Plugin Alliance $20 Surprise Voucher can be used AGAIN!

[TheSteven]

1 hour ago, teclark7 said:

Anyone got Gig Performer? Can get it for $49.99 with $20 voucher. If so, can one use it within a DAW? I was thinking of using it as a way of saving chains of amp sims and cabinets for various styles of guitar playing. Then when I want to write a song and I need a clean lead tone, for example , I pull up Gig Performer in my DAW and the select a clean lead tone I have saved in Gig Performer previously. Any thoughts on this?

I bought DDMF's Metaplugin https://ddmf.eu/metaplugin-chainer-vst-au-rtas-aax-wrapper/
so that I could create plugin chains to use across multiple DAWs
but with the other holiday toys I've picked up I still haven't gotten around to using it.

Let me know how Gig Performer works out for you.

[Tomgu]

Another option is Blue Cat Audio's Patchwork. I've been thinking about their Axe Pack which includes Patchwork as well, and just played around with Axiom. It's pretty ok and responsive, but I'm not sure yet if I need it.

[Jeslan]

I would like to notice that you guys also have the free and opensource Kushview - Element which basically works the same as DDMF - Metaplugin. In fact I got Metaplugin a couple years ago and last time I tried to use it with some vsts it made them crash but was able to use Element instead with those same plugins like a charm.

As I said Element is completely free and you even can get the source code although you always can support the developer through Patreon to get the installers and binaries for the very last versions.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Jeslan

[fitzroy]

I've been demo-ing Gig Performer for the past few days (since the sale started). I love the concept. For home/studio use though, Reaper covers most of the ground with its custom FX chains that you can save as presets. Didn't know about Kushview, will have to look into it. 

[TheSteven]

I bought a Kushview Element perpetual license early on & was promised a lifetime license of free updates for early backing. When Element  didn’t make enough profit the developer abandoned the project & converted it to open source - which is better than a swift kick in the nuts, but not by a lot. 

One of the biggest issues I ran into was a buffer problem where you’d get distortion  when using heavy CPU plugins like 2Caudio’s Kaleidoscope. As far as I know this issue was never fixed though I haven’t bothered checking the project in months.

Overall I found Element interesting, fun to play with but of limited use - YMMV so try it yourself.

I bought Metaplugin because it looked like it could do what I want, and is still being actively supported by a seasoned developer.

Edited December 31, 2020 by TheSteven

[teclark7]

Downloaded a demo for Gig Performer and seems it only runs as standalone program. Might look at Metaplugin instead.

[Paul_in_wales]

@teclark7 - I know it's more money, but you owe it to yourself to at least look at bluecat axiom.  Not only does that contain some really good guitar effects of its own - and a full version of the excellent late replies delay, it can host other plugins within it too.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Paul_in_wales

[Jeslan]

8 hours ago, TheSteven said:

I bought a Kushview Element perpetual license early on & was promised a lifetime license of free updates for early backing. When Element  didn’t make enough profit the developer abandoned the project & converted it to open source - which is better than a swift kick in the nuts, but not by a lot. 

One of the biggest issues I ran into was a buffer problem where you’d get distortion  when using heavy CPU plugins like 2Caudio’s Kaleidoscope. As far as I know this issue was never fixed though I haven’t bothered checking the project in months.

Overall I found Element interesting, fun to play with but of limited use - YMMV so try it yourself.

I bought Metaplugin because it looked like it could do what I want, and is still being actively supported by a seasoned developer.

Last update is from mid october, so it is not entirely abandoned. Funny thing is I have found lot more trouble and problems trying to use Metaplugin in terms of compatibility than I have with Element, to the point of Metaplugin ending being almost unusable for me in a lot of situations with the software and plugins I use. Which is strange because as I said I was able to work with Element with no problems.

[TheSteven]

Out of curiosity what version of Metaplugin were you using?

These were the updates released in 2020:

2020/12/17: v3.7.2 made search box case insensitive; fixed possible crash when opening all plugin windows
2020/12/07: v3.7.1 IIR/FIR setting for oversampling was not restored
2020/12/04: v3.7.0 added A/B states, a search box for the plugin browser, and fixed an issue where MIDI pins were not shown for some VST3 plugins on project reload
2020/11/02: v3.6.2 oversampling settings were not recalled on the UI in Ableton Live
2020/10/28: v3.6.1 32 bit bridging no longer worked under OSX with the previous version. No changes on Windows.
2020/10/15: v3.6.0 added correction for oversampling latency + option to select between IIR and FIR oversampling
2020/10/13: v3.5.3 fixed source for possible crash in some hosts that dynamically change audio processing precision
2020/09/25: v3.5.2 increased number of mappable parameters from 100 to 256
2020/09/11: v3.5.1 new build with JUCE 6, added support for bridged plugins with delayed latency information + fixed VST2-no-sound issue in Ableton Live
2020/07/17: v3.5.0 fixed a crash when not selecting any plugin from the "load file" menu
2020/05/29: v3.4.9 removed extraneous creation of in- and output modules at reload
2020/05/25: v3.4.8 removed erroneous connection error string
2020/05/18: v3.4.7 fixed a crash on right-clicking the UI without selecting a plugin afterwards
2020/04/29: v3.4.6 updated SendIt plugin for smoother performance
2020/04/09: v3.4.5 improved UI loading time
2020/03/26: v3.4.4 fixed possible issue in bridging leading to distorted sounds
2020/02/11: v3.4.3 added support to load unsigned plugins on Catalina; added 8x oversampling; added option to open/close all plugin windows
2020/01/14: v3.4.2 Corrected bug where latency compensation didn't work when in oversample mode

Like I mentioned earlier I haven't gotten around to really using it yet so I'm interested in your experience/perspective.

Edited December 31, 2020 by TheSteven

[Jeslan]

@TheSteven - Well, I am afraid I can't be of much help as my memory sucks and last time I was able to put myself to play around with music was about a year ago more or less.

But in my overall experience playing around (nothing serious truth be told) with it I found many times I tried to use Metaplugin there was something making it unusable for what I intended. For instance last time it was trying to use a VST3 plugin that can't remember the name right now that crashed Metaplugin. I was trying to use Metaplugin so I could use it on Renoise which doesn't have VST3 plugin support. I ended relying on Element for the same task as it worked as expected.

Usually it is "little" things like this. Although the biggest issue I have found and impossible to forget is related to Metaplugin breaking completely the freeze function on the DAW I was using (Waveform 9) and affecting in a more random way the similar related function on Renoise. This was when Waveform 9 was released. I got back then Metaplugin because being used to having modular VST chains in Tracktion natively I was interested in having that same functionality on any DAW. Weird thing is the freeze functionality worked perfectly with the Metaplugin version released when I bought it. But soon after there was an update that changed things at the core (allowing for instance lot more outputs and things like that). After another long time without being able to play around with music ended discovering last versions of Metaplugin had the bug that caused my DAWs to break freeze. Reported to the developer and received an email that it was noted. But each time I tried since then the problem was still there and the only way for me to work would be using that very old version of Metaplugin previous to the change.

With that said I am not saying Metaplugin is  not a great piece of software, don't get me wrong. Just that I have had more time fighting little problems than being able to use it for music related stuff. Obviously it is a software lot more mature and prepared for more professional use than Element. I don't think they can't compare at that level (maybe it could have in the future if Element would have succeeded).

Anyway, to be completely honest I tend to have a lot of bad luck in relation to computers and end spending most of the time solving issues that simply shouldn't happen in the first place than spending it on doing actual stuff. So It doesn't need to be yours or other people experience and really hope it's not.

By the way, sorry for the wall.

 

[Kal S]

21 hours ago, Pseudopop said:

Thanks, but I was referring to the "USERSURVEY20LG98HBT5" code. The $20 voucher worked without hitch. Apologies for the ambiguity.

Oh ok. Hope you get it to work.

I tried using mine too (USERSURVEY20LG98HBT5) since I hadn't used it till now. Worked fine at my end.

[David Jameson]

9 hours ago, teclark7 said:

Downloaded a demo for Gig Performer and seems it only runs as standalone program

Yes, part of the philosophy behind Gig Performer is that it is part of your instrument, not your recording system. If you're a guitarist (say), you would typically create your sound with your choice of guitar, effects pedals and amplifier. Then you would record that sound with your DAW and then individual plugins in your DAW would be used for typical production purposes (maybe a bit more reverb, compression, EQ, etc but otherwise not "interfering" with what the musician created)

So instead of carrying around effects pedals and amplifiers, you would use Gig Performer to create your sound, possibly changing it on the fly as you switch from one set of plugins to another as you play, possibly using MIDI expression controllers to adjust sounds as you play and ultimately just record what you played into your DAW. That approach doesn't really fit the "plugin in a DAW" model.

It's very easy to route audio from Gig Performer to your DAW (either via physical routing if your audio interface supports it or by using freely available virtual audio drivers for Windows or OS X) and we have several articles on our website with step by step instructions for doing this.

(Disclaimer - I'm one of the GP developers)

[Paul_in_wales]

40 minutes ago, David Jameson said:

So instead of carrying around effects pedals and amplifiers, you would use Gig Performer to create your sound, possibly changing it on the fly as you switch from one set of plugins to another as you play, possibly using MIDI expression controllers to adjust sounds as you play and ultimately just record what you played into your DAW. That approach doesn't really fit the "plugin in a DAW" model.

Am I missing something  -  isn't this still ultimately the same "instrument>effects>recorder" chain,  just split as "[instrument>effects]>recorder" vs  a DAW's "instrument>[effects>recorder]"?    How is a plugin effects chain in something like metaplugin/bidule/patchwork/axiom any less portable?

[teclark7]

Lots to think about here. Thank you everyone for your feedback.

I think I need to demo a few options and work out what works best for me.

Will share my thoughts at the end.

[DeeringAmps]

I caved, used the "USER" voucher; $14.95 for the FUCHS ODS.

(tried to use both vouchers, they gave the ?)

t

Hey its the 31st, my GAS-EX has run out; again!
Hope it shows up soon...

Edited January 1, 2021 by DeeringAmps

[Frank]

The party goes on:

 

BOOM!
Happy New Year 2021
Save $21 on any order $39 or more

New Code:
WELCOME-21
Minimum Spend: $39* (net) - valid until Jan 4, 2021

[Brian Walton]

13 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

I caved, used the "USER" voucher; $14.95 for the FUCHS ODS.

(tried to use both vouchers, they gave the ?)

t

Hey its the 31st, my GAS-EX has run out; again!
Hope it shows up soon...

Glad you picked it up, I actually thought about posting that for that glassy clean tone, the ODS plugin is the best I've heard.  

Everyone seems focused on the ODS dirt, but I don't care about it.  The clean on the other hand is as good as it gets and I think they did a fine job with it.

I've played through a couple real Dumbles (not the FUCHS) and I have an Ethos Overdrive that I only use the clean channel for on my board.  Mostly due to more advanced cab simulation, I'd give the nod to the plugin for recording direct tone.  The Ethos is a bit more dynamic volume/response wise at least in my setup.  The ODS is a little more forgiving (like a light compressor is on).  Honestly makes recording easier for me right now as I haven't been playing guitar like I used to.  

Hopefully you can get that Wicked Game tone out of it 

[Fleer]

Am I missing something or is this new $21 voucher a step back? The last three vouchers had no minimum spend requirement and each took $20 off and could be used on anything.

[Brian Walton]

9 minutes ago, Fleer said:

Am I missing something or is this new $21 voucher a step back? The last three vouchers had no minimum spend requirement and each took $20 off and could be used on anything.

It is unless you are buying something at the $40+ point, then you get an extra buck off.

Still seems pretty generious to me given the sale items that are up.  Lots to be had at that $40 point or combining cheaper stuff to get to $40 (then having to spend $19 to get them).  

But you are correct, no freebies unlike the last 3.

[David Jameson]

23 hours ago, Paul_in_wales said:

How is a plugin effects chain in something like metaplugin/bidule/patchwork/axiom any less portable?

Gig Performer is not a plugin chainer. It uses a visual metaphor for connecting plugins together but that's just a means to an end.

There's a blog article with more information about this specifically or you can watch Larry the "O" giving a high level overview