Annabelle Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Hi, it's Annabelle. I've been in contact with Aram Verwoest at Audio Ease, and he says that a future version of Speakerphone would be 64-bit and VST3. He says this would be supported in both Windows 7 and Sonar 8.5, but I need to confirm if this is true. Does a Windows 7 machine actually support VST3? 😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwal³ Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 6 minutes ago, Annabelle said: Does a Windows 7 machine actually support VST3? it's not windows per se, but the host/daw, i'm guessing the ancient sonar 8.5 does not (not sure), but there are plugins that load as vst2 and will host vst3, i think blue cat has one for example /goodluck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitman Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 I just opened 8.0 on my win 7 32 bit laptop, went to the plug-in manager and at the very least there is a VST3 section so I would say yes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmcleod Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Windows 7 does support VST3, however Sonar 8.5 does not. IIRC, Sonar X3 was the first version of Sonar to support VST3. You might be able to use something like the VST2 version of Blue Cat's Patchwork to wrap it up for use in Sonar 8.5, but I can't say for sure without trying it. I'm also not sure if Speakerphone will work properly when hosted this way. [EDIT] - At least in SONAR X2, the VST2 version of Patchwork will host VST3 plugins. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Mark's memory is correct. X3 was the first version to support VST3. Annabelle, is there a compelling reason to update Speakerphone that makes it impractical to just keep using the current version? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckebaby Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 I will third that, X3 was the first version of Sonar to support VST3 (and maybe ARA as well). I would encourage an update. That software will be totally unpredictable unless running on an older OS. However I typically reserve my suggestions to anyone on updating because I know sometimes you become comfortable with a DAW version and want to freeze yourself in that time because you know it's layout and features so well. However a never version will not be unreachable in terms of learning. It will be a lot different, but the rewards will pay off 10 fold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwal³ Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 2 minutes ago, chuckebaby said: I know sometimes you become comfortable with a DAW version and want to freeze yourself in that time because you know it's layout and features so well. also because you might've paid a one-off fee for a perpetual licence and can't (or won't) pay for a new sub model 🤷♀️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vere Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 If you have been here long enough you would know the the op has good reasons to stay with 8.5 as she uses an app that speaks when you hold the mouse over stuff and it apparently only works with 8.5. Anyway, Annabelle I’m thinking you should see if you can just stay with the older VST2 version. I use old systems for my live shows ( W7) and I mostly just stay with the apps of the same vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 3 hours ago, msmcleod said: Windows 7 does support VST3, however Sonar 8.5 does not. IIRC, Sonar X3 was the first version of Sonar to support VST3. You might be able to use something like the VST2 version of Blue Cat's Patchwork to wrap it up for use in Sonar 8.5, but I can't say for sure without trying it. I'm also not sure if Speakerphone will work properly when hosted this way. [EDIT] - At least in SONAR X2, the VST2 version of Patchwork will host VST3 plugins. What's even crazier is that Aram says that options in the new version of Speakerphone, such as loading samples from the finder and adding preset parameters to the track inspector would be difficult to make compatible with earlier versions of VST. Is it the coding that would be difficult? I'm confused! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwal³ Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 ableton have just introduced screen reader support in live 12 https://www.ableton.com/en/live/all-new-features/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitman Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 (edited) Nevermind Edited March 12 by bitman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Nicholls Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 20 minutes ago, pwal³ said: ableton have just introduced screen reader support in live 12 https://www.ableton.com/en/live/all-new-features/ Here is the good stuff: Quote Accessibility Improved accessibility support on macOS and Windows; this includes many updates such as new themes with high-contrast variants, improved organization of Live's Preferences menu, as well as support for screen reader software and other assistive devices. While any screen reader software should work, we recommend VoiceOver (Mac) and NVDA (Win) for the best experience. In Live’s Options menu, there is a new Accessibility entry which contains commands corresponding to different accessibility preferences, such as "Speak Menu Commands" and "Speak Minimum and Maximum Slider Values". As part of the accessibility implementation, many improvements for keyboard navigation and keyboard workflows have also been added. You can find out more about these updates in the related subsections of the release notes. I used to say that it didn't really matter what DAW you chose; just learn it well. Support for vision-impaired folk is where I have to contradict myself and say, that is definitely a deciding factor for DAW choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 2 hours ago, bitflipper said: Mark's memory is correct. X3 was the first version to support VST3. Annabelle, is there a compelling reason to update Speakerphone that makes it impractical to just keep using the current version? What I'm trying to do is load samples from the sample bay, but since I can't see, I'm trying to make that a parameter in the Track Inspector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 That's a clever workaround. Now that I have re-read your initial post, I see that what you're actually hoping for is a new feature in a future version of Speakerphone, but it will be VST3 only. Hence the Catch-22: you need VST3 support for a particular plugin, but you're stuck at 8.5 due to dependence on your screen reader software. Got it. I know that Speakerphone has a LOT of IR files, but could there be a manageable short list of the ones you use most? I'm wondering if there might be a way to save them as separate presets, perhaps as track templates. Just thinking out loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 10 hours ago, bitflipper said: That's a clever workaround. Now that I have re-read your initial post, I see that what you're actually hoping for is a new feature in a future version of Speakerphone, but it will be VST3 only. Hence the Catch-22: you need VST3 support for a particular plugin, but you're stuck at 8.5 due to dependence on your screen reader software. Got it. I know that Speakerphone has a LOT of IR files, but could there be a manageable short list of the ones you use most? I'm wondering if there might be a way to save them as separate presets, perhaps as track templates. Just thinking out loud. I have made some .fxb files of custom presets I've made, but here's another thing I want to make possible. There are samples like city atmospheres, transportation, phone tones, record player noise, crowds and people, and even music, which are loaded into "sample packs". My screenreader can't seem to find where those are in the plugin, as you have to use a mouse to click on them, so I'm wondering if an automated parameter can be made in the track inspector. Or even copy and paste via CTRL=C and CTRL+V from the Windows Explorer into the plugin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 I am truly in awe of your ability to navigate the DAW this way. The elaborate mental constructs it must require has got to translate into almost supernatural compositional skills. I'll bet your kitchen is very well-organized, too. I'm sorry but I have no experience with Speakerphone and can offer no useful advice here. I assume those sample packs are listed in a scrolling tree list, which would make them discoverable via keypress in most Windows applications. However, plugin makers usually ignore Windows conventions and draw everything themselves using a library specifically made for plugin interfaces. If there is a way to work around the limitation outside the plugin, meaning via the Windows file system, that might be your best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 48 minutes ago, bitflipper said: I am truly in awe of your ability to navigate the DAW this way. The elaborate mental constructs it must require has got to translate into almost supernatural compositional skills. I'll bet your kitchen is very well-organized, too. I'm sorry but I have no experience with Speakerphone and can offer no useful advice here. I assume those sample packs are listed in a scrolling tree list, which would make them discoverable via keypress in most Windows applications. However, plugin makers usually ignore Windows conventions and draw everything themselves using a library specifically made for plugin interfaces. If there is a way to work around the limitation outside the plugin, meaning via the Windows file system, that might be your best option. 1 hour ago, bitflipper said: I am truly in awe of your ability to navigate the DAW this way. The elaborate mental constructs it must require has got to translate into almost supernatural compositional skills. I'll bet your kitchen is very well-organized, too. I'm sorry but I have no experience with Speakerphone and can offer no useful advice here. I assume those sample packs are listed in a scrolling tree list, which would make them discoverable via keypress in most Windows applications. However, plugin makers usually ignore Windows conventions and draw everything themselves using a library specifically made for plugin interfaces. If there is a way to work around the limitation outside the plugin, meaning via the Windows file system, that might be your best option. I'm not sure how that would work. NVDA used to be able to access that part by navigating with the mouse, where it would make beeps with every little move you make, each beep increasing in tone as you move up or down, and even panning from left to right as the mouse moves from side to side. And of course it would tell you where you are with speech. However, I'm not sure how to make it do that again, as I'm not sure if it has something to do with how my screen looks. I know the resolution can only be between 1024*768 and 1280*768. I've tried changing the screen resolution, but that didn't change anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Could the Narrator feature in Windows 11 address this? Or is it only capable of reading Windows screens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 4 hours ago, bitflipper said: Could the Narrator feature in Windows 11 address this? Or is it only capable of reading Windows screens? Windows 11? My music machine runs Windows 7! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 4 hours ago, bitflipper said: Could the Narrator feature in Windows 11 address this? Or is it only capable of reading Windows screens? NVDA is Non Visual Desktop Access. https://www.nvaccess.org. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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