VST Connect Performer 5.6.10 forces 48 kHz on macOS – 44.1 kHz projects unusable

VST Connect
1

Hi,

I have spent a substantial amount of time today trying to get VST Connect SE working with a remote performer, and at this point it looks like there is a genuine problem with VST Connect Performer on macOS.

My setup is:

  • Studio: Windows, Cubase Pro 15, VST Connect SE
  • Cubase project: 44.1 kHz
  • Performer: macOS
  • VST Connect Performer: 5.6.10
  • Audio interface: Arturia MiniFuse 1

The problem is very simple and fully reproducible:

The MiniFuse is set to 44.1 kHz in macOS.

Everything on the Mac is configured for 44.1 kHz.

No other audio applications are running.

The MiniFuse remains at 44.1 kHz normally.

The moment VST Connect Performer is launched, the interface is automatically changed to 48 kHz.

Performer displays:

“The sample rate has changed to 48000 Hz.”

If we manually change the MiniFuse back to 44.1 kHz while Performer is open, it is immediately changed back to 48 kHz again.

This causes Cubase/VST Connect SE on the Studio side to continuously report a sample-rate mismatch because the actual Cubase project is 44.1 kHz.

We have already checked or tried the following:

  • Latest Performer version 5.6.10
  • Fresh connection ID/key
  • Restarting Cubase
  • Restarting Performer
  • Restarting the Mac
  • MiniFuse selected explicitly in Performer
  • MiniFuse selected as the macOS input and output device
  • MiniFuse configured to 44.1 kHz before launching Performer
  • No other audio applications open
  • Changing the interface manually back to 44.1 kHz after Performer has opened
  • Input and output routing configured in Performer

The MiniFuse itself has no problem operating at 44.1 kHz. It only changes to 48 kHz when VST Connect Performer is launched.

We also initially tested with AirPods, but they have now been completely removed from the setup, so this problem is specifically reproducible with the MiniFuse 1.

Switching the Cubase project to 48 kHz is not an acceptable workaround. My existing production and songwriting templates are all built at 44.1 kHz, and VST Connect is supposed to allow a remote performer to work with an existing Cubase project.

From the user’s perspective this is extremely frustrating. The expected workflow should simply be:

Open Performer → connect to Studio → Performer follows the Studio project’s sample rate → record.

Instead, Performer appears to override the Mac audio interface and force 48 kHz regardless of the Studio project’s 44.1 kHz setting.

So my questions for the VST Connect developer are:

Is this a known issue in Performer 5.6.10 on macOS?

Why is Performer requesting/forcing 48 kHz when the Studio project is running at 44.1 kHz?

Is there a reliable workaround that allows VST Connect Performer to work at 44.1 kHz?

If you need logs or diagnostic information, please tell me exactly what to collect and where to find it, and I will provide it.

At the moment we cannot use VST Connect for the intended remote-recording workflow because of this issue.

Thanks.

2

performer needs to be set to host rate. some interfaces refuse to have rate set, check that.

3

Thanks. The interface does accept 44.1 kHz normally.

We can set the Arturia MiniFuse 1 to 44.1 kHz in macOS Audio MIDI Setup and it stays there without any issue.

The specific behaviour is:

  1. Cubase host/project = 44.1 kHz
  2. MiniFuse = 44.1 kHz
  3. Launch VST Connect Performer 5.6.10
  4. MiniFuse immediately switches to 48 kHz
  5. Performer displays “The sample rate has changed to 48000 Hz”

If we manually change the MiniFuse back to 44.1 kHz while Performer is running, it immediately switches back to 48 kHz again.

So the interface does not appear to be refusing 44.1 kHz — Performer appears to be requesting/forcing 48 kHz.

Is there a setting/log we can check to see what sample rate Performer believes the host is requesting?

4

That makes no sense. When a connection is established, Performer is beeing reported the system (host) rate and asked to switch to that. If Performer “thinks” the wrong sample rate, there must be some other reason. This has never failed so far.

Also it is a bit confusing as you refer to “the” MiniFuse where it is not quite clear on which end “the” MiniFuse resides? Do both sides youse a MiniFuse?

5

Thanks - I checked the Studio side as well.

To clarify the setup:

Studio side:
Windows / Cubase Pro 15 / Steinberg UR22C
Yamaha Steinberg USB ASIO
Cubase Project Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
Cubase Studio Setup → HW Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz

Performer side:
macOS / VST Connect Performer 5.6.10 / Arturia MiniFuse 1

So there is only one MiniFuse, and it is on the Performer side.

I have now verified that the actual Studio-side hardware/ASIO rate is also 44.1 kHz, not just the Cubase Project Setup.

Despite this, when the connection is established, Performer changes the MiniFuse from 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz and reports “The sample rate has changed to 48000 Hz”.

If Performer is receiving the host/system rate from Cubase, it should therefore be receiving 44.1 kHz.

Is there a way to see/log the sample-rate value that VST Connect SE is actually sending to Performer when the connection is established?

6

Absolutely!

No, this is what the VST Connect plugin gets directly from Cubase or Nuendo, and has never failed. No idea what can cause the behaviour you describe. Are any other applications, browser etc running concurrently perhaps?

7

No, there are no other applications or browser windows running. We specifically closed everything else while testing this.

There is one detail that may be important:

The MiniFuse switches from 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz immediately when VST Connect Performer is launched - even before a connection to the Studio has been established.

Exact sequence:

  1. VST Connect Performer is closed.
  2. MiniFuse 1 is set to 44.1 kHz in macOS Audio MIDI Setup.
  3. It remains at 44.1 kHz.
  4. Launch VST Connect Performer 5.6.10.
  5. Immediately, the MiniFuse changes to 48 kHz and Performer reports:
    “The sample rate has changed to 48000 Hz.”
  6. This happens before connecting to the Cubase Studio.
  7. After connecting to the Studio, which is confirmed to be running at 44.1 kHz, it remains at 48 kHz and we get the continuous sample-rate mismatch.

We can also change the MiniFuse manually back to 44.1 kHz while Performer is running, but Performer immediately forces it back to 48 kHz.

So could Performer perhaps be initializing the CoreAudio device at 48 kHz locally before the connection is made?

If useful, we can make a short screen recording showing Audio MIDI Setup at 44.1 kHz, launching Performer, and the interface immediately changing to 48 kHz.

8

That’s weird. Checked the code, when not connected, this message only appears if the system reports a sample rate change. You may try and delete preferences on the Performer side. It gets weirder because code clearly says that VST Connect Performer only ever attempts to set the system sample rate when connected and there is a rate mismatch. Maybe a timing issue. If you start Cubase first and have Performer start later or vice versa…maybe try and toggle Cubase rate to 48 and then back to 44.1?

9

Thanks for checking the code - that helps narrow it down.

We’ll test the different startup orders and also try toggling the Cubase host rate from 44.1 → 48 → 44.1 after the connection is established.

We’ll do this in an empty test project so there is no existing audio involved.

One question regarding the preference reset: we already tried to locate the Performer preferences on the Mac, but couldn’t find the file/folder we expected.

Could you please tell us the exact preference file/folder name and location for VST Connect Performer 5.6.10 on macOS that you want us to delete?

I’ll report back with the results of:

  • Cubase launched first / Performer second
  • Performer launched first / Cubase second
  • Host rate toggled 44.1 → 48 → 44.1 while connected
  • Clean Performer preferences
10

The Preference-File is here.
‘/Users/YourUsername/Library/Preferences/com.steinberg.VST Connect Performer.plist’

You have two options.

  1. Delete this file and restart your Computer, because the macOS cash needs to be reseted.
  2. Open the terminal and enter
    defaults delete “com.steinberg.VST Connect Performer.plist”

See you,
Michael.