When did we get VST versions of Sonitus plugins?

[Keni]

OK... I think I figured out yet another of my little snags of this upgrade. I have the Sonitus DX plugins... They installed somewhere with X1/2/3/plat

 

But I can't seem to locate the VST versions we were finally given. That's why so many of my songs are balking about the Sonitus being missing...

 

Anyone know or remember?

 

Thanks...

 

[David Baay]

We never got VST versions, just 64-bit versions of the DX plugins.

[Keni]

22 minutes ago, David Baay said:

We never got VST versions, just 64-bit versions of the DX plugins.

Ah, but I just discovered and implemented...

dxshell.dll

and

dxishell.dll

Found in my old DAW's Cake VSTplugins... Copied to new DAW and vst scanned...

Voila! VST Versions now appear!

 

I guess they're only dx plugins in a wrapper as there are only the sonitus plugins in the shared plugins folder....

 

Magic!

 

I didn't really care if they are vst or dx... They work fine. My problem is with needing to replace the "vst" versions previously used in projects, Too difficult to establish old settings and replace with the dx version... Much easier if it simply loads the way I originally installed it and I believe this solved that issue!

 

Thanks for responding though...

 

[David Baay]

I tried using dxishell for some DX plugins that didn't get ported to 64-bit,  but it tended to be problematic so I abandoned them.  For Sonitus and other plugins that did get ported there was no need.

[msmcleod]

Both VST plugins and DirectX plugins are DLL's.  The difference is the API / methods those DLL's expose. 

64 bit programs can only load 64 bit DLL's, and 32 bit programs can only load 32 bit DLL's.

Although you can use 32 bit plugins in a 64 bit DAW, the DAW isn't actually loading the plugin directly.  Instead it uses JBridge or BitBridge (or equivalent). These are 32 bit applications that communicate with the DAW using RPC calls - this is usually via network protocol, even though it doesn't ever pass over an ethernet cable.

dxshell.dll and dxishell.dll are indeed DirectX wrappers.  They essentially translate between the VST and DirectX API's.  For those interested, you can get them here.

[Keni]

44 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

Both VST plugins and DirectX plugins are DLL's.  The difference is the API / methods those DLL's expose. 

64 bit programs can only load 64 bit DLL's, and 32 bit programs can only load 32 bit DLL's.

Although you can use 32 bit plugins in a 64 bit DAW, the DAW isn't actually loading the plugin directly.  Instead it uses JBridge or BitBridge (or equivalent). These are 32 bit applications that communicate with the DAW using RPC calls - this is usually via network protocol, even though it doesn't ever pass over an ethernet cable.

dxshell.dll and dxishell.dll are indeed DirectX wrappers.  They essentially translate between the VST and DirectX API's.  For those interested, you can get them here.

Thanks Mark...

I was surprised that the shells reside in the vstplugins folder but find the dx in the shared plugins folder... I was wondering what else (if anything) is getting a wrapped version created? Did they get picked up because I added the sahred folder to my scan paths?

 

[abacab]

4 hours ago, Keni said:

Anyone know or remember?

Remember when? The Sonitus:FX  plugin files on my system are creation dated in Feb 2018, so I suspect that they were provided with one of the first releases of Cakewalk by BandLab.

[Keni]

11 minutes ago, abacab said:

Remember when? The Sonitus:FX  plugin files on my system are creation dated in Feb 2018, so I suspect that they were provided with one of the first releases of Cakewalk by BandLab.

Thanks, but I was referring to back in the Sonar days.

1st were 32bit dx

then 64bit dx which is what comes with Cake by Band....

...but back in those days we suddenly had them as vst as well!

Turns out they’re still dx, but in a wrapper called dxshell.

No difference in the plugin itself just how it’s presented to the system. The only reason it matters to me is over the years I’ve used both and opening a project where the plugin is missing doesn’t tell me the settings so I must degise new in such a case. Maybe good, maybe bad, but time taking. Now with both installed, they all open correctly regardless which I use...

 

[msmcleod]

The 

8 hours ago, Keni said:

Turns out they’re still dx, but in a wrapper called dxshell.

No, they're just still dx.

dxshell.dll / dxishell.dll are not installed by, or distributed by Cakewalk.  These must be have been installed either by yourself or by another application.

Some users use these to access Cakewalk DirectX pluigins in other DAW's.

[Keni]

2 hours ago, msmcleod said:

The 

No, they're just still dx.

dxshell.dll / dxishell.dll are not installed by, or distributed by Cakewalk.  These must be have been installed either by yourself or by another application.

Some users use these to access Cakewalk DirectX pluigins in other DAW's.

Thanks Mark...

I somehow  remember this coming from the team somehow. I'm trying to remember but...

Tho I have some other DAWs, I don’t really use them so I’d have no need for both, but there they are on old DAW. (And now on new DAW). I’m just glad I solved the reason/problem why sometimes my Sonitus plugins failed to load...

[Keni]

6 hours ago, msmcleod said:

The 

No, they're just still dx.

dxshell.dll / dxishell.dll are not installed by, or distributed by Cakewalk.  These must be have been installed either by yourself or by another application.

Some users use these to access Cakewalk DirectX pluigins in other DAW's.

I'm not sure I understand. If not a wrapper, what is dxshell doing to present the dx plugins as vst?

 

[msmcleod]

1 minute ago, Keni said:

I'm not sure I understand. If not a wrapper, what is dxshell doing to present the dx plugins as vst?

 

I meant, that the sonitus pluigns themselves are only DX plugins.

dxshell and dxishell are wrapper DLL's to wrap up DX plugins.  Those wrappers aren't supplied by Cakewalk though.

[Keni]

1 minute ago, msmcleod said:

I meant, that the sonitus pluigns themselves are only DX plugins.

dxshell and dxishell are wrapper DLL's to wrap up DX plugins.  Those wrappers aren't supplied by Cakewalk though.

Ah, Thanks...

 

Yes. I see that. I was just getting another wonderful senior (lack of) memory moment...

I understand... I wonder where they came from? I've had them for sooo long.

 

[abacab]

I have noticed that by default Reaper can recognize native DX plugins without any wrapper. Other hosts are likely not as accommodating...

[Keni]

1 hour ago, abacab said:

I have noticed that by default Reaper can recognize native DX plugins without any wrapper. Other hosts are likely not as accommodating...

Yeah... It was a valiant Microsoft vs Steinberg war and of course, the "little guy" won!

[JonD]

The Sonitus plugins were offered as VST back when they were owned by a company called Ultrafunk .

I know because I paid $300 for the bunch about a year before Cakewalk bundled them free with an early version of Sonar (I still cry about that one).

If you google "ultrafunk and VST" there are a bunch of references to the plugins (some of them in the old CW discussion groups)!

 

[Keni]

47 minutes ago, JonD said:

The Sonitus plugins were offered as VST back when they were owned by a company called Ultrafunk .

I know because I paid $300 for the bunch about a year before Cakewalk bundled them free with an early version of Sonar (I still cry about that one).

If you google "ultrafunk and VST" there are a bunch of references to the plugins (some of them in the old CW discussion groups)!

 

I remember when Ultrafunk was around. That was back in the 32bit days. After Cakewalk owned them they were brought up to 64bit but only dx.