VST on OSX: hosting multiple CTRLR builds simultaneously?

[jasefos]

Hi There CTRLRists,

After using CTRLR for a little while now and wanting to take advantage of some of the panels which are compatible only with specific, older builds of CTRLR (example: Access Virus TI panel), I figure a good way around the problem would be to have multiple VST CTRLR builds available to my DAW (Live 9 x64 on OSX).

Currently I access my CTRLR “controlled” synths in Live by making an Instrument Rack preset are storing that in my Ableton user library for each separate synth. This Instrument Rack contains CTRLR with the appropriate panel loaded up and MIDI routing set correctly within CTRLR’s settings followed by Ableton’s built-in External Effect device (to bring the sound of the synth back into my DAW giving correct recall of the audio input the synth is connected to). This is super convenient in itself and I’m loving treating my hardware synths with the ease of plugins and not setting up MIDI and Audio channel routing manually for each synth rapidly!

I figured simply renaming the CTRLR.VST files to reflect the build number would allow this to happen but it doesn’t work since Ableton appears to reference plugins not by their filenames but instead by some internal VST ID code/number. With, for example, having CTRL1655.VST, CTRLR1590.VST and CTRLR1530.VST residing in my VST plugin folder, Ableton sees all of them named identically and launching each of these and checking the build recalled, it can only grab CTRLR build 1530.

I found an old article on the Sound on Sound website which discusses locating and editing the VST ID number however the article was written with Windows users in mind. It would be better to just know what the proper byte offset is for CTRLR’s VST identifier so that I can rename them with confidence in a hex editor of somesort with confidence rather than pick through and try to find it.

Cheers!

--> Music: www.soundcloud.com/jasefos
--> DAW: OSX10.10.5 with Live 9.6 x64, UA Apollo Quad
--> Controllers: Push 2, KeyLab61, Maschine mk2, MCU Pro, 2xMCU-Ext
--> Synths: Cyclone Bass Bot TT303, ESQ1, MKS80/MPG80, Matrix 6R, Matrix1000, Mopho, 05RW, DW8000, Virus TI Polar, Voyager Electric Blue, MiniBrute, AN1X, K5000s, FIZMO, ASR10 rack, Kenton ProSolo (controls Sequential Pro-One, Yamaha CS15), Prophecy, EMX1, MonoTribe, SP1200, DX100, KARP Odyssey

[jasefos]

I guess no replies could mean this isn’t possible … bit of a shame since some panels won’t work with recent nightly builds yet my MKS80 panel won’t work with builds prior 1655. Not complaining of course since CTRLR is awesome and free – loving the integration possibilities it brings into my setup.

--> Music: www.soundcloud.com/jasefos
--> DAW: OSX10.10.5 with Live 9.6 x64, UA Apollo Quad
--> Controllers: Push 2, KeyLab61, Maschine mk2, MCU Pro, 2xMCU-Ext
--> Synths: Cyclone Bass Bot TT303, ESQ1, MKS80/MPG80, Matrix 6R, Matrix1000, Mopho, 05RW, DW8000, Virus TI Polar, Voyager Electric Blue, MiniBrute, AN1X, K5000s, FIZMO, ASR10 rack, Kenton ProSolo (controls Sequential Pro-One, Yamaha CS15), Prophecy, EMX1, MonoTribe, SP1200, DX100, KARP Odyssey

[zeoka]

Why not export standalone dll ‘s ?
I think but not sure (kore host accepts dll’s other than ctrlr but if I have just Ctrlr dll my panel is always blank when I save a ksd (koresound) and open it ) export instance
creates a new ID…
you could have virus.dll(1590) ,nordlead.dll(latest) etc…
I assume I keep one Ctrlr.dll that is using only to export instances.
edit
on mac this is not dll . the feature is there ?

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by zeoka.

[jasefos]

Very good suggestion Zeoka! Thanks for your input. I’ll do some experiments today and report back findings. Keen to get the deprecated Yamaha An1X panel to working and also the Access Virus TI panel!

--> Music: www.soundcloud.com/jasefos
--> DAW: OSX10.10.5 with Live 9.6 x64, UA Apollo Quad
--> Controllers: Push 2, KeyLab61, Maschine mk2, MCU Pro, 2xMCU-Ext
--> Synths: Cyclone Bass Bot TT303, ESQ1, MKS80/MPG80, Matrix 6R, Matrix1000, Mopho, 05RW, DW8000, Virus TI Polar, Voyager Electric Blue, MiniBrute, AN1X, K5000s, FIZMO, ASR10 rack, Kenton ProSolo (controls Sequential Pro-One, Yamaha CS15), Prophecy, EMX1, MonoTribe, SP1200, DX100, KARP Odyssey

[jasefos]

OK I tried using the Export Instance function to create a .VST version of my MKS80 panel.

Ordinarily I make use of my MKS80 by recalling an Instruments rack preset which has CTRLR (with MKS80 panel loaded and MIDI ports/channels configured properly) followed by External Effect (to route the audio input getting the audio feed from the synth into the rack). This is super convenient since I can just launch the synth like any other plugin without having to remember the MIDI port/channels it operates and which audio input it is connected to.

I substituted CTRLR in this Instrument Rack preset with the Roland MKS80.vst instance I created as suggested and resaved the Instrument Rack preset back into my user library. I then started a new Ableton project and recalled the revised Instrument Rack preset however instead of being presented with my MKS80 Panel, CTRLR is invoked without the panel loaded. Launching the Roland MKS80.vst directly without wrapping it in a Instrument Rack preset does what it should.

Can anyone suggest what I could be doing wrong so that generated .VST instance isn’t recalling the panel GUI when loaded from an Instrument Rack preset in Ableton?

Also another question: What does Regenerate UID on CTRLR’s File menu actually do and when would one need to use it?

--> Music: www.soundcloud.com/jasefos
--> DAW: OSX10.10.5 with Live 9.6 x64, UA Apollo Quad
--> Controllers: Push 2, KeyLab61, Maschine mk2, MCU Pro, 2xMCU-Ext
--> Synths: Cyclone Bass Bot TT303, ESQ1, MKS80/MPG80, Matrix 6R, Matrix1000, Mopho, 05RW, DW8000, Virus TI Polar, Voyager Electric Blue, MiniBrute, AN1X, K5000s, FIZMO, ASR10 rack, Kenton ProSolo (controls Sequential Pro-One, Yamaha CS15), Prophecy, EMX1, MonoTribe, SP1200, DX100, KARP Odyssey

[atom]

Re-generating the panel UID won’t help in any way (this is for internal use when storing configuration data on the disk).

I’m working on making instance export better. if you follow the changelog you’ll see that i commited some changes just yesterday for that, i hope to have that running better asap.

[zeoka]

You can try to remove ctrlr vst and just keep it for one host
put the ctrlr in specific folder and keep in specific host
then normally the rack ableton- panel will appear normally
I had the same issue at first
Now I can save ksd in same way as abeton rack with audio input ,modules ,effects,etc..

[jasefos]

Atom and Zeoka, thanks for your input … I’ll try those tips Zeoka and Atom I will check out the change log – assuming there is a new nightly on the way?

Cheers and beers

JaseFOS

--> Music: www.soundcloud.com/jasefos
--> DAW: OSX10.10.5 with Live 9.6 x64, UA Apollo Quad
--> Controllers: Push 2, KeyLab61, Maschine mk2, MCU Pro, 2xMCU-Ext
--> Synths: Cyclone Bass Bot TT303, ESQ1, MKS80/MPG80, Matrix 6R, Matrix1000, Mopho, 05RW, DW8000, Virus TI Polar, Voyager Electric Blue, MiniBrute, AN1X, K5000s, FIZMO, ASR10 rack, Kenton ProSolo (controls Sequential Pro-One, Yamaha CS15), Prophecy, EMX1, MonoTribe, SP1200, DX100, KARP Odyssey

[atom]

As you can see in the changelog i started to fix some stuff and i need to finish those fixes and a nightly will be released.

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