Use any VSTi as standalone

[Clovis Ramsay]

Nanohost is a plugin wrapper that will allow you to turn any VST instrument (32-bit & 64-bit) plugin into an executable standalone program to use your synth or sampler outside of the DAW.
 

It’s by Tone2 that use to be a 3rd party supplier of its BiFilter2 plugin that came bundled with SONAR PLT.  The Nanohost is totally free and shareable.

https://www.tone2.com/nanohost.html

Edited July 29, 2021 by clovis

[abacab]

Good tip!

SAVIhost is free, and also works for hosting exactly one VSTi plugin. https://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm

The author also wrote VSTHost, which allow for more complex routing between plugins. https://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm

[Clovis Ramsay]

11 hours ago, abacab said:

Good tip!

SAVIhost is free, and also works for hosting exactly one VSTi plugin. https://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm

The author also wrote VSTHost, which allow for more complex routing between plugins. https://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm

Hermann Seib also contributed to the development of Nanohost (cue the Twilight Zone intro ?) which may be why it is the only flavor  FreeSauce on Tone2’s menu.

Either way, Nanohost has allowed me much joy in nostalgia being able to resurrect a 32-bit FM7 synth released in 2002 by NI.  The Tres Hook preset is one of the greatest decadent synth sounds created since Purple Rain.  
 

Hermann, if you ever see this post, we sweet tea drinkin’, sock knitting, coyote stuffin’, porch swinging southern folk down here in Georgia, U.S.A….we thank u kindly 

[abacab]

Is there an available stand-alone host for VST3 plugins? Just noticed that Nano and SAVI only see VST2 type plugins.

[deepseasquid]

1 hour ago, abacab said:

Is there an available stand-alone host for VST3 plugins? Just noticed that Nano and SAVI only see VST2 type plugins.

Here is a collection of ones which will do 32 bit VST2, as well as 64 bit VST2 and VST3:

https://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm

[fret_man]

I can't tell what the differences are between Savihost and VSThost. Anyone else?

[Clovis Ramsay]

19 minutes ago, deepseasquid said:

Here is a collection of ones which will do 32 bit VST2, as well as 64 bit VST2 and VST3:

https://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm

Well then, being able to use VST3 just upt the whole experience.  
 

Is anyone else thinking TH3, too?  It almost feels wrong like im hacking the system!  Nothing to see hear ??

[Clovis Ramsay]

11 minutes ago, fret_man said:

I can't tell what the differences are between Savihost and VSThost. Anyone else?

From what I can tell is that VSThost is more like a virtual patchbay that allows effects and instruments to be loaded together. 
 

SAVIhost is just one instance of the instrument or effect and must be renamed to the same name of the plugin, just like Nanohost.

[scook]

Cantabile Lite is another free option. Other than DAWs, I have not used any dedicated VST host in some time.

It is more like VSTHost than SAVIhost.

 

[abacab]

5 hours ago, deepseasquid said:

Here is a collection of ones which will do 32 bit VST2, as well as 64 bit VST2 and VST3:

https://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm

Hey thanks! That's the same link that I posted yesterday. But I took another look and noticed that the VST3 version is a separate executable.

[deepseasquid]

21 minutes ago, abacab said:

Hey thanks! That's the same link that I posted yesterday. But I took another look and noticed that the VST3 version is a separate executable.

Sure...I see you posted that link already. oops.

I use Savihost all the time if I want to authorize or quick test a plugin without opening up Cakewalk. You just double click the executable, then navigate to the plugin, select it, and it opens right up. It's not got a lot of bells and whistles, but for what I use it for, it's perfect.

 

[abacab]

No problem! Found what I was looking for, and had just overlooked!

[bitflipper]

On 8/1/2021 at 8:18 AM, scook said:

Cantabile Lite is another free option. Other than DAWs, I have not used any dedicated VST host in some time.

It is more like VSTHost than SAVIhost.

 

Cantabile is really good. I have used the full (paid) version in live performance. I wanted to have Omnisphere and VB3 on stage. It worked well, although I eventually gave up on it because of the extra time and hassle of setting up a laptop.

I have also used Gig Performer, which takes the idea even further, letting you define custom UIs for instruments and effects and making set lists. There is also a free version available.

Of the two, though, Cantabile strikes the better balance between flexibility and ease of use.

Next up on my list of products to test is Camelot, from Audio Modeling. It looks very interesting. There is a free version, an iOS version and a full version that runs on a Mac or PC. At $150 it might not be what the OP is looking for. 

[msmcleod]

I gave up on using computers live a long time ago.

Going from a cold car to below zero outside then straight into a pub with a blazing fire going, then the reverse at the end of the night soon takes it's toll on a PC, and its a disaster if it fails or glitches during a performance.

I use Cantable as a host to my VSTi's, then run SampleRobot to sample the VSTi.  I then put the samples as sf2 files on to one of these, running SampleLord:



While it can actually run VSTi's natively, it's way underpowered, so I find sampling my synths and using SampleLord on the V-Machine far better for CPU, and also more convenient as I can have a single sf2 with a whole song's worth of synths in it as separate internal patches.  I'll maybe run dexed or Cobalt natively on the V-Machine for sounds that need extra realtime control.
 

[user 905133]

On 7/29/2021 at 4:40 AM, clovis said:

Nanohost is a plugin wrapper that will allow you to turn any VST instrument (32-bit & 64-bit) plugin into an executable standalone program to use your synth or sampler outside of the DAW.

On 8/1/2021 at 5:40 AM, clovis said:

. . . Nanohost has allowed me much joy in nostalgia being able to resurrect a 32-bit FM7 synth released in 2002 by NI.  The Tres Hook preset is one of the greatest decadent synth sounds created since Purple Rain.  

This is not to take away from the excellent comments made about other VST hosts and their suitability for various purposes, but having used VSTHost previously and having just installed Cantabile Lite, over the past several days I have found Nanohost to be very practical (easy to install and super simple to run) for loading up a VST, test driving  a handful of factory presets, and quickly recording short wav files of compositional building blocks (aka "ideas" inspired by the presets) for later use--mostly progressions, some textural things, and a melody here and there.

Edited August 3, 2021 by User 905133
removed extra space at the end

[bitflipper]

On 8/2/2021 at 5:02 PM, msmcleod said:

I use Cantable as a host to my VSTi's, then run SampleRobot to sample the VSTi.  I then put the samples as sf2 files on to one of these, running SampleLord:

Ah, so you've simplified!

My solution is even simpler: spend gobs of money on a single instrument that's a sampler, synth, sequencer and audio interface all in one. Yeh, it cost as much as late-model used car, but it's just one thing to drag in and hook up.

Unfortunately, it's also a backbreaker, weighing 88 lb. in the flight case. I've often wondered if I shouldn't have gone with a laptop and a MIDI controller; even after buying a second laptop as a backup, that would still have been thousands cheaper.