual processers - here's the neat thing - you can run multiple instances - so with that, you can to into windows task manager and put the first instance of chainer onto processer (or core) one, and the second instance of chainer onto processer (or core) two.
I did that exactly once to see if it can be done, but never had a need for it myself. A Pentium D desktop (two cores) with 8gb of ram and Vista is gross overkill for my needs.