In Summary
Most engineers will be familiar with the VST audio plugin format that started it all, however being able to use it in Pro Tools will be news to some. Here we detail what Scheps Omni Channel 2’s VST3 hosting means for Pro Tools users.
Going Deeper
Those who use Pro tools as their main DAW will be most familiar with the AAX audio plugin format. For the veterans out there, using RTAS tools prior to the transition to 64 bit AAX is now a distant memory with the old format retired completely from version 11 onwards. Since then, the AAX ecosystem has grown to accommodate both native and HDX flavours, however the exclusivity of the format has meant a slightly different pool of products to choose from.
This is contrasted with the all-conquering VST and current VST3 formats that can trace their ancestry back to Steinberg in the mid 1990’s. This format is more widespread thanks to its open architecture that has helped its adoption across virtually all the other major DAWs (with the odd AU and AAX exceptions).
Audio plugin wrappers allow engineers to run different plugin formats regardless of the host DAW’s leanings. This allows, for example, Pro tools users to run VST or AU audio plugins thanks to wrappers’ host-within-a-host MO. These are not a new concept, with established solutions from the likes of DDMF and Blue Cat, however this type of tool has traditionally been more utility than creative powerhouse.
VST3 Hosting With Scheps Omni Channel 2
Many will know Andrew Scheps’ go-to channel strip audio plugin from Waves. This AAX tool has significant feature for Pro Tools users: the ability to host VST3 audio plugins from any developer.
Building on its previous ability to insert Waves’ AAX audio plugins, Scheps Omni Channel 2 also gives engineers the ability to patch in their favourite third party VST3 audio plugins into a dedicated slot that sits alongside the neighbouring Pre, Gate, DS, EQ, and Comp modules. All six can be freely dragged and re-ordered to allow custom signal paths that happen in the order of the engineer’s choosing.
What About Delay Compensation?
Anything inserted into the DAW channel path will introduce delay to the audio, which depends on the processing task and other factors. Left uncompensated, processed audio would take longer to pass down the channel than unprocessed audio, with multiple processing introducing lots of varying delays at tracks’ outputs. All DAWs can deal with this, and Pro Tools’ solution is its unsurprisingly named Delay Compensation (ADC), with up to 16,383 samples available. This holds back less latent audio so that it still lines up with any signals delayed by processing.
With no VST3s instantiated, Scheps Omni Channel 2 reports no delay. This makes it possible to use Scheps Omni Channel 2 purely as a wrapper without confusing ADC readouts.
Significantly, instances of Scheps Omni Channel 2 with VST3s inserted do report any delay that has been introduced. With both plugin and host talking to each other, Pro Tools’ ADC recognises and deals with this accordingly.
Creative Wrapping
For those occasions when a specific tool is unavailable in the AAX world, the ability to insert VST3 audio plugins into the signal path has obvious advantages for Pro Tools users. Most recently we’ve been impressed with Cableguys Pan Cake 2. PanCake is a free plugin that does extreme creative panning modulations that mere pan automation could be missing out on. For varying reasons developers will sometimes release a tool for VST3-only, especially when it comes to keeping time and costs down for free creative helpers. Using Scheps Omni Channel 2 in Pro Tools solves the problem. Those on other non-VST3 platforms will also be able to take advantage of Scheps Omni Channel 2’s shape-shifting abilities.
In Pro Tools, ‘unloaded’ instances of Scheps Omni Channel 2 report a latency of zero. This makes the channel useful as a wrapper even when using no other processing. Many users will strap Scheps Omni Channel 2 across all of their tracks anyway, with this MO making it easier to see delays in Pro Tools that come from the Insert module.
Up until now plugin wrappers have been made up of no frills problem solvers, or patchbay-style soft rack devices to realise Pro Tools users’ VST needs. Using Scheps Omni Channel 2 instead promises something that is virtually invisible in use thanks to its one-window workflow and VST3 host that hides in plain sight.
A Word About This Article
As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.