I am trying to get VST System Link (VSL) setup between C13 Pro and C11 pro. Reason being Steinberg changed the VST handling in C13 so one of my old VST2 plugins won’t work (Emu X3). But it runs in C11.
The VSL communication works in my setup with midi/transport/audio made in my ASIO VBAudioMatrix routing, but I have to use Midi Tracks in C13 in order to see the midi channels created in C13 VSL dialog window, they are called VSL-Out 1, etc.
However, I want to set it up so when I create new Tracks in C13 I do it as External Instruments. It will have the Audio return and the Midi Events on just one track in the Arrange window, and it will be easy to just render it down with a right mouse click. It would also let me change presets via Program Change messages and set up a list of patches/programs.
The problem stopping me from this is: The VSL-Out 1 midi channel is not visible in the Midi Device Manager. Is there a way to get the VSL midi channels to work with the External Instrument Device?
If not this must be fixed. With VST2 being made obsolete in C15 many many will have issues with older VST2 not working, not just the Emulator X3. Would be better of course if Steinberg made the VST2 handling both work with Emu X3 and not get rid of it in C15, so legacy plugins can continue to work, but…
VSL is probably our only jitter free choice after Rewire got dropped, so it is kinda an important issue.
I cannot help you with system link, but have you considered using one of the many VST plugin hosts that still can host VST2 plugins, like Patchwork or Metaplugin? Seem like a much easier solution to me to get an old plugin working. Maybe also Audiogridder as an external solution?
I remember the issues with X3 were fixed with the cubase 13.030 update?
And I dont think Systemlink is the solution, tried that for different reasons and it is just not practical and to easy to mess up. On the other hand VST2 hosts like patchwork, audiogridder and vienna ensemble pro are great solutions indeed. The last two also work with 2 or more computers connected through a network, so no audio connection needed as with systemlink.
C13 gets unstable with larger projects and Emu X3. Seems OK with 5 Emu X3’s but no other VSTs. Strange, but that is my result.
Regular VST hosts like Patchwork or Metaplugin, etc need MidiLoopback I think? It has way too much jitter to be usable.
AudioGridder crashes with Emu X3, see pict.
VEP 7 is something I haven’t tried, but it is $200? Yikes. I might try it later.
VST System Link is a bit jittery during playback, but seems tight upon rendering. But it works between C11 and C13.
I am not sure what you mean by “need MidiLoopback”? Patchwork and Metaplugin act as VSTi instrument plugin, that means they can receive MIDI from Cubase and route that to the hosted plugin.
(There is also Kushview Element, which costs less than Patchwork and even has an older version that is free)
In the end though you will have to face the fact that VST2 is on the way out, and it will probably become only more difficult to keep them alive in the future…
You can also try jbridge. It is transparant to cubase and after setting up X3 to work inside jbridge it will also load old projects. But of course not sure if it helps. X3 will run in its own memory space outside of cubase so it might.
No, this will not work. Cubase 13 cannot ‘see’ X3 or it will crash eventually.
JBridge can work as it runs the plugin sandboxed outside of Cubase.
But it won’t show the UI.
However, X3 in Komplete Kontrol with JBridge works great to load the first patch, but hangs on reload. KK+JBridge can potentially give me a VST3 interface to Cubase and SandBoxed X3. Need to talk to the dev though and why it hangs when reloading…
No, Cubase kept crashing when I had many plugins. Only worked when I tried X3 on its own (maybe with a few others, but it was not reliable.
But, I played around with the JBridge setting file, and now it works.
But if X3/JBridge is used inside Komplete Kontrol 3.2 it is sometimes 512 samples late when I render.
It renders on-time if X3/JBridge is used directly.
Crazy stuff…
